Golf for Beginners - Golf Equipment Overview

By Mark A Marshall


Just new to the thought of playing golf and don't know where to start. Well, the following starts at the beginning and gives you a handle towards the world of golf equipment. Just writing this I can remember the many questions I had myself when I first bought my clubs, let's start with how many?
You're allowed to carry 14 golf clubs at most. Each design of your clubs is for a specific purpose. Some of them (driver, woods) are to drive long distances or hit off the fairway, while putters are for short distances and accuracy, around the greens. You also have clubs designed for special shots, like chip shots, getting yourself out of hazards, etc.

The design of clubs is to drive the ball different distances. This is so that you don't have to learn different swings for different distances. Instead, you swing the same but just use a different club.
Now if you're just starting out, it may seem like all your clubs hit about the same distance. That's a pretty common occurrence, but as you gain more experience you'll soon find that different clubs do indeed work better for different shots. You may even find certain brands or types of clubs work better for you.

TIP: That's why it's a good idea to do some experimenting. If you're out golfing with friends who have different clubs, try them out to see how you like them. You can even rent different sets of clubs until you find a set that works for you.

Don't try to "force" your shot. That is, don't change your shot in trying to get a club to pull out the yardage that it's "supposed to" pull out. Instead, practice hitting the ball using different clubs so that you can decide which clubs give you what type of yardage and range.

In other words, don't force your swing to match the club's suggested range. Instead, learn the ranges of your clubs by swinging naturally.

With that out-of-the-way, let's start looking at some of the different types of clubs. Let's start with the most basic - your putter. Then next time you'll learn about your irons and after that we'll move on to your woods.

Putter

This is one of your shortest clubs, as it's designed to hit the ball a very short distance and with great accuracy. If you do a little shopping around, you'll notice that there is a dizzying array of putters available. Indeed, some golfers seem to regularly use different putters, while other golfers stick with their favorite.

I suggest you try different brands and different types of putters, and then choose just one putter that works for you. No use spending extra money on a multitude of putters. Plus, since you can only carry 14 clubs (although some amateurs carry up to 18), you don't need to take up room in your bag with more than one putter.