johnell1s: Hey has anyone ever reached to Master level without up grading clubs by buying?
Yes, me, and quite a few others. In the beginning there were only starter clubs AND balls, the first US Open was played on BB in 2009 from Championship tees and basically with starter clubs. Tibbets, the Legend among Legends, scored a 61 in the qualifications, and the Open was won by NASAGolfer with a score of 65, i think.
Just try and play in those conditions, it's fun, for once. Some fairways were just unreachable, and a double bogey was a satisfactory score.