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