Which Golf Clubs Should You Buy?

What Will Work For You?

When you first go to buy golf clubs, it can be a very daunting task since there seems to be so much to choose from. Every manufacturer seems to make claims that only their club will make your game better. Especially for the newcomer, all this advertising and array of equipment can be a very confusing mine field.

With that thought in mind, I'm going to list a few basic principles that anyone can use to decide what you need to consider when you are looking to buy some new golf clubs.

The very first thing you should take note of is that standard, off the shelf golf clubs should work for just about anyone, male or female. If you measure between 5 feet to six feet in height then you should have no problem with the standard length of club established by the golfing industry.

If you are one of those who is too tall or too short according to that standard [and how you feel swinging a standard length golf club] then you will enter into the realm of the custom club maker. You should be able to find something that is not that much more expensive than standard clubs but that will fit you much better and improve your game right off the bat.

The next question to ask is, will I be using cast iron golf clubs or will they be forged iron?

And there is a definite difference. For most of us, the standard cast iron golf club is the weapon of choice.

Why? Because most standard golf clubs manufactured today in cast iron  have a larger "sweet spot".

What does that mean?

This term originated with baseball bats and tennis racquets. It referred to the area where  the ball would be struck for maximum impact, with the best accuracy and with very little vibration. In golf, it refers to the area that is basically in the center of the club head where you want to strike the ball for maximum efficiency. You know yourself how difficult it is when you first start to hit the ball in the center of the club head every time. Coupled with an inconsistent swing plane, the ball ends up going left or right more often than not. But with a "larger" sweet spot or a larger area to connect with, you can still be a bit off the mark and drive the ball fairly accurately. This is obviously a great advantage to the new golfer. Hence the recommendation to use cast iron golf clubs.

On the other hand, the forged iron golf clubs have a much smaller "sweet spot" and [as you would expect] it is far more difficult to hit a ball well with the cast iron type.

So why even manufacture forged iron golf clubs?

As you practice and play, you become much more consistent in your swing plane and stroke. You begin to strike the ball dead center on the club head with much more consistency. But now, you wish you could make the ball hook because of that stupid tree in the way!

Enter the forged iron golf club. Being made of a softer steel, forged iron clubs play with a better "feel" to them. With more experience and a much more defined and repeatable swing, you don't necessarily need that larger "margin of error" the larger sweet spot affords. Now, you can use the "feel" of the forged iron club to manoeuvre or "shape" your shot. Now, you can work the ball to draw, fade, hook or slice it as needed. Different strokes for different folks as the saying goes. Your game decides which club to use.

The next thing we want to look at for our own golf club is the material of the shaft. Will it be a steel tube or a composite tube material?

The factor you will need to consider here is your swing speed. In other words, how fast do you swing your clubs? Higher swing speed means longer distance on your shot, But remember, we don't want to be forcing ourself to be swinging faster. We need to keep proper tempo and ryhym in our swing as we generate that speed. The average male golfer swings at 80-85 mph. Tiger Woods gets up to 115 mph and the long ball dudes like John Daley and Hank Keuhne can get theirs up to the 130 mark! No wonder they drive longer than we do. Now there are some things you can do to improve your distance such a increasing your golf fitness and muscle strength. But until you get then what can you do?

Composite shafts.

Composite shafts on your golf clubs will add to the "longed for" distance on your shots. Did you know that more than 90% of all drivers used the PGA tour now are graphite shafted? Even the pros recognize the benefit over steel when you want distance.

And to add to that, many manufacturers can now add larger heads [with larger sweet spots] to the lighter weight composite shafts. The best of both worlds.

But note that many of the pros still use steel shafts on their irons to give them that much coveted "feel" in their game. They already have good club head speed so they can compromise and use the steel shaft.

These may seem like some minor tips but you can recognize how important they are to your game in the long run.

If you are just starting out, you might find it beneficial to try a few different sets of clubs to see how they affect your game. Rent, beg or borrow different club sets and take accurate notes on how each works to make your game better or worse.

The more you study your own game, the better you will become as you add the various tools, materials and techniques at your disposal today.