9 replies to this topic

[salmon28]

hi im very new to this site and i would love your help

im a 15 and playing of 26 and I've been a year at Christmas  i play on a lynx course it always windy and the weather is a constant battle  
in my bag i have vokey spin milled wedges 60 ,54,52 (love them) my irons are Taylormade rac lt 4-pw not looking to change just got them for £100 (was that a good price) and next my putter is an odyssey white ice 1 putter (good but i under hit it alot )

okay and now to the important bit i have no woods, so any suggestions of good woods for 26 handicap also 5,3 or something else (and what loft)  also as Christmas is coming up im looking around £135 MAX but would strech if worth it also i dont mind second hand but kinda want a newish model

and my driver is adams red line quite old but okay looking for an upgrade needs to quite forgiving and cheap

once again please help and thanks to every one who gives advice.

[Kadin 25]

What loft is your PW?

[salmon28]

um 48 i think but i am unsure so have you got any suggestions for clubs

[Kadin 25]

salmon28, on 20 November 2012 - 04:36 PM, said:

um 48 i think but i am unsure so have you got any suggestions for clubs

Yea, I was curious as to why your wedge set up is the way it is...if your PW is 48 (You think?) your set is 48-52-54-60. The short irons are the most important part of scoring. First you need to find out what your PW loft is and try to have some consistency in loft between each wedge. As of now you have 5* from PW to 52 and only 2* from 52 to 54 and then 6* to the 60.

1* is three yards difference so that means you have...

12 yards between PW and 52
6 yards between 52 and 54
18 yards between 54 and 60

With that set it makes it very difficult to have some consistency in yardage between clubs. Not saying you can't but it would be much easier to have say
PW 48*
GW 52*
SW 58*
This is an even 4* gap for 12 yards between each club and you could drop the 60*. Now you can easily dial in yardages between clubs. Having a 52* and a 54* is like having the same club, there is only 2* between the two for a total of 6 yards. That's kinda pointless. If the 60* is a must have then I would do something like 60-56-52-48 that way you can still keep four wedges and have 4* between each for that nice even 12 yards between clubs.

I hope this makes sense. If you are serious about shooting low, I feel you need to take a serious look at your wedge set up. And that starts off with finding out what loft your PW is.

Edited by Kadin 25, 20 November 2012 - 04:53 PM.

[steve76t]

I'm kinda on the same lines with Kadin, but have another way to look at it...  I like to set up wedges based on distances you hit each club and try to have a distance gap of about 10 to 15 yards for full swing shots.  For example, I hit a full PW 128 yards so my next club should have a full shot of about 113 & my 54 deg gap wedges fits that nicely at 115 yards.  Then I've got my 58 degree lob wedge that I typically hit about 100 yards, so this fits it perfectly there too.
So, based in this idea you really need to know you distances for each wedge and if you have a full shot distance gap that is consistent between each youre good to go.  With a 52 and a 54 in your bag you probably need to look at either dropping the 52 or switching out the 54 for a 56.
As for your woods, look at a getting a 15 degree 3 wood and maybe a 19 degree 5 wood.  A hybrid instead of a 5 wood might be good too, but hybrids typically launch higher than fairway woods which you might not like when your trying to keep it out of the wind. Also, if you like your 4 iron and hit it quite often, then maybe a 3 iron would be a nice addition.  Long irons are harder to hit than hybrids, but fly lower and are pretty consistent if you hit them well.

[CCUgolfer23]

salmon28, on 20 November 2012 - 03:33 PM, said:

hi im very new to this site and i would love your help

im a 15 and playing of 26 and I've been a year at Christmas  i play on a lynx course it always windy and the weather is a constant battle  
in my bag i have vokey spin milled wedges 60 ,54,52 (love them) my irons are Taylormade rac lt 4-pw not looking to change just got them for £100 (was that a good price) and next my putter is an odyssey white ice 1 putter (good but i under hit it alot )

okay and now to the important bit i have no woods, so any suggestions of good woods for 26 handicap also 5,3 or something else (and what loft)  also as Christmas is coming up im looking around £135 MAX but would strech if worth it also i dont mind second hand but kinda want a newish model

and my driver is adams red line quite old but okay looking for an upgrade needs to quite forgiving and cheap

once again please help and thanks to every one who gives advice.

Punctuation marks are your friend. But like someone said above you wedges are awkwardly grouped. Most people have a 4* or 6* gap between their wedges. Fix them and if your driver works keep it and get the woods or hybrid that suit your game and go from there.

[salmon28]

Hi thanks so much everyone i will sort them out but along the wood lines what are some good models for me would the rbz 3 + 5 woods be to good for me also any other suggestions ? also when you were at high handicap what did you do to help you get down ,and just to let you know budget is no longer a problem.

Edited by salmon28, 22 November 2012 - 12:22 PM.

[ABgolfer2]

salmon28, on 20 November 2012 - 03:33 PM, said:

hi im very new to this site and i would love your help

im a 15 and playing of 26 and I've been a year at Christmas  i play on a lynx course it always windy and the weather is a constant battle  
in my bag i have vokey spin milled wedges 60 ,54,52 (love them) my irons are Taylormade rac lt 4-pw not looking to change just got them for £100 (was that a good price) and next my putter is an odyssey white ice 1 putter (good but i under hit it alot )

okay and now to the important bit i have no woods, so any suggestions of good woods for 26 handicap also 5,3 or something else (and what loft)  also as Christmas is coming up im looking around £135 MAX but would strech if worth it also i dont mind second hand but kinda want a newish model

and my driver is adams red line quite old but okay looking for an upgrade needs to quite forgiving and cheap

once again please help and thanks to every one who gives advice.

Regarding your wedges, do you have access to a rangefinder (laser or gps) or access to an open course where you can pace yardages to a target (e.g. in increments relative to the 100 marker)? Determine your stock distances with each wedge then evaluate 1.) whether the gaps make sense and 2.) if there are any special characteristics making each wedge necessary.  For my vintage Mizuno setup with a 49 degree PW, then 53, 57, and 60. The gaps seem strange when looking at the lofts alone, but the distances are 140 yards, 120, 100, and 80. They're perfect for me regardless of the inconsistent loft gaps.

Regarding woods and hybrids, you really need to get yourself to a proper golf centre and let your own senses and the data be your guide. I can recommend a great shaft or two and a corresponding head, for my swing characteristics, but beyond that it would be guesswork at best. Ultimately, if the head are easy to align at address and impact and they have the general shape that fits your needs, brand is purely subjective. Same goes for brand of shaft, but when you find "the one" it will be obvious and should work fairly well in almost any driver (or 3-wood or whatever). I love a couple from Fujikura and whenever I see that shaft in a club on ebay I add it to my watch list. I match my woods and hybrid based mostly on the shaft and how they look at address. Doesn't matter to me if there's a Titleist, Cleveland, and Callaway under the headcovers. How do they feel (i.e. sound) and what's the ball flight. I would avoid older Callaways though since the shafts can be a nightmare to replace.

Good luck!!

[Kadin 25]

When I was a high cap the number one factor that made me better was learning how to play 50 yards and in. Pitching, chipping and putting. Learn how to use ALL of your clubs from 50 yards and in. Don't get tunnel vision and think you always have to hit a a wedge, when you can use a 7,8,9 iron with an easy swing. Try using a hybrid for short sided chips with a putting stroke.

For full swings lean to stay smooth and easy. You don't have to swing out of your shoes to make it go far. I strongly believe in taking an extra club and swing easy. Go to the driving range and what ever club you hit 150 yards, say it's your 7 iron drop down two clubs to a 5 iron and try to hit it consistently 150 yards. This will help engrain a nice smooth tempo.

Use your driver as little as possible. Try to hit the 150 yard marker on all your tee shots. You will be surprised how often you won't need a driver to do so. Or hit what ever your 150 yard club is off the tee and hit it again 150+150=300 yards that's much better than chasing your ball in another fairway or OB and losing a stroke or even hitting from some funky lie behind mother nature.

Those are some of my best tips for a begginer. I would even go as far to say only play with a 7,8,9,pw sw putter and leave all the woods and hybrids at home. You will be shocked at how low you can shoot with just those clubs. If you ever try it, please send me a pm and let me know what you shoot.

Good luck and see ya on the green.....Kadin

Edited by Kadin 25, 22 November 2012 - 01:48 PM.

[salmon28]

Kadin 25, on 22 November 2012 - 01:48 PM, said:

When I was a high cap the number one factor that made me better was learning how to play 50 yards and in. Pitching, chipping and putting. Learn how to use ALL of your clubs from 50 yards and in. Don't get tunnel vision and think you always have to hit a a wedge, when you can use a 7,8,9 iron with an easy swing. Try using a hybrid for short sided chips with a putting stroke.

For full swings lean to stay smooth and easy. You don't have to swing out of your shoes to make it go far. I strongly believe in taking an extra club and swing easy. Go to the driving range and what ever club you hit 150 yards, say it's your 7 iron drop down two clubs to a 5 iron and try to hit it consistently 150 yards. This will help engrain a nice smooth tempo.

Use your driver as little as possible. Try to hit the 150 yard marker on all your tee shots. You will be surprised how often you won't need a driver to do so. Or hit what ever your 150 yard club is off the tee and hit it again 150+150=300 yards that's much better than chasing your ball in another fairway or OB and losing a stroke or even hitting from some funky lie behind mother nature.

Those are some of my best tips for a begginer. I would even go as far to say only play with a 7,8,9,pw sw putter and leave all the woods and hybrids at home. You will be shocked at how low you can shoot with just those clubs. If you ever try it, please send me a pm and let me know what you shoot.

Good luck and see ya on the green.....Kadin

hi thanks for this i will give it a go and let you know and any more hints you wanna chuck my way is fine with me ,thanks again salmon.

Edited by salmon28, 22 November 2012 - 02:25 PM.