Just thought I'd post a brief update, with results of the upgraded gear. The LVL55 M1 Driver has been excellent! The 4.5 meter over the 3.5 meter of the LVL48 R1 makes a HUGE difference -- especially when using starter balls.
For the 3-wood, I probably splurged a little here, and got the LVL41 TaylorMade R15. Besides a somewhat quick meter, it's been great. High trajectory & forgiveness. Was a serviceable driving club until I got the driver at LVL55, plus it matches it identically -- satisfying my OCD needs. ;-)
The PING G25 irons are nice, though it's taking a bit to get used to just a slightly quicker meter than the starter irons. I'm sure these will be great with better balls (more on that later).
For wedges, I went with the MAX spin wedges. The 5.0 spin, allowing me to backspin the starter balls, has been a game changer, though I can tell already that these will have too much spin with better balls. The meter is a bit quick on these though, and I'll need to upgrade these at some point, as I'll need a 100 yard wedge pretty soon. I'm thinking the LVL66-68 Callaway Mack Daddy's will be a good intermediary set before the end-game sets.
For the putter, the Daytona has been a slight improvement over the starter putter, though, like the G25's, I can tell this will improve significantly with slower meter balls. Miss-ding putting has been a bit of an adjustment from the starter putter though. For a moderate breaking 10-15 footer, I'd only need to allow maybe half an inch or so away from the ding. With the Daytona, it seems I need to allow at least a full inch -- if not more. May try the LVL70 Odyssey Versa at some point, as I've heard good things about it.
Lastly, a little rant about balls. The starter balls are terrible! I briefly tried out the LVL13 Srixon's, and my game instantly improved immensely. The gripe I have here though, is why are balls so expensive, and why do they need to have durability?
In real life, I can use the same ball for a game once a week for a few years. The only time a ball can be damaged to the point of being unusable, are driving range balls that have been hit countless times for years on end.
In this game, you play 3-5 rounds, and your precious ball disappears into oblivion. The balls should last forever, so long as they're not hit out of bounds or in the water. Then, it would sense that you should lose them.
Obviously though, this means less money for WGT, as balls are ultimately their long-term cash cow.
Other than that gripe, the game has been great so far. Definitely the most realistic golf game I've ever played, and seems a lot better than The Golf Club series, with the real clubs & courses and all.