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Ot:golf clubs

Briancuse

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I'm trying to get into golf. Starting with my driving game. I just bought a calloway xr driver with a 13.5 loft. Any experienced golfers here is that a good club?
 
For someone just getting into golf, that is a good choice. With that loft it will be better for accuracy. You may not get as much distance as a lower lofted club, but you are more likely to hit the ball straighter.
 
Its not the wand its the wizard. My advice would be a couple of things, though. Buy a set second hand off the internet. You can get a lightly used set of irons from the internet for 1/2 price a year or two after release. Clubs are a bit like used cars in that they devalue once they get off the lot. Second, your driver loft is more like a 3 wood. You want something in the 9-10.5 degree range. Lastly, practice your shortgame. Get some good titleist vokey or cleveland wedges.
 
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I’d recommend the Adams XTC sets. Very cheap and decent clubs. As a four handicap and someone that has played blades and “tour” style irons for years I’m so happy with the switch to these xtc irons. Good choice on a higher lofted driver too.
 
It all depends on the player . I hope you bought it second hand. Also I wouldn’t “start”with your driving game. You buy a set and work on all aspects. The driver swing is inherently diff than the others and you use the driver the least of any club type. Get a full set of clubs and hit the PW or 9 until you wear the grips out. Then work up to driver.

Get lessons!
 
Good decision on the extra loft that will help.

Shaft is what matters the most.

What is the shaft is it regular? If you find your swing is too strong buy a stiff shaft off ebay for 20 bucks. If you bought a stiff do the opposite. It should have come with a wrench to adjust the head and take it off. So there is no real cost for changing the shaft. You just want to buy another shaft with the correct Callaway XR tip/adapter on it so you can swap them out easily without having to get them reshafted at a shop. But this can easily be done on ebay you should be able to find the exact same shaft but in stiff/regular with the same adapter for 20 bucks. You can switch back and forth to see which works better for you.

Irons and short game are more important but its not a bad idea to start on the range with the driver and get that swing down first. If you can put it out there 200-250 you won't have too far to go to the green. Don't buy 'expert' irons that will be too hard to hit (you don't want forged) or have shafts that are too stiff which will really make them even more difficult to hit.
 
Callaway makes some of the best drivers on the market and the XR was/is no exception. It's a high MOI (forgiving) driver that will spin more than some other drivers but should help you hit more fairways. Whether or not a high-spin/forgiving driver or low-spin/not forgiving driver will be right for you, depends a lot on your swing speed and the way you attack the ball (hitting down vs. hitting up), but that's probably too much to get into right away. Down the road, keep it in mind, though. The same goes for the loft. 13.5 degrees is high loft for a driver, but that's not good or bad. 10.5 is the 'standard' loft for drivers but it's entirely swing dependent. As mentioned, the flex of the shaft plays a role, too, impacting spin and launch angle.

Golf Galaxy does club fittings for reasonable prices, as well as some other places in the Syracuse area. If you can get to the point where you make reasonably consistent contact and if you have a little cash to spend, getting fit is a great place to start before dropping hundreds on clubs.
 
As someone suggested, find a set of gently used clubs. Then find the pro at your local course and take a set of lessons.
Lessons that will get you started in the right directions will outweigh the clubs any day.
 
Having the extra loft on the driver is a good thing for a beginner. Your goal is not to hit it as far as you can, it's to hit it straight and consistent, which can be much easier said than done. The tendency may be to not hit the ball high, but instead pick it off and hit it low or even ground it (not staying down on ball), so the loft helps. The tendency for many also can be to cut across the ball when swinging a driver, which causes a slice. Believe me, I know. I have a regular shaft. I've got a Taylormade driver FWIW. Get a few lessons - well worth the investment.

I just bought a set of Callaway XR OS (oversized) irons for a good price, and they were new. They are last year's model or maybe the year before, but who cares. These are "game improvement" irons as the center of gravity is lower on the clubs, supposedly enabling more loft (and distance) on the club.

If your hits off the tee are bad, remember it's the short game and putting that makes scores lower and also will make you feel better. Even if you play bad, the alternative is working in the office (ha ha).
 
Swing is most important then shafts then club heads. Chipping and putting is where you score even for the pros.

The best way I know to learn a repeatable swing with reliable ball striking is: get an old school legit true blade long iron (2, 3 or 4) with a stiff steel shaft. (Preferably a true temper dynamic gold S300 or S400 since they are still the best IMO) Hit the driving range. Missing the sweet spot on this type of club stings your hands and feels like chopping wood. Swinging through the ball and finding the sweet spot will feel like butter comparatively. Once you can do that consistently and carry the ball at least 180 yards then you will be able to hit any clubs you want. :cool:
 
I’d recommend the Adams XTC sets. Very cheap and decent clubs. As a four handicap and someone that has played blades and “tour” style irons for years I’m so happy with the switch to these xtc irons. Good choice on a higher lofted driver too.
I have them and my game still suks.
 
If you buy new...buy new 2017 models (they are cheaper). If you are near normal in height you should be able to do okay with off the shelf clubs. I love my Calloway Cavity back Irons. You don't need graphite shaft irons...steel is cheaper and I think better for beginners. Get their lower end irons...they will still be much better than most crap at WalMart, etc... If you take to the game...these can be your 2nd set in a few seasons.
 
when it comes to irons get a set that is forgiving. Last thing you want is something that you cant hit. Go to a golf store and talk to someone and hit some different clubs to see what feels right. Dont just buy a rack off the floor and good god dont buy a set off ebay until you have hit them first.

I would also recommend taking some lessons. If you are just starting out might as well learn how to swing a club right from day one as opposed to just going out and winging it. You will enjoy it more and will improve faster.
 
I have not played in over 25 years. I have done a complete surrender to the golf gods or demons as the case my be.

My suggestion would be to get a set of the floatable breakable clubs so no muss or fuss if you experience the same frustration that I did. I was truly the world's worst golfer - the anti-Tiger.

PS - No, I never did abuse my clubs, but man I thought about it a lot.
 
The most important thing others have mentioned is the lessons and you don't need a ton of them to get started. The first thing they are likely to do is fix your grip...you'll hate it but bear with it because it is that important. After that a good teaching pro will likely be able to give you just a couple simple things to work on that will make getting around the course an enjoyable experience. After that its up to you how much you want to work on it and how good you want to be. The best pros still get lessons weekly. I would guess the average duffer like myself has had 2-3 real lessons in our lifetime and we go with it. I'm currently teaching my teenagers to golf (wish I had started much earlier) and I try to not throw too much at them. Just being able to stand correctly, hold the club correctly and make contact is a pretty big accomplishment. But no matter how good you get driving or hitting from the fairway you will likely take more than 1/2 your strokes within 50 yards of the green. Find a par 3 course somewhere and take your 7, W and P. A great way to work on your game while still playing a round of golf.
 
I'm trying to get into golf. Starting with my driving game. I just bought a calloway xr driver with a 13.5 loft. Any experienced golfers here is that a good club?

13.5 degree is basically a 3 wood. but if youre a beginner not the worst place to start.
 
So I've been thinking about replacing my clubs. I have Taylormade Burner 2.0s that I bought in 2011 or so. I hit them reasonably far (135 PW, 150 9I, 165 8I, etc.) but inconsistent and with a tendency to go to the right. I've had plenty of lessons and my swing is in decent shape but it seems that I may not have the power in my wrists to adequately turn them over. They have steel shafts so I'm thinking about graphite shafts (with a regular, non-senior flex like the Taylormade M4s) on a new set. I hit my 3 and 4 hybrids very well with their graphite shafts (225 and 250 respectively).

My driver is basically dead. I used to hit it 290 or so off the tee but now it feels like I'm swinging a sponge so I've lost like 50 yards. I hit my damn 3 hybrid better. It's absurd.

I play twice a week but haven't been able to get over the hump of shooting low-90s. My approach shots have had little control (but gotten better with lessons) and I've spent too much time wasting a short iron in and having to get up and down to make par (which has not been happening that much). The mechanics of my swing are good now, just the club head seems to be at a inconsistent angle when making contact which makes me think that maybe I'm swinging irons that are heavier than they should be to be more consistent.

Good recommendations?
 
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So I've been thinking about replacing my clubs. I have Taylormade Burner 2.0s that I bought in 2011 or so. I hit them reasonably far (135 PW, 150 9I, 165 8I, etc.) but inconsistent and with a tendency to go to the right. I've had plenty of lessons and my swing is in decent shape but it seems that I may not have the power in my wrists to adequately turn them over. They have steel shafts so I'm thinking about graphite shafts on a new set. I hit my 3 and 4 hybrids very well with their graphite shafts (225 and 250 respectively).

My driver is basically dead. I used to hit it 290 or so off the tee but now it feels like I'm swinging a sponge so I've lost like 50 yards. I hit my damn 3 hybrid better. It's absurd.

I play twice a week but haven't been able to get over the hump of shooting low-90s. My approach shots have had little control (but gotten better with lessons) and I've spent too much time wasting a short iron in and having to get up and down to make par (which has not been happening that much). The mechanics of my swing are good now, just the club head seems to be at a inconsistent angle when making contact which makes me think that maybe I'm swinging irons that are heavier than they should be to be more consistent.

Good recommendations?

If I'm reading this right, you're hitting the ball with an open face? Meaning, it's just starting right and staying on that line for the most part, rather than starting straight or right and then fading/slicing further right.

If that's the case, the only clubhead change that I think would help would be irons with more offset, but the Burner 2.0's are game-improvement irons that already have a decent amount of offset. A lot of factors could cause you to leave the club face open, but I'd start by tinkering with grip and/or setup if you're confident with your swing mechanics.

A stronger grip should help you close the clubface. By stronger, I don't mean squeeze the club harder, I mean turning your left hand (for a right handed golfer) to the right. You can google images of a strong golf grip, but you're basically just gripping the club with more of the knuckles on your left hand visible at address. Don't twist the club face at address, just set it down behind the ball like normal and then grip with the stronger grip.

As for setup, it's a little more dependent on the lateral movement in your swing and your foot position. Keeping all else constant, try bumping the ball a tad forward in your stance; it might give you the extra time you need to close the club face. Fair warning, this can negatively effect impact and ball flight if you overdue it or if you have a steep swing.

If you're slicing the ball, consider the above options as well as a closed stance. It can be tricky to set up consistently with a closed stance (pointed right of target) because the tendency is to shift your shoulders open or closed to compensate. The key thought at address should be shoulders square to the target with feet closed. This setup is what pros tend to do when they want to hit a draw; then they move the ball up/back in their stance depending on how big of a draw they want to hit. Alternatively, to hit a fade, they'd open their stance. The whole idea behind this is that a closed stance should promote an in-to-out swing, whereas an open stance would promote an out-to-in swing.
 
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If I'm reading this right, you're hitting the ball with an open face? Meaning, it's just starting right and staying on that line for the most part, rather than starting straight or right and then fading/slicing further right.

If that's the case, the only clubhead change that I think would help would be irons with more offset, but the Burner 2.0's are game-improvement irons that already have a decent amount of offset. A lot of factors could cause you to leave the club face open, but I'd start by tinkering with grip and/or setup if you're confident with your swing mechanics.

A stronger grip should help you close the clubface. By stronger, I don't mean squeeze the club harder, I mean turning your left hand (for a right handed golfer) to the right. You can google images of a strong golf grip, but you're basically just gripping the club with more of the knuckles on your left hand visible at address. Don't twist the club face at address, just set it down behind the ball like normal and then grip with the stronger grip.

As for setup, it's a little more dependent on the lateral movement in your swing and your foot position. Keeping all else constant, try bumping the ball a tad forward in your stance; it might give you the extra time you need to close the club face. Fair warning, this can negatively effect impact and ball flight if you overdue it or if you have a steep swing.

If you're slicing the ball, consider the above options as well as a closed stance. It can be tricky to set up consistently with a closed stance (pointed right of target) because the tendency is to shift your shoulders open or closed to compensate. The key thought at address should be shoulders square to the target with feet closed. This setup is what pros tend to do when they want to hit a draw; then they move the ball up/back in their stance depending on how big of a draw they want to hit. Alternatively, to hit a fade, they'd open their stance. The whole idea behind this is that a closed stance should promote an in-to-out swing, whereas an open stance would promote an out-to-in swing.

Sorry for the long post. Additionally, there are a couple possibilities with your driver distance issue. One is micro-cracks possibly along the weld line where the face meets the crown and sole. It's not common but not unheard of either. If you've notice a different sound than normal, this is usually the tell-tale cause. The other possibility is just that you're not making contact with the center of the club face. This one is easy to diagnose; just get some impact tape or spray some powder (foot powder works well) on the face, hit some balls, and see where you're making impact.

Thanks for the response. I used to have a wicked slice but have been able to work that mostly out of my game. Now it's basically spraying the ball which is why I'm thinking I'm just not making consistent contact with the angle the clubhead is at at impact. I'll try the stronger grip and working with my feet a little bit. Those are some good ideas to work out at the range. I have a feeling that it's the driver - still getting good contact at the sweet spot, just not getting the ball flight.
 
Can you still get decent distance from it?
You can.
I had a period of time when I couldn't hit my driver consistently (later replaced) and went to the three wood.
Better accuracy and distance maybe 25-30 yards less than driver when hit well.
 
Can you still get decent distance from it?

Yeah, I'd rather be in the fairway anyway. realorange 's post is about actually using a 3 wood as his driver. I believe a real 3w is like 15-19 degrees give or take. so him losing 25-30 yards is like you losing 10-20 yards from your 13.5 degree driver. Well worth it as a beginner learning to play IMO
 

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