Best beginner complete golf set

[gheart008]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to purchase a new beginner golf set w/ bag in the $180-$230 range. I want to get the best bang for the buck, so need suggestions which beginner set is the best.

I know certain people will just say "buy a good used set", but I'm set on a new set within the specified price range.

I've considered the following:

1) Wilson K28 16-pc (http://www.sportmart.ca/store/2product.asp?countryID=0&category%5Fid=325&product%5Fid=11609&mscssid=KWPVLKKXT6LK8K5UJ60MSUN515WUD8VB)

2) Dunlop Reaction 17-pc (http://www.sportchek.ca/product_description.jhtml?id=prod3800101&fromSpecificCategory=false)

3) Dunlop EXD 16-pc (http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortments/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=140847439 6670157&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474396670271&bmUID=1145813438791&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443288953&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true)

The Dunlop EXD's from Canadiantire were on sale for $180, but not anymore, but would still like to know how they compare to the others I've listed above.

Which is the best? Or does anyone have any other suggestions within that price range that are better than those above?

Thanks

[DBM]

I'd like to know as well... But I probably won't be buying for another month.

[Ojam]

What I would like to know is what clubs a high handicapped player should have in their bag? Right now I have a Wilson set with 3-9 irons, pitching wedge and 1 5 and 3 woods, and of course putter. Out of those clubs which are a necessity, and is there anything else a high handicapped player should have, I've seen recommended having 3 wedges, pitching, sand and approach.

[DavidY]

What I would like to know is what clubs a high handicapped player should have in their bag? Right now I have a Wilson set with 3-9 irons, pitching wedge and 1 5 and 3 woods, and of course putter. Out of those clubs which are a necessity, and is there anything else a high handicapped player should have, I've seen recommended having 3 wedges, pitching, sand and approach.

Additional wedges are nice to have....3-4 are typical in most bags. If you have a hard time hitting a 3 or 4 iron on a regular basis, the golf enthusiasts often recommend replacing these with their respective hybrids. Use a 3 wood over a 1 wood (driver) if you have driving problems...3 wood has more loft to get a higher ball flight. All players are permitted to have a maximum of 14 clubs in a bag. If you add a wedge or two, I think that you should remove a 5 wood and/or a 3 iron.

Dave

[gordholio]

When I was golfing after finishing high school, I'd go once a week and bought a golf set down in Niagara Falls while on holiday.
I think a set around $200-$250 would do for a beginner.
I just had 1,3 woods, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 irons and a sand wedge and putter.
The best advice though that I can give you is to look around for good sales.
Maybe you can get a $300 set for $200?

[gheart008]

The best advice though that I can give you is to look around for good sales.
Maybe you can get a $300 set for $200?

Still kind of interested to hear which sets are the best in that price range...

[PennyArcade]

What I would like to know is what clubs a high handicapped player should have in their bag? Right now I have a Wilson set with 3-9 irons, pitching wedge and 1 5 and 3 woods, and of course putter. Out of those clubs which are a necessity, and is there anything else a high handicapped player should have, I've seen recommended having 3 wedges, pitching, sand and approach.

I disagree with other posters on this thread; wedges are NOT useful to a high handicapper.

Reason? Guys' egos prevent them from playing on the beginners tees. They'll play the whites with their pals. Result? You're father away from the hole. There's a high probability that you will hit your shot not too far and off into the rough. That extra wedge won't help you from 170+ yards away from the hole.

But a hybrid can. They're designed to be easy to hit and go through rough much easier than long irons do. Hybrids are also really useful elsewhere: tee, fairway, and even chipping. Think hybrids are too "wimpy"? Vijay Singh uses hybrids all the time and he's definitely better than any of us.

So, in reality, PW and SW is really all you need. Get an extra hybrid club instead.

A high handicapper should get a hybrid club or three. Heck, throw away the 3 and 4 iron because you won't be able to hit it and replace it with comparable lofted hybrids. I would suggest the following:

driver (more loft, the better, don't go for a 8.5 just because that's what Tiger uses... get at least 10.5)
3, 5 wood
2i hybrid
3i hybrid
maybe even 4i hybrid
5-pw
sw
putter

Oh, and get regular flex shafts. Stiff shafts are for faster swing speeds and that's the last thing high handicappers should be doing.

Still kind of interested to hear which sets are the best in that price range...

I suggest getting a good set of used clubs. This will get you something that is much superior in quality than the new sets. Golf clubs depreciate quite quickly, netting a fraction of the price in only a few years.

Happy Golfing!

[gheart008]

I suggest getting a good set of used clubs. This will get you something that is much superior in quality than the new sets. Golf clubs depreciate quite quickly, netting a fraction of the price in only a few years.

Happy Golfing!

Sigh, thanks for the suggestion, but I mentioned that I'm set on a new set and want to know which starter set is the best.

[gheart008]

Bump.

So no one here has any suggestions which beginner set is the best?

[synaptech]

I bought the Dunlop set last year and it looks like a nice set. However, I visited Golftown before using the Dunlop's and GT set me up with a better deal overall so I returned the Dunlops. My initial impression of GT was it would be too expensive, but they have every price range and a staff that seem to be pretty good. For a new set, I would go there and look for their sales. Now, if I were to buy again - 1 year later, I'd look for used, perhaps from Callaway preowned online.

[gordholio]

The Dunlop K-28 looks fine to me. You could probably buy any of the sets you mentioned and they'd be fine.

[gheart008]

The Dunlop K-28 looks fine to me. You could probably buy any of the sets you mentioned and they'd be fine.

Err, you mean Wilson K-28? Ya my friend was telling me most of the beginner sets are about the same, but overall Wilson is a tad better compared to Dunlop.

[Ojam]

I bought a Wilson 11pc set last year as my second set after using my dads old set the year before to start, I was happy with it, and it did its job as a beginner set. I'm now at the point where I'm replacing clubs with clubs that suit my game better, but I am quite happy with the Wilson quality overall. A friend also bought the same set at the same time and he liked it too. I went with the 11 pc because I already had a putter that I really liked and wanted to option to choose my own bag since its something I'd be carring around, I wanted something more comfortable then what came with the basic sets.

http://www.sportchek.ca/product_description.jhtml?id=prod2924764&fromSpecificCategory=true

BTW, thanks to the other posters for answering my question.

[gordholio]

Err, you mean Wilson K-28? Ya my friend was telling me most of the beginner sets are about the same, but overall Wilson is a tad better compared to Dunlop.
Okay. Maybe Wilson is a bit better. I haven't golfed for a while, so I only have a general idea. I don't even remember the brand of the first (and only) set of golf clubs I bought. I just bought what I could find on sale and I found them alright.
They were about $119 about 18 years ago (without the bag).
The same clubs today would probably be only $199.

Here's a set of Wilson's for $199 without the bag:

http://www.sportchek.ca/product_description.jhtml?id=prod2924763
http://www.sportmart.ca/store/2product.asp?countryID=0&category%5Fid=32&product%5Fid=13654&mscssid=VP1R5JUT9Q1P8K6PPPACS6DKXVK93UL4

[milhaus]

Sigh, thanks for the suggestion, but I mentioned that I'm set on a new set and want to know which starter set is the best.
Well, then don't bother asking the difference between the three sets. There isn't any. Nobody has actually bought and played all three beginner sets, so nobody would actually know. But you've dismissed the one valuable piece of advice given in this thread: buy a quality used set first.

[gordholio]

Everyone's evaluation of the 3 golf sets you posted at the first post will be different.
One way to find out for yourself what set to buy is to go into a sports store and try 3 or 4 different sets out (in the store). Just take them out and give the clubs a basic practise swing and see how the weight feels, etc.
If the clubs are priced within a certain close range, I doubt there will be much difference between them except how they feel to you.

[pompey_play_up]

If I could offer advice. This would be my suggestion, stay away from the driver and sand wedge as a beginner. Don't spend too much money and remember if you enjoy the game and get better you'll want a new set in a couple of years anyways.

High Handicappers Bag

• 3-wood
• 5-wood, 7-wood
• 5-iron through 9-iron
• Pitching wedge
• Putter

Most high handicappers cannot hit a driver, no matter how badly they want to. Drivers are especially dangerous in the hands of high-handicappers because many view distance as the quality they most want to have off the tee. So they spend several hundred dollars on an oversized titanium driver that most of the time will only put them farther off the fairway, not farther down the fairway.

If you need to own a driver - just practice with it on the driving range, and leave it at home when you hit the course.

The Mid-Handicapper's Bag

• Driver
• 3-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood
• 4-iron through 9-iron
• Pitching wedge
• Sand wedge
• Putter

Intermediate players may also be better off hitting 3-wood off the tee rather than driver, but certainly have a better shot at controlling the driver than high handicappers.

Mid-handicappers who are strong in their short game might consider adding a lob wedge or gap wedge to this assortment, but most will probably be better off with the lofted fairway woods rather than long irons.

Low Handicappers Bag

• Driver
• 3-wood
• 2-iron through 9-iron
• Pitching wedge
• Lob wedge
• Sand wedge
• Putter

Scratch golfers will carry the same bag with one exception: Substituting a gap wedge for the 2-iron.

The better you are, the more specialized your game becomes. And that specialization for the best players leads to a concentration on the short game. Most top players hit the ball far enough that they rarely use a long iron, hence the ability to bypass 1-irons and 2-irons in favor of adding more wedges.

The lob wedge and gap wedge simply increase a great player's options around the green.

Remember: No matter what your skill level, hit clubs you are comfortable with. If you are a high handicapper but you can keep your driver in the fairway, then by all means carry a driver. If a 1-iron is a club that you have mastered, carry a 1-iron.

[gheart008]

But you've dismissed the one valuable piece of advice given in this thread: buy a quality used set first.

I understand that it's great advice to get a good used set, but that's the same argument tryig to convince someone to buy a used car over a new car. I just really want a new set and I"ve thought about it already extensively. I have my own reasons.

Well, then don't bother asking the difference between the three sets. There isn't any.

Again using car examples, that's like saying all cars in the same price range are identical and have no difference at all. That's just plain wrong. They are similar yes, but out right saying there isn't any difference has no value at all.

Nobody has actually bought and played all three beginner sets, so nobody would actually know.

When people ask about comparisons of different cars that they're interested in purchasing, people who give opinions surely haven't purchased and driven all the cars in question, but yet they're still able to give meaningful opinions like brand preference or what they've heard from friends.


I appreciate all the info posted in this thread so far, and I thank those who have posted, but to out right tell me don't bother asking defeats the entire purpose of this discussion forum.

[PennyArcade]

gheart, I suggest you ask if you can try out the sets at the store. Take a friend who has played a bit to get a second opinion.

[fly]

My recommendation is none of the above..

As a beginner, you won't notice a difference between most of the clubs. So, go to a custom golf shop and buy the Pitching wedge, 8, 6, 4 irons. or P, 9, 7, 5, 3. Depending on your selection below, you can get most clubs for $20 each, so looking at around $100. Forget about a driver until you learn to hit properly with irons. There's no glory hitting a tee shot with an iron while your friends are hitting drivers but you won't lose a ball into the forest after a wicked slice.

To select your golf club, you need to know your swing speed. If you used to play baseball and swing like you're hitting a home run, then you should go for a stiff graphite or steel shaft.

The head is important too. As a beginner, you'll want one with a thick base and probably an oversized face. That'll give you more room for error and the thicker base will loft the ball more. Look for Callaway imitations.

Most custom golf shops will have demos for you to hit and an area to measure your swing speed and should be able to recommend something for you. When you get better and find that you actually enjoy the sport (yes, it's a real sport), then upgrade to something more expensive. By then you should know what you should buy.

Good luck! FORE!

[Ojam]

Forget about a driver until you learn to hit properly with irons. There's no glory hitting a tee shot with an iron while your friends are hitting drivers but you won't lose a ball into the forest after a wicked slice.


I good piece of advice that I was given once is to learn from the green back. :)