New Starter - In Urgent Need of Club Help

[DSCAlves]

Hello Ladies & Gents,

I’ve always been intrigued by the game of golf for many years and that only grew stronger when I visited golf ranges or played par 3 courses during the summer. Last weekend, I played a bit of golf with my father in law and since then I have made the decision I want to invest in some of my own clubs and start to play more.

During the past few days, I have been going through every website imaginable to buy myself a set of clubs so I can start my journey. However, there is so much going on and I really don’t have a clue on what’s best for someone starting out. I was looking at the Wilson Prostaff HDX full set which retails at around £250 and gives me everything I need to play but I don’t know if this is a good investment or would it be better to say buy a set of Ping G15 irons and then buy drivers, hybrids and putters separate. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I will post some of the clubs I have been looking at for reference.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/233240575082

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/192930749460

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/332022511779

 

[bobmac]

Have you looked in your local pro shops, they often have second hand sets for sale that you can try out first

 

[jusme]

There are many posts like yours across the golf forums and if you search them you will get the same general advice. Very few people will encourage you to buy new complete sets from the so called 'less or minor manugacturers'. There are good reasons for this and you can read some of these in details from post searching.

Always sensible to buy used (ebay) decent forgiving clubs as a beginner. Ping G range is a great choice as they fit the forgiving end of golf, plenty of choice available and can often be adjusted for free by Ping further down the road if/once you get fitted and need lie angles changed.

G15 irons are excellent and once you search and source sensibly you can build a full set of excellent used clubs for under £300. They will stand the test of time much longer than the full sets you buy retail. Research each club your looking at and ensure it rates high in terms of forgiveness.

 

[chrisd]

As has been said, the best set of game improver clubs is a great way to start, assuming you're not 6ft 8in or 5ft 2in tall as standard clubs would maybe not suit you. The G15's are good but I'd set my budget and look at the most modern clubs I could get for the money I'd have to spend as there are many good clubs with more modern technology out there

 

[Fabia999]

I started about 16 months ago with a slazenger 3, 5, 7 iron, driver and a putter (the cheapest I could find) and then added from there slowly replacing clubs when i knew i wanted to take up golf properly.

 

[Grant85]

Hello Ladies & Gents,

I’ve always been intrigued by the game of golf for many years and that only grew stronger when I visited golf ranges or played par 3 courses during the summer. Last weekend, I played a bit of golf with my father in law and since then I have made the decision I want to invest in some of my own clubs and start to play more.

During the past few days, I have been going through every website imaginable to buy myself a set of clubs so I can start my journey. However, there is so much going on and I really don’t have a clue on what’s best for someone starting out. I was looking at the Wilson Prostaff HDX full set which retails at around £250 and gives me everything I need to play but I don’t know if this is a good investment or would it be better to say buy a set of Ping G15 irons and then buy drivers, hybrids and putters separate. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I will post some of the clubs I have been looking at for reference.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/233240575082

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/192930749460

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/332022511779

There's no right or wrong here.

Potentially the Wilson set will suit you and you could easily use it for years. Or you could use this as a 'base set' from which you then decide to upgrade / change / replace as you get going.
Or you could just start putting together a decent set of 12 or 14 2nd hand clubs. There's probably more value in this financially as these will hold onto a resale value, for at least a few years. But the Wilson set probably less so.

I would say it is almost inevitable that whatever you buy now, you will end up replacing / upgrading within a few years if you get into it. Assuming you have any kind of disposable income, if you get the bug, you will want new clubs.

In my experience, a Driver and a Putter are going to be the most important clubs to get comfortable with. But again, this is something you might not be able to commit to until you have been playing for a while.

 

[Orikoru]

I would go with the G15 irons, as they're very forgiving, and you'll always be able to sell them on when you want to upgrade without making much of a loss. And there's nothing to say you even need a driver when starting out, a decent 3 wood will do the job.

 

[IanM]

No point in spending more than you need to at the start... in 6-12 months time your understanding of kit and your own requirements will be miles ahead of where it is today.

And as above, the first putter I ever bought in 1984 is still in the garage...it makes an appearance every now and then!

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Honestly, if you are just playing occasionally and aren't sure how much you are going to play and how serious you're going to be about the game, the Wilson's should be fine - they are an established brand and should be decent quality.

If you are seriously looking to get into the game then a 2nd hand set of Pings or Callaways would be better clubs, but will set you back a bit more and you'll need to consider the driver, fairway woods, wedges and putter which are going to add to the cost.


After my first clubs, which were a half set of Ben Sayers junior blades, I had some terrible irons (Howson Derby). I set myself a target; get down to 15 with those clubs, & if I do it with those I can play well with anything and deserve a good set.

 

[Slab]

I did both routes (the older ‘better’ club and the new starter type) and I’d say go for the Wilsons

Other than ball, tee, glove; you’ll get everything you need and in new condition & the bag, from a solid manufacture that not even bottom of the food chain in budget clubs
Even as a starter set the wilsons will have tech in them that while it won’t be the latest/greatest, it will still be potentially newer tech than many older clubs (i.e 2nd hand G15’s could be up to 8 years old with loft/lie angles all knocked out)
I’d rather play with the new gear over someone else’s seconds

I still have both my older 2nd hand and the newer starter sets even though I’ve moved on and replaced every club, so I wouldn’t necessarily get stuck thinking about resale value either. Neither option is that expensive that you need to get all your money back

 

[DSCAlves]

I did both routes (the older ‘better’ club and the new starter type) and I’d say go for the Wilsons

Other than ball, tee, glove; you’ll get everything you need and in new condition & the bag, from a solid manufacture that not even bottom of the food chain in budget clubs
Even as a starter set the wilsons will have tech in them that while it won’t be the latest/greatest, it will still be potentially newer tech than many older clubs (i.e 2nd hand G15’s could be up to 8 years old with loft/lie angles all knocked out)
I’d rather play with the new gear over someone else’s seconds

I still have both my older 2nd hand and the newer starter sets even though I’ve moved on and replaced every club, so I wouldn’t necessarily get stuck thinking about resale value either. Neither option is that expensive that you need to get all your money back

Wow so much great advice from a lot of you guys! Thanks!

I’m not too bothered about resell if I’m honest and a the main reason I wanted a set was exactly what you said (older tech in older clubs)

 

[clubchamp98]

There’s no right answer but try a few before you decide.
Older clubs can be good but you need to know some basic specs to get the best of them

 

[HamiltonGuy]

Costco generally do full callaway sets driver hybrid irons bag putter etc it’s about £400 I’m sure

 

[r0wly86]

it's all about the shaft, technology in the head is blown way out of proportion to what it actually adds to the game. A better shaft that is suited to you will make the biggest difference.

If you are just starting out then not really worth a fitting as you may want to upgrade once you get a little better and are comfortable in your swing.

You could also pick up new irons that are a season or 2 old, a set would be about £250 or under, that's another way to go

 

[inc0gnito]

it's all about the shaft, technology in the head is blown way out of proportion to what it actually adds to the game. A better shaft that is suited to you will make the biggest difference.

If you are just starting out then not really worth a fitting as you may want to upgrade once you get a little better and are comfortable in your swing.

You could also pick up new irons that are a season or 2 old, a set would be about £250 or under, that's another way to go

Surprised this hasn’t started an argument!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you opt to go down the second hand route, plenty of choices for all budgets here https://www.golfbidder.co.uk/

They also do a seven day returns policy if you try them and don't like them

 

[Tashyboy]

Heyup,DSCAlves and welcome to the forum. You mentioned you had a knock with your father in law, does he play regularly. Does he know anyone that may be getting rid of some. If he is at a club, ask him to ask in the pro shop see if they have anything second hand.

 

[Robster59]

Another brand you can look at is Benross. Not a fashionable brand but good stuff nonetheless with good quality shafts.
A couple of examples....
BENROSS HOT SPEED 10 IRONS / 5-SW £99.99
Ben Ross hot speed iron set 5-sw £65.00
You can also get their woods at a good price if you do a similar search. I've had Benross drivers and fairway woods and recommend them.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Another brand you can look at is Benross. Not a fashionable brand but good stuff nonetheless with good quality shafts.
A couple of examples....
BENROSS HOT SPEED 10 IRONS / 5-SW £99.99
Ben Ross hot speed iron set 5-sw £65.00
You can also get their woods at a good price if you do a similar search. I've had Benross drivers and fairway woods and recommend them.

Also MD Golf.
Both tend to have good shafts & grips (Aldila & Golf Pride etc)

 

[Robster59]

Also MD Golf.
Both tend to have good shafts & grips (Aldila & Golf Pride etc)

They did but sadly they seem to have disappeared so most of the stuff on sale is pretty old whereas you can get pretty new Benross kit at a good price.