3 Tips for Buying Golf Clubs for Beginners

You have decided to take up the great game of golf...congratulations! What is your next step?

Finding a qualified instructor to teach you swing basics, to guide you in your search for the best beginner golf clubs and to help you along the journey to a better game.

Selecting the best golf clubs for beginners should be as fun and educational as learning the game itself. It is important to choose clubs that will not only be stylish but functional and which will take you through the first learning curve and onto the next level.

In this article, Golf for Beginners offers you three tips for choosing the best golf clubs for beginners.

1. Set vs Individual Golf Clubs? A beginner to the sport may opt to select irons, woods and a putter separate from each other or select a set - since you don't know whether or not you will stick with the game and how much your swing will change while embarking on the first leg of your journey, it might be wise to settle on a set of golf clubs, complete with the basics.

Most sets will include a golf bag, putter, a driver, a few woods, irons, etc., generally a mixed bag. The key is to know what is in that mixed bag before you purchase it.

2. What should be included in a set of beginner golf clubs? PGA Tour golfer Joey Sindelar suggests that an essential set of golf clubs for beginners include, "a half set or a two-thirds set, starting with 3, 5, 7, and 9-irons and 3 and 5-wood clubs," driver and putter. His reasoning?

"If you’re not swinging hard enough you won’t even know the difference between a five, six, seven iron — there’s not enough of a gap there."

In his Golfweek article, Bill Herrfeldt suggests you skip the driver as beginners might find this golf club difficult to hit.

3. What should you look for when choosing beginner golf clubs? 

• Value - if buying a new set, consider last year's model.
• Larger sweet spot - easier to connect with the golf ball
• Graphite golf shafts (for slower swing speeds) over steel

Although it is always a good idea to try before you buy, in the case of a beginner golfer selecting a new set of golf clubs, this might not work so you might want to ask your teaching pro or local golf shop owner/manager if he or she has any suggestions to get you started.

NOTE: This list was created to get the conversation started and is a good guideline but there is no substitution for meeting with a qualified professional to discuss your needs.

4 Reasons Why Walking the Golf Course is Better Than Cart Path Only

After a soaking rain, many golf courses issue a "cart path only" notice, which means players must keep their carts off of the grass so they don't destroy the grounds.

Barring any physical ailments which would hinder a nice walk in the park or hilly terrain which would need a billy goat in order to scale, there are reasons to choose walking over a golf cart ride.

If given the option to walk or ride, which should you choose?

Editor: For some courses, there is no option to walk but there are golf courses which are an easy walk.

Related: Should You Buy a Golf Cart?

The next time the golf shop issues a "cart path only" notice, consider this:

1. SPEED OF PLAY: You actually play faster when you walk - on your wayward shots you usually don't lose your ball because you are walking straight to it.

2. VISUAL ASSESSMENT: As you walk, you feel the wind and see the angle of your next shot so you can choose the appropriate golf club to get your ball to its next placement or on to the green.

3. YOU ARE WALKING ANYWAY! Cart path only forces you to walk to a golf ball which could be on the other side of the fairway. You also may have to carry several golf clubs to your ball in order to determine the correct distance...and... don't forget to take a towel so you can lay all of those clubs down in the very soggy grass (you don't want to get those grips wet!) 

Try walking instead...by the time you get to your ball all you need to do is address and hit your shot which saves time and effort.

4. EXERCISE: Pushing a hand cart burns calories as does a good walk in the park. Our smartphone fitness gizmo says that, after nine holes, we walked about 8,000 steps!

NPR.com health news confirmed, "The World Golf Foundation estimates that golfers who walk an 18-hole course clock about 5 miles and burn up to 2,000 calories.

The game is meant to be walked...young Tom Morris probably would never have considered riding to his next shot. 

If you are not ready for eighteen holes, why not start with nine?

Share your thoughts in the comments section of this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

NOTE: Golf for Beginners blog and the author state that, whether or not you have a physical limitation, you should check with your doctor before walking or playing any sport.