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Re: Need Advice on Club purchases.

• TheBoondoggler 3 Posts

  Mon, Jul 4 2011 4:51 PM

  I know this may seem pointless to some of you but I have this compulsion to plan out (i.e stress out over) all my purchases in any game I play. I know that any advice I receive may change with the release of new items and when that time come I'll be ready to lose sleep all over again.

  I spent some time reading over the posts in this section of the forums so I have a general idea of what some of the master-legend gear should be. But I've been having trouble finding information on the lower level gear and was hoping that the experienced players could help me out a bit.

   

  For the driver I figured I would go...

  TaylorMade R11 10.5 Driver (L29+)

  R9 TP 8.5 Driver (L62+)

  TaylorMade r11 9.0 Driver (L88+)

   

  For Woods....

  TaylorMade R11 3 Wood (L30+)

  Dunno

  TaylorMade R11 3 Wood (L88+) (L85+)

   

  For the irons ....

  Rapture V2 Iron Set (L25+) / Burner Plus Iron Set (L27+) / 210 Rapture V2 Iron Set (L33+) / Stick with Starter set?

  G10 Iron Set (L59+)

  Burner 2.0 Iron Set (L79+)

   

  As for wedges..... 

  ............ Completely clueless here. All I know is that they are super important to one's game.

   

  And Putter.....

  Starter / Spider Putter (L19+) / iWi Anser Series Putter (L28+) / Redwood ZB Putter (L44+) ??????

  Daytona Putter (L55+)

  2010 Redwood ZB Putter (L72+) / Ghost Putter (L84+) ?????? 

  I just can't seem to find a clear answer on the forums other than that most people use Daytona.

   

  And finally Golf Balls.....

  I've only tried the B-ES - the 10 credit ones -  so far and haven't looked into which balls are popular/good. And I've already lost one of the B-ES's and many other free ones to water hazards so I don't know if I should risk using the more expensive ones.

   

  I purposely left hybrids out because I got the impression that having 3 wedges was the better choice, but I'm definitely not closed off to the idea of using one if it works great in certain courses.

  Thanks for taking your time to read this and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

   

  - The Boondoggler

   

   

• MainzMan 9,591 Posts

  Tue, Jul 5 2011 12:41 AM

  Wow, you've certainly put a lot of thought into this.

  Your choice of drivers seems fine, I'd go with that.

  For the 3 wood, why not get the R9 in the middle?  I think I always had the wood that matched the driver in my bag.

  Irons looks good too but I'd maybe start out with the G10 at level 35, you may as well get used to the meter speed early on. Many players (including me) swear by the L48 Raptures, they're really nice clubs but lack the elevation to stop a ball quickly and, eventually, distance.

  Wedges are a personal preference, I used the TM Z series around L38 and 39 for ages and got on great with them, a 56°, 60° and 64° covered all the bases for me.  When my level got high enough I went for Clevelands and now have all 4 of them.  For some courses I drop the 3 wood so I can carry them all.  I've never bothered with a hybrid.

  Putters are probably the most debated item of all and it's pretty much entirely down to what you like and a bit of snobbery. I know some very good players who use the beginners putter and play great with it. There are certainly many who would refuse to do this on principle.  I also know a few who love the dreaded Spider, I hated mine, biggest waste of money ever.  There's been enough written here that I don't need to fill a page with putter reviews.

  And finally, balls. Basically the Callaways seem to offer the best experience and play in the game.  For knocking around I still use Tour SD, at 64 credits for 3 they're a great bargain, despite the fast meter.  I've mostly used Callaway Tour Z but seem to have more success lately with the S, the extra spin seems to more than make up for the slight loss of distance.  I haven't tried Srixons yet but as they're not a lot cheaper than the Callaway S I doubt I ever will.

   

  Just for info my bag contains:

  TM R9 TP 8.5° driver, R9 15° 3 wood, TM Burner 2 irons, Cleveland 52°, 56°, 60° and 64°, Daytona putter and mostly Callaway S balls.  I swap between the 3 wood and Cleveland 52° depending on which course I'm playing. RSG for example has a long par 3 that my 3 iron won't reach without a tail wind and I can't control the driver properly when choked down so much.

  Have fun with whatever you end up with and don't get disheartened when new gear doesn't seem to work straight away, you need time to get used to it, particularly putters.

• mantis0014 8,946 Posts

  Tue, Jul 5 2011 2:14 AM

  The R11 3wood is L85 I think.

• JaLaBar 1,254 Posts

  Tue, Jul 5 2011 10:12 AM

  The R9 3W is level 62.  I would go with that.  For right now, I'd go with the lower R11 at L30.

  I might suggest playing a hybrid and two wedge until you get longer off the tees.  After that, the Satin Z wedges are excellent choice.  I play Cleveland 56 and 60 degrees and the Satin 64 degree.  I am hesitant to change from the Satin 64 to the Cleveland 64 because I am so good with the Satin.

  My progression and bag:

  I started with Tour Plus full set, and the Spider and Satin Wedges.  At 39 I bought the 64 degree (the Clevelands were not available then) and ditched my Hybrid.  I had tried the Anser putter and hated it, so stayed with the Spider until 44, when I bought the lower Redwood.   At 48 I bought the full Rapture set.  At 55, I traded the Redwood for the Rossa.  At 59, I bought the G10 irons and at 62, the R9 Driver and Wood.  At some point thereabouts, I switched my Satin 56 and 60 for the lower Cleveland 56 and 60.  At 72, I traded the Rossa for the higher Redwood putter.  So...

  My bag:  R9 Driver and 3W (I own the G10 Hybrid, but usually don't use it... carried mostly for BPB), G10 Irons, Cleveland 56 and 60 degree wedges, Satin 64 degree wedge, L72 Redwood putter.

  At some point, I will switch my lower Cleveland 56 and 60 for the higher, and at 85 I will get the R11 3W and at 88 the R11 Driver.  I may also switch the G10 Hybrid for the R11, just for consistency.  Still undecided about switching my 64 degree wedge.

  I play Callaway i(z) balls, though I have gone low with the Dove ball, which I believe is the SD equivalent.

• TheBoondoggler 3 Posts

  Tue, Jul 5 2011 1:25 PM

  Wow thank you MainzMan and JaLaBar for your very informative replies.

  I bought the r11 driver last night and promptly hit a ball too far and out of play, but other than that I am loving it lol. I'll definitely be getting the r11 3 wood when I get to L30. I also got the two L14  z satin 54 and 60 degree wedges because it seems like both of you had great success with the higher level versions of these wedges. I figured I might as well get used to them and that they have to be better than the starters. I also just purchased the Burner Plus iron set after looking over the stats again and talking to someone who was using them. I haven't tried them yet but hopefully they'll be worth the purchase. I was thinking about getting the L35 G10s but I wasn't sure if I would be ready for the higher meter speed and the lower forgiveness of the clubs given that I've only barely played a week. As for putting I feel that I've gotten good enough at it with the Starter (no more Beginner sets for new players) that I don't think the risk of being like MainzMan and hating the Spider, or like JaLaBar and hating the Anser would be worth it. I think i will try out the L44 Redwood putter though.

  And sorry about the mistake on the level of the R11 3 wood mantis0014; thanks for pointing it out.

   

   

   

• SHRUDE 5,835 Posts

  Tue, Jul 5 2011 5:00 PM

  I'd Suggest the best driver you can handle for your level first, and then Wedges then balls.

  Drivers - the Raptures will keep your swing meter speed low for your first few tiers.

  Wedges - the Z-Satins - the best you can get for your level.

   

  Balls - GI balls are Game Improvement balls - they slow down your swing meter.

  GI-S are for Spin, GI-D for distance.. -SD of course do both.

  I don't like the D balls personally as their extra distance isnt reflected in the Club Caddy.

  Spin is good as you have more control over the ball in the short game with the wedges.

  Once you have these sorted - Dont bother buying more until you are well into PRO - or Tour Pro tier.

  As for Irons and Putters..

  Irons - again the Raptures will keep your meter speed down. Beware of the ones with fast meters until you are well into Tour Pro level.

  Putters - The Redwoods are favoured over most others, however, go browse some profiles of some Masters and Legends and you will soon learn that the Beginners and Starters are popular at these Tiers.

   

  I;m at Tour Pro

  Callaway (s) balls - previous loved the WGT GI3-S balls

  (Practicing a little lately with the Srixon and my new Cleveland wedges)

  R9 8.5 Driver is hard to handle, very fast swing meter. Miss the Ding by 1mm and its a Monster... But when you get the DING it is a beauty to behold. Although probably a little too much distance in these at my level. But I am getting good at 80% and 90% swings. :)

  Cleveland Wedges - Hell of a spin on these things and take getting use to. they will stop on a dime and them come running back at ya. Hit them right and they land like a butterfly with sore feet.

  R9 irons - i love em, had them a short time and were very easy in the transition from the K-15's, Which served me very Well for a Very long time.

  I cant see me opting for anything higher than the R9 irons.... yet.

  Putter - I have the Daytona Rossa. I tried going back to the Beginners and the Starters, but..  they just dont have any 'feel' or.. guts to them. I putted worse stepping back to the WGT clubs.

   

  This is just my experience.