Learning to play golf properly takes time and patience. Rather like learning to play the piano, where the correct fingering is important to complete a piece without mistakes, understanding how to grip the club correctly and stand in the right way enables a golfer to start hitting straight shots down the fairway. These departments of the game are often referred to as the basic fundamentals.
Even with a good swing however if a golfer is using the wrong clubs, tantamount to using a piano out of tune, the progress a golfer makes can be severely jeopardised. Follow these tips for buying the right clubs from John Kennedy, one of Europe’s top PGA teachers.
Golf Club Grips for a Beginner
John Kennedy is the head teaching professional at Wexham Park Golf Club, one of the busiest golf clubs in the country for beginners. Having taught literally thousands of golfers to play these are his tips for buying the right golf clubs for beginners at the best price.
- A good golf grip is vital for a beginner. Avoid second hand clubs with slippery grips as it is important to get the hands working correctly. A grip that is slippery will inhibit free hand action.
- Try to buy clubs which have a pattern on the grip to help the golfer place the hands on the club consistently.
- Avoid buying grips that are too thin or thick. Make sure that the grip size reflects the hand size of the golfer.
The Right Shaft to Suit a Swing
- The shaft of a club is a major factor in the clubs overall weight. Nearly all ladies clubs are made with graphite shafts to help add club head speed.
- A man who works manually and who has strong hands and arms might well be better off with steel shafts. Metal shafts add weight to the club and help slow down the swing to aid ‘timing’.
The length of the shaft is also important. When a golfer buys their second set after playing for a few years, they may well experiment with customised clubs built specifically to help straighten ball flight. But one of the most important aspects for a starter set is shaft length. Use a golf club that is too long or short and posture at stance will be adversely affected.
Golf Club Iron Head Design
When a golfer starts to play the game it is sensible to have a course of lessons. The pro will undoubtedly try to teach an orthodox swing which will suit a set of clubs that is neutrally balanced.
Later on, when their swing has developed characteristics, the second set a golfer buys may need fine tuning with more weight on the toe or heel, which will help straighten poor shots. The first set however should be a neutrally balanced set which will help build an orthodox swing.
How to Choose the Best Driver and Fairway Clubs
By far the most important part of choosing a driver for a beginner is the loft of the club. Too little loft can cause a golfer to try to help the ball into the air which is wrong. Make sure that the fairway three or five woods, and particularly the driver, have plenty of loft. As a guide line a beginner should not buy any driver with less than 10.5 degrees. The loft of the driver is always written on the club.
Lessons for Beginners
There is no substitute for having a course of lessons from a PGA professional when beginning golf, especially if the pro is used to teaching beginners. Not only will a PGA pro be able to help with suggesting the right clubs but they can help encourage good habits from day one.
However, if a golfer wants to buy clubs and have a go first the best bet is to buy clubs or what are often called 'Package Sets' from an online golf shop that specialises in helping beginners. This means a shop that is associated with a busy driving range which has a reputation for teaching and stocking inexpensive equipment for the golf starter.
John Hoskison - John is a class 'A' member of the British PGA and author of the acclaimed book 'Inside - One Man's Experience of Prison'.
