Started young, didn't play, restarting in my 30s

Hi all,

I started 'trying' to golf when I was 15 with my dad. Back then. It was all driver, range only and nothing else. Never had my own set of clubs, nor been on the greens.

About 4 years ago at 30, took lessons for the first time, played 3-4 9-holes after that and stopped again. Now trying to get back on, motivation is greater when wife's playing too. 

Have my own 2nd hand irons now (Titleist 690.cb), bought 2 years ago and looking to get another 2nd hand irons set that's more forgiving. Likely to be the Baffler, Speedblade or Ping Karsten.

Looking to also get my own driver/woods/hybrid/wedge as I go along but most importantly, need to play more and improve.

I range mostly at MBGC (1 min drive from home) or Toa Payoh, where my friend coaches. 

Target: Practice at least once a week for 2015

By the way, the name's al

Sometime it is good to train using a Player's club like 690CB although intially you would feel fustrated for getting no where ... I believe you have the fundamentals since you started 4 years ago & still young ... If I were you, I would persever and continue to use your existing set instead of investing in a chunky GI irons which you might eventually dump them after you have made significant improvement ... Player's clubs actually help one to hone their swing more effectively as the irons will feedback directly to you if your swing has flaws ... i.e. One can feel it if you don't hit the sweet spot and also the end result will show ... You can't bluff yourself in other words ...

P/S: If your player's irons have R-Flex and lighter shafts, they could make life easier for you ... The shaft could make a lot of difference as it is so-called the engine of the club. You might wanna consider reshafting the irons if your 690CB c/w with S300 DG shafts.

Good luck in your quest!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

They are steel shafts - and despite me thinking I'm young enough - sometimes even a good swing don't get my shot far at all <80m with my 7i.

I hear you Turbo and I did thought about reshafting but price of doing that is even higher than vs getting a new SGI iron set. (Plus the grips are old..). Should I really do that?

I do appreciate the 690cb now because I know exactly when I have a bad shot. But not so good at times in terms of enjoyment of the game on the greens.

I don't know about you, Al ... I spent alot of time to learn how to use a muscle-backed irons since day one ... And I am addicted to muscle-backed blades even though I am no where near tour pro level ... I like the punchy feel of a muscle-backed blade versus the hollowness feel of a cavity backed iron. If you could flush the ball against the sweet spot, the feel is orgasmic, man! In addition I feel motivated to practise and play if the irons are palatable to my sight ... I like the classic looks of Titleist 690.MB, 710MB, 714MB, Mizuno MP33, Mizuno MP4 and MP69 which I am currently gaming now ...

Yes, learn the hard way. 
Go for muscle backs. This is to train ball striking.
Get used shafts. You can find good deals.
Try to fit if possible as you need the right weight to suit the club head and your swing

My Titleist cb irons range from 3-P, total of 8 clubs. How much will 8 graphite shafts and new grips cost approx? A new Speedblade set is about 500 bucks and Baffler is 299, so those are the alternatives.

Hi TS,

I have a set of Bridgestone J40 CB (5-pw) on NS pRO regular flex if u are interested.
Selling bcos the shaft is slightly whippy for my swing.

http://golfsite.sg/ads/j40-cb-iron-set-4-pw-on-ns-pro-950-r/

alchia wrote:

My Titleist cb irons range from 3-P, total of 8 clubs. How much will 8 graphite shafts and new grips cost approx? A new Speedblade set is about 500 bucks and Baffler is 299, so those are the alternatives.

If you are seriously considering graphite shaft, I would suggest you replace 7i first to try up before replacing the rest. Maybe you should not replace 3i and 4i first till your ball striking improves ... You may wanna consider Steel Fiber (graphite reinforced with steel) ...This shaft plays like a graphite shaft but performs like a steel shaft ... You can make a no-obligation to buy appointment with BFG's Eric who is definitely more than willing to assist & discuss with you ... I am sure Eric can fit a 7i shaft onto your 690CB 7i head and let you try at the range or course (maybe he does not even charge you if you return it in original condition as he may have an used shaft for demo) ... BFG can also do fitting for you ... I guess a steel fiber shaft would cost around $120 per piece. Anyway, it is better to check with him for prices ...

If you're a well built and reasonably fit 30+ years young guy, you should continue to use the steel shaft ... BTW, what type of shafts are on your 690CB irons? True Temper Dynamic Gold? For 690CB stock shaft, it could be either a S300 / S200 DG shaft or NS Pro 950 (if you bought locally) ...

Alternatively, you could sell away the 690CB and buy another set of GI irons ... To me it is a pity as 690CB irons are a very good set of irons and you would not need to change them even if your skill improves significantly one day ... Unless you're an equipment slut and/or your backside is itchy ...

Hope the above helps ...

P/S: There is no short cut to picking up golf ... GOLF stands for Game of Learning Forever!

Turbo wrote:

alchia wrote:

My Titleist cb irons range from 3-P, total of 8 clubs. How much will 8 graphite shafts and new grips cost approx? A new Speedblade set is about 500 bucks and Baffler is 299, so those are the alternatives.

If you are seriously considering graphite shaft, I would suggest you replace 7i first to try up before replacing the rest. Maybe you should not replace 3i and 4i first till your ball striking improves ... You may wanna consider Steel Fiber (graphite reinforced with steel) ...This shaft plays like a graphite shaft but performs like a steel shaft ... You can make a no-obligation to buy appointment with BFG's Eric who is definitely more than willing to assist & discuss with you ... I am sure Eric can fit a 7i shaft onto your 690CB 7i head and let you try at the range or course (maybe he does not even charge you if you return it in original condition as he may have an used shaft for demo) ... BFG can also do fitting for you ... I guess a steel fiber shaft would cost around $120 per piece. Anyway, it is better to check with him for prices ...

If you're a well built and reasonably fit 30+ years young guy, you should continue to use the steel shaft ... BTW, what type of shafts are on your 690CB irons? True Temper Dynamic Gold? For 690CB stock shaft, it could be either a S300 / S200 DG shaft or NS Pro 950 (if you bought locally) ...

Alternatively, you could sell away the 690CB and buy another set of GI irons ... To me it is a pity as 690CB irons are a very good set of irons and you would not need to change them even if your skill improves significantly one day ... Unless you're an equipment slut and/or your backside is itchy ...

Hope the above helps ...

P/S: There is no short cut to picking up golf ... GOLF stands for Game of Learning Forever!

Thanks for the advice Turbo. They are S300 DG shafts.

Sounds like a shaft change may be too expensive for my 12 year old irons. I actually don't mind sticking with my 690s for practice. It looks beautiful! It's just not so fun at the greens now. A lot more practice is needed to keep up.

Alchia,

I think that S300 (139g shaft) in stiff flex might be too heavy n stiff to begin with unless you are very stout n u can swing with a reasonable fast speed.

there are some fitter who have used graphite shaft for sale and their charges are quite reasonable at abt $10-15per shaft. And yes, it will be too ex to re shaft ur old Titty irons but if u play well with them, why not?

Perhaps that's what I'll do (reshaft the irons cheaply). I do hit okay with them, it's the distance that's lacking.

I hit worse with my woods and driver.

Gonna put off buying of the SGI/GI irons for a bit until I know what I want. For now it's practice first.

To me Game improvement iron is like a gimmick, it does give you more forgiveness when you didn't have a center hit. If your problem is duff / shank / hit too fat / hit too thin, it got little to do with the iron head design. I think changing your iron shaft and continue practicing your swing is a better option. If you are  itching to buy new iron set, choose one with lighter shaft (such as ns pro 950 or ns pro 850), as for the head design, go with your liking or one that give you more confidence.

Get the forgiving clubs. If you get too frustrated trying to hit players club, good chance you will quit again. Not everyone wants to spend hours learning to strike a perfect ball. Golf is suppose to be fun and when it becomes a chore, tine to find something else.

alchia wrote:

Perhaps that's what I'll do (reshaft the irons cheaply). I do hit okay with them, it's the distance that's lacking.

I hit worse with my woods and driver.

Gonna put off buying of the SGI/GI irons for a bit until I know what I want. For now it's practice first.

Perhaps the very first thing you need now is a good swing coach to refresh your swing memory which you acquired years ago ... I would certainly suggest a one-on-one coaching to speed up your learning curve. Who knows, maybe after a few lessons, u don't need to replace the shafts.

If you really want to replace the shafts at a low price without proper fitting, shop around those shops that offer reshafting & regripping services in FESC 2nd Level. They might have used graphite and/or light weight steel shafts for sale at a fraction of brand new prices.

Changing the iron shafts is never cheap, regardless old or new. U maybe better of buying a new set. Sales coming up