How To Buy Golf Clubs

By Author: Dave Jennings
Total Articles: 159
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There are millions of golfers around the world and in the future there are sure to be more. Golf is already a major sport, but with its inclusion to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the sport of golf is about to be catapulted onto a bigger world stage than ever. Whether you are just taking up the game or have been a long time player, there are a few things you should think about when buying golf clubs.

Shafts

Whether buying a driver or a set of irons, the most important thing you have to consider is the shaft of the club. If the head of the club is like the body of a car, the shaft is the engine that powers it. Today, modern shafts are made of steel or graphite. Steel shafts are heavier and used primarily in irons and wedges. To many players, steel shafts offer more control and feedback needed for approach shots into the green. Graphite shafts, on the other hand, are lighter, allowing you to swing the club faster, generating longer distances with your clubs. Once you have decided on steel or graphite shafts for your clubs, the most important characteristic of the shaft is its flex. During the golf ...
... swing, the shaft flexes and bends as centrifugal force builds up. At impact, this force is unleashed upon the golf ball, sending it on its way. The flex of the shaft that you need depends on your swing speed. Aggressive swingers that have a high swing speed need a stiffer shaft that those who swing more slowly. Having the right shaft can make a tremendous difference in the accuracy and distance of your shot. If you are playing a shaft that is too stiff, it will generally cause you to hit the ball a shorter distance and cause you to slice the ball. The ball will slice because the shaft is not flexing at the right time, leaving the face of the club open. If your shaft is not stiff enough, your distance may be good, but your accuracy will suffer. In general, the club face will close too quickly, creating a low hook. There are other characteristics concerning shafts that can come into play such as kick point and torque, but most amateurs do not have to concern themselves with these factors when learning how to buy a golf club.

Shaft lengths are also important. The longer the club, the longer you can hit a golf ball. It may seem like a good idea to play the longest shafts that you can to get the maximum distance, but extra length comes at the cost of decreased accuracy and feel. Shaft lengths are determined by your height and wrist to floor distance.

Buying a Driver

Drivers are without a doubt the sexiest club in the bag. Everyone loves the satisfaction of cracking a long and high drive down the fairway. When you are shopping for a driver, most modern drivers are 460cc in size. The large size head helps to increase the moment of inertia (MOI) of the club, which is a measure of its resistance to twisting at the time of impact. When buying a new driver, you should make sure to test it on a launch monitor to be sure you're getting optimal numbers for your ball's trajectory and flight. Experiment with different lofts and shaft combinations till you find one that works well for you. Three numbers you should look for on your launch monitor session are total distance, launch angle, and spin rate. An ideal launch angle is between 14 and 15 degrees, while an ideal spin rate is between 2200-2500 RPM.

There are millions of golfers around the world and in the future there are sure to be more. Golf is already a major sport, but with its inclusion to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the sport of golf is about to be catapulted onto a bigger world stage than ever. Whether you are just taking up the game or have been a long time player, there are a few things you should think about when buying golf clubs.

Shafts

Whether buying a driver or a set of irons, the most important thing you have to consider is the shaft of the club. If the head of the club is like the body of a car, the shaft is the engine that powers it. Today, modern shafts are made of steel or graphite. Steel shafts are heavier and used primarily in irons and wedges. To many players, steel shafts offer more control and feedback needed for approach shots into the green. Graphite shafts, on the other hand, are lighter, allowing you to swing the club faster, generating longer distances with your clubs. Once you have decided on steel or graphite shafts for your clubs, the most important characteristic of the shaft is its flex. During the golf swing, the shaft flexes and bends as centrifugal force builds up. At impact, this force is unleashed upon the golf ball, sending it on its way. The flex of the shaft that you need depends on your swing speed. Aggressive swingers that have a high swing speed need a stiffer shaft that those who swing more slowly. Having the right shaft can make a tremendous difference in the accuracy and distance of your shot. If you are playing a shaft that is too stiff, it will generally cause you to hit the ball a shorter distance and cause you to slice the ball. The ball will slice because the shaft is not flexing at the right time, leaving the face of the club open. If your shaft is not stiff enough, your distance may be good, but your accuracy will suffer. In general, the club face will close too quickly, creating a low hook. There are other characteristics concerning shafts that can come into play such as kick point and torque, but most amateurs do not have to concern themselves with these factors when learning how to buy a golf club.

Shaft lengths are also important. The longer the club, the longer you can hit a golf ball. It may seem like a good idea to play the longest shafts that you can to get the maximum distance, but extra length comes at the cost of decreased accuracy and feel. Shaft lengths are determined by your height and wrist to floor distance.

Buying a Driver

Drivers are without a doubt the sexiest club in the bag. Everyone loves the satisfaction of cracking a long and high drive down the fairway. When you are shopping for a driver, most modern drivers are 460cc in size. The large size head helps to increase the moment of inertia (MOI) of the club, which is a measure of its resistance to twisting at the time of impact. When buying a new driver, you should make sure to test it on a launch monitor to be sure you're getting optimal numbers for your ball's trajectory and flight. Experiment with different lofts and shaft combinations till you find one that works well for you. Three numbers you should look for on your launch monitor session are total distance, launch angle, and spin rate. An ideal launch angle is between 14 and 15 degrees, while an ideal spin rate is between 2200-2500 RPM.

Buying Irons

When researching how to choose a golf club, you may have come across the terms "forged" and "cast" when looking at irons. The two terms describe the manufacturing process of the heads. Cast irons are made out of molten metal that is poured into molds. Forged irons are created from solid pieces of metal that are pounded with great pressure into shape. Forged irons are more expensive that cast irons, but feel softer at impact, a quality that many players appreciate.

Many people confuse forged irons with muscle back blades, using the terms interchangeably. Forged describes the manufacturing process, while blades refer to the shape of the head. Blades are thin faced irons where the weight of the club is focused at the back of the center of the face. These are preferred by expert players as they can allow advanced players to play different shot shapes and trajectories easily. Perimeter weighted irons have their weight distributed around the edges of the face of the iron, creating an iron that is more forgiving of off center hits. If hit off the sweet spot, you will not lose as much distance or accuracy as you would with a blade. Both blades and perimeter weighted clubs are available in forged and cast models depending on the manufacturer.

Getting Fitted

When buying any club, it's always a good idea to get fitted for your club by a professional club fitter. These individuals can be found in golf stores or at most golf courses and can use their experience and expertise to help you to select the right club for your physical characteristics. In a club fitting, the fitter will take several measurements such as your height and wrist to floor distance. This will help him to determine the length of your shafts. Next, you will be asked to hit several balls off of a piece of material called a lie board. The lie board is designed to detect the lie angle of your club, which is the angle that the club head makes with the ground. Having the proper lie angle is important to your accuracy. Finally, you will be asked to hit several balls on a launch monitor to determine your swing speed, which the fitter will use to select the proper shaft.

Golfclubguide.net is designed to provide you with the information on how to choose a golf club to make your golfing experience easier and more enjoyable. We also want to make you understand the best way on how to buy a golf club by making choices based on hitting various clubs and selecting the style that best fits your game.
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