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View Full Version : New clubs........need advice



Flowergirl
22nd July 2004, 01:22 PM
Am hoping to buy some new clubs in the next few months. HELP
Where do I start? I saw on Drummonds website that they do Clubfit and have a large range. Don't want to just buy what a salesperson likes personally or what they make they most margin on!
The guy who I have lessons on is ok at teaching but he's not one to listen so not to keen to go with him.
I'm not looking for cheap but I'm also a strong believer that dearest is NOT always the best.
Any advice :?: :?: :?:

BrisVegas
22nd July 2004, 01:27 PM
For what it's worth, I would pay the most attention to getting properly fitted for any new clubs you buy. Hand yourself over to a professional club-fitter and get measured up. Whatever brand you choose is less important than getting the right weight, grip size, lie angle, length, shaft flex and head design.

Just my $0.02 worth.... Good luck! :)

AndyP
22nd July 2004, 01:48 PM
Any advice :?: :?: :?:
Now you've done it. I'm sure you'll get more than enough advice, good and bad.

You will be confused by the time these guys have finished with you. :? :lol:

BrisVegas
22nd July 2004, 01:58 PM
Thanks for nothing AndyP. :P I wish someone had told me something along the lines of my advice above when I was starting out in golf.

Instead, I wasted the first ten years I played trying to hit clubs that were too short, too light and too small in the face for me to have a hope with.

AndyP
22nd July 2004, 02:05 PM
Thanks for nothing AndyP. :P
I was just giving FG some warning about the things to come.
Your advice is great. :wink:

Flowergirl
22nd July 2004, 02:09 PM
So does a shop like Drummond - or any other of the bigger golf stores - qualify as a club fitters???
And stop bickering amongst yourselves boys.this is about me!!! :D

AndyP
22nd July 2004, 02:14 PM
And stop bickering amongst yourselves boys.this is about me!!! :D
Yes mam! :|

There is a place up here, GCI, that get's good wraps from a few of the guys. Don't know if there is a equivalent down your way. :?

Jarro
22nd July 2004, 02:15 PM
For what it's worth, I would pay the most attention to getting properly fitted for any new clubs you buy. Hand yourself over to a professional club-fitter and get measured up. Whatever brand you choose is less important than getting the right weight, grip size, lie angle, length, shaft flex and head design.

Just my $0.02 worth.... Good luck! :)

absolutely the best advice you could get 8)

BrisVegas
22nd July 2004, 02:19 PM
I'll assume Drummond (are they the ones with the awful Brett Ogle ads??) has professional club-fitters, so yes. In Brisbane, Gof Club Innovations (GCI) offer a comparable service. Not sure what you'd have available down there. Some of the bigger golf clubs could probably handle club fitting.. Any reputable pro should be able to fit you up for a set to suit. Best to try and stick with one pro for the long haul, so they can get to know your swing.

Apologies for the bickering... I just got defensive about what I consider to be good advice being scoffed at (or so I thought). Andy started it anyway.... :wink:

McMw
22nd July 2004, 02:21 PM
good luck.... :wink:

trying to find decent ladies set is a nightmare!!! :?

amanda
22nd July 2004, 02:57 PM
Hey Flowergirl,

Like McMw said - finding a good ladies set is a shocker!

I'd suggest going to see someone like Ben at Tour Performance Golf in Camberwell (I know it's a bit of a drive - I don't know any other custom clubmakers in Vic) - 1123 Toorak Road Camberwell. I'm not sure of the phone number - Ben checks out this board every so often.

I've heard some excellent stuff about Ben's club fitting process and his attention to detail - ie what type of golfer you want to be, what your current game is like etc.

Flowergirl
22nd July 2004, 03:15 PM
good luck.... :wink:

trying to find decent ladies set is a nightmare!!! :?

For the record........my set is very decent thank you very much.......I just want new clubs.( sorry that was such a bad pun)

goughy
22nd July 2004, 04:17 PM
Getting fitted is really the key. The right shafts (length/flex etc), the right heads etc will make your golf so much more enjoyable. It can really make that much of a difference to not just your score, but just your total enjoyment of the game.

There really are a lot of options out there, but what the stores have there for you to try is another thing.

http://www.thegolfforum.com this is one of ben's sites, he can help you.

More of the oem's are making clubs designed for women, if that's the type of club you're looking for.

http://www.taylormadegolf.com/global/products/womens/index.asp
Check out there miscela range.

http://www.pinggolf.com/products_irons_g2l.html

http://www.nikegolf.com/?womens/clubs.htm

What it comes down to is that finally most oem's have realised that yes, women do play golf, and yes, they sometimes need clubs designed to make the game more enjoyable for them. There's probably tons more out there, but this is a start.

It all comes down to the dollars you want to spend and whether it matters if they are oem or component. Whatever you go for, making sure they fit you properly (not just length or shaft etc, but type of clubhead and set makeup etc) is the key.

With any luck, you may be able to go to some demo days, or find some places to demo different clubs. Try all that you can.

Now go spend some money 8) Good luck.

Flowergirl
22nd July 2004, 04:37 PM
Thanks for the advise guys.........has given me a good start. :D

jaster
22nd July 2004, 04:59 PM
Get a PING fitting 8)

Ona
22nd July 2004, 05:47 PM
if you have a club in your current set than you particular like (above all others) that would be a good reference for any fitter.

ben
22nd July 2004, 07:00 PM
Flowergirl,

Come and see me in Camberwell, I know its a drive but get a fitting done, then goto somewhere like drummonds and see what they don't know.

Jaster,

Ping fitting is out of date these days :)

jaster
22nd July 2004, 09:35 PM
Flowergirl,

Come and see me in Camberwell, I know its a drive but get a fitting done, then goto somewhere like drummonds and see what they don't know.

Jaster,

Ping fitting is out of date these days :)

Not if your buying PING clubs :wink: :lol:

ben
23rd July 2004, 07:10 AM
Yes Jaster, even if you're buying ping clubs :)

jaster
23rd July 2004, 07:20 AM
Sorry Ben, I understand where your coming from but I have been dynamically fit at GCI in Brisbane and also fit by a PING fitter and both results were very similar. Went with the PING option as I bought PING irons (2 years ago) and I was very satisifed!

ben
23rd July 2004, 07:59 AM
Jaster,

There are good principals in the ping fitting, but at the end of the day its hard to find someone who actually follows the correct ping fitting system. Fitting shouldn't stop once you've picked up the golf clubs, there should always be a post fitting session which includes checking the lie angle of every golf club against your swing, this is where every other fitting theory fails over a good dynamic fit :).

Now, you want to talk about build quality and tollerances from ping and a propper club maker? :)

jaster
23rd July 2004, 09:43 AM
Build quality and tolerances are one thing, what about quality of product? Is there a manufacturer out there that even comes close to PING in resale value? PING products retain there retail value in the 2nd hand market better than anything I have ever seen.
Have a look at eBay and see what Eye2s are worth that are 15 years old, now have a look at a 1 year old set of Taylormade/Titleist/ etc etc :wink: Not too mention other OEMs whose clubs are less than 90% of there retails value :D

McMw
23rd July 2004, 09:46 AM
hey jaster...if u're happy with ur pings....then that's all that matters...
no need for a sermon to convince urself!!! :wink: :lol: :lol:

saw a set of original Ping i3blade red dot (perfect for me)...
too bad regular shaft... :?

Ona
24th July 2004, 02:35 AM
damnit dont mention resale :evil: #@!@# hogans :cry: :cry: :cry:

ben
25th July 2004, 07:25 PM
Jaster,

Ping hold their resale value because they don't release 1000 lines a year and therefore do not saturate the market with their products. Having said that, resale value should not be considered when buying a premium set of golf clubs. 95% of golfers keep their clubs for a long time and the correct fit and build are much more important and go hand in hand with quality of product (which cannot be reflected in resale price).

I understand that there are people out there that associate a brand name with quality, but I can tell you any premium club that I build is better than anything you can buy from an OEM, and if you don't believe it at least I can prove it :)

jaster
25th July 2004, 07:27 PM
Sorry mate but I don't won't to get sucked into a Clone/component Vs OEM argument so I'll leave it at that 8)

ben
25th July 2004, 07:31 PM
Jaster,

Where did I say clone? Tom Wishons 550's aren't clones, or are the 752 tc's, or are the Bob Toski line of clubs or are the KZG's or are the Maltby Irons, the TP600's from Tech Power (which are used on tour). To let you know I don't use any clones as a "premium" golf club, only as budget sets as the build qualities have slipped something shocking on the cheap stuff.

jaster
25th July 2004, 07:42 PM
I'm sorry I meant components more than clones so I edited my post.

I have no doubt you take your time to build clubs to spec better than any of the OEMs and I wish you every success with whoever you choose to use but lets leave it at that and let flowergirl have her thread back.

markTHEblake
25th July 2004, 07:50 PM
I would have to agree that PING certainly do hold their value - but does that make them a quality product, or does that just mean they are good at marketing?

The context of quality I am using is manufacturing tolerances, cant speak for Ping but I know for fact that Titleist is crap - my brothers customer made DCI's ended up with two 9 irons in the set.

Certainly the clubs I own - Harvey Penicks, have low resale value becuase they were made for me and no body else. How could I, with any conscience sell them to anyone else, under the pretention that the clubs will suit them as well?

Its a moot point really, becuase I am not selling them, and why on earth would I, their perfect and there is nothing better.

nick
25th July 2004, 08:16 PM
Ben, how do you mean the PING fiting is too old?

Their is only so far you can go with fitting and I think that PING have got the best fitting system out of all OEM companies, and probably in the retail industry!

What exactly do they do wrong?

Nick

ben
25th July 2004, 08:21 PM
Nick,

Its not the fitting system, its finding the fitter. There are short cuts in the Ping system which most fitters use.

Flowergirl
26th July 2004, 08:04 AM
Thanks guys................now I am completely clear on exactly what to do when looking for new clubs. No doubts in my mind at all!!!!
( I think I'll stick with my old ones!!!)

Seriously.....I have learnt a lot more than the limited knowledge I had before.

AndyP
26th July 2004, 09:28 AM
Thanks guys................now I am completely clear on exactly what to do when looking for new clubs. No doubts in my mind at all!!!!
( I think I'll stick with my old ones!!!)

I did warn you. :roll:

markTHEblake
26th July 2004, 10:51 AM
Seriously.....I have learnt a lot more than the limited knowledge I had before.

Ok, now if you are ready for the real truths, perhaps you might want to look here

http://www.tutelman.com/golfclubs/DesignNotes/index.php?ref=clubmakeronline

and here

http://www.tutelman.com/golfclubs/index.php

read through a selection of these articles, then you will understand some of the stuff the salesman is telling you, and also be able to catch him on the crap.

Golfgirl
26th July 2004, 05:19 PM
For what it's worth, I would pay the most attention to getting properly fitted for any new clubs you buy. Hand yourself over to a professional club-fitter and get measured up. Whatever brand you choose is less important than getting the right weight, grip size, lie angle, length, shaft flex and head design.

Just my $0.02 worth.... Good luck! :)

Couldn't have put it better myself....

For the record, Flowergirl, I absolutely recommend that women particularly get club fit.... and by someone who knows their stuff (give Ben a call... he'll see you through the process), because women have different needs in golf clubs to men, and the manufacturers have been awfully slow to catch on....

Take me for example - I play now with shafts that are an inch over women's reg (so they are men's length), and are 3 degrees upright.... certainly not the sort of thing that you would be able to walk into a retail shop and purchase off the rack. And yes, they made a huge difference to how I was hitting the ball....

Flowergirl
31st July 2004, 08:14 AM
Well after quite a bit of research I ordered my clubs yesterday. I went to Drummonds and spent about an hour with the guy there. He did a "clubfit" and then suggested a few choices I had. I loved the feel of the pings......but boy they are a bit pricey! Not confinced that I wasn't spending the money on the "name" I then went up and saw Ben in Camberwell ( thanks Golfgirl & Amanda).
Ben has a passion for what he is doing and it took little confincing that his clubs were the way to go. He answered the MANY questions that I had and even talked me OUT of getting a new 5 wood!!!

So hopefully next week I'll go up and try them out.

And when someone asks me what brand of clubs do you play with........I can say "who cares!!!! they work for me!!!"

I also found out my old irons were just sooooooooowrong for me and no wonder I had trouble hitting them.

Looking forward to some consistency and improvement.
Thanks Ben.

McMw
31st July 2004, 09:18 AM
He answered the MANY questions that I had and even talked me OUT of getting a new 5 wood!!!

WOW...he's GOOD!!!! :shock: :lol:

markTHEblake
31st July 2004, 11:10 AM
I also found out my old irons were just sooooooooowrong for me and no wonder I had trouble hitting them.

Another convert to the Light Side of the Force. Now wait till you start hittin em.

goughy
31st July 2004, 02:51 PM
We want a full report asap flowergirl!!!!! :smt023

Jarro
31st July 2004, 03:40 PM
Another convert to the Light Side of the Force .

What the hell does that mean :smt017

BrisVegas
31st July 2004, 06:44 PM
Another convert to the Light Side of the Force .

What the hell does that mean :smt017


Maybe he means, the side of the force that believes in proper clubfitting above all else (the side to which I subscribe, by the way).. :idea:

Flowergirl
12th August 2004, 04:03 PM
Well boys and girls.........tomorrow is the big day!! Pick up my clubs from Ben tomorrow. He rang me today to say they were ready..........yea......one more sleep.
Although I did tell him I had 26 points on the front nine yesterday and probably don't really need new clubs. Only joking!! I know that new clubs won't make me a wonderful player overnight...........but they'll be all shiny and new and look sooooo pretty!!!
( But probably not for long cos I'm a real grot when it comes to golf equipment!!)
Unfortunately Saturday's weather down here is looking terrible - but I'll still give them a try.
Full report on Monday.............oh no it won't..........just remembered........going away for the week playing golf with "the girls" on the Murray. Let you know the week after. :wink: ( Watch out Baram - here we come!!!) We are getting a great deal there. $49.00 per day - on course accomodation, unlimited golf, buffet breakfast and $10 meal voucher. Anyone want to join us six women :D

McMw
12th August 2004, 04:38 PM
FG, if you're gonna post the fact that you're getting new clubs tomorrow...pls show us a little courtesy and TELL US what they are!!! :lol:

rookie mistake!!! :wink: :lol:

markTHEblake
12th August 2004, 08:43 PM
Another convert to the Light Side of the Force .

What the hell does that mean :smt017

Maybe he means, the side of the force that believes in proper clubfitting above all else (the side to which I subscribe, by the way).. :idea:

Thats right Light = Opposite Dark (simple?) ie the constant futility of changing clubs hoping to find the elusive 'perfect' club, which is not available on any shelf, ebay, or forum.

Jarro
12th August 2004, 08:51 PM
Another convert to the Light Side of the Force .

What the hell does that mean :smt017

Maybe he means, the side of the force that believes in proper clubfitting above all else (the side to which I subscribe, by the way).. :idea:

Thats right Light = Opposite Dark (simple?) ie the constant futility of changing clubs hoping to find the elusive 'perfect' club, which is not available on any shelf, ebay, or forum.

what's to stop someone from buying any club off Ebay,shelf or forum ... and then taking them to a proper clubfitter :?

Flowergirl
14th August 2004, 12:38 PM
FG, if you're gonna post the fact that you're getting new clubs tomorrow...pls show us a little courtesy and TELL US what they are!!! :lol:

rookie mistake!!! :wink: :lol:

Club received........looking good.........worst winter day today ever......rain, hail, squalling wing and about 9 c.........brrrrrrrrrr......can wait for tryout till tomorrow.
When I picked them up was supposed to get final "tweaking" done.but I couldn't swing a club to save me. Don't know what when wrong!! Will try them out on the course for a while before giving verdict.

McMw.........clubs are..........Wishon 321 hybrid 3 iron
Wishon 752 Tc irons 4-PW
Wishon PCF wedge 56 & 60
all with TX90 A flex shafts. :D

AndyP
14th August 2004, 04:32 PM
[Club received........looking good.........worst winter day today ever......rain, hail, squalling wing and about 9 c.........brrrrrrrrrr......can wait for tryout till tomorrow.
Hope the weather is a bit better for your week up at the Murray. :shock:

McMw
14th August 2004, 05:33 PM
cheers FG...

doesn't that suck???
get new clubs...and have to wait another day to have a hit... :roll: :lol:

Flowergirl
15th August 2004, 08:19 PM
Well had a quick nine holes with the new clubs this arvo.........the sun was shining- yea!!! ( Melb had the coldest wettest day in 6 yearson Sat....it never got above 8 at home.........brrrrrr)
I had convinced myself that the clubs were too heavy, too this , too that and had really talked myself into not being able to keep up my good form. So rather than hitting them on the practice fairway I just went out and played a normal game and tried to ignore the fact that they are different.
I had a 43 ( 6 over par - 5 under my handicap- 24 points) and hit them just fine thank you very much.
Love the hybrid and the PW shot I did into the green that landed right next to the pin wasn't too shabby either. Methinks these clubs and me will become great friends. Maybe a few disagreements now and then but on the whole I see the start of a beautiful relationship about to start. :D

McMw
15th August 2004, 11:58 PM
WOW...... :shock:

amanda
16th August 2004, 10:26 AM
FG - that's bloody fantastic! Congrats on the new clubs and good to hear they are working so well.

TX90 A-flex - that's impressive! (as I've heard they play quite stiff)

goughy
16th August 2004, 11:39 AM
FG - that's bloody fantastic! Congrats on the new clubs and good to hear they are working so well.

TX90 A-flex - that's impressive! (as I've heard they play quite stiff)

This is a bit round-a-bout but I'll have a go. Based on dynacrafts shaft fitting adendum the tx-90 A flex is about the same flex as a dynamic gold lite R300. The dynamic gold lite shafts are about a full flex softer than standard dynamic gold shafts (many people I've read agree with this). If I read it right, the tx-90 A plays probably plays pretty true to what you would consider an A flex shaft. I would guess that they are probably are great shaft for you fg (Ben could probably answer this better of course). But of course, that's why you went to see a club fitter for your clubs instead of buying off the shelf (and ending up with whatever the store hasn't been able to move for a while). From what I can read all the tx-90's play pretty close to there equavalent flex in dynamic gold's.

What you do have there is a high quality, very consistant and very lightweight shaft. One thing it might do is help you with your swing speed.

Now, where are the picks of these clubs. Reviews are not enough for some of us.

ben
16th August 2004, 12:57 PM
Well I almost fell out of my chair! FG this is awesome news! Shows what getting custom fitted is all about!

The A Flex TX90 shafts (well the TX90 iron shafts) play pretty much true to flex. The wood shafts play about a flex stronger but the irons don't.

Well done FG and I can't wait to see that handicap come down!

amanda
16th August 2004, 02:00 PM
The A Flex TX90 shafts (well the TX90 iron shafts) play pretty much true to flex. The wood shafts play about a flex stronger but the irons don't.

Ahh - ok - I knew that the wood shafts were stronger - didn't know the irons were about right :oops:

AndyP
16th August 2004, 03:35 PM
Good buy, FG. 8)

Guys, if FG did come to the OzGolf Champs, I don't think any of us would have a chance. :shock:

Ona
16th August 2004, 05:30 PM
nice!