How to Buy Golf Clubs

Lesson begins with the required hardware. For golfing, the hardware used are the golf clubs. At first sight, they look alike. But on a closer look at the clubs, one learns how different they are. The amount of precision the game needs can be delivered only with the right club in hand.

There are several brands available in the market, only the vital stats of the clubs should matter to achieve desired results. Otherwise, you can select your favorite brand and then pay attention to the details.

The basic golf club types are:

Woods: Woods are the long distance golf clubs. The ones that can help you strike the ball far, far away towards the hole. These clubs generally have a large head and a long shaft. Earlier, these clubs used to be made of wood (hence the name), but now they have a graphite shaft and a titanium, composite, or steel head.

Irons: Irons are golf clubs with a shorter shaft and a flat-angled face than a wood. They are designed for shots approaching difficult ground sections, like the rough, through or over trees, hazards, or the base of hills. They get their name because they were originally made from cast iron.

Hybrids: Hybrids are a mixture of wood and iron. This gives these clubs the wood's long distance as well as the iron's swing. A hybrid can take place of an iron because it is easier to hit. These clubs are often referred to as 'Rescues', as the 'TaylorMade Rescue' was the first one, made with this design.

Putters: Putters are a special class of clubs with a maximum of a 10-degree loft. The obvious exception being chippers. Putters were designed primarily to roll the ball along the grass, generally from a point on the putting green towards the cup. As many may not know, putters do have a 5-degree loft from a perpendicular impact. This helps to lift the ball from any indentation it has made.

The anatomy of a golf club has the following parts:

Shaft:The shaft is a tapered tube made of, usually, steel or carbon fiber composite (graphite). The shaft is around 0.5 inches (13 mm) in diameter near the grip, and between 35 and 48 inches (89 and 122 cm) in length. Shafts weigh around 45 - 150 grams (1.6 - 5.3 oz), depending on the material and length.

Grip: According to the Rules of Golf, 'all club grips, with the exception of the putter, must have a circular cross-section. The putter may have any cross-section that is symmetrical along the length of the grip on at least one plane.

Grips may taper from thick to thin along their length (and virtually all do), but are not allowed to have any waste or bulges. Minor variations in surface texture are not counted unless significant.'

Hosel: The hosel is the part of the golf head to which the shaft is attached. The hosel is imperative for the right balance, feel, and power of a club.

Clubhead: The 2009 USGA rules of the game, page 135 states, 'The clubhead must have only one striking face, except that a putter may have two such faces; if their characteristics are the same, and they are opposite each other.'

The USGA rules of golf, page 127 states, 'A putter is a club with a loft not exceeding ten degrees designed primarily for use on the putting green.'

Ferrule: The ferrule is the decorative trim ring. It is usually black and may have additional trim colors. It is found on top of the hosel on many woods and irons.

Expect too many intricacies in just selecting the gear. This is golf, never subsists on low-maintenance. These are simple guide essential to be kept in mind when buying golf clubs.