Well, call me prodigal with money if you wish, but eager to find the best possible clubs to play with, I have bought and
extensively tried just about every club in the Pro shop.
Let us begin with pro equipment. For those who are daunted by the
speed of the meter, there are two great, though costly, options (in my eyes,
anything else is a compromise in the name of thrift. It is manageable, no
doubt, and a talented player will still fair well with it, but it offers less
potential).
1) You can choose Rapture
pro clubs with pro WGT wedges (85y and 65y), plus the Daytona putter and GI-SD
balls.
2) You can also choose the
Burner SuperFast 9.5 driver and G15 wood, hybrid, and irons, with the Tour W
Pro 54 and 64 wedges from Ping (95y and 60y), plus the Daytona or the Redwood
ZB putter and G13-S balls. If you wish
to forego the hybrid to make room for a third wedge, I suggest this alternate
combination from Taylor Made: Z Satin TP Pro 56, 60, and 64 wedges (93y, 77y,
and 50y).
If you can handle a fast
meter, consider the second option with GI-SD balls instead of G13-S balls.
Now for masters, there is
the very worthy option of using the new R9 Super Tri 8.5 driver and i15 wood
and irons (the hybrid is virtually pointless), with the Tour W master 54 and 60
wedges, plus the Tour W pro 64 wedge from Ping
(105y, 85y, and 60y). Add to that the Redwood ZB master putter and G13-S balls,
or GI-SD balls if your reflexes are up to the challenge.
If, however, your
reflexes are not the sharpest, replace the R9 Super Tri 8.5 driver and i15 wood
and irons, and the Redwood ZB master putter with the R9 TP 8.5 driver and the
R9 3 or G10 wood, and the G10 irons, and the Daytona putter. Also stick with
G13-S balls. Mind you, the slower meter of those clubs may allow you to use
GI-SD balls. Only experience will tell.
Do note that this lesser
option is barely so. The advantage in distance and precision found in the “very
worthy option” above is truly marginal, and the increase in meter speed will
put some players off. Again, only experience will tell.