[gordner]

I am by no means an expert golfer, but have been trying to get a few rounds in each season the last few years. The best move I made was buying clubs, not because I spent a fortune and got crazy technology, but because of the consistency of the clubs game to game. It allowed me to develop my swing more as I was not facing a different issue every round. I found it to make a huge improvement.
Steel clubs do the job very well, and from my understanding you have to be pretty decent to get the most out of a carbon shaft, and it all depends on your swing as well. A quick lesson tells you a lot about your game as well.