Need golf set recommendation for GF

rosskoss · June 26, 2007

Inexpensive but well designed set

I need a set for my GF. But unlike most similar cases, this is where it gets tricky. She's damn good. Everytime she swings at the range, people always stop to compliment her. We were at the Lexus driving simulator booth at the US Open and there were people taking photos of her.

She recieved a lot of instruction when she was young (she's Korean) but she stopped playing the game several years ago to concentrate on academics. But even to this day, her swing is straight out of a textbook. I've been pushing her to get back into the game and I think this year, she's finally caught the bug. So now she wants to buy a set.

We're both still in college so we don't have a lot of money to spend on clubs. What are some good clubs (ideally a set) that she can get that'll keep the price under $400? We've been looking at the Wilson Prostaffs. Is this a good set?

We don't want anything expensive right now, but the clubs have to be fundamentally well designed for a good player. Any recommendations?

Aimee · June 27, 2007

I'm a big advocate of buying a good quality used set of irons and woods. They depreciate so fast, if you buy a set that's a year old it's half the price of new.

As an example, I've bought several items (including a set of X-18 irons and a driver) from www.callawaygolfpreowned.com. Great customer service, good values. They rate the condition of the clubs from "like new" down to "average". I've bought items rated as "good" that looked barely used...they replace all the grips.

Ebay is an option if you feel comfortable with that...there are several regular sellers (stores vs. individuals) who are very reputable (Rockbottom Golf, 3BallsGolf are some I've bought from).

The "complete sets" (driver, woods, irons) don't tend to be as good as buying irons and woods separately unless you are considering something like the Taylormade Miscela or Adams Idea which have irons that transition from regular irons into hybrids.

I guess the other point of view is to buy what you can afford now, and trade up in a couple of years. If you buy name brand clubs, at least there is some trade-in value down the road.

rosskoss · June 27, 2007

Thanks for the advice. I'd love to buy a used set from Callawaypreowned but the prices always seem extremely high to me.

Aimee · June 30, 2007

Callawaypreowned is not usually the cheapest, you can do that on Ebay. I buy from them because their clubs are guaranteed authentic and they stand behind the product if there is a defect. They also have high standards on the rating, so you usually get better than you expected. If you do some homework you can buy good clubs on Ebay, just watch to see what comparable items sell for and buy from a seller with a good rep. Good luck!

sergizmo · June 30, 2007

If she is already a fairly accomplished player, do not buy her a "complete set in a box". They are cheaper for a reason. Also, she should probably be using men's regular flex shafts as opposed to ladies or seniors flex. It sounds like she has the swingspeed to load a regular, and going softer in flex would sacrifice some control. There is also a lot more to chose from in regular flex than ladies or seniors.

I echo the other comments suggesting looking at some quality used clubs. But Callway irons are not your best bet if you want to get everything for $400 total.

A really cheap set of irons that has stood the test of time is the original Tommy Armour 845's. You should be able to get these for $100 or less. For wedges check out some used Cleveland 588's. They run about $40 per. Titleist Vokeys are also excellent but tend to be a bit more expensive. For driver and woods take a look at the Cobra SS series. A few generations old so they should be cheap but they are still excellent clubs. The Cleveland Launcher series is also worth a look. Yet another alternative for fairway woods are the Callaway Steelhead Plus. Very cheap and very good.For a putter try an old Ping (Original Anser or Anser II, or one of the others) or an older Odyssey (with the black inserts). These putters can be had for $50 or less.

So...

Cobra SS/old Launcher driver $100

Cobra SS/Launcher/SH+ fairway $50

845 irons $100

2 588's $80 total

Ping or Odyssey $50

That's $380 total. If you want to go a bit cheaper you could go with one 588 wedge instead of two for a total of $340.

There are tons of great quality clubs available extremely cheap used. The above list is just what I came up with right now, but there is a lot of good stuff to chose from out there.

Good luck in the club search!

rosskoss · July 2, 2007

sergizmo, thanks A LOT!! That really helped a great deal.

Debit · July 10, 2007

IF you know what your looking at, you can also check the used clubs that are sometimes available at either the driving range or through a teaching pro. Folks attempt to sell off used clubs when they upgrade. One of the area golf stores purchases used clubs -- they gotta be selling them to somebody. In these instances, you have the opportunity to put your hands --or hers -- on the clubs before you buy them vs. purchasing them via the web.

sergizmo · July 10, 2007

sergizmo, thanks A LOT!! That really helped a great deal.

You're very welcome! Have you bought anything yet?

kiwidave · July 11, 2007

I just pulled all this off rockbottomgolf.com. All clubs are new in wrapper

Callaway GBB II driver $90

Adams Ovation 5 wood $40

Wilson Hybrid $30

Adams GT3 irons $130

Ray cook 3 wedge set $60

Ben Hogan Mystique Stand Bag $50

All that for $400 plus your shipping, you even get a bag. I didn't pick out a putter, you need to pick your own putter, have fun shopping

rosskoss · July 11, 2007

sergizmo, thanks A LOT!! That really helped a great deal.

You're very welcome! Have you bought anything yet?

Well, the other day she was shopping at Target and out of sheer frustration (she's been looking for a long time), she picked up a Wilson Hope set. But now she's thinking of returning it because she feels that the shafts are too flexible.

Oh well. What she really loves are the Callaway X-18/20s. But that's out of her reach pricewise. If I could get her SS measured and find out if she'd be ok for regular mens clubs (regular shaft), that would make this whole used club buying experience so much easier. We'll see how it goes. :aggressive:

Having a tight budget is part of the challenge.

sergizmo · July 11, 2007

sergizmo, thanks A LOT!! That really helped a great deal.

You're very welcome! Have you bought anything yet?

Well, the other day she was shopping at Target and out of sheer frustration (she's been looking for a long time), she picked up a Wilson Hope set. But now she's thinking of returning it because she feels that the shafts are too flexible.

Oh well. What she really loves are the Callaway X-18/20s. But that's out of her reach pricewise. If I could get her SS measured and find out if she'd be ok for regular mens clubs (regular shaft), that would make this whole used club buying experience so much easier. We'll see how it goes. :aggressive:

Having a tight budget is part of the challenge.

Part of the secret to buying used clubs is the willingness to be patient and just buy a little at a time. What I mean by this is that when you and your GF go to look at used clubs, don't go looking for a whole set all at once. You may only find a driver that she likes, or a set of irons, or a wedge. But if you keep at it over a couple of months buying a little here and there, she should have a very reasonable priced set of quality used clubs in no time.

Also, don't worry about brand matching! The driver and fairway woods don't have to match. The iron brand doesn't have to match the wedge brand, etc... This is a pit that many (Including myself) have fallen into at one time.

She is right about the shaft flex. Those shafts were designed for the average lady golfer, and it sounds like your GF swings much faster. Honestly anyone who can get a six iron in the air off the mat/turf should have no problem with regular flex. There is a LOT more gear available in reg. flex than ladies or seniors.

It's great that you two have a common interest that you can enjoy. Even if money is tight you can still go to the range and have some fun.

Good luck with the club search and let us know how it goes.

Aimee · July 12, 2007

Although tempting to say because your GF swings well, she should be able to play men's regular flex, don't assume. I swing really well (I've had people comment as well) - but I know that men's regular flex is just a little too much for me (I play men's senior flex, shaft length -1/2")...another variable is her height. Men's clubs are too long for avg height women. Another issue is the size of the grip, unless she has large hands it might not work for her. Grip too large in diameter will cause her to grip too hard, which won't result in the optimal swing.

We've all jumped on graphite shafts...what about looking at something with a lightweight steel shaft? If she really has that good of a swing she should be able to handle them. Callaway, for instance, has what they call a "uniflex" steel shaft which covers a wide range of swing speeds...and steel shafts tend to be less expensive than graphite. If she likes the Cally X-18's, have her look for a used set of the X-16's with uniflex shafts, they should be in your price range.