The irons weigh from 14½ ounces for the No. 2 to 16½ for the No. 9. Sand wedges will go up to 17½.

Shafts of clubs are graded in three types, flexible, medium, and stiff. Most of the bigger, stronger pros use the stiff shaft. The medium shaft is for the average player. The flexible is generally considered best for players of more advanced age and for women. It is best suited for a slow swing. The limber-ness of a shaft is known to the manufacturers as shaft deflection.

We have heard a great deal, for years, about swing weight. The term is tossed about so loosely, in fact, that few players have much of an idea what it is. Swing weight indicates the distribution of the weight of a club. It is the proportion of the weight in the head compared to the shaft and the grip. Swing weights are listed from C—0 to D—9.

But a D—9, for instance, doesn’t mean that 9 ounces of a club weighing 13% ounces are in the head. D—9 is merely one of the calibrations on what is known as a lorythmic swinging weight scale.

A D—9 is no club for the average player to use, either. It is what Arnold Palmer and many of the other pros use, and it is for a strong, fast swinger. For the average player the ideal swing weight is from D—1 to D—4. For women the range is from C—4 to C—6.

In a general sense, the more you “feel” the head of the club when you waggle it or swing it, the higher the swing weight. You have often heard players say, and no doubt you have said it yourself, when handling a new club, “Feels like a lot of head in this.” What you are feeling is the swing weight.

You could be fooled, of course, by the shaft. A medium swing weight, for instance, in a club with a flexible shaft, would feel like a very high swing weight. You would “feel” an inordinate amount of head when you swung it. In fact, with a club like this, you would have a very difficult time developing a decent swing at all. But the manufacturers have taken care of this. They do not put out clubs with high swing weights on flexible shafts. In men’s clubs the swing weights for a flexible shaft are D—0 and D—1. For medium shafts they are D—1 to D—4. For stiff shafts they are D—4 to D-9.
Which Clubs to Carry

Since the USGA permits the carrying of fourteen clubs, it would be difficult to persuade the average golfer that he shouldn’t take full advantage of the rule. He would not be happy, indeed he would feel himself laboring under a handicap, carrying fewer than the rule allows. So, which ones should they be?

From the conventional set of three woods, nine irons, a sand wedge, and a putter, the average player should drop the No. 1 iron and the No. 2 wood. For these he should substitute the No. 4 wood and a pitching wedge. The No. 2 wood and the No. 1 iron, with their relatively straight faces, are the hardest clubs of all to use. Many pros dispense with the No. 2 wood, the old brassie, though most of them carry a No. 1 iron, mostly for use off a tee. If the pros cannot use them effectively, what chance does a 16-handicapper have to make them behave?

It is also a fact that most golfers find a lofted wood easier to handle than a long iron. This seems to be specially true as the player grows older. If you are one of these, and do not want to or cannot take the time to master the longer irons, then drop out the No. 2 and pick up a No. 5 wood.

Generally speaking, we recommend the carrying of a driver, Nos. 3 and 4 woods, Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 irons, a pitching wedge, a sand wedge, and a putter.

There are some to whom the No. 1 wood, the driver, seems to be a special type of poison. There is no logical reason for this. Anybody who can hit a 3 wood, or any other wood, off the fairway has more than enough ability to hit a teed-up ball with a driver. If you hook or slice so badly with the driver that you are afraid to play it, something is radically wrong with your swing.

The average driver can weighs 13¼ to 13½ ounces and is 43 inches long, measured from the base of the heel to the tip of the shaft. The other woods are shorter by about a half inch with each number. The No. 2 iron is about 38% to 38⅝ inches, and the others drop about 7/16 of an inch each, down to the No. 9.

Imagine all of the more hardcore golfers, and what their new equipment looks like. They probably replaced some perfectly good clubs just a few months ago in order to get the new and the best clubs. Few people really need this level of commitment to buying the new golf clubs all of the time, so you don&’t need to hold yourself to the same standards that they do. Instead, you can take advantage of their constant turnover rate of golf clubs. Just talk to one of these hardcore golfers, and find out about their old golf clubs. You may find out that they have dozens of old golf club sets stored away in their garage. You can either ask to borrow them for a long period of time, or simply buy them. You may find that they are happy to let you have the old golf clubs.

If you aren&’t fortunate enough to have this kind of contact, you can look in other venues for used golf clubs. Many golf club stores stock used clubs in their inventory at a highly discounted rate. However, oftentimes this is more expensive than the other choices. Look on eBay to find out the selling rates for the used golf clubs that you are wanting to buy. You may also be able to find golf clubs at yard sales, in classifieds listings, or on web sites like CraigsList.com. It is best to check all of these places before you buy golf clubs. You may find it one place for hundreds of dollars cheaper than it is at the other place.

Golf can be very hard on golf clubs, especially if you are a beginner with a penchant for smacking the ground with your club. If you buy new clubs and abuse them so thoroughly, you will likely be kicking yourself wishing that you hadn&’t spent so much money on them. This is another reason why it is good to stick with used clubs. When you break them, scuff them, or lose them, you won&’t feel too bad about it. You will find that many seasoned golf veterans are huge advocates of purchasing used clubs. If you buy used clubs rather than new clubs, you will likely have a much happier experience overall. Just be sure to buy your used golf clubs from somewhere that you can trust.

You can pick up bags with wheels if you so desire. These are especially great for outdoor purposes. When choosing a bag you have to make sure that it is going to be worth your investment. The best place to visit to get these bags would be online shopping sites. The best of these sites, will allow you to get a glimpse of all the latest stuff available in the markets. You can also choose from among the various brands that are available. Some of the more popular brands are D and D and Golfsmith. Choosing a good brand will also speak volumes about your position in your team.

Most online shopping sites have golf travel bags listed according to prices. This is a great thing as it makes the process of selection easier for the buyer. It even makes it easier for a buyer to find some exciting discounts. If you do not have sufficient money to pay for that super-expensive bag outright, you can also buy the bags on installments. At least you won’t be feeling like a pauper by the end of it.

When choosing a golf travel bag, you need to pick good designs. Some of the most basic and popular golf travel bag styles are quick trip and caravan, among others. Which style you choose would vary according to the type of tournament you are choosing to attend. Expect to be spoilt for choice when it comes to colors. Overall there is much to choose from.

You would also have to purchase good covers for your travel bag. Again, this would have to be selected according to your specific requirements. A lot of designer wear is available for golf travel bags. Although much of this is very expensive, if you look around extensively you should find some with reasonable price tags.

You can pick up good golf travel bags for prices ranging from 100 USD to 400 USD. It will all depend on how often you play the game. Also, remember that when you need to pick one, it should be on par with the bags of the other players that you play with. If you do not have an idea as to what kind of a bag you should choose, take the help of someone who is a well-versed golfer.

Get a bag that is ideal for all sessions. You may use have to use it extensively for practice sessions, games, and tournaments of all kinds. A good bag could go a long way in making your game more comfortable. A good golf travel bag would be essential in a game like golf.

If you a beginner at playing golf, you should probably not buy a new golf club set immediately, since you may find out that you don&’t like the game that much after all. Furthermore, you have yet to find out your real niche in the game and your own unique playing style, which will greatly affect the way you choose golf clubs once you are a more seasoned player. The good choice for a beginner is to start with used golf clubs. The main goal is to keep the price down so that you aren&’t making a huge investment before you really know what you are doing. Here you will find some tips to follow to help you to hunt down your starter golf clubs.

At this point in time, you should be trying out as many golf clubs as you possibly can. Borrow them from your friends, rent them out from golf club rental stores, and take the clubs down to the driving range. Hit as many balls as it takes to decide whether you want to stick with that particular club when you make the purchase. If it feels at all uncomfortable or if you keep missing shots that you would normally make, you should probably reconsider your choice and find a different golf club that will work better for you. When you actually go out to buy some used golf clubs, carefully make sure that they are similar to the ones that you have tried in the past. If they are what you need, you&’ll notice a huge difference in their quality.

As you search around for used golf clubs to get started with, you should bring along a friend who knows a little more about golf clubs that you do. By enlisting the help of an expert golfer, you can use their knowledge on top of your own personal preferences. If you are stumped on a certain set of golf clubs and you aren&’t sure whether they are worth the money or not, they will be able to help you make up your mind anyways. If you don&’t know anyone who has such a high level of expertise, you can take your questions elsewhere. Find out the specifications of the golf clubs that you are looking at, and discuss them with the pros at the golf shops, or even with golfing communities on the internet. Make sure you get some sound advice from at least a few people before you make the purchase.

Beginners also frequently make the mistake of buying a full set of golf clubs. A full set consists of 14 clubs, and is usually absolutely, 100% unnecessary for someone who is just getting started. Instead, look for something called a half-set. There are certain clubs in a full set that are more difficult for a beginner to control. This includes the driver most of all, so this is the first one to go when narrowing down the clubs to a half set. Narrowing down your club set to just the most necessary clubs will give you quite a few benefits. It will make it easier to choose the right club when you go to make your stroke, and it will mean a lighter load to carry around all over the golf course.

Golf is one of the most widely played sports in the world, and is enjoyed by millions. It allows you to get outside and get some fresh air and sun, while playing a game that requires lots of skill and prowess. When you start golfing, you will need some clubs to bring along with you. There are 14 clubs in a true set, but to start off with you only need about half of these. There are three main types of clubs, and these are irons, woods, and putters. By buying the right combination of these, you can be set for an entire game. However, to call them &’cheap&’ would be an utter lie. Golf clubs are very expensive. If you are not sure whether you are going to stick with the sport or not, it is probably a good idea to start with used golf clubs or otherwise cheap golf clubs.

Imagine all of the more hardcore golfers, and what their new equipment looks like. They probably replaced some perfectly good clubs just a few months ago in order to get the new and the best clubs. Few people really need this level of commitment to buying the new golf clubs all of the time, so you don&’t need to hold yourself to the same standards that they do. Instead, you can take advantage of their constant turnover rate of golf clubs. Just talk to one of these hardcore golfers, and find out about their old golf clubs. You may find out that they have dozens of old golf club sets stored away in their garage. You can either ask to borrow them for a long period of time, or simply buy them. You may find that they are happy to let you have the old golf clubs.

If you aren&’t fortunate enough to have this kind of contact, you can look in other venues for used golf clubs. Many golf club stores stock used clubs in their inventory at a highly discounted rate. However, oftentimes this is more expensive than the other choices. Look on eBay to find out the selling rates for the used golf clubs that you are wanting to buy. You may also be able to find golf clubs at yard sales, in classifieds listings, or on web sites like CraigsList.com. It is best to check all of these places before you buy golf clubs. You may find it one place for hundreds of dollars cheaper than it is at the other place.

Golf can be very hard on golf clubs, especially if you are a beginner with a penchant for smacking the ground with your club. If you buy new clubs and abuse them so thoroughly, you will likely be kicking yourself wishing that you hadn&’t spent so much money on them. This is another reason why it is good to stick with used clubs. When you break them, scuff them, or lose them, you won&’t feel too bad about it. You will find that many seasoned golf veterans are huge advocates of purchasing used clubs. If you buy used clubs rather than new clubs, you will likely have a much happier experience overall. Just be sure to buy your used golf clubs from somewhere that you can trust.

A golf teacher can give you tips and advice that you may need once you begin playing golf on a regular basis. You will learn everything from basic swing techniques to gauging the weather conditions on the course. In addition to paying for golf lessons, there are also instructional videos that provide excellent instruction about the basics of golf. You will learn from professional golfers and instructors in the comfort of your own home. Once you learn these techniques, you can try them out at the driving range or your local golf course. Replay certain positions and stances until you are sure you can mimic them. While this form of instruction is not as good as hiring an instructor, you will still learn a lot of valuable information.

Golf magazines and books are another way to learn how to play better golf. Through articles and tips, you will receive golf training each month. You can take the magazines with you to the driving range and practice. This is a good way to also learn about the latest equipment and accessories you may need to enhance your game.

Even those who play golf on a professional level have to practice often in order to retain their skills. The same applies to other golfers as well. Be prepared to spend a few hours a week in the beginning learning the basics of golf. Afterwards you should spend time perfecting your skills and developing your style. For many people, playing a round of golf each week is enough to keep their skills sharp. It will be up to you to determine how often you will need to practice and when the most convenient times to hit the golf course.

*The kind your best friend, who happens to be a great putter… unless of course you have had a chance to actually putt with it and you truly do like it.

*The one that looks nice or is the latest fad putter.

*The one the tour pro endorses

This is one of the most important considerations when choosing a putter; avoid all three of the above methods of choosing!

Putters have specifications and characteristics that can effect your putting in good or bad ways. Here are the qualities you need to look for:

*Shaft length and lie angel (the angle the shaft comes out of the head of the club) must fit you in three ways

*It must allow you to address the ball with your eyes directly over the target line while your hands are under your shoulders.

*If must be long enough so you are completely comfortable in your shoulders, legs or back when practicing for long periods of time and don&’t experience unusual fatigue.

*You should choose a design that will help eliminate your most common mistakes.

To find out what these are put a piece of impact tape on the putter you now use and stroke 30 putts, if your marks are mostly near the heel you want a heel-shaft putter (the shaft enters the heel of the putter).

If you tend to strike towards the head, you want a center shafted putter.

*If you want alignment aids on your clubs, get them, they are legal and anything that helps your stroke is encouraged.

*Find a putter with a light club head, try a few strokes with it, then tape a couple of dimes to the back of the head, does it feel better or worse to put with the added weight.

*Grip size and shape are important factors; the grip needs to be small enough for you to be able to control easily, but big enough so your fingers don&’t overlap uncomfortably.

In fact, the putter is the only club allowed to have a flat top on the grip. This allows for more consistent grip each time you use it.

Putting is such a &’feel&’ part of the game, so the putter you eventually choose will be the putter that best fits your eye and works best for you. So, take your time and try out several makes and models before you make your final decision.

* Polarization – The most important factor in choosing the best golf sunglasses for you should be how much of the suns harmful UV rays they block. Ideally the best golf sunglasses will block out 100% of the UV rays without limiting your vision. Most manufactures will rate how much UV rays they block with a nanometer chart. The higher the nanometer rating the better.

* Weight- The second most crucial factor in choosing the best golf sunglasses is the weight. Having a bulky pair of golf sunglasses can shift too much or even fall off when swinging a club, completely distracting your focus. These days there is an abundance of golf sunglasses made out of technologically advanced lightweight materials. The best golf sunglasses should be so light you barely notice them on your face.

* Style- This factor may be at the top of the list for some in choosing the best golf sunglasses for them. After all, impressing the drink cart girls with your sense of style is pretty important. Some guys can pull off just about any look, but when shopping for the best golf sunglasses you should try a lot of different models on to make sure you don&’t choose a style that doesn&’t work for you. In finding the best golf sunglasses you will want to find which frame type and lens shape fits your face the best.

* Price &’ Although some golfers spend enough money to feed a small village on golf gear, obtaining the best golf sunglasses for you doesn&’t have to break the bank. Surprisingly, some of the best golf sunglasses we&’ve come across are some of the most economically priced.

* Where to buy- Typically golfing sunglasses can be overpriced at country club supply shops.

The best answer to this very important question is for you to do your homework. Before you invest in any golf equipment you need to find out what all of your options are. That means research. Check into the different brand names that are out there to see if they are actually worth the extra cash. Some of the brands are all about hype and their golf equipment is no better than the equipment sold for a fraction of the price. Find out what expensive items are just about the name and which pieces of golf equipment are actually worth what they are charging you for them. This is essential to choosing the right golf equipment for you and your golf game.

You need to do some talking to others who play golf as well. Talk to those who have no bias for or against certain companies. Ask them what they use for their golf equipment and why. What brands do they hate with a passion and which do they really like? Write everything down so that you can try to come to some sort of general understanding about the different brands of golf equipment out there.

The internet is a powerful tool when you are looking to buy some new golf equipment. You can find hundreds of reviews that can make all of the difference when you are buying your new golf equipment. This is a great way to find out any of the major flaws in certain things that you know you will not be able to live with when you are playing golf.

Shopping online for your golf equipment is great not only because you can find out so many things about each kind of golf equipment but also because you will be able to find the best prices as well. You can get the lowest possible prices on all your golf equipment if you shop online. By comparison shopping you can get your golf equipment for a fraction of the price you would pay at your local golf store. And you can compare the prices at hundreds of different stores all in a matter of minutes. When was the last time you could do that in person? Probably never right? Just think of all the money you will save on gas alone when shopping for your golf equipment this way. And the time, you could be brushing up on your swing at the club with all that time!

Always check out the golf equipment online before you make any expensive purchases.

When you are playing a game of golf, one of the ways that you can ensure good performance is to have a good discretion when it comes to picking out the right golf club. In any given situation, you are faced with 14 different choices. The trick to being an expert golfer is being able to spot these situations when they come up, and decide which club to use from there. This is how you begin to truly improve your game, since each club has a very specific hitting ability. There are many different factors to observe when picking a golf club. Here are the main ones, and how you can analyze them to choose a golf club.

The distance between you and the target is the biggest factor in choosing the club. Since you can pretty much line them all up from the least to the greatest hitting power, you will be able to choose one that is in the correct range. Irons and Wedges are usually best if you are closer. They don&’t have as much hitting power as the long-range clubs, but they have the higher accuracy that you will need to hone in on your target. However, if you are still close to the beginning of the course (perhaps in the par-six or par-five zones), you will want to pick the long-range clubs. These include the Fairway woods, or the driver. These will allow you to really put your muscle into the swing and hit the ball a long way.

The wind is something that the real expert golfers really take into account, although often its importance is lost on the newer golfers. If the wind is blowing particularly hard in the direction that you wish to hit the ball, you can drop down to a less powerful club in order to allow the wind to pick up the slack. The same goes if the wind is coming forcefully towards you, in the opposite direction of your target. You will have to hit the ball extra hard in order to make up for the undesirable wind conditions, so choose a club that reflects this change. Usually it can be very hard for a beginner to determine how the wind strength and direction will affect their shot, so don&’t worry if the concept is lost on you at first. It just takes experience to start to make the connections.

Besides the horizontal distance between you and the target, you also need to consider the vertical distance. Hitting to a plane that is higher than your current one requires more club power, which means that you should probably switch to the club that is one rank above the one you would have chosen. The same goes if the ground is lower. If you use a regular club to hit to a target that is 10 feet lower than you, chances are you are going to overshoot it. By using a smaller club according to the change in elevation, you will avoid quite a few lakes and sand traps. Always plan out your shot thoroughly, and consider all of the elevations and the general shape of the golf course.

The surface of the golf course is the final thing that you want to consider, and is probably the easiest. If you are in difficult terrain, your top priority is not necessarily to get the ball to the hole, but rather just to get onto better terrain that will allow a better shot. Therefore you shouldn&’t try to choose the more powerful clubs. Instead, stick with the smaller ones and get yourself back into the game as best as you can. High loft irons are good for this purpose, instead of drivers or fairway woods. It may be difficult to remember all of these factors at first, but as you get more involved with golfing you will become very familiar with them.