Off Topic; Golf for newbies

[Dave the OAP]

isnt Michael Campbell a regular down Burgess Hill when hes in England for half the year? my mates seen him down there hitting away.

More to the point, your better off getting a set of decent 'forgiving' clubs off ebay for relatively cheap. if you can get a decent set of irons, driver and possibly a wood/hybrid (VERY good for beginners) for around 200 quid then you are all set. look out for Taylor Made/Cleveland (do amazing Drivers & irons) Titleist/Mizuno/Callaway/Wilson as people always flog off their old stuff, and its normally good quality.

be wary of Slazenger & Newberry stuff, as iv tried a few of them out and they are a bit duff.

I got down to 14 playing with Slazengers!

I would never really recommend getting these "forgiving" clubs as it is like a lot of these things, unless you make mistakes you never learn.

 

[willyfantastic]

im just going off what i used down the driving range when i didnt have clubs on me. the newberry driver was awful and slazenger irons were like playing with shovels. i started off on 30 year old taylor made burner blades and went on to taylor made cavitys (hand-me-downs from pops) and the cavitys were a lot better to play with..

 

[MJsGhost]

They are probably 10 years old at least, possibly older.

What they told me was that when you place the club down at the correct angle to the ball, with my clubs, I'd need to be 3 ft tall - suggesting that my old clubs have somehow bent out of shape.

Definitely buy some 2nd hand clubs - if they are a quality make (ping, titliest etc) they will be fine. More modern clubs are likely to be more forgiving, but will be a bit more expensive. I agree with granny weatherwax though that you need the feedback to improve, so anything really forgiving could lead to bad habits (but only if you wanted to move up to a higher performance, less forgiving club at a later date).

I bought a set of 2nd hand ping zings 12 years ago and they still do me just fine.

You're better off saving the £ by getting cheap (but decent) clubs and spending money on lessons rather than turning up to the 1st tee dripping in Nike and Callaway kit and shanking your drive!

Good luck with it mate - once you're smitten, she's a cruel mistress!

 

[Scoffers]

p.s. if your looking for a decent 18 hole course thats not overly expensive and doesnt kill beginners, its definitely worth trying out Mid Sussex, its a flat course with not much water, a lot better than huffing and puffing round Cuckfield (which i bloody hate as a course)

thanks, I'll give that a go once I've got going properly

 

[Taybha]

Golf pfft ,

 

[Scoffers]

Golf pfft ,

thanks for your detailed and considered post

 

[Taybha]

your welcome goldy

 

[Scoffers]

your welcome goldy

Your avatar does look very much like you Tay, never really noticed before. Is it a self-portrait?

 

[sjamesb3466]

I'd give Hassocks a go before Mid Sussex. Much easier course for beginners as the holes are much shorter than at MS. Its cheaper too and is one of the least snobby courses out there. Don't bother going in the winter though as it gets completely water logged.

 

[Easy 10]

I'm a hacker. Generally I only play the 9 holes at Benfield. Got round in 45 last week, but my best ever there is 38 about 5 years ago (and remains the only time I have ever broken 40 going round there).

 

[Scoffers]

Definitely buy some 2nd hand clubs - if they are a quality make (ping, titliest etc) they will be fine. More modern clubs are likely to be more forgiving, but will be a bit more expensive. I agree with granny weatherwax though that you need the feedback to improve, so anything really forgiving could lead to bad habits (but only if you wanted to move up to a higher performance, less forgiving club at a later date).

I bought a set of 2nd hand ping zings 12 years ago and they still do me just fine.

You're better off saving the £ by getting cheap (but decent) clubs and spending money on lessons rather than turning up to the 1st tee dripping in Nike and Callaway kit and shanking your drive!

Good luck with it mate - once you're smitten, she's a cruel mistress!

thanks MJsGhost, seems good advice to me!

 

[Billy the Fish]

http://www.golfbidder.co.uk/

I've not used it, but had a recommendation for this site for 2nd hand clubs, also american golf do 2nd hand stuff. Be wary of ebay as fake golf clubs are big business for organised crime gangs.

 

[markw]

cool thanks, by the way, what would be a "good price" for such clubs? I have no idea !

A set of G2's can be had for around £150 if you look about, i've had mine from new in 2004 and were £600 then, made in america so no fakes and still as good as the g5's, g10' and the new g15's which are all china/taiwan made, a beginner would certainly not notice the difference. These clubs would last for life if you wanted, i have hit a few new irons at the range and nothing can better them for my game (12 handicap) and would suit a beginner.If you buy cheap clubs then expect the heads to fall off and shafts to break! It depends how serious and regular you are going to play, if you are committed you would not go wrong with these.... Ping G2 Irons 3-SW (Includes Wedge Upgrades) R/H on eBay (end time 05-Aug-10 22:28:47 BST)

 

[Cafu]

I love the golf! One that I played with romario and começ a puncture in one and was going in and approximately in it per weeks he was so fortunate!

 

[JGaleBHA]

Driver, Fairway Wood, 5, 7 and 9 Iron, Sand Wedge and a Putter is basically all you need, it's all I use

 

[markw]

Another recommendation if you are serious about improving is to just use irons for 10-12 rounds and then get yourself a nice 3 wood or a high lofted driver 12,12.5 or even better a 13 degree driver, less side spin and much easier to hit. A lot of people go straight with the driver and although good fun, it will ruin your score, its all about course management.

 

[matthew]

You only need the technique when you start so is doesn't matter as long as you have clubs. Buy some when you get better and play more.

 

[John Bumlick]

to improve your game, forget all about the clubs and get yourself an outfit like this:

 

[Last Summer]

p.s. if your looking for a decent 18 hole course thats not overly expensive and doesnt kill beginners, its definitely worth trying out Mid Sussex, its a flat course with not much water, a lot better than huffing and puffing round Cuckfield (which i bloody hate as a course)

Have to disagree with this i'm afraid.
Cuckfield is a good short course. Always an uphill or downhill stance... but short holes. If you can get round Cuckfield as a beginner a few times, "better" courses will be less intimidating. It's a friendly, unpretentious (sp) course set up for beginners. Longer, flatter courses seem easier in a way after Cuckfield IMO (and i've played a few!)

I started playing there after BH and never regretted it!

In terms of clubs, depends on your budget. Whatever you start with it'll take you a while to get used to them so be patient when you chose. Best bet is to start cheap (i.e. Donnay)and work up... you'll know when it's time to upgrade!

And finally, enjoy! No matter where you play or what you play with, there'll always be that 1 shot that keeps you going back!

 

[markw]

I have to disagree with all the people recommending cheap clubs, its just not worth it. The thing you have to ask yourself is how serious you are going to take it up? I have 2 friends who both took up golf 2 1/2 years ago, they both were serious at taking it up as a full time pastime. The first spent £600 on a set of ping raptures, £100 on a bag, £100 on a putter, £200 on lessons and did everything the right way, read books, played every week at first,more later on and now is a 8 handicapper winning club tournaments. His ping raptures will still fetch £400 nearly 3 years on. The other paid £199 for a bundle of trolley,3 x woods,irons,putter,bag,umbrella etc etc and he went to the range where one of the heads flew off the iron and the whole set had to be replaced. he took no lessons, did his own thing and is still a 28 handicapper rarely playing as he cannot hit the clubs and has a golf set you could not give away. If you know that its a sport you are going to stick at, buy a good set of clubs and stay with them, a quality secondhand set of irons is only a little more than a crap new set of poor quality irons.