Most bang for the buck

[10_ft_Jon_Boat]

I am trying to determine what order I should update my set in order to get the biggest bang for my buck.  I am an avid player and get fit for my clubs.  Once I get them, I keep them.   I shoot in the low 80s consistently.  I replaced my Ping G15 Irons with a set (5-gap) of Mizuno JPX 919 forged in June and  I like the irons quite a bit.  Now, what should I upgrade next?  Options are:

 

1.  Driver - currently playing a G20

2.  Hybrids - currently playing g15 20* and 23* 

3.  Fairway wood - currently playing G15 4 wood (16*)

4.  Wedges - ping glide 1.0 (54*,58*)

 

I don’t have the money to do them all so looking for opinions as what upgrade will be the most beneficial.  And before someone tells me to use the money on lessons, I already take them.  Thanks! 

[Sparky14]

I'd put the fairways and hybrids last....don't use them so much. If you are not having wedge problems, I'd go after a new driver.

[roundersmitty]

I would get fit for the driver and keep the rest as is.

[Go Horns!]

Putter. Then wedges. Then driver.

[cgasucks]

Your present clubs are fine.  Black Friday is coming and used golf ball website's prices are at their cheapest during that time so I suggest you should stock up when you have the chance for the best bang for your dollar.

[10_ft_Jon_Boat]

Putter is money.  An older Betti that won’t leave the bag.  A workhorse!  

[Tiptx1122]

Tour Edge Exotics 2H and 3H for me with HZRD Smoke 5.5 shaft

[kiwii]

Test or get fit for all of them and see which one gives you the most improvement. 
 

When you upgraded your irons did your yard gap change from your 5 iron and 23° hybrid? If your yardage changed with 5 iron than get fit for hybrids that will give you proper yardage gaps. If the hybrids are fine, most people will upgrade their driver because majority of golfers struggle with the most or see the most improvement with a fitting/ technology. Usually wedges won’t need to but upgraded unless they wear out or you require different specification like bounce, shaft, loft, etc. fairway woods are the last to be upgraded because it the least used club for most golfers. 

[xkilgorextroutx]

I'd go with either driver or wedges, but it's tough to say without knowing anything at all about your distance, your misses, how your short game is, etc. 

[Davidv]

Definitely the driver.

[Chadwickog]

Driver and wedges. No need to update hybrids or fairways if hitting them well. 

[phizzy30]

Driver, wedge, then everything else.  Driver is the money club besides putter.  If you can't get off the tee, then you will be miserable the rest of the day.  Wedges are scoring clubs that are used on almost every single hole.  Since you're a ping man, I would suggest looking towards the G425 or G410 line.  Most importantly, get fitted or at the very least, go to a big box store and hit the demos. 

[10_ft_Jon_Boat]

Thanks for the input!  I think I need to start eyeing the drivers.  I’m looking forward to seeing the g425 in person! 

[LeftyMatt24]

If you’re doing drivers and don’t mind slightly older the g410 are very good and are reasonably priced for a solid driver. Or going to the BST you might be able to get a driver and some wedges for price of new g425

[morgan1819]

Pick up new wedges, and then driver off of BST or fleabay.

 

Always keep old stuff in case new stuff is a downgrade.  🤘

 

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by morgan1819

[NoTalentLefty]

I had G15 woods . Gave them away... Still kicking myself in the arse . 

[SylvesterLundgren]

Idk how consistent you are with your woods but changing them out can be tough if you know how reliable your club is. 
my 3w is touching that 10-11 yr mark and I did have a g400 3w this spring but offloaded that because I couldn’t get past the louder clink impact noise. So it can come down to sticking with what works tbh.

[setter02]

1. Driver

2. Wedges 

3. Fairways and hybrids, but only if you are completely comfortable with them, no change for the sake of change.

[GSDriver]

Driver is generally most used club next to putter so start there.  Then look for new wedges, unless you find yourself playing your fwy woods and hybrids more often.

[kess13]

As a person who let go of the g15 Fw’s I’d advise hanging on to those. I haven’t found anything better. 

[Myherobobhope]

On 11/18/2020 at 10:01 PM, 10_ft_Jon_Boat said:

I am trying to determine what order I should update my set in order to get the biggest bang for my buck.  I am an avid player and get fit for my clubs.  Once I get them, I keep them.   I shoot in the low 80s consistently.  I replaced my Ping G15 Irons with a set (5-gap) of Mizuno JPX 919 forged in June and  I like the irons quite a bit.  Now, what should I upgrade next?  Options are:

 

1.  Driver - currently playing a G20

2.  Hybrids - currently playing g15 20* and 23* 

3.  Fairway wood - currently playing G15 4 wood (16*)

4.  Wedges - ping glide 1.0 (54*,58*)

 

I don’t have the money to do them all so looking for opinions as what upgrade will be the most beneficial.  And before someone tells me to use the money on lessons, I already take them.  Thanks! 

I think it depends on what you like and how you plan on upgrading them... it also depends on what you like the most and the least...

 

from a performance stand point, you probably hit your wedges and driver the most, so I’d put those on the list to replace first... I don’t like buying used wedges, and now is a good time to buy “last seasons” model for cheaper... Costco also sells them!  But depending on what you want and the shape of your current wedges, this will probably be the best value buy.

 

driver comes down to how well fit your current driver is... new stuff will get you a boost, but a fitter driver is the ideal solution... unless you know what you need / want and buy a used driver... used market has been crazy, though... I think the 2021

drivers are going to be phenomenal, so it might be worth waiting for the new releases to all come out. 
 

Hybrids and woods I’d replace as you find things you like... either chase down used stuff or try new releases and buy when you can... I don’t think any of them will have a huge impact on your score unless they are really bad fits that you insist on hitting poorly.

[jomatty]

If the grooves are still good on the wedges I’d be looking at the driver for sure.

Edited November 21, 2020 by jomatty

[Nixhex524]

I'd say driver.  The G20 is good but I think you will actually see gains from a newer model if properly fit.

[Stonewalled]

Looks like you are playing well as is, but its always a nice feeling to find a club better than the one it replaced. Not an easy task as we all know. 

 

Like others have said  replacing the an older  driver with newer tech is a logical place to start. I did see where the G20 held up well against 5 yrs worth of Ping drivers in a test by Rich  Shiels though.  

 

I have  the 410 driver and  a combination of 400/410 fairway woods and hybrids. There are longer woods available but I'm pretty happy with the forgiveness factor with the Pings. 

 

I noticed you mentioned you liked,(not loved) your current iron set. For me being iron ho, that would leave me with no other choice but to upgrade the 919 forged to the 921 forged:) Some very positive reviews on the 921 Forged at the moment. 

 

Hopefully one can get a testing soon, stay safe.

[overack]

1: Driver from BST

2: fairways

3: wedges when losing significant amount of spin due to wear

[Milfordlefty]

Agree with Kiwii's post. See your fitter and determine amount of improvement you would see from a new driver or wedges. You might even find a shaft update is all you need on the driver to help with dispersion. You indicate you are an avid player, which I take to mean you play a lot of rounds. The glide 1.0 grooves may be worn enough that new wedges to recover spin benefits your short game. 

[ChipNRun]

You have good bag management, so you're in better shape than most.

 

I would say go with a driver. 

 

Your G20 came out in 2011, and later drivers have absorbed some helpful features since then. The TFC 169D stock shaft has reputation in assorted reviews as a stable base. Is this the one you have?

 

Again, with more shaft variety these days, a change in driver might yield another 15-20 yards. How many fairways a round do you hit right now? Do you really like the G20, or is it just in the bag?

 

Another thing: The G20 is a bonded head, non-adjustable. Adjustable drivers can be tweaked to fit your swing better without a custom order.

 

Another thing to consider is your age. (I'm not being snarky. I just turned 70, and most club adjustments lately have been for lighter shafts to hold line against losing distance).

 

If you're a 30-something this may not be an issue. But if you're around 50, you might find a different head + shaft combo would deliver quite a bit for you.

 

Again, resolve this whole driver issue with a side-by-side test. If the new $500 drivers only yield a whopping +3 yards in distance, keep the G20.

-----------------

Personal side-by-side story. My second driver is the Calla X16 Tour, 10.5* R-flex. Three years ago Calla launched the Epic drivers, and I took the Epic Challenge at a Christmas golf event. Test was my stock shaft - I had gotten fitted for X16T - in my driver, then in the Epic driver. Test results: Epic offered +5 yards, but a irritating lower trajectory. X16T won, in my mind.

----------------- 

Let us know what happens!

 

[jbrunk]

In terms of order once you have irons in place, I agree to go Driver, Wedges, Hybrids, Fairways.  Descending by importance and frequency of use. 

 

My choices for "best bang for your buck" on the market right now:

Driver: Ping G400 (new)

Wedges: Mizuno S18 (on closeout, will have to shop around)

Woods & Hybrids: Callaway Mavrik (CPO like new) or G400 (new)

 

Of course, getting fit can save you money in the long run, if it's a good fit and you're patient enough to keep it in your bag long-term.  Some of us don't have access to high quality fitting where we live.  So for me, it's become more important to know a good builder who can make adjustments, switch out shafts, etc.

[herkyjerk]

  There should be a law against suggesting lessons when people ask an equipment question.  Let club whores be club whores.  So annoying.
  New driver.  If you’re loyal to the Ping you’ll be able to find a good price G410 when the 425 comes out in a month.   

[vmann]

19 minutes ago, herkyjerk said:

  There should be a law against suggesting lessons when people ask an equipment question.  Let club whores be club whores.  So annoying.
  New driver.  If you’re loyal to the Ping you’ll be able to find a good price G410 when the 425 comes out in a month.   

Give them a break.  They have a medical condition called a compelsion complex and they can't help themselves. 

-Barney Fife