If you’re just beginning to play golf, keep in mind that you may discover that this
game is not for you. So you should start out with rental clubs at a driving range.
Most driving ranges have rental clubs. Go out and hit balls with these clubs. If
you still want to play golf after hitting a few balls, then buy your own clubs.

Try this on for size
Today, club fitting is big business. Tour pros and average amateur golfers
have access to the same club fitting technology and information. It’s impor-
tant for all golfers — male and female — to use the right equipment for their
body types and physical conditions. For instance, many manufacturers of golf
clubs specialize in creating clubs for women that have softer shafts, which
are lighter and more flexible.
Here are some factors every golfer should consider:
The grip: Determine how thick the grip on your clubs should be. Grips
that are too thin encourage too much hand action in your swing; grips
that are too thick restrict your hands too much. Generally, the proper-
sized grip should allow the middle and ring fingers on your left hand to
barely touch the pad of your thumb when you hold the club. If your fin-
gers don’t touch your thumb, the grip is too big; if your fingers dig into
the pad, the grip is too thin.

The shaft: Consider your height, build, and strength when you choose a
club. If you’re really tall, you need longer (and probably stiffer) shafts.
What does your swing sound like? If your swing makes a loud swish
noise and the shaft is bending like a long cast from a fly-fishing rod at
the top of your swing, you need a very strong shaft. If your swing makes
no noise and you could hang laundry on your shaft at the top of your
swing, you need a regular shaft. Anybody in between needs a medium-
stiff to stiff shaft.

Loft: Then there’s your typical ball flight. If you slice, for example, you can
get clubs with less loft — or perhaps offset heads — to help alleviate that
common problem. For more information about slicing, see Chapter 11.
The clubhead: Consider the size of the clubhead. Today, you can get
standard, midsize, and oversize heads on your clubs. I recommend you
use bigger clubheads for your early days of playing golf. Bigger club-
heads are more forgiving and can help psychologically, too. With some
of today’s jumbo clubheads, your swing thought may well be, “With this
thing, how could I miss?”

The irons: Advanced players choose irons that are perfectly suited to
their swings. Forged, muscle-backed irons are for good players who hit
the ball on the clubface precisely. Cavity-backed irons are for players
who hit the ball all over the clubface.
The bigger the clubface, the more room for error — hence the bigger-
headed metal woods that are popular today for all you wild swingers out
there.