GolfFollow

Go to a golf store. Not Wal-Mart, or Sears or Sportcheck. Go to a store that specializes in golf. Maybe even go to 3-4 of them. Even if you don't buy a set of clubs from them, they'll walk you through everything you need to know. And by need to know, I mean they'll let you test out some stuff, let you swing some clubs until you find something that feels right for you. There is no set length, or grip, or anything other than what feels most comfortable to you and your swing.

As a beginner golfer you're probably not going to want any expensive clubs and not because they cost more, but because they're not good for you. Typically, the more expensive, it means the more powerful they are, but in order to be more powerful, they need to reduce the "sweet spot" on the golf club face which makes it more difficult to hit properly.

Equally important, and calm down all you gheys, is the flexibility of the shaft. If you have an over-swing (golf store personnel can you help with knowing if you do or don't) then you're going to want a less flexible shaft.

There are a number of different measurements needed to get good gulf clubs. I personally believe a fitted set of golf club will do as much to help your game as a year's worth of lessons. However, if you don't have a consistent, repetable swing, fitted clubs are probably going overboard because most placed aren't going to custom fit a cheap set of clubs.

Here are the things to look for for each type of club:

Driver and fairway wood: shaft flexibility, loft. shaft length, grip thickness
Irons and wedges: shaft flexibility, shaft length, lie angle, grip thickness

Your best bet is to go to a store that specializes in golf equipment, like Golfsmith or Edwin Watts. ****'s Sporting Goods also has a surprisingly well-run golf department and they do custom fitting. They'll take mesasurements of the length of your hand from your wrist to the tip of yoru middle finger and the distance from your fingertips to the floor when your hands are at your side. They'll also give you a mid-iron, usually a 7 or 8, with a piece of white tape on the bottom and then have you hit a few shots off of what looks like a small chalk board. This will make marks on the tape that show them how to adjust the lie angle on your irons. A good shop will also have you hit at least 9 different drivers in front of a launch monitor to determine which combination of loft and shaft flex gives you the best combination of distance and accuracy.

If you dno't mind spending a good chunk of change, you can get an excellent set of clubs that will last you a long time. A complete set will probably set you back about $1500. I recommend TaylorMade woods and Titleist irons, but that's just me.

Whenever someone says "Golf sucks", I mentally translate it to "I suck at golf."

Golf has got to be one of the most boring sports to watch. It's fun to play for sure, or mini-golf is at least. So is disc golf on the Wii.

I've been playing since I was ten, on old used sets and Wal-Mart specials. Though I haven't played much at all in the past four years or so.

Edited, May 25th 2012 12:04pm by Eske

esque is nothing like as cool as Eske...

If you get them used, just check to make sure they aren't bent to hell. Think of it as eyeballin a poolstick, they should be relatively straight. If the grips are bad you can get them redone, not sure how much they'd charge you. Other than that you should be good to go. Hit the driving range, and maybe take a lesson or two. They really do help. And work on your short game, many people waste a lot of time seeing how far they can hit the ball, when chipping and putting can make a big difference in that final score.

Good luck!

This.

Ultimately the goal is to get the ball into a four-inch cup, not to hit it three hundred yards. Though it is can be fun to hit a ball over the back fence of a driving range and into the highway beyond.