LC: Beat: My clubs suck. w/ question

SoloAJ · #1 04-30-2007, 12:46 PM

Not only are my clubs slightly short for me AND about 7 years old, but I only today found out that they are also KMart clubs.

I was thinking of getting at least a new set of irons for $200 or so. Maybe something like old WilsonStaff Di5s ( http://www.golfdiscount.com/Detail.bok?id=2480 )

I assume this is worth the upgrade, just to get rid of 7 year old KMart clubs. But is there a set distance prediction in terms of how many yards I'll pick up on a given club?

Reminder: I'm a 100ish golfer so maybe having KMart clubs doesn't matter?

AJW · #2 04-30-2007, 01:47 PM

I don’t think you will see any great gain in distance between the two sets you might pick up a yard or two from the longer shafts. If you move from clubs that are too short to ones that fit id imagine you will find setting up to the ball easier and more comfortable and gain in consistency from a better set up eliminating some tops and fats.

SoloAJ · #3 04-30-2007, 01:59 PM

Weird, I know nothing about golf but I figured I might pick up 5-10 yards just because of the club quality.

I would almost certainly pick up significant distance if the club length is indeed short. I don't THINK these are junior clubs, but they sure seem on the short side, and I'm only 5'10". Longer clubs essentially means more physics speed! Hehe.

MaxPower · #4 04-30-2007, 03:19 PM

The length of the club has an effect on distance since it affects clubhead speed, but I don't think you will necessary get more distance.

Distance is also produced by hitting the ball off the sweet spot of the club and and with a longer club, you are less likely to hit the sweet spot.

Also, not all brands of clubs use the same loft angles and this is a major determinant of distance. So you may gain or lose distance depending on the loft angle. On Kmart clubs the quality control is probably not great and the loft angle will not alway be what they are supposed to be. Even on well made name brand clubs there is some error on the loft angles.

Hey_Porter · #5 04-30-2007, 03:32 PM

FWIW, I played an older set of WilsonStaff irons all the way through high school (when I could actually play) despite "new" technology. I hit them really well, and at the time simply couldn't find a set I hit better.

SoloAJ · #6 04-30-2007, 04:31 PM

MaxPower,

So....are you saying I should upgrade or it isn't worth it? I mean I know that it's "my choice." But in terms of striking the ball, are you saying I'm likely to do better with the WilsonStaffs than with the KMarts?

I see they Hey_Porter enjoyed them, so that is certainly comforting if I decide to upgrade. (Thanks for the input).

MaxPower · #7 04-30-2007, 05:13 PM

Its hard to say. I'm sure that Wilson clubs are manufactured with better quality control and probably are superior clubs to Kmart clubs. Although I have heard that some of the cheap sets that are made by Nicklaus are pretty good. My brother has a cheap set of irons that he bought and while I prefer my Callaway X-14s, the cheap ones are pretty good.

The important thing is to get clubs that are right for you. You can only do this by being fitted or by at least hitting some shots with the clubs before buying them.

My opinion is that if you have the money, you should upgrade and get a set made by one of the major brands. I don't think I would buy kmart clubs, but I have seen some guys with crappy looking clubs play some good golf.

ghostface · #8 04-30-2007, 05:49 PM

There wont be much of a jump in quality from KMart clubs to $200 Wilsons. Splurge and get some closeout taylormades or something respectable. They run like 300 for 3-PW at the right sites.

AJW · #9 04-30-2007, 06:53 PM

[ QUOTE ]
There wont be much of a jump in quality from KMart clubs to $200 Wilsons. Splurge and get some closeout taylormades or something respectable. They run like 300 for 3-PW at the right sites.

[/ QUOTE ]

Kind of hard on Wilson I know they have lost some prestige since their heyday in the 60s but they have made some nice clubs over the last few years. Hopefully splitting the business between Wilson staff and Prostaff/Ultra will allow them to compete again in the premium market.
Stainless steel heads and true temper shafts should be an improvement over metal alloy heads and no name shafts.

SoloAJ · #10 04-30-2007, 06:58 PM

ghostface,

It's not like theyre just $200 [censored] models. (Okay, I don't know, maybe they are). I was just looking at really old models is all, rather than the new stuff. They were costly when they were new....Haha.

KMart ones are NEVER costly. I don't know if cost equates to quality though, so I've no idea. Looks like maybe sticking with KMart is okay for now.