by Thomas Franz

Created on: January 16, 2007   Last Updated: March 27, 2007

The expression goes, "It's not the arrow, it's the Indian." Bottom line is this, forget about the golf club, pay attention to the golfer. In my years working in the golf industry, new golfers buying new clubs was a common and confusing occurrence. Questions were common in the intimidating market, but by looking into your own personal ability level the decision can be much easier. Let me use my experience and make a few suggestions to the first time buyer.

What is your budget? New golfers can spend thousands on new equipment, but do not have to. There are many brands and discount outfits out there to fit all wallet sizes. Stay in your budget range and do not get talked into the more expensive club if you are a beginner with a high handicap and low level of ability. It can be easy to over spend and buy something that you do not need. Remember this, Tiger Woods uses the same club, but you are not Tiger Woods...yet.
What is your ability level? Give golf a good try first. Borrow some clubs and see how it works out for you. You know how good you really are, so use that when buying new clubs. With todays technology, there are clubs to fit all levels and styles of play. One tip is this, some clubs are not for the beginner. A new golfer does not yet have the ability for some of the more advanced clubs and will waste resources on clubs that they can not benefit from. Keep your ability in mind. A beginner often will purchase high handicap irons, one with an over-sized club face, a muscle or cavity back for extra power, and a regular gaged shaft that is more forgiving. Driver and fairway woods can be scary, some look like watermelons on a stick, but that doesn't mean you will hit it like Tiger when using it. The key for the inexperienced first time buyer when purchasing woods is club face surface area. Bigger club faces give a more forgiving sweet spot that encourages better contact on the ball. Stay away from stiff shafted clubs, those are for the more experienced golfers that will give a lesser tuned beginner a rough start. Go with a regular, graphite shaft to give a little bit of a grace period in the swing progress. Wedges and putters are about feel. There are models on the market that will cost you plenty, boasting a precision feel and advanced technology. Save it for when your shooting in the 80's when your skill level calls for it. Again, go with a bigger club face and regular shaft on the wedge, and roll a few putts before buying a putter. It is a personal touch

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>