13-club Ram Demon set from Argos
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Head for your nearest Argos store in a high street or retail park near you and in a catalogue that's as thick as a telephone directory (among the kettles, three-piece suites and cuddly toys) you'll find several pages devoted to golf equipment.
For those of us who have been playing this game for a few years and are not intimidated by the occasionally surly staff we might find in a pro shop or dedicated golf store, the Argos catalogue might not be the first place we'd look to add to or replace our ageing or misbehaving equipment. But there should be no stigma attached to handing a slip to an assistant, then waiting anxiously to discover if it's in stock being called to the counter by tannoy 'Customer 947, please!'
Be not afraid experience, this 18-piece golf package, represents outstanding value not just as a starter set but probably also for someone who has learned the fundamentals with second-hand clubs and is anxious to take the next step towards achieving a handicap. If you know a golfer fitting this description and are looking for a Christmas gift or with limited funds from a whip-round as a retirement present, this could be the answer.
Over a couple of rounds I've learned to appreciate that while these clubs might not earn nods of approval from some single figure golfers or those for whom buying a £300 driver is merely a whim, you can play some tidy golf and not feel self-conscious when asked where you bought them.
For example yesterday, faced with a 135-yard approach to the par-4 third hole on my local course, I pulled out the 8-iron and struck it high into a wintry sun, shining fiercely from behind the green. I knew it was straight-ish but lost sight of it and when I couldn't find it behind the green took a casual look in the hole. And that's where the ball nestled.
Other Ram Demon highlights included a 6-iron tee shot at a tricky 150-yard par-3 to 10 feet for birdie and various 9-iron and wedge approaches delivering spin and bite that would have done justice to a Sky telecast.
Among the steel-shafted irons only the sand wedge proved troublesome. Out of sand it's an oxymoron - a contradiction of its basic description. It has no traditional 'bounce' built into its sole to help lift the ball on a cushion of sand and therefore tends to strike the ball with its leading edge and send it like a horizontal mortar shell into even more trouble across the green. As an 11-iron, played off turf from 40 yards out, it's fine, as is the pitching wedge.
As I was 'Billy No-mates' playing on my own without another golfer in sight, I took the opportunity to blast off a couple of drives from most tees and most flew straight and true though without the distance you'd expect from bigger headed, bigger branded clubs. I subscribe to the view that you get what you pay for in terms of distance and that's probably mostly down to the quality of the shaft.
Nothing wrong with Demon Plus graphite shaft in the driver, and the 3- and 5-wood but perhaps a little too whippy for most tastes. And it's only available in regular flex . As for the steel-shafted, 21-degree rescue club, it performed its job from fairway and light rough perfectly adequately.
With the greens recently hollowed-tined they weren't a fair surface to test the 'one-ball' mallet putter but I slotted several medium-length putts - and one monster par-saver - and for new golfers trying to get the feel of this crucial part of the game, I doubt they would feel the difference between it and a branded competitor valued alone at £150. For putts struck off the sweet spot of the insert face I got the warm tingle of feedback and that's all any golfer - scratch to beginner - could ask.
The clubs, worth the pricetag in their own right, come with an attractive four-pocket black and silver carry bag and stand, roomy enough to accept the eight irons, four woods and a putter in graphite friendly dividers.
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Rating: |
8.5/10 |
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Summary: | The dated branding on the Ram clubs gives them away as 2005 spec but hey, despite new technology, we're all still attached to at least one club in our bag that dates back at least two or even ten years, aren't we? For under £150 you get one hell of a package, perhaps not as forgiving on miss-hits as modern cavity backs but capable of getting me round a golf course in under 85 shots. Don't knock it!. |
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