Secondhand golf equipment advice

SkippyRamirez said:
For what it's worth, don't be that guy that just buys new clubs just because you can. I myself got back into it after 20 years, everything in my bag is over 20 years old. Tech has changed alot, and the options are endless. I would recommend making an appointment with a PGA accredited PRO for an evaluation. It's usually free, at least in my case it was. If you're in KZN I can make a recommendation.

What you will learn from this, is that you either need a couple of lessons to fix some faults in your swing before getting new kit, or if your swing is good you should get fitted. Most, if not all facilities has Trackman now, and it is amazing. It tells you everything about your swing and contact. Things like lie angle, bounce, shaft flex, grip size - all of that can make a hell of a difference to your game.

Don't just go to the Pro Shop. There are some good people there, but at the end of the day, they need to make sales, rather go see a Pro and take it from there.
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Gotcha - I am also a very practical person not just gonna buy for the sake of buying have zero issues with that!
 
You will get more out of lessons than clubs, especially in the beginning. Many golfers cling to the hope (me included) that some new club tech will make them significantly better, it almost never does. Lessons make more difference and should be something to get done sooner rather than later.

You can get amazing second hand clubs for significantly lower costs (because many golfers chase that unicorn club)
Shaft type for me has been one of the most important aspects because of my swing speed and background in other sports, I was really struggling until I got a shaft suitable for me.
You could consider one length clubs, although not for everyone, it can make things easier in the beginning, especially on the longer iron shots.

I think like most golfers, I focused on distance way to much in the beginning. Get decent wedges and put a decent amount of effort into them.
Second hand balls are your friend. A bad round of golf for a newish person can cost the same on balls as it does on the game if you playing with new balls.
 
I have never owned a new club. Buy everything second hand. I shake my head at amateurs who keep wasting money on new clubs and gear and still play like ****. I don't complain though - my mates keep buying new stuff and I buy their old equipment for absolute bargains.

Balls as well - always second hand. Much easier on the pocket and mind to slice an old Top Flite (yes I know, ewww) into the water than a brand new $$$ Pro-V1.

I do agree you should get rid of the blades though as they are quite hard to hit and unforgiving and that's obviously not what us amateurs need.

Coincidentally I just landed in Bangkok for a 4-day golf trip. Can't wait to go start getting frustrated on the courses for the rest of the week. :love:
 
syntax said:
You will get more out of lessons than clubs, especially in the beginning. Many golfers cling to the hope (me included) that some new club tech will make them significantly better, it almost never does. Lessons make more difference and should be something to get done sooner rather than later.

You can get amazing second hand clubs for significantly lower costs (because many golfers chase that unicorn club)
Shaft type for me has been one of the most important aspects because of my swing speed and background in other sports, I was really struggling until I got a shaft suitable for me.
You could consider one length clubs, although not for everyone, it can make things easier in the beginning, especially on the longer iron shots.

I think like most golfers, I focused on distance way to much in the beginning. Get decent wedges and put a decent amount of effort into them.
Second hand balls are your friend. A bad round of golf for a newish person can cost the same on balls as it does on the game if you playing with new balls.
Click to expand...
Thanks might go this route to start on the "training" side

Individual Lessons | University of Pretoria

Individual Lessons
www.up.ac.za www.up.ac.za
 
EADC said:
The most important advise is missing fix your pitch marks.
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I know golf is expensive and it will add to the costs, but I think clubs should make at least 1 caddy mandatory per 4 ball.
They can help maintain pace of play, help with finding the ball, maintain course by educating or repairing pitch marks, raking, filling the fairway etc.
The value far outweighs the costs and helps with the field overall as well
 
syntax said:
I know golf is expensive and it will add to the costs, but I think clubs should make at least 1 caddy mandatory per 4 ball.
They can help maintain pace of play, help with finding the ball, maintain course by educating or repairing pitch marks, raking, filling the fairway etc.
The value far outweighs the costs and helps with the field overall as well
Click to expand...

That is a good call, it really does help having someone, last time I played in SA we had a spotter and it made the world of difference but it comes at a cost.

Out here In Dubai they stack the field so tight that it just destroys pace of play marshals come around but you cant do anything when all groups are backed up.
 
EADC said:
The most important advise is missing fix your pitch marks.
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This. Unless you are brand new and don't know any better, not repairing your pitch marks on the green tells me you are an uncultured swine degenerate and should be banned from playing golf.
 
Hey all thanks for the advice did my first assessment today, checking that I don't have underlying issues before the training etc already have some mobility issues identified. But now we know!


Screenshot_20240203-103330_MyTPI.jpg
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SkippyRamirez said:
For what it's worth, don't be that guy that just buys new clubs just because you can. I myself got back into it after 20 years, everything in my bag is over 20 years old. Tech has changed alot, and the options are endless. I would recommend making an appointment with a PGA accredited PRO for an evaluation. It's usually free, at least in my case it was. If you're in KZN I can make a recommendation.

What you will learn from this, is that you either need a couple of lessons to fix some faults in your swing before getting new kit, or if your swing is good you should get fitted. Most, if not all facilities has Trackman now, and it is amazing. It tells you everything about your swing and contact. Things like lie angle, bounce, shaft flex, grip size - all of that can make a hell of a difference to your game.

Don't just go to the Pro Shop. There are some good people there, but at the end of the day, they need to make sales, rather go see a Pro and take it from there.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this advice and @syntax and others too done that today.

Dont mind paying for individual lessons.

Have a nice net setup at home too and the tips from today already improving the swings.
 
@syntax @SkippyRamirez and others

Lessons going well coach says keep the clubs and get them fitted I'm quite tall almost 1.87m he said a bit more length is all that's needed on some clubs.

Works for me. The anvil clubs do look beautiful almost brass color heads.

Would rather spend money where it matters.

Played another round this weekend parred the first hole then started over thinking things and things went off a little. Highlight of the day was a chip in from 20m away over a little hill. Won't lie let out a little scream.

Wanna try get out during the week to get the odd 9 hole in. Have a little cart that I'll wheel around.
 
Snyper564 said:
@syntax @SkippyRamirez and others

Lessons going well coach says keep the clubs and get them fitted I'm quite tall almost 1.87m he said a bit more length is all that's needed on some clubs.

Works for me. The anvil clubs do look beautiful almost brass color heads.

Would rather spend money where it matters.

Played another round this weekend parred the first hole then started over thinking things and things went off a little. Highlight of the day was a chip in from 20m away over a little hill. Won't lie let out a little scream.

Wanna try get out during the week to get the odd 9 hole in. Have a little cart that I'll wheel around.
Click to expand...

You know you just setting yourself up to spend stupid amounts of money when you travel.

I say this as someone who spends stupid money playing golf when I travel.
 
EADC said:
You know you just setting yourself up to spend stupid amounts of money when you travel.

I say this as someone who spends stupid money playing golf when I travel.
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Kekeke was thinking about all the courses I could play traveling. Thankfully we spoiled for choice in Pretoria maybe not the best of courses but many to choose from.
 
Snyper564 said:
@syntax @SkippyRamirez and others

Lessons going well coach says keep the clubs and get them fitted I'm quite tall almost 1.87m he said a bit more length is all that's needed on some clubs.

Works for me. The anvil clubs do look beautiful almost brass color heads.

Would rather spend money where it matters.

Played another round this weekend parred the first hole then started over thinking things and things went off a little. Highlight of the day was a chip in from 20m away over a little hill. Won't lie let out a little scream.

Wanna try get out during the week to get the odd 9 hole in. Have a little cart that I'll wheel around.
Click to expand...
That's good to hear. I have the same issue as well, being 1.91m tall. During the fitting we tried 6 different shafts, and only one worked for me, and it worked amazingly well - like it was made specifically for me. We tested on a 6 iron head, and with 7 shots my dispersion was 0.4m. Also using midsize grips.

My coach is also a master fitter, and said to me that the shaft and the grip makes the most difference, and the club head (apart from blades) is really just preference to price, look and feel.

One piece of mental advise that I can give you with regards to playing and enjoying golf more is this: chase targets, not scores. When you setup for a shot, any shot, pick a realistic target that you are comfortable with, and then focus only on hitting that target. The score will take care of itself. For me it's more satisfying hitting my targets than just bombing the ball in a direction and hope it gets there.
 
SkippyRamirez said:
That's good to hear. I have the same issue as well, being 1.91m tall. During the fitting we tried 6 different shafts, and only one worked for me, and it worked amazingly well - like it was made specifically for me. We tested on a 6 iron head, and with 7 shots my dispersion was 0.4m. Also using midsize grips.

My coach is also a master fitter, and said to me that the shaft and the grip makes the most difference, and the club head (apart from blades) is really just preference to price, look and feel.

One piece of mental advise that I can give you with regards to playing and enjoying golf more is this: chase targets, not scores. When you setup for a shot, any shot, pick a realistic target that you are comfortable with, and then focus only on hitting that target. The score will take care of itself. For me it's more satisfying hitting my targets than just bombing the ball in a direction and hope it gets there.
Click to expand...
I have heard this mentioned a number of times just need to bear it in mind. Thanks again for the reminder and the advice.

Cant believe this thing has bitten this hard!
 
SkippyRamirez said:
That's good to hear. I have the same issue as well, being 1.91m tall. During the fitting we tried 6 different shafts, and only one worked for me, and it worked amazingly well - like it was made specifically for me. We tested on a 6 iron head, and with 7 shots my dispersion was 0.4m. Also using midsize grips.

My coach is also a master fitter, and said to me that the shaft and the grip makes the most difference, and the club head (apart from blades) is really just preference to price, look and feel.

One piece of mental advise that I can give you with regards to playing and enjoying golf more is this: chase targets, not scores. When you setup for a shot, any shot, pick a realistic target that you are comfortable with, and then focus only on hitting that target. The score will take care of itself. For me it's more satisfying hitting my targets than just bombing the ball in a direction and hope it gets there.
Click to expand...
Took four irons in this morning to get extended and regripped.

Watched a few vids on course management I think nail these down leave the hero shots and don't over complicate things.
 
Don’t buy a set of second hand irons, they will likely frustrate the hell out of you and you’ll want to throw them in the dam following your balls.

My suggestion is decide on a budget for a set of irons, then go to a qualified PGA pro for an assessment. Not only will they find the irons most suited to your game, but they almost always fix small little things in your swing that they’re trained to pick up.

A good set of fitted irons will make the world of difference, and nothing is more frustrating than having the wrong irons - the technology in these things is insane and one set differs dramatically from the next. Then there is the shaft and the different dynamics these bring to your game.

A pro will help find the correct launch, bounce and spin profiles tailored to your swing, and often the first session is free.

There’s a PGA accredited pro at most decent golf clubs, but some of the bigger golf villages may also be able to assist.

Happy golfing and good luck breaking 100/90/80!
 
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