| Planning on becoming the next Tiger Woods? If | | | | your swing. In other words, with a large sweet |
| so, the first thing you might consider is getting | | | | spot you can miss hitting the ball directly on the |
| some new golf clubs. Choosing the right golf clubs | | | | center of the club face and still end up with a |
| can make the difference between spending your | | | | decent shot. Forged irons are better for more |
| time on the fairways and greens and spending | | | | advanced golfers because they allow for better |
| your time in the rough. Although famed golfer Ben | | | | control of trajectory, allowing you to hit the ball at |
| Hogan once said, "The only thing a golfer needs is | | | | a desired angle to get the height necessary for |
| more daylight", for my money, having the right | | | | the result you want. |
| set of golf clubs runs this a close second. | | | | The next thing to consider is the size of the head. |
| First, I'll assume you aren't a pro. Otherwise, you | | | | As a novice golfer, you'll find a definite trade-off |
| probably wouldn't be here; you'd be out perfecting | | | | here. A bigger head equals a bigger sweet spot |
| that already outstanding golf swing. For the | | | | and more tolerance of miss-hits. However, at the |
| amateur golfer, choosing the right golf clubs | | | | same time, a bigger head is also a little harder to |
| hinges on two factors - distance and accuracy - | | | | control. You'll probably want to start with a set of |
| and, of these, accuracy is the more important. | | | | irons with medium-sized heads. They're easier to |
| The ability to hit the ball half-way across town | | | | control than the oversized-heads, but they still |
| may sound great, but if you can't keep it on the | | | | have a bigger sweet spot than the traditional, |
| fairway, out of the bunkers, and heading for the | | | | smaller heads. |
| flag, then all the distance in the world isn't going to | | | | Bet you didn't know there were this many |
| help your game. So, the starting point for all of us | | | | factors to choosing the right set of golf clubs! |
| needs to be accuracy. Once the ball starts going | | | | Well, I'm not quite done yet. |
| just where we want it to go with reasonable | | | | Another factor to think about when choosing golf |
| consistency we can start working on building | | | | clubs is what the head is made of - cast iron, |
| distance. | | | | stainless steel, or titanium. Titanium heads are |
| Of course, cost can be a big issue when choosing | | | | best for novice golfers as this light material allows |
| a new set of clubs, but since that's a personal | | | | for a bigger head, without making the club too |
| conversation between you your wallet - and | | | | heavy. Bigger head equals bigger sweet spot! If |
| maybe your spouse - we won't cover it here. | | | | the cost of titanium heads is beyond your wallet's |
| Don't forget though that you don't need to buy | | | | reach, then consider cast iron rather than steel. |
| tailor-made golf clubs and that a good starting | | | | They're durable and the harder material can help |
| point may well be one of the many outlets for | | | | improve both accuracy and consistency. |
| discount golf equipment. Another good starting | | | | Swing speed is also important in deciding upon the |
| point is to look at pre-owned golf clubs. | | | | right golf clubs. Golfers with lower swing speeds |
| Begin by analyzing what's going to best fit your | | | | can benefit from more flexible graphite shafts |
| needs. The primary set of clubs in every golfer's | | | | that are a bit longer and lighter. With a higher |
| bag is the irons, so that's what I'm going to | | | | swing speed, it's more likely you want to focus on |
| concentrate on here. Irons have several | | | | accuracy, so stiffer and heavier steel shafts can |
| characteristics to consider when you're choosing | | | | help you develop that accurate ball placement that |
| golf clubs. | | | | gets your name on the leader board. |
| The first thing to look at is the method of | | | | Obviously, there are many factors to consider |
| manufacture. Irons are normally made either by | | | | when choosing the right golf clubs. But consider |
| casting or forging. For the novice golfer cast irons | | | | what the comedian Henny Youngman once said, |
| are generally better because they have a bigger | | | | "The other day I broke 70. That's a lot of clubs." |
| sweet spot on the club face. The sweet spot is | | | | Choosing the right golf clubs for your game and |
| the area on the club face that you want to | | | | level of play can reduce both your handicap and |
| contact the ball and, as a general rule, the larger | | | | the number of clubs you get the urge to break! |
| the sweet spot the greater the room for error in | | | | |