Hi all,

So what is the best UK-based or Europe-based online golf store for price and/or service?

I'm living here in Ireland and looking to get new irons. Unfortunately clubs here are ridiculously expensive so I'm thinking of getting fitted here and then buying off the net. I found snaintongolf.co.uk and they're a good 200 to 300 euro cheaper on a set of irons and you can spec up the clubs quite a bit too. Does anybody have any other stores I should check out?

Also, due to overzealous customs men there is feck all point in buying from the states as I will get heavily taxed.

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

PS - if anyone wants to suggest a good set to try out for a 9 h'capper who can strike the ball fairly well and wants to shave a few shots off the handicap. Was thinking Mizuno MP57 or Ping i10, something with a small head but a bit of forgiveness. 

i have tried the MP57, I10, Callway Xforged, wilson PI7 and Cleveland Red something or other.

 But the Ping i10 where far and away the best from my point of view with the callaway X forged a distant second.

I would try and pick your clubs before price searching.

I have Taylormade R7 TP irons with stiff shaft (currently 12.6 but going down). They are excellent and feel great but also hide a cavity behind the blade like look at address.

Once you have picked your set search for that set on pricerunner. I have also used and liked all the sites above. Direct Golf, Online Golf and Nevada Bobs do great deals from time to time (the last 2 are one in the same but sell same stuff at different prices sometimes).

Thanks for the input so far lads and lasses : )

Any further suggestion would be very welcome.

I've bought 5 clubs from some of the above stores and although i've no complaints about service, i've had to replace 2 as I couldn't get on with them.

It's since proved more successful and less expensive to buy from my club pro, who lets me trial them for a round. What works for other people is not necessarily going to work for you, and playing 1 or 2 shots with your mate's club, is not a good test.

J N i'm in Ireland too. Ive found that clubs here are very expensive I usually buy clubs when i'm in the UK or up north. The way Sterling has fallen against the Euro means already cheap prices have fallen another 20% in the last 6 months.

I friend of mine bought a set of irons a while ago from Nevada Bobs in Belfast and they matched the cheapest price he could find on the net. With the new stretch of the M1 open it's only 90 mins from Dublin. There is also a shop in Lisburn which has a great range of clubs at good prices i'm not sure of the name but a quick search should find it. 

As for the mail order companies the only one I have experience of is directgolf.co.uk they were ok but what I was charged for the postage was about twice the actual cost. 

My choice would be directgolf or onlinegolf. Snainton let me down 2 weeks ago with a pair of Nike trousers.

Ordered wednesday morning. Email back saying order received etc. Then heard nothing until the following thursday. Email saying despatched then they came Saturday! So 10 days! They were a birthday present for my kid brother and were 2 days late!

Ive had no such problems with Onlinegolf or Directgolf. 

I swear by snainton, then again I've never used their mail order as they have a shop 3 miles from me.

I have use onlinegolf and they have been very helpful and always delivered on time.

I thought I should give an update on this. I bought my mizuno MP57s last week from snaintongolf.co.uk and I have to say I was extremely happy with the whole transaction.

I rang Snainton and said I had seen them elsewhere for £499 (which I had) and they matched that (I didn't buy from the other place because there was no option to custom fit). 499 was approximately £150 better than the best prices I was quoted here in Cork. John of Snainton also gave me the option to buy a Mizuno wedge at half price and have it properly fit at the same time as the other irons (I need an extra half inch and 2deg up). "Half price" was approximately quarter-price of what I'd pay here (€37.50 vs €140) and he gave me day or two to think about it. I rang him back a day later and said I'd take the wedge too.

The clubs arrived yesterday, 10 days exactly (including a weekend) after I ordered
 them. Again the best turnaround time I was quoted in Cork was three weeks and Snaintons delivery included two days of transit (I think it'd be only 1 day to somewhere in the UK).

 Anyway, I hope this doesn't all sound too much like an advert but if there's anyone out there looking to buy online - especially if you're in the Republic of Ireland - I was really happy with both the deal and the service from the lads mentioned above.

PS. ROI golfers, there's no customs duties, import taxes, etc, when you buy from UK as opposed to buying from the States when Brian Cowen will lighten you of several hundred yoyos.