Major (Frivolous) Purchase Advice - Golf Clubs

[Vince, Pt. II]

Sometime in 2013, golf changed from a hobby of mine to an absolute passion. In 2011 I joined a Men's Club, and at the end of 2012 I won my first tournament - which got me in to a bigger tournament, which I eventually won (I'm never going to get tired of bragging about that )with the help of my teammate Greg. I've seen my handicap drop from the low 20's to its current 16.0, and I'm playing all the time. All of this with clubs that are now over a decade old, and were lost and found to begin with. So I'm in the market for new irons.

Part of what is prompting me to get the new irons is that I've been collecting skins money from our club's tournaments. The winnings are paid out in gift cards to the pro shop - so they're only useful if you're buying something through our club. I'm up to about $350, so that will really help offset the cost.

I've been out to the local stores, and after swinging a bunch of different clubs, I'm down to two sets:

TaylorMade Speedblade
Mizuno JPX EZ Forged

These two are head and shoulders ahead of anything else I've swung. Of the two, I'm leaning pretty hard toward the Mizunos, but there's a wrench in my plans. My club's pro shop has no relationship with Mizuno, and they can't order Mizuno clubs for me. So the $350 I've saved up in skins winnings is completely useless to me if I decide to go with the Mizunos.

Thus the dilemma. If I go get the Mizuno clubs myself, I'm probably going to be paying around $700-800. If I get the TaylorMade clubs from my shop, I'm looking at $300-$500 out of pocket.

I probably don't like the Mizuno clubs $300 more than the TaylorMade clubs, but golf is getting to be important enough to me that I want the best thing, even if it's more expensive. The cost of the full price clubs isn't something I can't afford, thought it's probably a bit more than I should be spending at the moment. Problem is I had already decided to purchase new clubs, so I gave my old ones to my brother for Christmas. So I'm currently without clubs. And if I get the irons, it's not like the $350 club credit disappears - I just have to spend it on something else. Like a new driver.

This is mainly a feel/opinion thing, but I'm looking for input/advice/thoughts from others before I make a fairly weighty purchase.

[Lathum]

I think if it is something you do a lot and have a passion for then make the purchase. It sounds like you will get a lot of good use out of them so why not make the investment.

[kcchief19]

Two thoughts on completely different topics …

You're looking at two entirely different types of clubs. The Speedblades would likely help your game now but if you continue to improve and play a lot you will likely outgrow them in a short period of time. Meanwhile the forged irons may be harder to hit now but if you continue to improve, they will help you down the round. I know the EZ Forged irons are supposed to be easier to hit than other forged irons, but it will still be an adjustment. Based on this thread and your other comments in the past, I'd go with the Mizuno too. Might be a challenge at first, but these will be clubs you should get a lot of mileage and help you eventually elevate your game.

Know anybody else at the club looking to buy some equipment? You could always sell your gift cards for less than face value -- your buddy saves money on his purchase, and you get the cash to buy elsewhere. If your club is like anywhere else, chances are the clubs you want will be cheaper elsewhere than through your club.

Whatever you decided, have fun! You improvement gives inspiration to duffers such as myself. I finally made some improvements in my game in 2013, playing my best golf in 20 years. Hopefully when I recover from my recent knee surgery I won't lose my gains. Probably won't be able to hit the course until May or June.

[corbes]

Some questions:

What percentage of the time, from favorable conditions (fairway, decent lie/stance) do you give yourself a birdie opportunity from within 125 yards?

What percentage of the time, from favorable conditions, do you put yourself in easy two putt range from within 160 yards?

In your own words, what qualities (of any kind, shot shape, trajectory, sound, feel, whatever) do you want out of your PW? Out of your 7I? Out of your 3I (or longest iron that you hit)?

What do you want from a new club that is the same as the clubs you now have?

What do you want from a new club that is different from the clubs you now have?

What irons were you playing?

[Vince, Pt. II]

@kcchief - I get the feeling that selling the gift card (I've consolidated them all into one so I don't have to carry 10 of them around) is probably not an option. Our club is very small (~50 members, only 20-30 of whom are regularly active and around), and I don't know of anyone else who is currently looking for clubs. It's a good idea that I hadn't thought of, and I'll have my buddy ask around to see if anyone would be interested (I live almost an hour away from the course, so little interaction with anyone else in the club outside of tournaments). I'm sure I'll have fun whatever I choose

@corbes, in no particular order:

My old irons were Wilson Deep Red with FatShafts. I'd say the biggest thing I want out of new irons is distance and control. I hit my driver as far as anyone I play with these days (~260 average, won a long drive with a 300-yarder this summer), but my irons are consistently 10-20 yards shorter than my playing partners. As for control, I have next to no ability to shape my shots. This is probably just as much of a me problem as it is my clubs, but while reading up on new clubs, the Wilsons (especially because of the FatShaft) are apparently known to make it difficult to work shape into your shots.

Know that the following are extremely rough guesstimates:

I'd say I have a birdie opportunity from 125 yards (and good conditions) about 10% of the time. If we broaden the definition of "birdie opportunity" to inside of 20 feet, we could kick that up to 15-20%.

Easy two putt range from 160 is probably 25%? Putting is not exactly my strong suit, so defining "easy two putt range" is tough. I've been putting much better lately, but it hasn't been long enough for me to label it as an improvement, versus small sample size noise. If I assume what I consider to be decent putting, I probably get to "easy two putt range" 30-35% of the time. I'm pretty strong with short chips right around the green, and I'm rarely further than that. Many of my pars are one putt pars from the fringe or the collar.

Qualities I want:

PW - I'd like to have a little more "feel." I currently have a hard time taking a little bit off with my PW...if I'm between clubs at all, I have a hard time finding the right distance. I mention feel because I can be really happy with the swing, impact and trajectory...and then it ends up 10-15 yards shorter than I expect it to.

7I - Probably the best club in my bag (big surprise, I'm sure). Hard to think of anything (aside from the aforementioned distance) that I want out of this club that I'm not already getting.

3I - I'm a little weird in that I don't have much trouble with my longer irons. I'm not at all afraid to bust out my 3I and let it rip. I'm a little more inconsistent with it, but not all that much. That being said, my longer irons (3 & 4) are the ones that suffer the most from my lack of distance. One part of that distance is that the long irons are the only part of my game that I haven't been able to completely eliminate my old slice from. While I've worked the slice out of my driver and have developed a nice straight shot with a hint of draw, and I can get my shorter irons to have a nice little bit of right to left, I struggle to do anything more than get my long irons to a straight shot. The other part of the distance problem is that I seem to get little to no roll out of them. I can check up a 4 iron like you wouldn't believe. Typically, that would be great...but I'm only hitting it 180 or so, and it's typically only swung when I need all the distance I can get out of it. It appears that with almost any new set of irons I get, they'll only go as low as a 4 iron, and apparently hybrid irons are a thing now. Not sure I'm a fan...then again, I haven't swung any yet, so I should probably try before I bad mouth them.

As for what I want out of new clubs that are the same as the ones I currently have, I'd say consistency. Irons are probably the strongest part of my game now, and I'd like to remain as consistent as I currently am with them. I'm aware that getting away from the hugely forgiving clubs that I have now is probably going to do the opposite of that to begin with, but I'm willing to go through the growing pains.

What I want that is different...mostly distance and an ability to shape my shots better than I can now. Feel would also be nice - while my main problems with feel are from the more touch-oriented clubs and shots (wedges and short irons), I'd love to get a better idea of how much backspin I'm putting on the ball and how to control that.

[corbes]

As a prelude to my response, I haven't hit either the new TM or the new Mizuno, so I don't have first hand experience with those two clubs. With that said:

A frequent tension when buying new clubs is the tension between "game improvement" and a "player's club" (to the extent those categories exist accurately anymore). I'm one of those types--and it seems from your answers like you are too--who tends to be VERY drawn to the qualities that are associated with "player's clubs" in terms of feel, shaping shots, trajectory control, etc.

My cautionary tale: I no longer play golf much, but at my peak my handicap was something in the 6-8 range. I was playing Ping Eye 2s and absolutely COVETED the Mizuno MP-14s and was CONVINCED that having additional control over shots would be the quality I needed to take my game to the next level.

It was a disaster. I was NOT good enough to be playing those clubs. After a lost summer with blades I spent a few more years with Cleveland TA3s and still wasn't seeing any improvement. It was only when I backed off to TA5s that I really started to enjoy my irons. Having the additional forgiveness and stability was what I really needed. I can still work the ball enough in a pinch, but what I needed on 90% of my shots was forgiveness and stability to hit a good shot even when the swing wasn't perfect.

So my advice is only this: be wary of thinking that shot shaping and trajectory control are the qualities needed in a new iron. I've been there, and my conclusion after several lost years was that those qualities don't come into play as much as you might think. What is really needed is the ability to be sitting at 145 in the FW and know that you are going to take your PW or 9I and put a decent normal swing on the ball, and the result is going to be a significant likelihood (appreciably more than 50%) that you are putting this ball in the center of the green.

[corbes]

I would also add that, no offense, but the fat shafts were pretty crappy clubs. I think you'll see a tremendous improvement in feel and control with new clubs without specifically chasing that dragon.

[Marmel]

Around here, most places will let you play a round with the clubs. That is the only thing I can suggest...I have a friend who buys the latest and greatest woods almost every year and usually he can't hit them for shit and goes back to his old standbys and dumps the new ones for pennies on the dollar.

[Vince, Pt. II]

No offense taken - my clubs were stolen out of my car about 13 years ago. These clubs were literally found in the trunk of a car that my dad's car dealership took in on trade. After 30 days, became property of the dealership, and I got 'em. I'm aware that they're not the greatest

As for your cautionary tale, I definitely worry about that. But that's also exactly why I'm looking at these clubs. Both sets are definitely game inprovement category clubs, and the Mizuno set I'm already sold on are designed for 8-18 handicappers...but they're forged clubs, so they are supposed to give the feel of "player's" clubs. They're too new for me to find any negative reviews, but I love the feel when I'm swinging off the mat in the golf store, and all of the reviews are absolutely glowing. That's honestly been one of my complaints - it's impossible to talk to the guys in these golf stores and feel anything other than "this guy's blowing smoke up my ass to sell me on these clubs." Likewise, all the reviews read like they're literary fellation of the manufacturer.

Also, while I'm sure you picked up on this - I don't expect to suddenly be Bubba Watson, bending every other shot through and around trees to reach the green. I'd just like to know that I can play slightly right-to-left or left-to-right as a shot calls for it, rather than knowing that I only have one shape, no matter what I'm swinging.

@Marmel - I'll have to look into being able to play a full round with them. That would be a huge help.

[cartman]

If you can, you should see about tracking down a place that does swing evaluations and club fittings. It only costs around $150, but with the info they gather they can tweak any clubs you get to fit you like a suit.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I guess basically what I'm saying is that my current clubs (Wilson Deep Red Fat Shafts) are TOO forgiving. I'm a good enough golfer now that I don't need to sacrifice all the distance that these clubs lack just to keep my shots straight and safe. Also, the design of the club is meant to reduce shot shape - so I struggle to put movement on my shots intentionally.

Switching to better clubs, designed for a better golfer will help add the distance I'm lacking, and provide me with the CHANCE to shape my shots. There's probably going to be a rough adjustment period as I get used to not having as forgiving a set of clubs, and I'm ready for that. I think these Mizunos are the best of both worlds though - enough of an improvement toward Player's clubs while still being forgiving like game improvement clubs.

I wish I could read some reviews that don't seem horribly biased, though.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by cartman

If you can, you should see about tracking down a place that does swing evaluations and club fittings. It only costs around $150, but with the info they gather they can tweak any clubs you get to fit you like a suit.

I went looking for that, but apparently they do it now for free. Both Golfsmith and the PGA store had me fit for clubs before even getting me to really swing the clubs to try them out. I'm a standard grip and length with 90+ mph club head speed on my irons, so I need stiff steel shafts. And I need my clubs 1 degree flat, since I tend to strike a little on the heel of the club.

[cartman]

Nice! My golf teacher is also an instructor at Barton Creek, and she was able to get me in at no charge to the Callaway Golf Performance Center there. Then, since the Callaway factory refurb shop is here in Austin, they were able to get a set of pre-owned Diablo Edge clubs set up for me with the info gathered from the session.

[MacroGuru]

I love TM over Mizuno, I had a set of R7 Draws that were amazing. I had to sell them when I get separated in order to pay bills.

Best clubs I have ever hit with.

[Paulie95]

Thanks for the guide, had to make buying decision myself, and chose Mizunos.

[Harryvicente]

Very amazingly explained Vince thanks for the guide

[Vince, Pt. II]

The bots are evolving. And making it look like I'm creating burner accounts to praise myself.

[Vince, Pt. II]

In the end I found a club up near Sacramento that lets you take the clubs off the wall and hit live balls with them. Despite hitting the Mizunos better into the screens at the golf stores, I couldn't keep them straight to save my life on the range. I've had the TaylorMade set since then, and I got as low as a 10.6 - though I've been hovering around a 12.5 for the last two years or so.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Despite hitting the Mizunos better into the screens at the golf stores, I couldn't keep them straight to save my life on the range.

I wonder if Paulie95 will have better luck?

[Coffee Warlord]

I'm still a Cobra fanboy. I have an older set of Cobra irons that I love (picked them up used for a great price years ago - and I'm a lefty, so it ain't easy finding used clubs), and switched to a Cobra driver a couple years back.

[Vince, Pt. II]

There was a phase when it seemed like EVERYONE had Cobras. I could never hit them for anything when I borrowed my friends' clubs, so I was never tempted.

[cartman]

I need to get back out to the course. It has been over a year since I last played a round. There is a brand new course being built by me for a new subdivision. Supposedly Fred Funk is going to be one of the residents. Supposed to be some more ex-PGA people moving in, but haven't heard any other names.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Honestly, golf has helped me keep my sanity during the lockdown. I both love and hate how popular the sport has grown in the last year, as one of the few things remaining open. It's great to see the growth, but getting a tee time has been brutally difficult around these parts.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

There was a phase when it seemed like EVERYONE had Cobras. I could never hit them for anything when I borrowed my friends' clubs, so I was never tempted.

Heh, just the opposite for me. I've hit my entire set of Cobra clubs very well. And I suck.

Speaking of golf, I'm hyped this year. My dad is going to join here, and I'm ready for some golf on private courses that aren't packed.

Golf Course Tour - The Club at Flying Horse

[Vince, Pt. II]

That's awesome! I've been lucky enough to play a few private courses in the last few years, and have been very impressed with every one of them. Would love to eventually get a membership somewhere, but it's just so damned pricey.