Thinking of buying new Irons a year in to the game.

[JCC]

Hi All,

I started playing Golf last year. First few times almost put me off, shooting 130's for an 18 hole round, wasn't much fun. A friend gave me an old set of clubs and I carried on. Started getting in to it again 2 months ago and now shooting around 100. (96 and 98 being my best scores).

Birthday is around the corner and I'd like to play more golf and treat myself to a set of Irons. I've been doing tonnes of reading/Googling around sets of clubs for High Handicappers recently and not surprisingly gone round in circles and confused myself.

I'm pretty short at 5'8" with fairly short arms (although they are in sync with my body). I was reading a piece by Louis Oosthuizen who at 5'11" was saying about either getting custom made clubs or gripping down the shaft to make up for this.

Have any of you been in a similar situation and if so do you have any pointers for me with regards reading material/website links or even club recommendations? Is there an actual guide as to what the length of shaft is ideal for the height of a person?

Any recommendations for someone not wanting to spend the earth. Either a mid level price set of Irons or alternatively I'll check E-Bay out (if I can determine the 'real' from the 'fake').

Any help greatly appreciated. Have a good weekend. I'm off to play tomorrow.

Kind regards,
J

 

[turkish]

Hi and welcome.... I am about the same height as you and you sound like I was when I started. I ended up buying stock clubs off the shelf, as was advised on here, you want to wait for a fitting until you have a repeatable swing. Was probably the right advice.

You're not going to be way off with stock clubs

 

[Tiger man]

Can't go too wrong with Ping G series, forgiving and bullet proof. A couple of models old will not cost too much and hold their value great. Their coloured dot system is easy to understand so you can be sure what the lie angle is as with other clubs you have no idea when buying second hand.

 

[TonyN]

Dont use handicap as a definitive guide to buying golf clubs. When I played off 18, I was fit for MP52's they are aimed at low to mid handicap players. I just couldn't drive or putt hence my HC was so high but I could strike irons well. I know players who play off less than me but play proper game improver irons. Its just a guide.

I'd say, go get some lessons first make sure you have a repeatable swing. Once you do, you can go find something that suits that swing. There are thousands of club head/shaft combinations out there. And then you have length, loft, lie, grip size etc to consider. If your gonna spend on new clubs, custom fit doesn't usually cost anything anyway.

My point is, most retailers will let you hit what you want and tell you what you want to hear if it means they get a sale. But in relaity, a net in the back of a shop or a 2 minute chat with a salesman about what you usually shoot matched to his idea of a good shaft no way compares to the advice of a PGA pro.

If you're hell bent on buying clubs, consider looking for something second hand, and try them out first.

Best of luck to you, welcome to the forum

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Go along somewhere you can try a few different makes and models and see what suits without too many pre-conceived ideas and get what suits you, not what you think should based on handicap. Enjoy looking for a new set.

 

[Tashyboy]

Heyup JCC me man welcome to the madhouse. What part of the world you from.

 

[GG26]

Good luck with your search JCC.

I'm 5'5" and I am fine with standard length clubs, but its worth getting fitted properly if you can as we are all different.

I started playing seriously last summer with game improvement irons (Wilson D200s). These were fine, but I lost my way after a few lessons and recently bought some new forged Cleveland irons with stiff graphite shafts over the net and on a whim. For a high handicapper like me these shouldn't work based on what I've read, but with these I've got my confidence back and I am hitting them better than the Wilsons. Admittedly that's only with nine holes on the course and on the range, but I am looking forward to seeing how they go in a competition tomorrow.

If you do get an opportunity to get fitted just go with an open mind, what applies to one individual will not necessarily apply to another.

 

[Canmore]

Get custom fit if at all possible

 

[shewy]

Use ping online fitting tool it's pretty good for a static fit. Same height as you and play 2 degrees flat irons standard length

 

[Foxholer]

My standard reply - MX23 or MX25!

Or at lower budget MX15/17.

Whichever way you go, get lofts checked and adjusted and the lie adjusted for you (on a lie board traditionally). I would recommend this even if the clubs are new - as 1 or 2 in any 'set' are occasionally out of whack with the rest!

Good luck in your search!

 

[GB72]

Sounding like a stuck record but direct golf clearing out Adams blue set of 2 hybrids and 6 irons for £140 this weekend. So easy to hit