What would be the best golf clubs for an intermediate golfer?

QUESTION:
When I began golf, I bought the cheapest no-brand golf clubs I could find because I didn’t know if I would like golf. Now I am on a league that competes and I love golf, and my skill has advanced (I’m still NOWHERE near a pro). However, my cheapy clubs no longer cut the mustard and I am looking for some clubs that would provide more distance but still offer some forgiveness for bad shots. Thanks!

ANSWER:

Answer by green_lantern66
That pretty much describes every club available.

It isn’t about who made them- they’re all made in the same foundries in China and Taiwan (yes, forgings are done in China and Japan). It’s like that with sunglasses (only 4 places in the world make sunglasses), cars (many component makers, regardless of location, make stuff for multiple brands and/or models)… you get the idea.

Your clubs aren’t holding you back- YOU are holding you back. If you bought a $ 200 set from Wal-Mart, expect the driver face to be made of aluminum (though it’ll say “Ti matrix” or something close) and the irons will be made of zinc. Aluminum has a lower Coefficient of Restitution, meaning the face will flex inward and reform less than a Ti model at impact. For the average (~90mph) swinger, that’s about an 8y difference, if all else is equal. The difference gets lower as the swing speed slows down, however. The only things that qualifies zinc as being “bad” is its inability to be bent for loft and lie and that it shows wear faster than steel. If all else is equal, a zinc iron will hit the ball just as far and just as straight as a carbon or stainless steel iron. It’s physics, not magic.

Short of swinging faster, you can get more distance by getting properly fitted. Being able to consistently hit the center of the face, with the proper launch conditions (launch angle and backspin rate) for your swing speed, will do more to help your game than just thinking “Oh, I need to play Brand X, since Tiger/Phil/Bubba plays that brand”. You can buy whatever brand you like (look to component and clone brands, as well, depending on what your budget is), just make sure your new sticks are fitted for at least length, loft (especially the driver), lie angle (at least the short irons and wedges), shaft flex, grip size, swing weight (how heavy the head feels), total weight and set makeup.