Clubs
I would advise not buying an expensive
set of clubs until you are sure you like playing the game.
If my information doesn't help you any, I suggest going to
your local golf store and having the people there fit you for
a set of clubs.
Clubs come in three shaft flexes: ladies flex, mens flex, and
senior flex. What kind of shaft flex you get depends on your
swing speed. Once you decide on your shaft flex, you need to
decide if you want steel or graphite shafts. A graphite shaft will
give you more distance, but is harder to hit than a steel shaft.
Once you have decided on what kind of shaft you want, it is time to
decide what clubs you want to put in your bag. You need to have a
putter, a driver, fairway woods, irons, and wedges. The club style you
choose limits the club choices you have. Remember, you don't have to stick
to the same style when picking out fairway woods and wedges.
With a driver, most often you will be given one with the set you buy.
The number on the driver will be a 1 and it will have the least amount of
loft out of your woods. (Remember, a driver isn't a fairway wood, even
though they have the same shape.) If you wish to find a different one,
you will have to buy it outside of the set. Drivers most likely will
always have a graphite shaft.
Fairway woods come in numbers 3, 5, 7, and 9 in most club styles. However, you
will only get a 3 and a 5 when you first buy the set in most cases. With
fairway woods, you can choose either steel or graphite shafts, but
whatever you choose will be applied to your irons as well unless you buy
a fairway wood outside of your set.
Irons come in numbers 2 to 9 in most club styles. However, when you
buy your set you will only get 4 to 9 in most cases. With fairway woods
and irons, the smaller the number, the longer the shaft and the less loft
the club will have. With a higher number, the shaft will be shorter and
the club will have more loft.
Wedges come in loft degrees instead of numbers. The wedges you will most
likely get with your set are a sandwedge and a pitching wedge. The
sandwedge has more loft than the pitching wedge and gets less distance.
The other wedges you can purchase are 52°, 56°, 60°, 62°,
and 64°.
Putters come in many different shapes, sizes, and shaft lengths. Find a
putter head that you like in the shaft length you need and try it out on
the mat the store should provide. The main thing you need to make sure is that
the putter has an evenly-weighted head. In otherwords, make sure the
heel ways the same as the toe. Another thing to remember is that your
putter will have to be purchased outside the set.
There are many different brands of clubs available for you to choose from
when you decide it is time for you to buy a set. A few brand name
clubmakers are:
Callaway
Square Two
Nike
Ping
Wilson
TaylorMade
Cobra
Titleist
If you decide a brand name clubmaker isn't for you, there are several off
brands available. The only thing you need to watch for is a scam
if you order over the phone or off the internet. The main thing is to try
the clubs out before you buy them to make sure they are right for you.
To make your buying experience easier, I have provided links to various
brand name club making websites.
