Okay, so I've been reading and trying to figure out what I should be playing for someone that really just got into the sport.

I currently have 3 sets of clubs. I have an old Dunlop set that I had when I was in high school and tried to play them last year. This year I joined a golf league and found one of those Walter Hagen all in one sets. Now, I did do better than the year before but that is mostly due to playing more.
Now, I found a set of Ping Eye2 which I haven't played a round with yet.

I'm looking at the Ping's vs. the Walter Hagen's and don't see much difference? Do the Pings really have that much more engineering in them to make them that much better?

Thanks,

JP

Indy, welcome to the site.

I'm not one to like the all-in-one's because they don't do anything really well. Yes, the Eye2's will have much more engineering in them but I'm not a Ping person so I don't even know what year clubs they are. So that's the one caveot is the older stuff will tend to not be as forgiving as the newer stuff, but I'd take major brand name over all in one about any day.

I've played with all sorts of clubs over the years and have never really found a '100% gotta have this brand over any other' kind of club. I would try what you have and see what works best for you. What is comfortable in your hand may not be in someone else's.

That set of PIng Eye 2 irons, is not exactly what I'd call High tech today. They were fine clubs where they came out, but that's been a few years now, and the newer clubs of today, might be a better fit and better suited to what you NEED.

I'll second what Scott mentioned about ALL IN ONE sets of clubs. Most of those sets are pretty poor quality, and not a good way to buy clubs.

That's what I thought about the All-in-One clubs. I was just trying to build a decent set of clubs.

How about the Nike Slingshots? Are those still considered decent clubs? I could get a set for around 200.

Thanks everyone!

Indy, have you ever tried them out?
Really, what's best to get is what you feel good hitting.
You could start out with those Nikes and not hit them well and think it was all you (you know, carpenter/hammer)...or find something that gives you confidence and enables you to have fun playing...

Hi JP. I started out with a set of borrowed eye-2's, and they were fine to start out with. They are a cult club with a following, but I wouldn't recommend purchasing them.

Agree with Aimee -- it's what you like. Do you have the opportunity to try the Slingshots before buying?

You can probably get some basic honing in done. E.g., are you a male, middle aged or younger? Then you most probably want steel shafts. Then you have the basic choice among super game improvement, game improvement, and blade.

For $200, you should have a good selection of used sets to choose from. Tell us a little more about you, and your game.

Well, I just recently got back into golf. I joined a golf league last year but was only able to play a couple of times. This year I joined again and have played a lot of golf so far.

The Dunlops are from around 1995 and would be a walmart special which I played with last year but not this year. The Walter Hagens are from last year Dick Sporting Goods special.

Starting out this year I was shooting around a 65 but now I'm shooting around a 52 (9 holes). Guys in the league aren't to happy with my improvement because my handicap was set with the 65 score so when we play I either beat the course or the players.

I can hit the ball pretty well but if I don't watch out I have a wicked slice.

I can hit my 6i about 170 - 175.

With the Walter Hagen's I normally push the ball right but with the Ping's I've been pushing them left.

Male, 32 and all of the clubs are steel shafts including the slingshots (have not hit)

Also, I know I need work on my swing just need money to have a pro help me out with that.

I know with a full swing I would twist to much causing the ball to fly in a inconsistent pattern.

So, I've taken my swing to about a half swing or 8 o'clock and noticed that I can actually hit it straight and with consistency and with the same power ( 6i - about 170).

Oh, ok, you most definitely need some new sticks!

Unless you're really tall, you should be able to play standard clubs. You guys out there, 170 6i, is that stiff or regular?

How much can you reasonably spend? My driver, $150, 3 and 5w, $90 each, irons, $200. It's all really nice stuff, but a couple of generations back. You can get nice stuff cheaper than this if you need to. I live in Houston, and there's a guy at the range who shops the used section of Edwin Watts, where affluent guys are coming to dump their clubs for new ones, and he gets great deals, half or less of what I paid. Or component clubs can be less expensive. They've been discussed around here.

Congrats on the improvement! You can always post a swing video, and I'm sure Bill would help you. He's got creds out the wazoo, and just happens to hang out here.

6I 170, I would say its stiff, if in normal conditions. If I'm up at Don's altitude, then maybe it's regular but in general I'd say it's stiff but swing speed measurements would be much more accurate.

Budget wise, if $ is a concern, buy used good quality and buy over time. Get the irons now, then a driver later, then a hybrid, etc.

And, fyi, if you do reviews here, you also have a chance to win monthly prizes here that usually include gear or gift cards to golf shops. So don't lose out on that. I won a new putter this month! And Chris is doing on online thing through Facebook giving away prizes too. So you have ways thru this site to increase your budget too!