Golf Equipment
In the world of golf, there are countless options regarding what type of equipment you can buy. There is variation between clubs, tees, balls, and clothes. In the end, it really comes down to the golfer. To begin, a golfer obviously needs some clubs and balls. When looking for clubs, they often times can be overpriced and out of your budget. However, there are plenty of options to avoid buying such expensive clubs. Every golfer needs a driver, a set of irons, a couple wedges, and a putter. Along with clubs, balls can be bought for cheap as well. Of course, with all items the more you spend the better quality they will be. As a beginner, it is a smart option to spend less money before really diving into the sport. Golf clothes come in different styles and colors and are up to the golfer to pick. Typically when playing golf, it is required to where a shirt with a collar and khaki pants or shorts. Look good, play good!
Clubs
Clubs can be bought for cheap at places such as thrift stores or used clubs websites. Ask people you know if they have clubs they are giving away to save some money! A solid place to look for clubs is the website Rock Bottom Golf. Using cheaper clubs to start is the way to go, then when you know you are going to continue to play or you have gotten better, you can buy newer, more expensive clubs. So what clubs do you really need to buy and why?
A driver is the club you will use to tee off on par 4s and par 5s. It is the longest club in your bag, meaning it goes the farthest distance. When hitting a driver, the ball is usually teed up on the tee box allowing the ball to travel further and making it easier to hit. Remember, you can only use a tee on the tee box. When buying a driver, it is important to look at the details such as the driver shaft. There are four different shaft options: stiff, regular, senior, or ladies. The correct shaft depends on how hard you swing. In order to find out which shaft is right for you, you can visit your local golf store and they will most likely allow you to try out different shafts. A driver can be bought for various different prices with the average being around $350.
A wood, or a fairway wood is kind of like a small driver in a way. This club is designed to be hit off the ground when you have a long approach shot to a green. When buying woods, you will see different variations such as a 3-wood, 4-wood, and 5-wood. The 3-wood is most likely the club you should buy because the 4 and 5 wood are designed similar to a 4 and 5 iron, except they most likely go slightly further. The average price for a 3-wood is around $200 with exceptions of course. Always look for clubs that were released a couple years ago to see if you can find a discount!
Irons are another crucial element to your golf game. They come in sets ranging from 4 iron up to pitching wedge. Irons are used to hit approach shots after hitting a driver or they are used on par 3s. They are designed to be hit off of the ground. Each club has a different loft and goes a different distance. As a beginner, it can be a good idea to look for a set that includes hybrids for the longer irons. Hybrids are a combination of a wood and an iron and they are often found to be easier to hit than a 4 or 5 iron. To save money, you can buy half a set of irons such as a 5 iron, 7 iron, 9 iron, and a wedge, which will of course cost half the price. The average price for a set of irons goes for about $350.
Wedges are not necessarily an essential buy, but are very useful down the road. A wedge varies depending on loft. The types of wedges are of course the pitching wedge which comes with a set of irons, sand wedge, gap wedge, and lob wedge. These clubs are often times used in scenarios where you are closer to the green and simply need to chip up onto the green. Having at least one of these 4 options is a good idea to enhance your golf game. The average price for a single wedge would be around $100.
The putter is another essential item that needs to be bought to golf. Putters are offered in numerous shapes and sizes and really depends on user preference. Simply pick the model that you feel most confident with. The average price for a golf putter is anywhere between $150 and $300.
Golf Balls and Bags
So you've bought your clubs, but now you need something to put them in and something to hit with them! There are several types of golf bags and golf balls to work with that can be found for cheap. The golf ball is another thing that is purely preference based. The type of golf ball you are hitting may not matter to you. This means that you can buy golf balls for as cheap as $15. Golf balls that of higher quality such as Titleist, Callaway, and Taylormade cost more, but are said to have better performance. As a beginner, the most important rule for buying golf balls is quantity over quality because you will be losing balls as much as you don't want to.
Golf Clothes and Other Equipment
Along with golf balls and golf bags are golf clothes and other golf gadgets that can be used on the course. Finding golf clothes is a very easy thing to do. Often times people will donate them to thrift stores or even be giving them away for free. You can also search online or at your local golf shop to find apparel. When talking about apparrel, this of course means polos, golf short (khaki type material) or hats. The possiblities are endless and are purely up to the golfer. When talking about golf gadgets, this means anything such as range finders which allow the golfer to know their range from their ball to the green or things like ball markers and driver head covers. These are all just accessories and are not essential items for playing golf. A coin could be used for a ball marker and a sock can be used as a head cover. Get creative!