Getting the Perfect Gear for Golf

The fresh air, the vast courses, the fierce yet elegant competition… There are only a handful of sports that are as intriguing and refreshing as golf. It’s certainly not for everyone, but it’s enough to captivate a few individuals under an unbreakable love spell. Unfortunately, golf can be quite complicated for the uninitiated. With a plethora of rules and a myriad of equipment (most with a hefty price tag), a beginner may not get their chances to explore the beauty of golf as they deserve. 

Luckily for you, we’re here to simplify things for you. You won’t have to break your bank or walk away; here’s a simple and straightforward guide to help you choose the perfect starting golf gear. 

Size Matters

It doesn’t always come back to personal tastes. When it comes to technicalities, especially if you’re a beginner, it’s better to go for a bigger size. This applies to your drivers, irons, and every other club you’re using. As it turns out, larger clubs can cover a greater surface area, and that’s something you can take advantage of to expand the sweet spot effectively. In other words, you won’t get a penalty for hitting the ball off-center. 

You Don’t Need all 14 Clubs

You can carry as many as 14 clubs with you on the golf course but just because you can, doesn’t mean that you should. In fact, the fewer clubs you have, the better. However, that’s only true if you keep in mind what Will Shaw at GolfInsiderUK.co.uk has to say: it all comes down to the quality of the driver you’re using. Since all modern drivers are limited in size and ability to transfer energy to the ball, you’ll need to experiment with a few drivers until you find one that speaks to you. 

Try Before You Buy

To choose the right club, you can’t just go blind. You can’t rely on expert recommendations and online reviews either; as these can only direct you in your choice and not make the decision for you. You need to try it out before you buy it, and that holds true for all the clubs, balls, and golf equipment you want to buy. If you’re an absolute beginner, you may want to find a large golf shop and ask for two 6-irons, one with a regular-flex and another with a stiff-flex shaft. Once you try them both, you’ll get a feeling for which one is easier to swing and control, and that’s the shaft flex you’ll want to choose for the rest of your clubs. 

Be Smart in Your Choices

Once you try out a few clubs, you may very well conclude that you need more than one. That is completely normal. However, make sure that each driver carries out a specific role that can’t be done by any other club. For instance, there’s no need to get a 4-iron and a 5-iron if practically, they both go around the same distance. In that case, you’ll do better with choosing the 5-iron as it’s the more forgiving of the two. You should look for a club that can fill the yardage gaps you have with your current clubs. 

Try Other Putters

If you’re going to visit a big-box retailer to pick up your new clubs anyway, you might as well try a few other putters. There’s a high chance that your current putter isn’t perfectly tuned for your stroke, so you might as well go through a putter fitting. Make sure to try a large number of putters, even the ones you’d normally never think of trying. That’s the best way to find the putter that best fits your stroke. 

Choose the Right Ball

The number of balls you’ll need to buy is directly proportional to the number you lose in each round. If you’re just getting started, or in case you’re used to losing around two sleeves per round, you’ll want to buy balls that don’t exceed $20 for a dozen. As you get better in the game, you’ll be able to buy balls that cost around $30 or $40 a dozen. To choose the brand that’s right for you, you can try putting a few different brands to get a real feel of how each one comes off the putter face. 

Getting started with playing golf can be overwhelming. One look at the price tag of the average golf equipment is enough to destroy any shred of interest a beginner can have. However, preparing your golf equipment, as a beginner, doesn’t have to be all that daunting. You just need to know the essentials you’ll use until you level up your game.