Curious Golfer

I am often asked to help a beginner buy their first set of golf clubs.  Below I will try to provide some buying advice for a typical beginning golfer. 

Beginners usually have alot of anxiety about buying their first set of clubs because they want to make sure that they get the “right” set and they have no idea how to tell what “right” is.   Hopefully, this post will help beginners understand how to select their first set of clubs.

 First off, lets understand that your needs will change as you learn more about golf and about the specifics of your game.  Golf equipment is unique in that it is both very personal and also very technical.  As you improve and develop your game, you will very likely end up buying new equipment, so its a good idea not to spend a whole lot on the ultimate clubs.

The Putter
The putter is undoubtedly the most personal club.  It is also the most important club in the bag.  Think about it; if you reach every green in regulation and shoot even par, exactly 50% of your shots (36 shots) will be with your putter.  There is no other club in your bag that will even come close to being used this much.  In comparison, its very likely you won’t even use your driver 15 times per round.

Now that we’ve established the importance of the putter, how should you decide which one is right for you?  There are probably more different kinds of putters than another other club because its such a personal item.  For this reason, I recommend that you try as many different putters as possible.  Find a big golf retailer with an indoor putting surface and dozens of putters available for you to practice with.  Go to the retailer several times and putt for 20 or 30 minutes with 2 or 3 putters.  Try all different kinds.  Try the long putters that you hold at your sternum, try the belly putters, and try traditional length putters.  I’d also try blade putters and mallet putters.  Take your time and when you find a putter that gives you alot of confidence, buy it.  Putting is all about confidence.  If you are not confident in your putter, get one that you have confidence in.  If you want to save some money, find the club you want at your local retailer and check ebay and golfclubexchange.com for a used model.

The Driver
The driver is probably the second most personal club in your bag.  You also need to have confidence in your driver, but more importantly you need to be up on the current technology.  The driver is the club that has benefited the most from recent advances in technology.  If you buy a driver that is just a few years old, it can put you at a distinct disadvantage.  Don’t worry, you can still find drivers that are 2 or 3 years old that have enough of the new technology to keep you in the game.

One aspect of the driver that is often overlooked is the shaft.  In many ways, the shaft is just as important as the head.  Different shafts can create different launch angles.  your swing will have a tendency to produce its own trajectory.  Most amateurs need help getting the ball in the air, so getting a shaft that produces a “high launch” trajectory can help you tremendously.  The only caveat I would suggest is to monitor your drives as your game progresses, and if you tend to produce ultra-high trajectory drives that hang up in the wind and cause a steep descent that doesn’t roll after it lands, then you may want to look at getting a driver with a “low launch” shaft.  But since most beginners have trouble launching the ball in the air, I suggest starting out with the “high launch” shaft for your driver.

As far as brands, pretty much all the major brands have drivers that will compete with today’s technological advancements, including: Ping, Cleveland, Callaway, Cobra, Titleist, Nike, Taylormade.  If you want to save some money by buying a lesser-known brand, that’s perfectly acceptable, but just be sure that the driver incorporates the newer technology.  This may seem trivial, but if you go out to play golf and end up 75 yards behind all your friends on every drive just because your equipment is inferior, you may incorrectly assume that you cannot hit a driver.

Fairway Woods
You will need at least one fairway wood.  Most people carry a 3 wood.  In days past, people used to commonly carry a 5 wood as well.  I’d advise going to your local retailer and ask about hitting several different 3 woods.  If they have used clubs, hit some of those.  if you like one of the used clubs, get it.  If you don’t like hitting a 2 iron or 3 iron, try hitting a 5 wood. If you like it better than hitting the long irons, give it a try.

The Irons
There are basically two theories on irons for beginners.:  (1) Cavity backs and (2) blades.  Blades are the old-style of irons that were used by all the classic pros like Palmer, Nicklaus, Hogan, etc.  Modern pros still play with blades because they provide more feedback.  Some people say that learning on blades will force you to become a better golfer.  One caveat about blades:  THEY ARE HARD TO HIT.  Its easy to be discouraged after hitting shot after shot poorly because the blades are so demanding.

On the other hand, cavity back clubs are designed for amateur golfers and are much more forgiving.  Shots that are not hit perfectly will still travel far and fairly straight.  All but the worst shots will still turn out okay.  In my opinion, beginners should start with cavity back irons because its just more enjoyable.

Shaft Flex
As a beginner, shaft flex is not that important.  You just want to make sure that you don’t get something that’s grossly incorrect for your swing speed.  This is not as important as a beginner, but generally speaking, if you are a young able-bodied male, its likely that you need stiff shafts.  If you are an older male or a woman, regular shafts would probably suit you. 

New vs Used
I am a huge advocate of used clubs.  I have bought lots of clubs off of ebay and craigslist.  If I end up not liking them, I can usually re-sell them on ebay for close to what I paid.  As a beginner, when you may want to try lots of different clubs, he used route can be really helpful.  The advantage of buying new is that the golf retailers and manufacturers have great customer service and usually will bend over backwards to help you.

Balls
As a beginner, just buy the cheapest balls out there until you can tell a difference.  Generally, the softer feeling balls are more expensive.  The ball that is more or less regarded as the best is the Titleist Pro V1, which costs $45 per dozen.  There are lots of decent balls out there for $15 a dozen that are just fine.  As you play, you may develop a taste for certain balls.  Until then, just hit whatever they have on sale.

Good luck!!