Was at Costco and saw some Callaway Edge golf clubs for sale ( ~ $525 ). Driver, 3 Wood, 5 hybrid, 6 - SW irons, Odyssey putter. It seemed like a good price for a quality brand so I put the money down.

I played 18 with them and they are really forgiving. I was worried about no 5 iron but the 5 hybrid really fills in that gap. I shot an 88 for my first time out this year which is on par for a first round for me. With a foreign to me set of clubs (I'm a Taylormade fan) I was happy with the score. The Irons seem to have less lift than my regular set. The Callaway 6 is more like my Taylormade 5. I was getting a little less draw and don't believe I faded one the whole round. I did skull the ball close to the green with the PW but I do that a lot of that on my best day. The putter is more of a blade style and I'm used to a mallet. A few 3 putts but mostly 2.

I would probably purchase an Edge 5i and 4 hybrid if I were buying for myself.

Overall, a really good set of clubs for a beginner to a bogey scoring (me) at a very reasonable price.

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A lot of great equipment out there, it took me 40 years to find out what I really prefer and the increase in technology certainly helped.

Just keep it in the short grass and you'll be fine.

I saw that set at Costco not long ago. Looked like a decent starter set or a nice set for a really casual golfer.

They also had a nice Clicgear push cart for what looked like a good price. Dunno when I'll start golfing again and I've a different push/pull cart in my scope, so I resisted the temptation.

Also have a box of Kirkland Signature golf balls I bought on sale the end of last season. Not certain if they're the v2's or v3's.

I came this >< close to pulling the trigger on a Kirkland Signature putter several times. Just for S&G's. Managed to resist that temptation, too.

(I really need to go for a putter fitting before buying any new putters. "Buy this putter and try it" isn't terribly efficient )

Oh, yeah... and start actually playing again

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(I really need to go for a putter fitting before buying any new putters. "Buy this putter and try it" isn't terribly efficient )

So whatta they going to do besides let you try them anyway?


Pretty much anything goes unlike the rest of the clubs in the bag.
Putting is one area that a tall guy can use a short putter or vice versa.

If you are comfortable with and confident with and you make putts is what counts.
And the thing is that one day that putter could quit working for you.

Better to be effective than efficient, IMO.

Now putting lessons are another story.

Gonna give them one more try today before turning the over to my son. Gonna play a more technical course. More hills, sand, water, and greens with a lot more break. We'll see if I like them as much when you actually have to make some shots.

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Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

(I really need to go for a putter fitting before buying any new putters. "Buy this putter and try it" isn't terribly efficient )

So whatta they going to do besides let you try them anyway?

In a proper putting fitting they utilize tools such as the SAM PuttLab and Quintic Ball Roll systems, along with certified fitters, to analyze how you swing a putter and strike the ball, how you set up, etc.

Then, as with any other fitting, they'll have you try a variety of putters they and their tools suggest would suit you.

But, admittedly, fitting is like most (?) other aspects of golf: What works for one may not work for another. What appears to work one day may be a train wreck the next.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'll get fitted before I buy new irons, too.

quote:

to analyze how you swing a putter and strike the ball, how you set up, etc.

...in other words ... a putting lesson.
Nothing wrong with that.

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:
Overall, a really good set of clubs for a beginner to a bogey scoring (me) at a very reasonable price.

Nice. Callaway makes some quality clubs. These should work well for years.

I don't golf,
Don't you have to get specific clubs for specific people ?

Arm length, leg length, sort or lon waisted , even hand size ?

Surely they don't carry a dozen different size sets of golf clubs ?

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I don't golf,
Don't you have to get specific clubs for specific people ?

Arm length, leg length, sort or lon waisted , even hand size ?

Surely they don't carry a dozen different size sets of golf clubs ?

To get the best fit, yes. Length of the club, lie angle, loft of the blade, grip size, and the flexing characteristics of the shaft should be fit to the golfer. But "standard" length and lie angle clubs fit a surprising number of people at least well enough. Grip size is easy to change, but even standard grips are often close enough.

Stores stock standard clubs, so if you want custom fit, you order them. Costco will have standard only, and no ability to order anything else. But you might save 45% or some large fraction.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
I'll get fitted before I buy new irons, too.

I highly recommend fitting irons if it's in the budget. It was an eye opening process for me.

Over the past year I've hit a number of different clubs, with quite a few different shafts. Did my web homework, talked to a bunch of golfers. Came into the fitting a bit nervous on a day my swing wasn't its best, but the fitter was great. I hit a few different heads from various manufacturers -- some blind, some with knowing what I has hitting up front. Tried a few shafts.

Came out with one of my top expected head options, ended up with a shaft I'd never heard of. I've been in practice bays & driving range a few times with the new irons & wedges, but only 1 round so far. It's a bigger adjustment than I expected, and I'm still trying to settle in with the irons.

Lofts are different. 7i of my old set was 34 degrees, but 30.5 degrees now.
Shafts are different. 130 grams for the old set. Now 110 grams for the irons and 115 grams for the wedges.
With the jacked lofts and newer tech -- distances per numbered clubs are up, spin is down. Peak height of ball flight is up, descent angle is up.

I need to digest the irons a bit, then new woods are next.

Played pretty well with the sticks yesterday. Callaway and Costco should have upped the price a bit and added a 5 iron to the set IMO. The 6 iron - 5 hybrid is a fairly large gap in distances (for me anyway). I was better with the pitching wedge after getting used to it. Very few duffs close to the green. I shot an 86 for the second time out which is a really good for me this time of year... actually any time of year These clubs are a lot of bang for the buck. Pretty sure my son will do very well with them.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

to analyze how you swing a putter and strike the ball, how you set up, etc.

...in other words ... a putting lesson.

No, it's not a putting lesson.

They don't try to teach you how to putt. They analyze how you putt--or are inclined, by your body, to putt.

Some people are taller, some shorter. Some have longer arms in relation to the rest of their body, some shorter. Some people have little arc in their putter swing, some have more, others have a lot. Some people have more back-swing in their putter stroke, some less. All these things figure into how you are inclined to swing a putter.

With the help of tech they analyze how you swing a putter and come up with putters they believe would best suit your swing.

As with iron, driver, etc. fittings they then have you putt with candidate putters to see how well they work for you.

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Originally posted by fritz:

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
I'll get fitted before I buy new irons, too.

I highly recommend fitting irons if it's in the budget.

Considering what a full set of irons costs: It's a no-brainer for me.

I bought (upgraded) my driver, woods, hybrid, and wedges w/o a fitting and they seemed to have worked out for me. But, I bought those one-at-a-time. The driver, woods, and hybrid as killer deals showed up at Calloway Pre-Owned. The wedges as the mood struck me, from my LGS.

But a full set of irons? There's no way I'm winging that.

The putter is a different thing. I did the same thing. First tried a SeeMore Si5 mallet. Was "eyeball fitted" to it by my LGS' club guy. I rolled it ok, but, I never loved it. Next was an Odyssey SL DW. Much mo bettah, but, still... wasn't sure.

The big mistake was my Toulon Chicago DW. Tried some at my LGS. For some reason, that day a 34 in. shaft worked better than a 35 in. Found one at CPO for nearly half retail. Bought it. Loved it. But, my back and my performance with it soon told me that had been a mistake.

So: Putter fitting before I go buying any more putters.

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:
Played pretty well with the sticks yesterday. Callaway and Costco should have upped the price a bit and added a 5 iron to the set IMO. The 6 iron - 5 hybrid is a fairly large gap in distances (for me anyway).

I imagine it depends upon the individual golfer.

I've seen plenty of golfers claim you need to club down when substituting a hybrid for an iron (e.g.: 5i = 6h). Others, and my guy at CPO, insist it's a 1:1 correspondence.

Thing is: A 5i to 3W would be a helluva gap. The 5h should be longer than the 5i. So, while it's a bigger gap than 6i to 5i would be, I imagine 5h to 3w isn't nearly the gap 5i to 3w would be.

Personally, I'd have made that 3w a 5w. Maybe a 4w. Then again: Some people who struggle with a driver like to use a 3w off the tee, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Originally posted by Bytes:
I would probably purchase an Edge 5i and 4 hybrid if I were buying for myself.

If the loft specs that I found on the webz are correct, I agree. The 6i loft is 26 degrees and the 5H loft is 25 degrees. The 5H's longer shaft might result in a fair amount of distance, and it's possible that this loft gapping is OK. The challenge for most people is that irons with lofts of 25-ish degrees and lower are hard to hit consistently.

My new iron set has a 23.5 degree 5i and a 21 degree 4i. I find the 5i OK to hit, but I can't be sloppy with my swing. The 4i is another story -- I don't have much confidence with it yet. Last night I tried a Callaway 21 degree 4H and a 21 degree 7W. I was definitely striking the 7W & 4H better than I do my 4i.

The 10 degree loft gap between the 25 degree 5H and the 15 degree 3W might be an issue, depending on how your son uses clubs in this loft range.

There is a 10 degree gap between the 54 degree SW and the 44 PW. This is likely the important gapping to deal with. Maybe a 48-50 wedge addition down the road.

It sounds like the set is working well for you -- hoping it works well for him.

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Originally posted by fritz:
There is a 10 degree gap between the 54 degree SW and the 44 PW. This is likely the important gapping to deal with. Maybe a 48-50 wedge addition down the road.

I should have mentioned that for the last round I to my 52 degree PW. First round I noticed a big diff between the two. I took some chipping lessons ( helped me marginally ) a few years ago and my instructor told me to get a 52 degree before my session. Really good advice he gave. The wedge diff is big. I also seem to get more power and distance with a hybrid than an equivalent lofted iron??? At any rate if anyone is thinking about buying this set ( hard to go wrong for the money ) you will spend a little more money on a couple of clubs.

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Originally posted by Bytes:
The wedge diff is big.

Yep. And a more interesting challenge as club makers continue to jack up the lofts of irons -- IMO more than anything to make folks feel great that their new 7 iron goes 10 yards further than their old one. Then the new 7i has the loft of their old 6i or 5i.....well, duh. This often means we must go to an extra wedge, or deal with wedge gaps of 5-6 degrees between clubs.

I wish I had the skills to hit pro-level irons, but I performed better in the fitting session with players distance irons. And thus I am relearning the carry distance per club. It also means I now have 5 wedges -- 58, 54, 50, 48 (expect to have it bent to 47), and 43 degrees. I want gaps of no more than 4 degrees between irons, as each degree of loft is good for 3+ yards of carry.

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Originally posted by Bytes:
I also seem to get more power and distance with a hybrid than an equivalent lofted iron???

This is normal for solid strikes for both types of clubs:
- Hybrid shafts are generally 1" to 1.5" longer than an iron shaft for the same loft. Hybrid shafts are often carbon, where irons are likely to have steel shafts. The hybrid's carbon shaft might be 20-30 grams lighter than the iron's steel shaft. This often produces a club head speed increase of 2-3 mph, which means more distance.
- Hybrid clubs generally launch the ball at a slightly lower angle with slightly lower backspin than the equivalent iron. This also means more distance for the hybrid.

Combining the above factors, the average Joe might see 5-10 yards of additional carry from a hybrid, plus a few more yards for additional rollout. The equivalent iron generally has a steeper descent angle.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
There is a 10 degree gap between the 54 degree SW and the 44 PW. This is likely the important gapping to deal with. Maybe a 48-50 wedge addition down the road.

Eh. I’ve a 45° PW and a 54°. Hasn’t been a problem for me. I’ll either short-swing the PW or full-swing the 54° to fill the distance gap.

That being said: Once I’ve figured out whether I’m keeping my 7w or 4h, I’ll probably add a 50° wedge.

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Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Eh. I’ve a 45° PW and a 54°. Hasn’t been a problem for me. I’ll either short-swing the PW or full-swing the 54° to fill the distance gap.

I get that. Over the winter I regularly played the Foresight FSX sim courses with 6 or 7 clubs. Sometimes I used odd numbered irons, other times the even ones. Sometimes I ixnayed the driver and used a 5W off the tee. Varied my swing speeds, sometimes played the ball back in my stance to deloft the club.

On a course, I prefer to take as close to full swings as possible with my irons. Larger loft gaps make this more difficult. Between the Foresight bays and outdoors, I'm close to having reasonable carry distances for a full swing on my new set:
83 yards - 58 lob wedge -- but prefer to use a LW out to only 50-60 yards
99 yards - 54 sand wedge -- used for most of my chipping
114 yards - 50 wedge
120 yards - 48 wedge (AW) -- plan to bend it to 47 degrees, which should add about 3 yards
135 yards - 43 wedge (PW)
148 yards - 9i (38.5)
162 yards - 8i (34.5)
180 yards - 7i (30.5)
195 yards - 6i (26.5)
213 yards - 5i (23.5)

And do these clubs wear out ?
From whacking golf balls ?

And is three sets of clubs in 20 years a lot ?

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
And do these clubs wear out ?
From whacking golf balls ?

Yes, they do. Not so much drivers, woods, and hybrids, as they're smooth-faced. But, irons and wedges do. Wedges, in particular.

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Originally posted by bendable:
And is three sets of clubs in 20 years a lot ?

For somebody who's serious about the game and plays regularly? Not at all.