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Just how far can you go with the basic clubs?

• V4mofo 9 Posts

  Tue, Aug 20 2013 4:13 PM

  I know I have a little more than the basic set:

  WGT Tour Pro 9.5 driver

  WGT Starter Plus 3w, 3h, irons

  Ping L42 60/64* wedges

  Ping L28 Answer putter

  WGT free ball

  When everything clicks (I've done it once), I can shoot under a 67 needed for Master, or at least I did on Kiawah Island Ocean course.  But that was a freak round, the absolute best I've ever shot by a wide margin. 

  So, the root of my question is, do I just need to practice more with what I have?  Is there something I should buy (I'm lvl 65 but go up one every day or two right now) that'll last me more or less through the next year?  I have a fair number of credits saved up, but they're slow to accumulate and I'd rather not waste them today when they may be of more use tomorrow. 

  I've read and know that Master will require a longer driver.  Heck, I can't make GIR on some par 4s  with perfect shots even now.  And I also know that this is all personal opinion (though lots of people favor some staples), just trying to get a better feel since I play alone 100% of the time and don't really have any sounding board.

   

  Brian

• Mushy01 2,567 Posts

  Tue, Aug 20 2013 5:36 PM

  In your position now, my opinion , i would get the level 48 R1 driver, this will enable you to ditch the hybrid club maybes and start to think of the other wedge in the set giving you equal increments, but also a lot as been said of the level 59 G20 set ;-)

  as I said my opinion only.

• alosso 21,073 Posts

  Tue, Aug 20 2013 11:09 PM

  You have to make a decision now: Wanna become a Master and more,
  spend 50 bucks or more in the game, or wanna play low-level and as a TP
  as long as possible?

  If you want to step up in the game, I'd propose a full step, not a half. There's some consent that these are the premium clubs in the game:

  (L32 R11 -) L59 G20 - L79 Bladez (L83 G20) - L90 R11
  (XPs: (12,900.) 88,500, 200,000 (255,000), 487,000)

  Thus, the G20 might be your next buy, either in steps as single clubs or as a full set.

  Continue with a 100 yds wedge to fill the gap, as expensive as you can bear - the Ping might lack the desirable stopping power.

  Take into consideration that custom balls are a logic consequence of the iron buy - Tour SD (65 crs/sleeve), Srixons (180 crs?), Callaway (250 crs) on the lower end. This for improved spin and slower meter (cheaper WGT balls will be helpful, too).

• DynamiteTommy 172 Posts

  Tue, Aug 20 2013 11:43 PM

  Depends on what the green speeds are. If you pick and choose tournaments for certain green speeds. You can easily make Tour Pro with 100% starter equipment.
  
  With a level 48 driver and a putter and a premium ball with good spin, You can pick and choose tournaments and make legend.
  
  But if you're going to be playing tournament greens with starter equipment, it's going to be a rough time as you can't get the ball to stop and the pin locations will be too close to the tee boxes where you can't get any roll. 

• PaulTon 10,731 Posts

  Wed, Aug 21 2013 5:18 AM

  I've seen a few players (very few) who have reached master with starter clubs.They had the roll out of their irons sussed out to the last inch. Anyone who can manage it really is a player. Watch out when they get top clubs!

• MichaelStroke 2,066 Posts

  Wed, Aug 21 2013 9:03 AM

  I reached master on starter clubs/balls at around 65.  At that point, I had to get some clubs.  Granted, the clubs I got were cheap, but they were pretty good outside of really fast meters.

  Once you get to master tees, you're pretty much required to upgrade.  There are some holes, most notably on Bethpage and Merion, where a master couldn't reach the front of the fairway on the starter driver without a gale force tailwind.

• V4mofo 9 Posts

  Wed, Aug 21 2013 5:44 PM

  I managed Tour Pro with what's listed above, but I don't pick and choose tourneys ~ I play every last free option, and the unlimited plays get several dozen plays.  Actually, that's all I play unless I'm Really short on time, then I'll jump in for a C_T_T_H just to get the daily points.

  I'm happy with the way the Ping wedges stop the free ball on everything but half-strength shots, then they roll too much.  And I absolutely have to guess the roll-out of these clubs.

   

  But you guys (gals?) have given me the answer I was looking for.  I'm on the edge between playing for a long, long time on Tour Pro with the gear I own now and buying better gear to advance more quickly.  Time to start researching a little more on club purchases.  I'd really rather not get into clubs that require an expensive ball if at all possible, and hey, if I can get them mostly all on the same meter speed (straight up is fine, I'm accustom to it with my driver), all the better.

   

  Thanks!

• frogdog311 17 Posts

  Fri, Aug 23 2013 4:19 PM

  Yep it all depends on how fast you want to move up.

  I would look at the Cleveland wedges coming up about lvl 70. These are truly shot savers.

  Then there are the Bladze at lvl 79 and maybe G 20 D and 3 W. Some use the R1 all the way up to L.

   

  Good Luck

  John 

• alanti 10,564 Posts

  Sat, Aug 24 2013 3:37 AM

  Very sound advice from Alosso on clubs.

  You can make it to master with starters - I did it with only an upgrade to a Tour Pro Driver, all the rest starters including ball. But it takes a lot longer and you need some luck with bounces etc as you cannot attack pins as you can with good clubs and balls. BUT this does not mean the game is any less enjoyable, in fact possibly more so and I frequently revert to the starters clubs and play purely to see how I can do. I felt the game was more of a challenge back then than now, and I hardly have hit a ball in the last month.

  If scoring is the main goal, then upgrade - in fact when I made Master I had no choice to have any chance of scoring well and the minute I did I kicked myself for not upgrading earlier.

  But unless you are unbelieveably good, I think Master Tier is far as the starters can take you - I am not very good and I would still be hacking away as Master without an upgrade. The only way it would be possible to progress would be playing St Andys F9 only - I have shot a under par round with starters there from Legend tees but usually cannot even make the fairways = bogey/double lol but still fun - I suppose like the real game scorewise for a lot of players.

   

• gedi83 277 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 7:57 AM

  IMHO you didn't choose the clubs wisely. When low on money (or if you don't want to spend any actual money, only live on tourney winnings and free credits), it's better to buy clubs as follows:

  - firstly and most importantly, a good wood that you can use instead of crappy starter driver - more than enough before you reach Master. A year or so ago the best option for that was K15, now I'm not sure but woods cost much less than drivers

  - a good putter, best wait for Rossa

  - if need more distance, can buy a cheap Pro driver (the only one that costs little and can reach 250 yds)

  - some cheap but good wedges

  I played using these till I earned enough credits & reached the level to buy G20 L81-83 clubs.