Hey everyone..I want to learn to play golf and I know it's something I'm going to continue playing for ever, so I want to start with a good set I can use for a long time.

SO, where is the best place to get clubs in Houston?

What do you guys recommend?

I'm 6'5" so I typically need longer clubs and the "sets" at Academy are usually too short....my budget is max $500.00.

Thanks!

You cant go wrong with any of the major brands: Ping (G5, G10, G15/i15), Callaway (X-18, X-20, X-22), Titleist (AP1, AP2), Cleveland (CG Gold, Launcher), etc

Hit as many as you can in -store and find the ones you like the best. Ebay and Craigslist are good spots if you know exactly what youre looking for.

Try GolfSmith and GolfGalaxy used racks.

The golfsmith @ richmond/610 has a **** ton of used iron sets.

You can probably find some that a ~6'5" dude traded in.

New custom fitted irons will cost more than $500.

David Puddy may have a lightly used set laying around

www.tgw.com

No sales tax and cheap shipping.

If you're 6'5" you are going to have a hard time finding a set of new clubs that are under $500.00. My suggestion would be to find a set that allows for fitting.

A way to do this and stay in your budget would be to go to a golf shop (Golf Galaxy), and fit yourself for some pings. You'll probably be a blue or green dot kinda guy.

Then go on ebay and buy a used set. This way you aren't paying for custom clubs, but it'll be something that you could hit.

Most factory sets are for shorts. You won't be doing yourself or your golf swing any favors by trying to hit factory sets.

A good rule of thumb for whether or not irons fit you properly is to either look at the way the club head rests while setting up or your divots. Your divots should look like a 75% scale dollar bill if you have the right fit, and at your setup the iron head should be balanced between the toe and heel of the club.

So go to the store...have them fit me...then look online?

Someone told me about a place off Westheimer and Dairy Ashford area...apparently it's a custom shop that makes clubs for UH? Anyone know about this?

You can probably get LHIOB's at a discount from some crack head off Shepherd.

Check out Strictly Golf on San Felipe, inside the loop just before the railroad tracks. They have all the river oaks folks that upgrade their clubs every single year. I have been able to score some nice individual clubs as well as a good "set" over the years.

The place off Westheimer and Dairy Ashford is Impact Golf. They make custom clubs, but you're looking at around $1,750.00 for a set.

If you don't want to go to a shop and get fitted you can go online and do it yourself. Google ping and enter your stats.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ping-ISI-Blue-Dot-Irons-3-to-9_W0QQitemZ290360753128QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGolf_Clubs?hash=item439ad97be8

If you're a blue dot it's hard to beat this value.

Find some that you like and get 1" extensions put in them. If $500 is your budget, I'd prolly go with a new set of the older version Callaways.

Went to Golf Warehouse to get mine. Just ask for clubs from the year before that haven't been sold. Got the "previous year" set of Callaway irons for $299, brand new. You can hagle with those salesmen. Then you have $ to buy a Driver, putter, etc

Get a pair of older Callaways off of EBAY. X-16 or X-18s maybe.

Then get them re-shafted.

Thanks for all the help...i'm going to look into these.

You're right, Impact Golf is the name...I've heard good things....didn't realize they were that $$$ though.

What's better or difference b/w Steel Shaft and Graphite?

Also, went to Ping.com and did the WebFit and it says i'm a WHITE dot?

[This message has been edited by TAMUAGGIES (edited 10/23/2009 4:25p).]

I had a set of white dot ping zing 2's about 15 years ago. I'm 6'5" and understand the difficulty in getting clubs that fit.

Putting plugs in the end of shafts or reshafting irons is a good idea, but it doesn't always work. It depends on the irons.

You could find some white dots for a reasonable price. Golf galaxy has some you could hit to see how they feel.

If you have to ask this question, just get a sh8tty starter set until you can hit the ball.

Edwin Watts on 1960 and Cutten Road

Steel shaft clubs are generally easier to control, so better for a beginner. Graphite is lighter for more power, but less forgiving. That's what I was told, at least.

It isn't that difficult to make clubs yourself. You can save quite a bit of money and you can fit them to your 6'5" length. You can buy components off of Hireko.com or even Golfsmith.

...I've been making my own clubs since I was 12. There are a lot of sites that can help instruct you on how to make them and it really just comes down to gluing the club heads to the shaft, sawing the shaft to a proper length, and puting the grips on the clubs (at least for a starter set where you just want to get out and play for the first time).

http://www.callawaygolfpreowned.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-CGPO-Site/default/Home-Show