If you are in the market for a new set of golf clubs, you may be shocked by the total cost for a complete new set.
Quality golf clubs cost money!
When we added up the cost for an above average set of golf clubs, we discovered the following cost:
- New Driver = $500
- New Irons = $1000
- Wedges = $300
- Putter = $150
- Fairway Woods (2) = $400
- Hybrid = $200
- Golf Bag = $200
Total = $2750
Now, if you get custom fitted, you are easily over $3,000 for a complete new set of golf clubs.
As a result, the next questions golfers start asking, but do I realy new the top of the line golf clubs. The ones from the top golf manufactures such as Taylor Made, Callaway, Titliest, Cobra, etc.
Does golf club brand matter?
It depends. Once you get to the top of the line quality, many of the brands make quality clubs at the higher budget levels. If you have a small budget, you are going to have difficulty finding quality clubs.
For example, if you are buying Titeliest, Callaway or Taylor Made they are going to have different price points and if you are buying the medium to high level models it more than likely will not make a difference.
If you pick up a cheap, all in one box, you might struggle to get to certain levels. While not a terrible starter set, it will have its limitations.
If you watch the professionals, they will often follow the money. Tiger Woods was great with Titeliest, then Nike and now Taylor Made.
Jon Rahm recently made the switch to Callaway from Taylor Made and won a US Open. Was it because of the switch? No! But it also did not take away and we are confident he would have won with either brand.
While others like Brooks Koepka went several years without a complete set by one manufacturer and won 4 majors during this stretch.
The bottom line, if you are good, you will play well with any top of the line clubs from any manufacturer. If you struggle with ball striking, the top of the line clubs are not going to reduce your handicap significantly.
Quick Summary
- Once you get to the top of the line golf clubs, the brand will not play a significant role.
- If you buy the cheapest clubs you can find, there will often be limitations.
- The top of the line clubs from the best brands will not take your handicap from a 20 to a 10 or from an 8 to scratch. You must put in the time to become a better ball striker.
Related Post: Does golf club fitting really help?
Is quality of golf clubs important?
Yes, most certainly! If you want to play golf at a high level, you will eventually need quality clubs. The brand or manufacturer won’t matter as much as the overall quality. One way to ensure high quality to buy from the top brand names.
Once again, the top of the line name brands will not make you a great golfer, but if you are a quality golfer playing with cheap clubs, it could be holding you back.
There are some areas you will want to pay extra attention to if you are in the market for new clubs.
The driver that you purchase should have the right shaft. This is the single greatest issue I see among high handicap golfers. They are playing the wrong shaft for their swing speed. If you are swinging 100 miles per hour or faster, you will want a stiff shaft. If you are swinging 95 miles or slower you will want a regular shaft.
Whether you are hitting Taylor Made’s, Callaway’s or Titelist’s latest driver won’t make a significant difference, but if you are playing the wrong shaft for your game it will!
Make sure you get your swing speed measured and get the right shaft. Most of the top of the line drivers are adjustable in where you can put the weight to create a draw or fade bias and you can even adjust the loft on driver’s today.
Related Post: What loft driver should I use?
Do I need the same brand name for every club?
No, you might find it best to mix and match. If you prefer a certain brand driver, but different brand irons, go for it. As an amateur, you should find the best clubs for your game at the best price.
For example, in my own golf bag, I play a Callaway Driver, Titleist Irons, Taylor Made fairway woods, Cleveland wedges and an Odyssey Putter.
You will find more and more professionals mixing and matching to get the best club set up in their bag.
Related Post: Are adjustable drivers worth it?
BONUS TIP: Getting the right wedges
After ensuring that you have the right shaft for your driver. One of the most important things you can do when buying golf clubs is to ensure you have the proper wedge setup for your bag. There are two most common setups when it comes to the various lofts between the 48 and 60 degree pitching wedge and lob wedge.
Option 1:
- Pitching Wedge: 48 Degrees
- Gap Wedge: 52 Degrees
- Sand Wedge: 56 Degrees
- Lob Wedge: 60 Degrees
Option 2
- Pitching Wedge 48 Degrees
- Sand Wedge: 52 Degrees
- Lob Wedge: 60 Degrees
If you are someone that can handle some 70, 80 or 90% swings with your irons, setting up with a 6 degree gap will allow you to have an extra fairway wood or hybrid in your bag.
Cost saving strategies when buying golf clubs?
There are two main strategies if you are on a strict budget. The first one is to buy pre-owned irons. Oftentimes, you can save 20-50% off the original MSRP. Another option is to buy brand new, but get last year’s model once the newest models hit the market.
Strategy #1: Buying Pre-Owned
We appreciate the option to buy irons that are 1-3 years old. Places like Callaway Pre-Owned will put a new set of grips on every club that they sell. You can get a quality set of irons for sometimes up to half the price from the brand new cost. This was the route I went with my Titleist 714’s. I was able to save 40% and they have been wonderful.
Another great option is for putters pre-owned. They will still perform at a high level and helps you build up multiple putters that you can use depending on your current feel within your game.
I wouldn’t recommend this approach with the driver or wedges. Some people mistreat their driver and you might not know exactly what you are getting. Also, wedges wear down quickly and should be the club most frequently replaced in your bag.
Strategy #2: Buying Last Year’s Model
Golf manufacturers come out with new options frequently. Keeping an eye out for last year’s model with the driver is one way to save money for sure. You can expect to save $100-$200 on the driver and can often find quality discounts on irons, fairway woods and wedges.
You can save some quality money by looking for clearance sales.
Beyond the New Golf Clubs
Most golfers are looking for ways to get better. They often turn to new clubs as one option. Whether you are getting custom fitted or buying off the shelf, new clubs can only help you so much. The best way to get better fast is to practice and then practice some more.
We would recommend the following:
- Learn how to keep your driver in play
- Increase your swing speed
- Get really good at the short game
Go ahead and assess your game on the following 3 key fundamentals
3 Key Fundamentals
- The first fundamental is the golfer’s ability to control the bottom of the golf swing. The best golfers will hit the ground in the intended spot, close to 100% of the time.
- The second fundamental is the golfer’s ability to control the curve of the golf ball. The best golfers are able to start the ball to the right or left of the target line and have the ball curve towards the target without the ball over-curving past the target.
- The third fundamental is the golfer’s ability to have enough power to play the golf course. This means they are able to hit the ball far enough to play the course in regulation.
Which area needs the greatest amount of work? We have a drill below for each of the three fundamentals above. We also believe greatly in spending quality time ont he short game for the quickest route to game improvement.
First Fundamental Drill
Low Point Control Drill
- Take some yard paint and patina a 1-2 yard long line.
- Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side.
- Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!
- Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to to this successfully in trials of ten.
- You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings.
If you are struggling, put more weight forward and work on keep your head still to help control the low point in the swing.
Second Fundamental Drill
Stock Shot Drill
- Set up an alignment stick about 6-8 yards in front of you, straight down your target line.
- If you have a second alignment stick, set the stick 2-3 feet right of the first stick (for a draw) or left of the first stick (for a fade).
- Complete your initial assessment see how many times out of 10 you can start the ball to the right or left of your target. Pick one side and measure your game at this point.
- The goal is to eventually get 7 out of 10 shots to start to the correct side and draw back towards the target.
Third Fundamental Drill
Increase Swing Speed
I spent many years wondering how I can increase my swing speed. When I was playing junior golf, we weren’t fortunate enough to have some of the training aids and knowledge that is now available. Smart people have studied the golf swing and have created training aids and protocols to help all golfers increase their distance!
At around the same time, the statistics from the PGA Tour have become more clear and the importance of speed is acknowledged by many to be a key to being the best on the PGA Tour.
Within the past several years, there have been several products hit the market to make speed gains possible. While many people for many years waited for the latest driver to come out to gain an additional 5-10 yards, you can now do this even with your current clubs.
Did you know that with the SuperSpeed Training System you can gain 5-8% increase in swing speed as early as the first training session? This would allow you to gain somewhere between 10 and 30 yards depending on your current swing speed.
SuperSpeed Golf – Use Discount Code Golfjourney365 for some savings!
The SuperSpeed Training System is based on three different swing speed sticks all weighing at different weights. There is a green club that is 10% lighter than the average driver, the blue club which is 5% lighter and the red club which is actually 5% heavier!
Following their prescribed protocols the golfer completes the training every other day. The total time to complete most of their protocols is between 10-15 minutes. Most people can find the time to make this happen. The golfer will also need a swing radar to measure their progress.
The science behind the SuperSpeed Training System is based on overspeed training. Overspeed training has been around for several decades now and has been used by olympic athletics in the sport of Track and Field.
The science behind this overspeed training is based on the premise that your brain will only allow your body to move as fast as it feels it can stop safely! So, you get to work and swing the clubs as fast as possible, retraining your brain to allow you to swing your driver faster.
For more permanent results, the golfer should continue these training protocols for several months. The initial 5-8% is great and can become more permanent with the right length of training. The golfer can expect to continue to break down barriers every several months at a 1-2% increase.
My own experience has been an increase of 7-10 miles per hour on average from between 98-101 all the way up to 106-109. My goal is to hit the PGA Tour average of 113 mph in the coming months. I will continue to train every other day and watch in amazement as I am hitting drivers longer now than ever before!
Phil Mickelson (a senior golfer now) has been known to increase his swing speed in the past year or so and is close to 120 miles per hour in his swing speed. There are potential results for golfers of all ability levels and age!
Check the current price on SuperSpeed Golf System, here!
| Original Swing Speed | After 4-6 Weeks | New Carry Distance | Total Distance |
| 95 | 102 | 245 | 265 |
| 100 | 108 | 259 | 279 |
| 105 | 113 | 271 | 291 |
| 110 | 118 | 283 | 303 |
My Secret To Golf Improvement
Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.
This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.
It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.
Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:
Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
4 – Practice Frequently
Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.