Getting new clubs

[soccerdido9]

I will be purchasing new clubs very soon. Money isn't an issue seeing that I've saved up for a while, and definitly have enough. What I am asking is what is the absolute BEST? I was looking into Ping G5 driver, Ping G5 woods, Ping G5 irons, and a ping g2i putter along with the ping g5 bag. What is your opinion? I am also looking into callaway x-18s, nike clubs, clevelands, taylormades, and titelists... but i need your help to choose the absolute best. I don't know many of the specific types of each brand other then ping, so please help me. I want the absolute best clubs possible, but don't want a mixed set. I want a complete, one brand set.

[Thomas J]

Soccer...there is no absolute best. What works for me may not work for the next guy. My advice is to try them all and buy what feels good to you. Work with a good pro shop or clubmaker, you'll get better advice than at a chain. Why are you locking yourself into one brand? One manufacturers metalwoods may feel sweet to you but you may not like the irons, etc. Keep an open mind and don't get hung up on looks...results mean more. Remember the old saying "they are pretty, but can they fight")

[Boomhauer]

Many tour players carry one brand because they are paid to. Others carry clubs from different brands, but put their sponsor's cover on them. The vast mahority of players on tour carry more than one brand in their bag. Because they are professionals, they are certainly able to discern the differences between different clubs and go with what allows them to do their job the best. As amateurs, I doubt many of us would be too poorly served by going with only one brand in the bag, particularly when you are up in the top OEMs, although it does look rather pretentious, particularly for a novice, but Tom has made a great point, nonetheless. A mid handicap player, even I know there are certain clubs from certain manufacturers I do not readily hit as well as others...I learned this from experience, which is exactly what you should do...experience different clubs. There is no one "best" brand of clubs. Pings are great clubs, as are Titleists, Clevelands, Mizunos, Callaways/Hogans. you are going to pay top dollar for any of them...question is, will you get what you need from that dollar. Example - I love my Hogan irons, but cannot stand their drivers or wedges. I love my Ping G2 driver and putter, but am not thrilled with their irons (haven't tried that S59 yet)...you get the picture, I'm sure...good luck, either way.

[19handicap]

i think you should get a mixture of different clubs because different brands "specialize: in different types of clubs. if you were to choose ONE brand that i'd suggest you pick cleveland,titleist,or taylormade, all specialize in cetain areas of clubs, however they all still have good clubs in the areas that they do not specialize in.
hope this helps,
play on,
19

[lefty9]

hey- 19 is right. i agree with him fully that different makers specialize in diffenrent areas for example cleveland makes golf wegdes, taylormade makes good drivers and woods. But if you want all one club maker then i would suggest demo all of them and whatever works best for you purchase.
im out
John

[soccerdido9]

what would you suggest for a mixture then? which brands and which exact names of clubs so i can look them up?

[haywardwisc]

You are getting great advice here. One brand is not going to provide the best set for you. I look inside my bag, for example:
-My Cobra SS 350 driver is wonderful. I test "drove" a Cleveland Launcher, Callaway Big Bertha and a few others and the Cobra was clearly the best.
-Fairway woods: I love my 2004 Callaway BB SS 4-wood and 7-wood.
-Irons: I have original 1995-vintage Lynx Black Cats. When I bought them, I hit the Cats vs. Titlelist, Ram, MacGregor and several others. For me, the Cats were much better than all of the others. Now, though, I must say I like the look of the Ping G5's. I would not even think of buying them, however, without hitting them and hitting Callaway Big Bertha's, Cobra 3100 I/H's and Mizuno MX-23's as well.
-GW, SW & LW: I absolutely love my Cleveland Model 900 Form-Forged wedges.
-Putter: The Callaway/Odyssey 2-ball is the putter for me.

The bottom line is, unless a manufacturer pays me big bucks to use their complete set of clubs, I'd be silly to stick with one brand. Unless you are one-in-a-million, sticking with one brand will not give you the best set of clubs.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

[19handicap]

what would you suggest for a mixture then? which brands and which exact names of clubs so i can look them up?

ok here goes...

these clubs are what are considered top of the line from the most popular brands for this era:

Drivers:
taylormade - r7, r5. many different varriations
Cleveland - launcher comp, launcher ti, or any other launcher.
titleist - 905s, 905t
cobra - speed series, 454 comp, sz
ping - g5,g2
callaway - ft-3 fusion, big bertha 454 titanium
nike - ignite, sasquatch.
mizuno - mx-500, mp-001
ben hogan - c.s3.
adams - redline rpm
wilson staff - just go to the website there are many different ones for different players.

I personally prefer taylormade.

Fairway woods -

Sonartec - ss
taylormade - r7,r5, v-steel (a few years old but still great).
cleveland - launcher (comp,ti, and steel)
cobra - king cobra comp, or sz
ping - g5,g2
nike - sasquatch, ignite t-60.
mizuno - f-50, mp-001
callaway - erc fusion
orlimar- vt-830
ben hogan - big ben
titleist- 904f

i like the clevelands, titleist, and taylormade. i am yet to try it, but the mizuno f-50 has been rated very very highly my most magazines.


Irons
titleist - 670,690,704, 804 and many others. all titleist irons are great
mizuno - mp-30,32,33,37,60, mx-23, mx-900 and other. mizuno is considered by most the best irons company. most who dont believe so like titleist. theyre the big two.
ping - s59, g2,g5.
cleveland - cg1, cg2, launcher (for beginers), and the tout action (ta) are good but a few years old.
callaway - fusion, x tour, x-18
taylormade - rac lt, rac os, rac tp, r7xd, cgb
ben hogan - edge cft, ftx, bh-5
nike - pro combo, forged blades, slingshot.
cobra - 3400
wilson staff - fi5, pi5

i personally prefer mizuno. titleist are great too.

Wedges -
cleveland - cg10, cg11. (588 is a bit old but still good)
titleist- vokey (any variation)
taylormade - rac (any variation is good, but the new tp black is great)
callaway - forged plus
mizuno - mp
ben hogan - colonial, carnoustie

you could never ever go wrong with cleveland, titleist, or taylormade here.


Putters.
titleist- anything scotty cameron is an excellent putter.
odyssey - white hot, white steel, dual force 2. the dfx is a few years old but great and cheap if you find it.
never compromise - voodoo, milled series.
taylormade - monzo corza, mezza monza, rossa.
ping - anything of the g2i or g5i are decent,
yes - good putter, theyre named after girls names (callie,amy, emma, marilyn, natalie, sophia,tracy)

there are so many golf clubs, and brands that i know of but this is what i can think of for now.
as a final conclusion i would say that for:

drivers - taylormade, cleveland, titleist, callaway, and ping are all great. i just so happen to prefer taylormade, as do many others, hence it is the number 1 on the pga tour.

Fairway woods - taylormade, cleveland, titleist, ping, and that new mizuno one are great, and also the sonartec is used on tour my many and ive heard its great).

Irons - mizuno and titleist straight up. cleveland, hogan and taylormade are quite good too.

Wedges - as i said before you can go wrong with cleveland or titleist, as well as taylormade which are quite good.

Putter - well theres the all famous scotty cameron which is great. there all also many good odyseey, taylormade, ping, never compromise and yes putters out there.

i hope this helps you, but my main advice tp you would be to go to a store that has a simulator or some way to demo clubs, and pick the 4 or 5 that you like best from each area of golf clubs, and demo, demo, demo untill you find which one you like the absolute best out of all of them
once again i hope this helps,
play on,
19

[Joe Hunt]

ok here goes...

these clubs are what are considered top of the line from the most popular brands for this era:

I'm an equipment nut, too... I guess alot of us are. Here's a cool article on the subject:

http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline...142442,00.html

[Thomas J]

You guys are really missing out by not looking at the component side. Your list looks like a complilation of advertisemnets in Golf Digest.

[sandpiper12]

i have to agree with thomas... soccer your taking the worst possible approach to getting new clubs in soooooo many different ways.. Its not about having "the best clubs money can buy". thats the most retarded thing to say "money is not an issue", if u want to be stupid like that and waste your money go to your local golf town or riverside or watever and ask them wats the most expensive clubs and do that.... when i started the best clubs for me were about 100$ for the whole set, they were 6 yr old wilsons (used) and all my clubs were all assorted... I now have wat ppl may say is a "top of the line set" just because the names... but i have saved and got these clubs over the last 3 years... and i can easily find clubs that are "better" than mine, but they are wat suit me best... you should get fitted and not worry about names... you have nice clubs already and you dont even have a handicap... you dont need to worry about having "all the best stuff without concerning money"... and i bet many people will agree with me

[Joe Hunt]

thats the most retarded thing to say "money is not an issue",

I don't know... Golf Online shows some very expensive recommendations for the 20+ handicappers:

http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline...2442-4,00.html

[19handicap]

I don't know... Golf Online shows some very expensive recommendations for the 20+ handicappers:

http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline...2442-4,00.html

that is very innacurate i believe. i mean, how can they say that fusion irons are for 10-20 handicaps, and then say that mx-23 are for over 20 handicaps. maybe that should be switched.
play on,
19

[Joe Hunt]

that is very innacurate i believe. i mean, how can they say that fusion irons are for 10-20 handicaps, and then say that mx-23 are for over 20 handicaps. maybe that should be switched.
play on,
19

I don't know man... all I know is that I'm playing your "dream set."

[19handicap]

I don't know man... all I know is that I'm playing your "dream set."

only the driver and irons. the only other thing that is similar to it is that you have an odyssey putter , however it is a different model.
play on,
19

[Joe Hunt]

only the driver and irons. the only other thing that is similar to it is that you have an odyssey putter , however it is a different model.
play on,
19

Only the driver and irons? Come on, admit it, I'm living your dream.

[19handicap]

Only the driver and irons? Come on, admit it, I'm living your dream.

i dont even care i plenty happy with my 2 year old taylormade driver, and im going to buy the mp-32 when i have the money most likely. im in no hurry.
play on,
19

[19handicap]

any ways. i think that my putter and wedges are better than yours!!! just my opinion.

[Boomhauer]

Soccer, I want to jump all over this, but really don't have the heart to. Be careful you don't become some a-hole sales rep's sucker, because if you get the wrong guy and you walk up to him saying "I want the best my money can buy", I seriously doubt you will have a very long love-affair with golf. If you don't know what a handicap is, I will assume you don't know much about different game enhancement characteristics of different clubs within a given brand, not to mention across the whole spectrum (of course, maybe you are pulling everyone's leg here, having some kind of twisted laugh). What is the best honest score you've put up on 18 holes so far? What are you trying to accomplish? If money isn't an issue, save some on the clubs and get yourself some lessons...you'll thank yourself in the long-run..or, buy one of everything...probably not as gratifying over the long-run, but would be fun as hell for a week or so!

As for the earlier comments about brand specializing, there is some validity to it, but it is not so much a specialization as a reputation. 19 made the original comment, but then someone responded with examples. I would be careful with this info, soccer - Cleveland does not specialize in wedges, they specialize in golf clubs...great golf clubs. It just so happens that their wedges are among the most popular out there, but that does not diminish the quality of the rest of their clubs, which are among the best in the business. There was a thread a few weeks back that asked what brand most golfers would go with if they had to pick driver, woods, irons, wedges, and putter from only one manufacturer. My recollection could be off, but I believe Cleveland was the most common answer.

There is no "best brand" or "best club" because clubs, like the swings that move them, are individual things.

Once again, best of luck.

[19handicap]

Soccer, I want to jump all over this, but really don't have the heart to. Be careful you don't become some a-hole sales rep's sucker, because if you get the wrong guy and you walk up to him saying "I want the best my money can buy", I seriously doubt you will have a very long love-affair with golf. If you don't know what a handicap is, I will assume you don't know much about different game enhancement characteristics of different clubs within a given brand, not to mention across the whole spectrum (of course, maybe you are pulling everyone's leg here, having some kind of twisted laugh). What is the best honest score you've put up on 18 holes so far? What are you trying to accomplish? If money isn't an issue, save some on the clubs and get yourself some lessons...you'll thank yourself in the long-run..or, buy one of everything...probably not as gratifying over the long-run, but would be fun as hell for a week or so!

As for the earlier comments about brand specializing, there is some validity to it, but it is not so much a specialization as a reputation. 19 made the original comment, but then someone responded with examples. I would be careful with this info, soccer - Cleveland does not specialize in wedges, they specialize in golf clubs...great golf clubs. It just so happens that their wedges are among the most popular out there, but that does not diminish the quality of the rest of their clubs, which are among the best in the business. There was a thread a few weeks back that asked what brand most golfers would go with if they had to pick driver, woods, irons, wedges, and putter from only one manufacturer. My recollection could be off, but I believe Cleveland was the most common answer.

There is no "best brand" or "best club" because clubs, like the swings that move them, are individual things.

Once again, best of luck.

i didnt really mean :specialize", i just meant that of all the types of clubs the make the wedges are the most popular, and the ones that i prefer the most. I did say that the crest of their line-ups are still quality clubs, and i really like the launcher driver, and woods, and i dont mind the cg2 irons.
play on,
19

[Tommysels41]

Ok, I'll chime. My personal favorites:

Driver: Taylormade R7 HT
FW Woods: Taylormade R7 and R5
Irons: Mizuno MP-60
Wedges: Cleveland CG11 or Titliest Vokey SM
Putter: Titliest Scotty Cameron Mil Spec or Studio Design (have both and loooove them)
Ball: Maxfli BlackMax
Bag: Taylormade R7 Stand Bag

As you can see, I love almost all things Taylormade....

Regards~Tom

[Boomhauer]

Read what I said...I wasn't attacking your comment, but elaborating upon it. I agree that, up until a couple years ago, Cleveland was best known for their wedges and irons, but that is hardly the case anymore.

Soccer, you may have been on the right track from the beginning. I don't know what technological differences there are between the G2 and G5 drivers, but the G2 I have is great, and I would highly recommend it to any golfer of any handicap. The Ping Tisi Tec fairway woods have a reputation as one of the greatest fairway woods ever desinged (I haven't hit one personally). They are an older model, so tougher to find, and they are very expensive yet (they still sell for much more than current year models). As for irons, one area I will agree with as far as specialization is concerned is fitting - perhaps one of the more important aspects of your clubs to be. Ping is second to none in fitting and customer service. Go to a shop, get fitted, and a week or two later your personalized clubs will be at the shop. As for wedges, their newer ones are a bit loud looking, but hit a nice ball. I just received a Ping G2 Anser C putter for Christmas. Beautiful weight and balance...love it. With Ping you have long-term customer service and the peace of mind that goes with it, as well as a resale value higher than the vast majority of other OEMs (just check ebay...you'll see). I'm sure you could piece together a great set of clubs out of this that could give you a year or two of enjoyment...after that you will probably want to change them anyway, but I still strongly urge you to see a pro, let him/her see your swing, take their advice on what best suits your surrent swing and your goals, then get some lessons. Good luck.

[19handicap]

Read what I said...I wasn't attacking your comment, but elaborating upon it. I agree that, up until a couple years ago, Cleveland was best known for their wedges and irons, but that is hardly the case anymore.

Soccer, you may have been on the right track from the beginning. I don't know what technological differences there are between the G2 and G5 drivers, but the G2 I have is great, and I would highly recommend it to any golfer of any handicap. The Ping Tisi Tec fairway woods have a reputation as one of the greatest fairway woods ever desinged (I haven't hit one personally). They are an older model, so tougher to find, and they are very expensive yet (they still sell for much more than current year models). As for irons, one area I will agree with as far as specialization is concerned is fitting - perhaps one of the more important aspects of your clubs to be. Ping is second to none in fitting and customer service. Go to a shop, get fitted, and a week or two later your personalized clubs will be at the shop. As for wedges, their newer ones are a bit loud looking, but hit a nice ball. I just received a Ping G2 Anser C putter for Christmas. Beautiful weight and balance...love it. With Ping you have long-term customer service and the peace of mind that goes with it, as well as a resale value higher than the vast majority of other OEMs (just check ebay...you'll see). I'm sure you could piece together a great set of clubs out of this that could give you a year or two of enjoyment...after that you will probably want to change them anyway, but I still strongly urge you to see a pro, let him/her see your swing, take their advice on what best suits your surrent swing and your goals, then get some lessons. Good luck.

i wasnt under the assumption that you were attacking my post, i was just attempting to clear up anything that may have been unclear about my post, since i later realized it wasnt exactly what i was try to say ...

[golfaholic]

i just wanna say that everyone will tell u something different and you probaly shouldent pay any attention to most of the stuff some say, because they are talking about stuff that helps them, or works for them. ( no offence to anyone!! ) personaly i hate titleist..thats just how it is..some are tellin u to go buy a titleist driver and titleist woods and vokey wedges when u could be like me and not like any of the stuff. i have a set of Wilson Staff Pi5 irons, and i got them because the feel good to me and the look good to me and i like them. I dident get them because i have heard the company's name before or because i also like the FW wedges.

and if u actly dont have a handicap and u shoot like,,100 you shouldent even look at big named big priced clubs when a set from ...k-mart or wall mart would do the exzact same thing for ur game that a set of quality clubs will do.

but thats just what i think and people will probaly disagree with me, but thats to be expected..

[soccerdido9]

Ok. First of all, this was to see some opinions and to seek help.
Sandpiper- ur comments were unnecesarry and rude. My saying money isn't an issue was said under the terms that I want a wide open, no restrictions opinion and answer. So please think before posting. Your saying of me being stupid for buying an expensive set of clubs is a false statement. Seeing that you have expensive clubs yourself, wouldn't that be saying the same for yourself. How do you know that I haven't saved for a while to come up with the money for some decent clubs in which I don't need to worry about the price. I have sold things here and there, making and building up on my funds for new clubs, and just want to be happy with what I buy. The statement "money isn't an issue" was just used to keep all opinions under no restrictions, seeing that many people answering these questions result to " well it depends on how much you are looking to spend" type of thing. Please don't post in my thread with these comments. Thank you

I will be going to demo clubs(thank you to those who gave the helpful info). I will probably be testing the Ping G5 stuff, the Callaway x-18 irons, callaway big bertha, the cleveland launcher, taylor made r7, nike ignite, and others from these companies mainly.

[19handicap]

i just wanna say that everyone will tell u something different and you probaly shouldent pay any attention to most of the stuff some say, because they are talking about stuff that helps them, or works for them. ( no offence to anyone!! ) personaly i hate titleist..thats just how it is..some are tellin u to go buy a titleist driver and titleist woods and vokey wedges when u could be like me and not like any of the stuff. i have a set of Wilson Staff Pi5 irons, and i got them because the feel good to me and the look good to me and i like them. I dident get them because i have heard the company's name before or because i also like the FW wedges.

and if u actly dont have a handicap and u shoot like,,100 you shouldent even look at big named big priced clubs when a set from ...k-mart or wall mart would do the exzact same thing for ur game that a set of quality clubs will do.

but thats just what i think and people will probaly disagree with me, but thats to be expected..

yeah i agree with you fully. what a high handicap needs can pretty much be scrounged up for a couple hundred bucks and perform just as well as high brand clubs. the only thing you make get from high end clubs is confidence.
for high handicaps i would reccomend:
- a 460 cc head for maximum forgivness
- a few hybrid clubs to replace difficult to hit long-irons
- offset, oversize, forgiving, and easy to hit cavity back game improvent irons.
- a high bounce sandwedge for easy bunker play
- a mallet putter, with a certain type of allignment aid (2 ball etc..)

hope this helps ,
play on,
19

[soccerdido9]

bchslap14me- i have already taken lessons.. some of the best around from pros at the place i golf at. i do know the game, and i can play it well.. just b/c i am unsure of what a handicap is or what mine would be for that matter, doesn't mean i don't deserve the chance to own decent clubs. I already do own some good clubs, which i do like, but want to try something new.

I am not trying to get into a flame war or anything, but please don't criticize me when you don't even know me

[Boomhauer]

bchslap14me- i have already taken lessons.. some of the best around from pros at the place i golf at. i do know the game, and i can play it well.. just b/c i am unsure of what a handicap is or what mine would be for that matter, doesn't mean i don't deserve the chance to own decent clubs. I already do own some good clubs, which i do like, but want to try something new.

I am not trying to get into a flame war or anything, but please don't criticize me when you don't even know me

Soccer, you have obviously misunderstood my goal here...I was not criticizing you...sorry if I came off that way. I was merely expressing a concern that: a. you might be taken for a ride by a jerk at a store if you didn't know much about the equipment, b. that you might be placing more emphasis on the reputation or perception of the equipment you were buying than how well that equipment suits you personally. As I suggested in an earlier post, I think your original plan of going with Ping has merit, as does looking at other options and mixing a set that suits you. You have every right to play whatever clubs you can afford to play...it's your game and your money...I was merely suggesting that you don't need to spend every penny you've saved up to outfit yourself with equipment that will be best for your game right now. Also, as I said before, and to which most will agree, if you get the club bug, you will probably be changing them within a year or two anyway. Once again, I apologize if you felt I was criticizing you or your questions...I was not...I was merely trying to help you find some answers.

Just an after-thought here...where in God's name did you see me say or imply that you did not deserve a chance to play good clubs? I made an assumption, albeit and erroneous one, for which I have appologized, that was based on your not knowing what a handicap was. That assumption was that you were relatively new to golf, and probably not well-versed in the tech side of golf equipment. From there, I went on to offer a few ideas out of nothing other than a desire to help, not criticize. If you or your new buddy Joe Hunt can tell me where that was insulting or critical of me, then please do so.

[19handicap]

if you shoot over 100 (im not sure but just guessing) then id suggest something like these:
ping g2 ez 15 degree driver offset.
adams ovation, or taylormade r5 5/7 woods.
adams idea hybrid irons/or 5 or 6 to pw of big bertha fusion irons, and some hybrid clubs.
either a macgregor v-foil ez out, or a ben hogan sure - out sand wedge for easy bunker play.
an odyseey 2 ball putter.

hope this helps,
play on,
19

[soccerdido9]

Oh and I don't shoot over 100. I shoot the avg of about a 93-95 and the occasional high 80s... I don't know a handicap or anything, thats just my usual scores.

[19handicap]

Oh and I don't shoot over 100. I shoot the avg of about a 93-95 and the occasional high 80s... I don't know a handicap or anything, thats just my usual scores.

ok sorry i was just guessing . your about a 22 handicap then. i mean your average above par.
playon,
19

[Joe Hunt]

Ok. First of all, this was to see some opinions and to seek help.
Sandpiper- ur comments were unnecesarry and rude. My saying money isn't an issue was said under the terms that I want a wide open, no restrictions opinion and answer. So please think before posting. Your saying of me being stupid for buying an expensive set of clubs is a false statement. Seeing that you have expensive clubs yourself, wouldn't that be saying the same for yourself. How do you know that I haven't saved for a while to come up with the money for some decent clubs in which I don't need to worry about the price. I have sold things here and there, making and building up on my funds for new clubs, and just want to be happy with what I buy. The statement "money isn't an issue" was just used to keep all opinions under no restrictions, seeing that many people answering these questions result to " well it depends on how much you are looking to spend" type of thing. Please don't post in my thread with these comments. Thank you

I will be going to demo clubs(thank you to those who gave the helpful info). I will probably be testing the Ping G5 stuff, the Callaway x-18 irons, callaway big bertha, the cleveland launcher, taylor made r7, nike ignite, and others from these companies mainly.

I agree with, and understand everything you've said. In another thread, too, I said how I think Ping is the club. I believe that I could advise virtually every golfer to play Ping i5s... http://www.ping.com/irons_i5.html ... and they'd all hit them longer than their current irons and they'd be more forgiving. They aren't pretty, they don't give much if any feedback, but they sure work... so you can just think about playing rather than swinging. And I don't think you've been critized in this thread, more like insulted. Anyway, I'm with ya', brother!

[soccerdido9]

joehunt- haha thank you!

19handicap- i wasn't coming at you or offended, just correcting you with my scores. youve helped me greatly in this thread so thank you!

[Boomhauer]

If that's the case, then there are many interesting options out there. If you are intent on improvement then you are pretty much where I was last year. I wanted to get away from the game-improvement irons, opting for cavity backs with a bit more payability. With woods, I looked for neutral set-ups. Most drivers have either a draw or fade bias, but you can find many that are set up neutral as well (this bias is usually achieved by weights inside the club as well as closing the club face).

Irons I looked at were the already mentioned Wilson Pi5's (probably my favorite), Ben Hogan BH-5 standards (my ultimate choice), Hogan Apex Pro Forged, Cleveland Ta7 Tours, Titleist 704, Nike Pro Combo, Taylor Made LT's, Mizuno MX-23's, and MP-30's. For the most part, these are cavity back irons that have limited offset and thinner toplines, offering characteristics of a blade-style iron, while still having some forgiveness for the developing swing. I loved the look and set-up of the Wilson Pi5's, and if you are a righty they can be had in forged, although I can't say they feel a great deal better than my BH-5's, which are cast.

With drivers the one you mentioned initially is a great choice. The G5, if as good as the G2, is a great driver. You could get a G2 for less $$$, and it is an excellent driver.

When looking at wedges, try to keep the bounce in mind...the amount and firmness of the sand on your course as well as the firmness of the fairways should be the determining factors in selecting the bounce of your wedges. Regarding spin, I love my Vokey Spin Milled wedge, and as I would be playing a ball with less spin in your shoes (makes it more controllable off longer clubs), I would tend to go with a wedge that offers as much spin as possible.

Putters you have to try, but they are the easiest clubs to demo in the store anyway...try everything they have. Mallets are easy to line up for most people.

Hope these suggestions help. Try them all if you can, and more...the shopping is the most fun part of buying the clubs anyway...once you have them, you'll want newer ones.

[sandpiper12]

lol, ur not that smart are you, if you came out of wat i said with that attitude.... im dissapointed.... I have worked on my game and saved for good clubs for a very long time, not saying u havent. but the way you posted your comments about how money was not an issue was very immature and made you sound like you were trying to make yourself sound better than everyone. I have worked so hard at my game and worked on it with wat most ppl would have called "not the nicest looking set of clubs" i went to wat ppl call "top of the line clubs" because those are wat fit my game and my game got to that lvl. The way you started taking my comments offensively was very childish and i think you should pay attention wat your reading and not be so egotistical...

[Joe Hunt]

lol, ur not that smart are you, if you came out of wat i said with that attitude.... im dissapointed.... I have worked on my game and saved for good clubs for a very long time, not saying u havent. but the way you posted your comments about how money was not an issue was very immature and made you sound like you were trying to make yourself sound better than everyone. I have worked so hard at my game and worked on it with wat most ppl would have called "not the nicest looking set of clubs" i went to wat ppl call "top of the line clubs" because those are wat fit my game and my game got to that lvl. The way you started taking my comments offensively was very childish and i think you should pay attention wat your reading and not be so egotistical...

He JUST told you that he was trying to head off all the "what's your budget" questions. Sheeze.

[soccerdido9]

Sandpiper- I am being egotistical and childish for my response to what I felt was unneeded and rude when you just now posted another arguement over what I wrote. Isn't that somewhat under the same terms? I don't care about how you have succeded at your game, seeing that I didn't ask, nor does it have anything to do with this thread. And like Joe Hunt has said, I just told you that I made the money comment so that the opinions and answers I'd recieve were open and had no restricitions.

Please stay out.

[sandpiper12]

O NO!!! SOCCER THINKS IM RUDE AND SAYS I SHOULD STAY OUT!!!!! OOOO NOOOO IM SOOOO SAD......cocky loser....lol

[sandpiper12]

o im sry, i forgot to mention....oubidoubidoubi

[soccerdido9]

thats real mature....

Cocky (adj.) Overly self-confident or self-assertive

I didn't know that saying you had no need to flame my thread is cocky. Heres the definition in case you didn't know it and just decided to throw a word at me... Don't they teach this in grade school?

Now, this is getting side tracked so just stay out and hopefully we won't have to encounter this flaming any more. Let my thread be.

[sandpiper12]

yes, its called dictionary.com . and I hope you wouldn't be scared...im just a guy online seeking help about some clubs...I'm getting tired of the immaturity so leave.

But if it makes you feel better about yourself, your right... I'm wrong.. because I don't care for this back and forth arguing and annoyance.

at the risk of sounding like im 7...but YOU STARTED IT....lol, but by how rude you are being and by how far you took my original post out of context, until you apologize, im gunna be on everyone of your threads and posts like a cheap suit. so grow up

[soccerdido9]

yes, its called dictionary.com . and I hope you wouldn't be scared...im just a guy online seeking help about some clubs...I'm getting tired of the immaturity so leave.

But if it makes you feel better about yourself, your right... I'm wrong.. because I don't care for this back and forth arguing and annoyance.

[wishiwasinatigerslump]

soccerdido your a loser. and sandpiper; you didnt start with Wilsons, im pretty sure it was those horrible Pings, tho i wouldnt call that a set...

[sandpiper12]

No rules around here regarding personal attacks?

he was being extremely rude towards me.. im just showing him wat he looks/sounds like..... im sry if ive offended anyone else (except dido)

[Joe Hunt]

ooooo soccer has a dictionary....im so scared...faggot

No rules around here regarding personal attacks?

[dorkman53]

It is this kind of juvenile flame warring that can drive people off the board.

[Boomhauer]

Excluding his "retarded" and "stupid" comments, which were probably what caused Soccer's defensiveness, Sandpiper actually gave you some common sense advice in his initial post. Regarding the "f@ggot" comment, it has been deleted for having passed to boundaries of good taste.

Joe Hunt - you're asking if such personal attacks are allowed around here...fi they are done tastefully, yes...if they are done tastelessly, no...keep that in mind because while you avoided any profanity and slurs, I see your participation in this thread as being no better than anyone's...you were kind of like the kid on the play ground that cheers on the recess fight trying to keep it going.

Soccer - you seem to have a relatively thin skin. I sincerely hope, for the sake of your own enjoyment of this forum, that you will keep in mind the differences of opinion you will receive here. Your question had a lot of members here snickering...I'm sure you didn't mean it to be taken that way, but don't get bent out of shape over it...Christ, you even got defensive over my responses, and there was certainly nothing insulting there. If you don't want to hear answers that don't agree with the one you want, don't ask the question.

[philfrance]

i agree dorkman - you go down this thread, and it starts out ok, then turns into a ridiculaous pissing contest - soccer displays excessive susceptibility over aminor remark, and sandpiper picks up the ball and we're off.


just drop it dudes.


Nayway - my 2 cents work on the subject is that at 22 handicap, you may not have a fully conscious swing allowing you to discern what club is best or not for you - this is my opinion only - no offense intended.

once again, my advice would be that you are exactly the right player for a set of forged MX23s, in my mind a better club than the ping - forged for better feel, and an evolution in medium size heads, ( not too big nor too small), medium offset, a club that can takeyou down to single digit.

I don't like ping drivers either, they are forgiving, reasonably long, but trajectory is for beginners who can't get the ball of the ground, really high. i would go with some non stock wedges ( taylormade, mizuno, cleveland or titleist) and you would certainly have already plenty of feel on the putter to make the choice that suits you.....

of course my answer is biased, but too many open answers won't help you make up your minde - so that's the vote i cast....


keep us informed.

[kcaperth]

as much as it would be "nice" to have everything from the same brand - it is not a perfect world we live in - golf manufactureres have their strengths and weaknesses or have areas that they just concentrate on more than others.

my advice - would be to find a driver that you like first and formost as they are the hardest club to hit - and because they are generally the most expensive - you want to make sure that it delivers outstanding performance and consistency for YOU.

then find a putter - for the same reasons.

if you are into specialty wedges look for those as well.

in my 20 years of golfing experience these are generally the clubs that stay in your bag longer than a set of irons do - because a driver and a putter are VERY personal clubs.

these 2 clubs have an enormous effect on your scores EVERY week.

if you cant drive well - you spend all day punching your second shot onto the fairway - as a result your scoring suffers.

if you cant putt well - you 3 putt when you should 2 putt or you 2 putt from 6 feet whhen you should have one putted - as a result your scoring suffers as well.

dont get me wrong finding a set of good irons is important too - but irons generally behaves themselves - how many times have you heard the story of the club golfer that cant hit his driver so he leaves his woods in the bag and hits 4 iron off the tee each hole and just hits irons all day - scores 6 or 8 shots beter than normal - purely because he is in play all day - not because he has a great set of irons.

go forth and find that holy grail combination of driver and putter - that will make your game three dimensional - ie great driver, great putter and great irons rather one dimensional ie only a set of great irons - simply because you bought the driver and the putter in the matching set.

remember not too many people complain about their irons - but about 80% complain about their driver and / or putter.

[Thomas J]

I agree with almost everything KCA said! The only exception - I suggest a couple of putters, they have been known to quit hitting the ball straight and must be rested periodically! Also, never buy a putter without first having a chance to throw it!

[Tommysels41]

at the risk of sounding like im 7

I think you've already established that...

[soccerdido9]

Thank you for the help. I will test clubs out and see how it goes.

As for the flaming, I apologize for my taking part in it and being sensitive towards some comments.

[19handicap]

joehunt- haha thank you!

19handicap- i wasn't coming at you or offended, just correcting you with my scores. youve helped me greatly in this thread so thank you!

no problem, that what im here to do

[haywardwisc]

I want to second the advice given by kcaperth as to club purchasing priorities. It makes good sense to place more emphasis on the clubs you use most. (I posted on this topic before and wish I'd thought of it!.) If you shoot about 94 (as someone mentioned previously), then:

36 putts would represent 34/94 = 36% of your strokes
14 drives is 14/94 = 15% of your strokes
*** Just these 2 clubs represents about 50% of your shots ***

You'll probably hit about 9 shots approaching or around the green that require a wedge - 9/94 = 10%.

Unless you're like some in this site who routinely drive the ball 350-500 yards, you'll probably hit 4-6 shots with a fairway wood or hydrid - 5/94 = 5%

This would leave about 35% for your iron shots.

When you think about making purchase decisions regarding a new set, the above calculations should help you think about where to invest the most research and testing time. For example, I did a lot of demoing (sp.?) when buying my Odyssey 2-ball putter when Callaway first introduced them. I didn't like paying $169 for a putter, but it ended up being a great golf investment as it changed me from a poor putter to a mediocre putter. This doesn't sound like much, but now I average 32-36 putts per round and before my average was 36-42 putts. Just having this putter lowered my scores by 4-5 strokes.

Once again, good luck with your purchases and have fun with it!

[Joe Hunt]

Joe Hunt - you're asking if such personal attacks are allowed around here...fi they are done tastefully, yes...

Well, that kind of forum managment is not for me.

...you were kind of like the kid on the play ground that cheers on the recess fight trying to keep it going.

You misjudge me. I would never do that. Rather I agreed completely with soccer. I think people that can afford it should get really expensive cool toys and tools... if for no other reason than the fun of buying, using, and having them. Obviously there is alot of joy in that or we wouldn't have people called "collectors." I also agree with TV commentators that say no other sport has seen the technology boom that golf has. Coming back to golf after many years myself, that is quite apparent to me. You can buy improvement now, and K-Mart clubs may be better than they were 20 years ago... but they are not like the expensive stuff whatsoever. I believe soccer should get some "cool" clubs if he can afford them. And, I believe he was misunderstood... and was insulted over and over out of jealousy and envy... which is at the root of almost every dispute related to mankind.

Anyway, as I said, this kind of forum management is not for me. Hasta muchachos.

[Boomhauer]

Well, that kind of forum managment is not for me.



You misjudge me. I would never do that. Rather I agreed completely with soccer. I think people that can afford it should get really expensive cool toys and tools... if for no other reason than the fun of buying, using, and having them. Obviously there is alot of joy in that or we wouldn't have people called "collectors." I also agree with TV commentators that say no other sport has seen the technology boom that golf has. Coming back to golf after many years myself, that is quite apparent to me. You can buy improvement now, and K-Mart clubs may be better than they were 20 years ago... but they are not like the expensive stuff whatsoever. I believe soccer should get some "cool" clubs if he can afford them. And, I believe he was misunderstood... and was insulted over and over out of jealousy and envy... which is at the root of almost every dispute related to mankind.

Anyway, as I said, this kind of forum management is not for me. Hasta muchachos.

Well I guess that makes us pretty even, as you have misjudged me. I never said, at any point, that Soccer should not buy whatever clubs he wanted, I merely suggested that directing some of that money towards lessons might be worth considering, heaven forbid! I even went on to offer some sugestions for equipment that are quite high up the food-chain. Furthermore, if you care to take a look at my profile and see what's in my bag, you will see there is little cause for me to be jealous of Soccer's purchasing power...the difference is, my clubs are what I feel are best for me right now, regardless of their msrp. Now, if my particular style of forum management is so problematic for you, then complain to the administration or move on. I would prefer that you stay, as differences of opinion are always welcome, but do as you will...my moderating tactics will not change anytime soon.

[19handicap]

I think you've already established that...

haha couldnt have said it better myself

[kcaperth]

Thank you for the help. I will test clubs out and see how it goes.

As for the flaming, I apologize for my taking part in it and being sensitive towards some comments.

Just a footnote to my last reply.

Remember that not even pros play all their sponsors clubs - just because it says Ping on the side of their bag - only to see them pull out a Taylor Made r7 Driver, Callaway Fairway Wood, Titleist Wedges and Scotty Cameron Putter.

The only Ping item - the irons.

So I wouldnt get too hung up on being "Poster Boy for Ping" - when the Pros wont do it for the big big bucks.

What this does reinforce is what I said in my first reply - buy the best looking, best performing Driver, Fairway Wood, Irons, Wedges and Putter for YOU.

I bet at the end of your marathon demo day(s) of hitting at least 8 -10 different types of these clubs - that they wont all be the same brand - and that the set that you end up with will be the best performing set of clubs that you have EVER had.

There is no better feeling in golf than having clubs that you absolutely love and cant wait to hit each week - because they look, feel and perform so well - for YOU.

This is then reflected in better golf, more consistency and lower scores.

As opposed to the "PRANCER" at your club that simply buys "WHATS HOT" in every category of club, without comparing them or without seeing if they suit his game.

This type of player loves the HIGHS of talking about how his driver, fairway wood, irons, wedges and putter are the HOTTEST on the market, on the first tee with his mates - but hates the LOWS when reality sets in and he actually hits them straight left or right into the bush and begrungingly signs his card at the end of the day in a par round - 6 down.

Go out and enjoy the search for your dream set.

Just dont fall into the "PRANCER" group of players - god knows theres enough of them.

You sound like an intelligent guy - I know you wont - you will do fine.

GOOD LUCK BIG FELLA - MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU.