Over the past 12-18 months, with very little success, I've picked up the clubs again.  Aged 33, with a mild bout of tendinitis & the legs not up to the rigours of 90 minutes any more, I figured the time is right to try and sort my golf game out.

 

Now I have never joined a club and therefore have never played medals or acquired a handicap but rest assured I'm still at the "chuffed to break 100" level.  I'm OK in and about the greens but it's my driving and long irons that let me down.  That said, I hit the ball better than ever last week (Oldmeldrum) and yet my short game was uncharacteristically dreadful, three and four putting all over the place, over-hitting chip shots.

 

The great expense of equipment and memberships have always put me off taking it really seriously.  I have a semi decent set of second hand irons but will be looking to upgrade next year, as well as possibly taking a membership somewhere forgiving like Longside.

 

Is it possible to get a driver (currently have a TM R7 which is a bit sclaffed) and a set of irons for combined less than £250 that will improve my game?

 

Kings links have loads of 2nd hand clubs, including full sets of irons, or you could buy a cheaper set brand new. And they'll obviously let you try before you buy on the range there. I think it's worth the initial financial outlay as long as you have time to play, that's the biggest stumbling block for me, got the gear and the membership, don't really take advantage of it for one reason or another.

 

Sounds like you need a putting lesson, I might know someone who could help.

Over the past 12-18 months, with very little success, I've picked up the clubs again.  Aged 33, with a mild bout of tendinitis & the legs not up to the rigours of 90 minutes any more, I figured the time is right to try and sort my golf game out.

 

Now I have never joined a club and therefore have never played medals or acquired a handicap but rest assured I'm still at the "chuffed to break 100" level.  I'm OK in and about the greens but it's my driving and long irons that let me down.  That said, I hit the ball better than ever last week (Oldmeldrum) and yet my short game was uncharacteristically dreadful, three and four putting all over the place, over-hitting chip shots.

 

The great expense of equipment and memberships have always put me off taking it really seriously.  I have a semi decent set of second hand irons but will be looking to upgrade next year, as well as possibly taking a membership somewhere forgiving like Longside.

 

Is it possible to get a driver (currently have a TM R7 which is a bit sclaffed) and a set of irons for combined less than £250 that will improve my game?

 

Pretty much what CTS said, kings links is your best bet, try out some second hand clubs and see what you like!  You might also be able to get some decent game improvement irons if you shop around, worth speaking to someone at one of the golf shops about the options.

 

Although a couple of lessons are the best/quickest way to improve, kings links is ok for lessons but I've been out to the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre for a couple of lessons and they were fantastic, pretty reasonably priced considering the quality of the lessons too.  Half an hour and I could actually putt and have a reasonable idea where it was going to go!

Funnily enough after a 10 year break from golf, I had my first lesson yesterday.  Having grown up playing golf I got frustrated that my handicap barely shifted whilst my mates were shaving one or two off their handicaps each year.  I was no longer enjoying it, so I binned it, promising myself that I'd walk away long enough to forget any bad habits and start again with a clean slate.

 

Job done I reckon, had a great session last night, feels like I'm a beginner, albeit one that doesn't sclaff (that's the technical term ain't it?) the ball or look uncomfortable when swinging the club for the first time.

 

I've been checking out clubs as I gave/threw my old ones away in disgust a decade ago.  Chances are if I still had them they'd probably be like me turning up to play tennis with a wooden racquet such is the advance of technology.  Graphite shafts were only just making an entrance when I walked away, now I see you can get coloured shafts with flames or tribal art licking up the sides.  Groovy.

 

Anyway, the instructor recommended I go with steel shafts, regular flex and forged heads for irons.  Anyone want to recommend a brand or have a better suggestion?

Pretty much what CTS said, kings links is your best bet, try out some second hand clubs and see what you like!  You might also be able to get some decent game improvement irons if you shop around, worth speaking to someone at one of the golf shops about the options.

 

Although a couple of lessons are the best/quickest way to improve, kings links is ok for lessons but I've been out to the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre for a couple of lessons and they were fantastic, pretty reasonably priced considering the quality of the lessons too.  Half an hour and I could actually putt and have a reasonable idea where it was going to go!

 

 

Wow you needed lessons  I took part in a golf tournament last week at work for charity and as the non golfer I had to do all the putting - I recommend little cans of cocktails on the way round the course 

 

I took 36 putts for the round and that included 4 at the last cause I was tired by then - We won the competition with an 84 and I had the most single putts - easy really 

 

 

 

Funnily enough after a 10 year break from golf, I had my first lesson yesterday.  Having grown up playing golf I got frustrated that my handicap barely shifted whilst my mates were shaving one or two off their handicaps each year.  I was no longer enjoying it, so I binned it, promising myself that I'd walk away long enough to forget any bad habits and start again with a clean slate.

 

Job done I reckon, had a great session last night, feels like I'm a beginner, albeit one that doesn't sclaff (that's the technical term ain't it?) the ball or look uncomfortable when swinging the club for the first time.

 

I've been checking out clubs as I gave/threw my old ones away in disgust a decade ago.  Chances are if I still had them they'd probably be like me turning up to play tennis with a wooden racquet such is the advance of technology.  Graphite shafts were only just making an entrance when I walked away, now I see you can get coloured shafts with flames or tribal art licking up the sides.  Groovy.

 

Anyway, the instructor recommended I go with steel shafts, regular flex and forged heads for irons.  Anyone want to recommend a brand or have a better suggestion?

 

This is golf and not a battle re-enactment from Lord of the Rings 

 

Wow you needed lessons  I took part in a golf tournament last week at work for charity and as the non golfer I had to do all the putting - I recommend little cans of cocktails on the way round the course 

 

I took 36 putts for the round and that included 4 at the last cause I was tired by then - We won the competition with an 84 and I had the most single putts - easy really 

 

 

 

I'm sure he's open to the idea of some lessons 

tired

 

Pished.

I went and tried out some clubs at the weekend and I was quite amazed at how much the technology has came along in the past decade.  I see 'rescue' woods seem to have replaced low irons, sandwedges are now called out by 'angles and bounce' and some of the drivers I used were adjustable with a wee allen key.  Oh, and the clobber has went decidedly Poulter.  Makes me wonder if they are all gimmicks or if they are in fact improving people's handicaps?

 

I spent an hour or so on a Taylormade golf simulator (who are now owned by Adidas?) narrowing down the exact set-up I should buy, which needless to say came out around 250 quid over budget.  Going to head to the Ping and Titleist shops which have similar set ups and have a crack before I pick a set and realise I'm not hitting nearly as far and as true as I was in the shop.