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