I remember the first time I went to a golf driving range. I was with a client who loved golf, but I didn’t know a thing about it. It was embarrassing how I didn’t even know which golf club to use! To most people who are new to the sport, it can seem very complicated. It has many rules, you have to use different clubs and to make matters worse, there are jargons which do not seem to make any sense to the uninitiated – bogeys, birdies, bumps and runs, etc.
So before you feel overwhelmed and turn your back on golf entirely, let’s talk about basic equipment – golf clubs and golf balls.
Golf Clubs
1. You don’t need a lot of clubs. While you can carry up to 14 clubs in your golf bag, you actually only need to bring a few. You need a driver, a sand wedge, a putter, a 6 and 8 iron, and a pitching wedge.
2. Test the clubs before buying. If you want to buy clubs, you need to try them out first and choose one which offers ease of control.
3. Go for woods that offer more loft as this will make it easier for you to get the ball straight in the air. Pick drivers with at least 10 degrees of loft. For woods go with a minimum of 17 degrees.
4. Choose beginner level clubs as they are easier to hit. Irons with wider soles will prevent the likelihood of the club to stick in the ground. Also, these irons’ center of gravity will be lower giving you a better chance of higher trajectory.
Golf Ball
Buy golf balls based on how many balls you tend to lose in a single round. If you’re new to golf, go for balls that cost no more than $20 per dozen. When you get better at your game and lose less balls a round, then you can upgrade to slightly more expensive ones that cost less than $30 per dozen. If you lose less than a sleeve/round then that’s a good time to purchase $40/dozen balls.
Getting Started with Golf
Let me share with you a secret – the hardest part about the sport is getting started. You have to start golf for the right reasons – is it because you want to have something enjoyable to do on weekends at the Vintage Club? Do you want to learn the sport to impress your boss or a new client? How much time and money can you invest in golf? There’s a big difference between just wanting to play golf to spend a few hours with people you want to impress and being a serious player.
Once you’ve figured it out then you can take some golf lessons – you want to start on the right track after all, instead of wasting time figuring out which club to use!