Question:
I’m just a beginner when it comes to golf. I’m planning to purchase new clubs soon. What should I look for in purchasing new clubs? How can I tell a good set from a bad set for me? What do you look for when purchasing a new set? Which stores are good to go to (if you’re living in the NorthWest)? Take it easy, "The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want in the moment"-Pat Lavalle/ Dr. Rob Gilbert, PhD _____ _____ ___r___ _______ | ___| |___ | / / _____ **University of Oregon** ||_ | | _|| ^ / /_____ Exercise and Movement Science | | | | / | /– — | | || || | Japanese | | | | | | || @| || | || || | **Interests** | | | | | | |__/ __|/ | || || | BJJ, JUDO, GOLF, TENNIS, | | |__| | | __// __ | ||_ ___|| | SKIING, BOWLING, ____/ / | O F | _____/ / MR. CHILDREN (JPOP) -"natto wo tabeta ato kissu wo shinai hou ga ii"-
Response:
I’m just a beginner . . . What should I look for in purchasing new clubs? How can I tell a good set from a bad set for me?
Choose a price range. Next, go try clubs in that range. Go to a store that carries a lot of choices. (I don’t know what’s in the Great Northwest, but down here in Atlanta and Florida, I’ve been happy with Golf Warehouse and Edwin Watts.) Plan on spending a long time there. Chase salespeople away at first. Pick up and swing lots of clubs. The clubs should feel nice in YOUR hands. They should look good TO YOU. You’re going to spend a lot of time looking down those clubs in years to come. They should make you have confidence in them. Feel the weight and balance of several sets with steel shafts, then the same sets with graphite. Which feel better TO YOU? Try swinging some much more expensive sets. Do you find any noticable improvement in feel? If so, find the ones that are affordable and come closest in feel to the expensive ones. Now, if your down to a choice of 1 to 3 sets, call a salesperson, and ask his recommendation. Ask what flex is good for you (regular or firm), but don’t believe the answer without swinging both. Since you are buying a complete set, ask what they’ll throw in for the bargain. Usually it’s a free club, such as a sand wedge or a 2-iron. Maybe more. Try for a golf bag. Don’t settle for a box of golf balls. You may want to just buy the irons and choose a wood or two at first. I recommend that. Most beginners have trouble with a driver. I recommend just a 3-wood and a 5-wood. They needn’t match your irons. Try oversized, midsized and regular sized, but it’s probably best to have the shafts of the same material as your irons. There are literally hundreds of putters to choose from. Try a lot. This is purely individual taste. Almost all are steel-shafted. There’s no point getting a graphite-shafted putter, since there’s no flex involved in the putting stroke. Don’t believe manufacturers’ claims, neither for clubs nor golf balls. Don’t believe the magazines, especially Christmas issues. Don’t believe endorsements from pros who are getting paid big bucks to recommend certain clubs. Where do you think those big bucks are coming from? There is no such thing as "the best" clubs, but you probably could get stuck with "the worst". Don’t neglect head covers for your woods, and don’t fall for covers for your irons (all they’ll do is slow down your game). Don’t be ashamed of animal head covers. If you get brand name logo covers they should be free, or someone should actually pay you for advertising. If you know that you are seriously committed to golf, don’t cheap out. If you’re not sure, get a set of previously owned clubs. The above advice is based on my personal experience 6 years ago, when buying my first set of clubs. I’m now using my second, and probably permanent set, my third pair of woods, and my fourth putter. Actually, that’s not bad for someone who plays twice a week. Some of my friends don’t even have any closet space left for drivers and putters. Save some money for lessons. Have fun! -Robby P. — The "Pensees Nouvelles", a multisubject magazine on the World Wide Web, may be found at: http://www.emory.edu/PATHOLOGY/PENSEES Vol. 2, No. 2 (April. 1997) is now on line, and includes the following: "Backswings to the Future" – the sports page of golf happenings 18 years from now. "On The Trail; Part 3". A review of Silver Lakes, the Robert Trent Jones Courses at Anniston, Alabama.