I shoot in the high 90's. I am thinking about lessons but I desperately need new clubs. Clubs 1st or lessons?

Question

The clubs I have now are awful, sheap ones and I know they're hurting my game. I really need new clubs. But I really think I need to take some lessons to get my swing straightened out too. What should I do first and why? Also, any recommendations as far as what clubs I should get? I've been told that game improvement would be my best bet? I really want to improve my game and start shooting in the 80's and really start enjoying playing golf instead of getting pissed off because I can't play consistently. Any advice, tips, etc. would be great. Thanks.

Answer 1

Lessons - at 90 plus, you will be swinging much differently after lessons than you are now. Going from 90 - 80 is not about equipment - it is about understanding

Answer 2

The first thing you need to do is take some lessons.  You don't want to buy the wrong set of clubs, take lessons, and then realize you needed something else for your swing type.  Lessons will deal with your swing, set-up, grip, mechanics, etc.  It won't be focused just on hitting golf balls, so your clubs being cheap is really not an issue.  Once you have taken some lessons and feel more comfortable in the direction your game is going, then I would recommend buying some different clubs.  Adams makes wonderful new sets that contain a mix of irons and hybrids, which will be much more forgiving for a new golfer.  If you don't want to go that route, try something oversized to begin with.  In my experience, you cannot go wrong with any set of clubs from Callaway.  I would personally steer clear of Nike golf clubs.  Myself and others I know have never had any kind of luck with them.  Ping also makes good irons, but I would definitely make sure you get something oversized and nothing in a blade.  And they don't even have to be new clubs.  You could find a set of the old Callaway X-12s for a decent price and they are still very good golf clubs.  Newer doesn't always mean better.  You could probably hit the X-12s and X-20s and not be able to tell much difference at all, if any.  But definitely try to get some lessons first, and then get your teacher to also recommend clubs based on what he/she sees in your swing.

Answer 3

Lessons first. You already got clubs that can get you to less than maximum handicap. Ironing out your technique will lower your handicap further. New clubs... might take a while to get used to and will not lower your score that fast.

Dont blame your equiptment. If you can get upto 90s with those then youre clubs must be doing something right. You just cant do it consistenly enough.. and thats where lessons come in.

Answer 4

There's an old golf adage:  "It's not the arrow, it's the Indian"

It means you don't blame the equipment, you blame the user.

Only exception is if your current clubs are broken or shafts are bent, etc.  Otherwise, look to the "Indian" first.

If you don't have a proper swing, it won't matter what clubs you have, you're still going to strike the ball poorly regardless of which clubs you are using.

If you're constantly looking up or your swing plane is too steep, you will STILL skull your shot or hit it fat, regardless of which clubs you're hitting.

Fix or at least develop your swing and tempo first!

Once you've developed your swing, THEN upgrade your clubs.  It's almost like buying a $10,000 Steinway Grand piano to learn to play piano.  A BEGINNER will NOT have better results on the $10,000 grand piano than on a $200 spinet.

A few lessons, FIRST.....then upgrade.  That's my advice.

However, I am not a scratch golfer....just a 12 hndcp.

Answer 5

Clubs first.  Play with the clubs for a couple months, then go lesson if you see no improvement.  Remember, you get what you pay for.  Look at maybe the cleveland ta series, calloway x20's, or even the taylormade series.  The better clubs will help you save some strokes by themselves.  The lessons will be more effective with better clubs, especially after you have gotten to know them.

Answer 6

I Would try some Callaway X20's great clubs

Answer 7

http://www.proclubmakers.org/vendor.php?...

Here's a link to locate a certified club builder and fitter.  Locate one near you and ask him the same question.

Answer 8

I would say clubs first, get the feel of them then take lessons to refine using them.  I have found that a decent set of clubs can make a real difference in your game.  If you buy a new set of clubs AFTER taking lesson and they are offset differently, stiffer/more flexible, longer/shorter, smaller/larger, lighter/heavier, fatter/thinner grips, etc. the tips the trainer may have given you could be way off base with the new set of clubs.

Answer 9

Definitely take lessons first. You need to build a swing that will give you consistent results before you get new clubs. If you get custom-fit for clubs (as you always should) before you take lessons, then after the lessons your swing will be different, and your clubs won't fit you anymore. I say take lessons first, and after your ball striking gets consistent, then go get custom-fit for clubs.

Also, if you are practicing with cheap clubs and hitting them well, then just think how good you will be hitting it when you get some good clubs that are the perfect ones for you!

Answer 10

I never heard of sheap golf clubs, but I would recommend upgrading your equipment a bit as well taking lessons if not finding a clinic, which is a great cheaper alternative to pro lessons.

Answer 11

I am going to assume that the clubs that you have now were not custom-fitted to you.  If they were custom-fitted, then you should use these clubs at the lesson (and not the clubs that he provides). During the lesson, he is going to consider such things as your grip, posture, address, swing mechanics, etc.  Good instructors will base their advice on these factors and not your equipment.  The instructor is going to give you many corrections to take into consideration (such as bending knees more, more upright back, different ball position, etc) and such factors can have an impact on the length of your clubs.  What happens if you buy short, graphite shafts (which are suited for slower swings) and the instructor tells you that the shafts on your new clubs are not fit for you.  Then you are going to have to spend a lot of money to get the clubs re-shafted.  The bottom line is that it is better to just get the lessons first.  Then you can get your clubs fitted for your new swing.  As far as the clubs recommended for your current ability level, you are definitely going to want to look at game-improvement clubs.  These provide a larger sweet-spot which will help you when you mis-hit the ball.  You might want to consider a custom-fitting because the clubs will be fitted for your swing and not the other way around.  So you need to be taught the correct swing first (by a good instructor) and then have your clubs fitted.  If you decide that a custom-fitting is not for you, be sure to look at shaft tables that determine the necessary length of each club based on your height and wrist-to-floor measurements.  If you are looking to save some money, buying a set of clone (knock-off) game-improvement is really inexpensive and you can normally get them for around the same price as a lesson or two ($100-$200).  There are plenty of online reviews for clubs to help guide you on a particular model.  Be sure that if the instructor recommends any clubs to you, that you do your research before buying.

Answer 12

clubs.

if you do the lessons the guy is goin to blame your jacked up swing on your messes up clubs and he will pocket 100 bucks.

buy clubs first, see if that doesnt help you out some THEN look into lessons.

Answer 13

You want to do these things together.  Visit your local PGA Professional and get a swing analysis.  He or she will use video imaging to evaluate your swing and then recommend clubs for you.  

I highly recommend that you allow the PGA Pro to do a club fitting and then take the specs and shop around for the best price.  Most PGA Pros will get the clubs at a competitive price that will meet or beat the golf "super store" pricing.

Answer 14

I would start with lessons first.As far as clubs that will suit you talk to the pro who is going to be instructing you,as you want to get them fitted for you.

Answer 15

I think the lessons should be done first. For one, a good teacher can advise you on what kind of clubs may suit you best. Secondly most places you get lessons from will have decent clubs to swing. Lessons can get great results by using just a few demo clubs, you don't need a full set for a great lesson. Golf is 95 per cent you and about 5 per cent equipment. That assumes your clubs don't have wooden shafts. Next go out and practice, practice, practice.

Answer 16

for sure lessons... you don't want to buy clubs and mess them up because you have a horrible swing plane. you should ALWAYS start off with a set of cheap clubs until you get the basics down. you said it yourself that you don't play consistently. the golf pro will be able to figure out what's wrong with your swing and fix it. that's his job.

Answer 17

As a golfer in a similar situation as yours, I can definitely say that upgrading your equipment first is the way to go. Two years ago I was shooting an average round of 115-120; I upgraded my equipment at the beginning of the season last year and my scores dropped to the high 90s. Not only will the new equipment help out your game by the stand alone point of having improved quality, but I personally found that having better equipment improved my mindset about playing each round, as I knew it was helping me improve, making each round better and more fun to play.

As far as upgrading your clubs, there's tons of manufactures out there, and everyone will give you a different opinion based upon their tastes, but I've found that if your willing to sacrifice the name brands and logos of a specific company, you can get incredibly good knock-off equipment that plays just as well, if not better in some cases than the name brands.

My current set that I purchased last season consists of GigaGolf T90 Irons (Nike Slingshot knock-offs), a GigaGolf XQ V92 Driver (Nike SasQuatch knock-offs) and a spare 56 degree TaylorMade "loft" wedge that a friend gave me a few years back. I've been nothing but impressed with the quality and play of my GigaGolf clubs, and would recommend them to anyone looking to upgrade their set without going through the crippling costs of buying top quality name brand clubs.

(On a personal note, the customer service department at GigaGolf is great. When I purchased my set from them last season, I purchased a new bag as well; the bag had some shipping problems, and when it arrived, the shoulder straps were completely broken. After contacting their customer service department about the issue, I was sent a set of replacement straps within a week of the bag's original arrival.)

I hope I could be of some help with me response.

Best of luck with everything for this upcoming season!

Answer 18

LESSONS!!!!! you want you technique to be as good as possible first then go for new equipment. The reason being if you buy a new set of clubs custom fit to your old swing then you go changing that swing, it then means you will have to have your clubs re set, trust me i see it so often where people bought a new set of clubs then have a lesson, only to bring the clubs to be altered because they are not quite right for them any more!!!!!!!!!!!! A good swing will drop your handicap faster than a new set of clubs will.

Answer 19

clubs and lessons