Looking for reasonably priced golf set to gift a senior golfer

[Calvo90]

So here is the deal: My father is 53 and has been playing golf 10-15x per year for the past 16 years or so. He is really not interested in the score, he just likes to enjoy the game and social events that come with the golf (although every time he scores a birdie he walks for the rest of the month with head up and chest out like he just beat Tiger Woods). If I am brutally honest, the years have not been too kind with him. With age (and perhaps with additional pound here and there) he has become less flexible and simply slower. The 16 year old Wilson Di5 golf set consisting of Sw, Pw-3 iron, 5 wood, 3 wood and driver the size of a modern hybrid are just outdated, too hard to hit, tough to elevate the ball beyond 6 iron and are visibly killing my fathers love for the game. He was looking around for a newer set but modern prices of larger OEM gear are just outrageous and he says that the current set is good enough for him. He is adamant that it is the archer and not the arrow that is at fault. I would naturally agree with him but if the archer is not willing or capable of change, the arrow has be modified.

As a thank you for all the support over the years I decided to buy him a newer and more suitable set of golf clubs. It would be simple to just send him to fitter etc. but unfortunately there are none in the vacinity plus my income doesn't really allow me to spend more than 1.500 EUR for the set. The natural question is, what to buy in today world of overpriced golf gear? I was thinking of waiting for the price drop in the fall and grab Cleveland Launcher HB 10.5 driver, Cleveland Launcher HB 5 wood and Cleveland HALO 4 hybrid. Looking at the release date of the launcher series it is quite possible that the Cleveland will release new series of woods in the fall but with the current world health situation it is impossible to predict for sure what will happen in the following months. In regards to irons, I have my eye on Cleveland UHX Launcher irons (5-D + Cleveland CBX sand wedge) but the problem is they are hard to get so 2017' Cobra King OS 5-SW (I can get new for 600 EUR) and Cobra F-MAX Airspeed 5-SW are also tempting.

I was wondering if Mygolfspy members have any suggestions? Are there any reputable golf websites beside Galaxy Golf that are worth checking out? Any advice or help is welcome. The catch is that I reside in EU so any well known DTC retailers or sellers in USA and UK are not really an option since I would have to pay significant import tax. I am not really looking for used clubs with clear signs of use just because there is something special about taking off the plastic of a brand new club. Looking at the topic What have you bought lately, I am sure that the Mygolfspy members know what I am talking about. Any advice or help is welcome. Thanks.

 

 

[DStar]

1500 Euros is a decent amount to spend on a set. 

I'm fast learning that fitting can be really important in club selection. Do you have a pro at the local club who you could work with? You may spend on clubs that don't suit your father at all which may, further, impact on his love for the game. 

If it were me I'd take him to some shops that have facilities to hit balls. See what works then go from there. Good luck!! 

[Calvo90]

21 minutes ago, DStar said:

1500 Euros is a decent amount to spend on a set. 

I'm fast learning that fitting can be really important in club selection. Do you have a pro at the local club who you could work with? You may spend on clubs that don't suit your father at all which may, further, impact on his love for the game. 

If it were me I'd take him to some shops that have facilities to hit balls. See what works then go from there. Good luck!! 

Thank you for your reply but unfortunately there really aren't any fitters or retailers in the reasonable vacinity that would allow you to hit golf balls with new gear. Actually, about a year or so ago I scheduled something called a ''fitting'' and it was just a man taking a few measurements and handing me different irons with different shafts and measuring my swing speed using those irons with radar. Note, I was not allowed to hit a single golf ball or even touch the ground with the club. Surprise, surprise I was quicked with 60g graphite shaft than with 130g steel shaft. After asking if that is his ''fitting'' and his subsequent nod, I just packed my stuff and left the place without even thinking of handing over a cent of my money. I would never refer anyone to this sort of ''fitting'', much less my father.

Considering how light and 'noodly'' are my fathers golf shafts and how small are the heads, I am pretty sure anything modern will have significant positive effect. His swing is not agressive but rather smooth and slow so I don't think he has any special requirements aside shafts being lightweight.

When it comes to money, 1500 EUR is my absolute limit. My first choices in my first post amount to about 1000 EUR altogether.

[Kanoito]

I think any SGI or OS set from the past 3 years will be very similar and EUR 1.500 is definitely more than enough to get irons and woods.

For a person playing 10-15 times a year, I don't think it will make much difference whether you get a fitting or not. I'm also in Europe, and we got a lot of online shops dumping last year sets for cheap. Definitely not as cheap as some websites in the US, but acceptable. eBay also has pretty good deals. If they don't ship to you, I could lend you my address in Germany and send to you via UPS/DHL or whatever.

[cnosil]

I know you said new, but for me, the joy of clubs isn’t unwrapping the clubs but the new clubs themselves.  I agree you don’t want a beat up set, but you can get high quality used clubs.   Being in the US I don’t know the European market but the advise you got about not fitting and just finding something from the last few years is probably a good direction.  If you want new, the I would look at Sub70,  they have a European presence:  https://sub70golf.nl

 

[Chip Strokes]

ebay is gonna be your best bet. last year i was able to put an entire second bag together, from driver to putter, for under $1000. 

this is a great gift for your father, i hope you guys get a lot of rounds in with the new clubs. 

[Calvo90]

7 hours ago, Kanoito said:

I think any SGI or OS set from the past 3 years will be very similar and EUR 1.500 is definitely more than enough to get irons and woods.

For a person playing 10-15 times a year, I don't think it will make much difference whether you get a fitting or not. I'm also in Europe, and we got a lot of online shops dumping last year sets for cheap. Definitely not as cheap as some websites in the US, but acceptable. eBay also has pretty good deals. If they don't ship to you, I could lend you my address in Germany and send to you via UPS/DHL or whatever.

Thank you for your kind offer. Which websites/online shops did you have in mind?

4 hours ago, cnosil said:

I know you said new, but for me, the joy of clubs isn’t unwrapping the clubs but the new clubs themselves.  I agree you don’t want a beat up set, but you can get high quality used clubs.   Being in the US I don’t know the European market but the advise you got about not fitting and just finding something from the last few years is probably a good direction.  If you want new, the I would look at Sub70,  they have a European presence:  https://sub70golf.nl

 

That is amazing news. Thank you!

I didn't know about Sub70 presence in Europe. Now they are definitely on the list of possible clubs.

[Kanoito]

On 7/23/2021 at 7:09 PM, Calvo90 said:

Thank you for your kind offer. Which websites/online shops did you have in mind?

Tons of them in Germany:

all4golf.de

golflaedchen.de

par71.de

Mygolfoutlet.de

Golfundguenstig.de

Hohmann-Golf.de

onlinegolf.de

Golf-Shop.de

Golfshop.de

golf24.de

And of course, eBay.de

[Pandaman]

A thought, but whatever you go for, I would say a 'basic' fitting is a good idea.  To make sure they are the right length and lie angle for him.

So if you get second hand allow a little in your budget to cover this and any adjustments, like extension pieces and new grips etc.  

[Middler]

38 minutes ago, Pandaman said:

A thought, but whatever you go for, I would say a 'basic' fitting is a good idea.  To make sure they are the right length and lie angle for him.

So if you get second hand allow a little in your budget to cover this and any adjustments, like extension pieces and new grips etc.  

The OP said there aren’t any fitters near him. And unless the Dad is a really unusual physical specimen, a 10-15 time/year player who’s out there for fun will do fine with standard off the rack clubs. In fact if he buys used be should make sure the clubs haven’t been fitted and built way off standard. A fitting would eat into his budget with little payback, again if Dad is a reasonably typical adult male.

I can’t make a recommendation not knowing about the European golf market.

[HardcoreLooper]

Lots of good recommendations above.  Think about something else to stretch your dollar - how far does your father hit the ball?  How fast does he swing?  He's carrying a 3i iron and 4 iron right now?  They're so hard to hit that they're probably just taking up space in his bag, especially if he's getting slower.  Slower swing speed golfers also tend to see multiple clubs at the top of the bag going the same distance.  

With fitting not being an option, I'm going to make some gross generalizations here based on the info we have and recommend that you look into something like this:

Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo Driver: 12*
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo 4 or 5 wood
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo irons:  4i - DW
Cleveland Smart Sole 4 Sand wedge 

I haven't checked on pricing, so take that into account.  I really like how the new HB Turbo line of irons do a better job of blending the irons so the short irons look like short irons.  I've heard so many good things about them for slow swing-speed players.

I'd bet that this bag of 11 clubs would be gapped pretty well, and every club would be something that he can get up in the air and have fun hitting.  There's no rule that says you have to carry 14 clubs.

You're doing a great thing for your dad, and I hope this gets him out on the course and with you more often.

All that being said, I have to take issue with a 53 year-old being called "senior" 

[Calvo90]

18 hours ago, HardcoreLooper said:

Lots of good recommendations above.  Think about something else to stretch your dollar - how far does your father hit the ball?  How fast does he swing?  He's carrying a 3i iron and 4 iron right now?  They're so hard to hit that they're probably just taking up space in his bag, especially if he's getting slower.  Slower swing speed golfers also tend to see multiple clubs at the top of the bag going the same distance.  

With fitting not being an option, I'm going to make some gross generalizations here based on the info we have and recommend that you look into something like this:

Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo Driver: 12*
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo 4 or 5 wood
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo irons:  4i - DW
Cleveland Smart Sole 4 Sand wedge 

I haven't checked on pricing, so take that into account.  I really like how the new HB Turbo line of irons do a better job of blending the irons so the short irons look like short irons.  I've heard so many good things about them for slow swing-speed players.

I'd bet that this bag of 11 clubs would be gapped pretty well, and every club would be something that he can get up in the air and have fun hitting.  There's no rule that says you have to carry 14 clubs.

You're doing a great thing for your dad, and I hope this gets him out on the course and with you more often.

All that being said, I have to take issue with a 53 year-old being called "senior" 

I knew that ''senior'' remark was going to bite me in my behind at some time. It was just a matter of time...  Sorry about that... 

Thank you for your suggestions. I don't think I will go with Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo irons though.

Although Mark Crossfield proved that even low handicap golfers can play great (or even better) golf with those irons, my father will certainly not be pleased at the sight of those after years of playing irons that are closer to modern players cavity backs like ZX7 or Titleist CB with additional offset. Although I agree that Cleveland Launcher HB irons would help him as well as they would large portion of golfers, lets face it, buying and playing them requires supernatural control of ego. I can assure you, such ego control and reasonable behaviour is unheard of in our family...  

I really don't want him to buy something he would not like the look of. Besides, knowing his game I don't think he needs them just yet. Modern (super) game improvement irons would help him just enough to enjoy the game a bit more. A few times he hit my irons that are significantly heavier and stiffer and he still managed to achieve reasonable height even with long irons like 4 and 5 iron.

EDIT: And I completely agree with what you said with playing 14 clubs. If your driver reach is 180-200 yards, there is no real need for 14 clubs unless you want a couple of clubs that do the same thing or want dedicated irons for punching out of the woods etc. Thats why I was thinking of buying between 11-13 clubs tops.

Edited July 26, 2021 by Calvo90

[Larryd3]

I'd second Sub70.  They can help you fit him over the phone.  Great people to deal with with really nice quality clubs.  

[HardcoreLooper]

16 hours ago, Calvo90 said:

I knew that ''senior'' remark was going to bite me in my behind at some time. It was just a matter of time...  Sorry about that... 

Thank you for your suggestions. I don't think I will go with Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo irons though.

Although Mark Crossfield proved that even low handicap golfers can play great (or even better) golf with those irons, my father will certainly not be pleased at the sight of those after years of playing irons that are closer to modern players cavity backs like ZX7 or Titleist CB with additional offset. Although I agree that Cleveland Launcher HB irons would help him as well as they would large portion of golfers, lets face it, buying and playing them requires supernatural control of ego. I can assure you, such ego control and reasonable behaviour is unheard of in our family...  

I really don't want him to buy something he would not like the look of. Besides, knowing his game I don't think he needs them just yet. Modern (super) game improvement irons would help him just enough to enjoy the game a bit more. A few times he hit my irons that are significantly heavier and stiffer and he still managed to achieve reasonable height even with long irons like 4 and 5 iron.

EDIT: And I completely agree with what you said with playing 14 clubs. If your driver reach is 180-200 yards, there is no real need for 14 clubs unless you want a couple of clubs that do the same thing or want dedicated irons for punching out of the woods etc. Thats why I was thinking of buying between 11-13 clubs tops.

I caddied for nine years (high school and college).  I know all about uncontrolled egos.  Good luck in your search.

[Calvo90]

11 hours ago, Larryd3 said:

I'd second Sub70.  They can help you fit him over the phone.  Great people to deal with with really nice quality clubs.  

I was so excited when cnosil mentioned that SUB70 has a distrubutor (or something like that) in Netherlands because that would/could mean I wouldn't have to pay import taxes and duties for importing clubs from USA. Unfortunately when I contacted the EU distributor and asked for a quote he said that 5-AW of 699 in satin and 56* satin wedge would be (including 30 EUR discount) 900 EUR (1.060 USD) + max 25 EUR shipping. That's heavy for DTC clubs.

Later I contacted SUB70 directly to figure whether they ship internationally and what would the shipping costs be. First of I have to say that their customer service is unparalleled. They were really nice, responsive and unlike anyone I have ever dealt with before. Unfortunately I got a cold shower when I calculated the price. I calculated that the sum of the price of clubs, import taxes, customs duties, optional import authorization would be app. 780 EUR plus 87 EUR shipping. Cheaper than from EU distributor but still not that famous DTC pricing I was hoping for. In fact, that is closer to major OEM pricing and I am not surprised I have never seen any american DTC clubs in the bag of any of the golfers I have ever played with.

That being said I will have to inquire whether the price of clubs stated on website and already includes VAT because I would certainly have to pay VAT again if I decide to import clubs. It is possible that SUB70 will have to deduct VAT price off their clubs. At least that is how things are here in Slovenia. If that is the case I might pull the trigger...

Sigh... I love living in EU but when it comes to golf, its not easy... :/

[Kanoito]

Well that's the issue. NL has 21% VAT, plus customs that could come on top of that (depends on the product). So just receiving the goods in NL, you are looking at least 21% extra, plus shipping to the advertised US price. And then you still haven't added the mark-up for the NL office.

Unless the goods are declared much lower than their retail price when entering NL, it's almost the same as ordering them yourself from the US.

When I buy in the US, say golf shoes from budgetgolf.com I have them sent to my PO Box @ myus.com and then have them forward my parcel to Germany. Their shipping fees are more competitive than the ones quoted by the online stores directly. And even with the 19% VAT paid in Germany, it's still much lower than local retail.

If you have any OEM model in mind, let me know and I'll try looking in German shops for you.

[Calvo90]

So I figured I would report about the progress of my project. Bad news is that SUB70 irons are not really an option since import taxes are way too high. Good news is I picked up new Taylormade M6 4 hybrid for 50 EUR and I am thinking of picking up new Taylormade M4 5-PW irons for a little less than 500 EUR. What are your opinions on the irons?