Here is some advice on picking out some golf clubs/balls for a prospective golfer from a guy who knows about golf and isn’t trying to sell you anything.
Being a kid of the ‘90s, I grew up being bored while my dad watched Tiger Woods rise to golf dominance. I had no idea what this young man was doing in corridors of green chasing around a little white pill, but my dad enjoyed it. I couldn’t care less. It didn’t take long for my dad to want to share his love of the game with me, so he had my mom pick up some clubs for a garage sale, and we went to work in the backyard. We were living on an acre, with a public field behind us that we could send balls down. It took several years for me to be able to hit it to the edge of our property. By the time I was a freshman, I wasn’t allowed to hit more than a 9-iron because the ball would be finding its new home in the woods.
Kim, being the oldest, started playing golf 2 years before I did. My parents got her a set of woman’s clubs, a matching set of Wilson’s. Something similar to this. It has been over 20 years now, and she still has the same clubs. When I became old enough to join the golf team, my dad took me to get fitted for a set of clubs. I must have hit a dozen different clubs trying to find some that felt right. Each club felt a little different. Some felt like hitting a rock. Some sounded like they were made out of tin. Some were too heavy. Some too light. Honestly, it was very much like goldilocks. I ended up with a nice set though that I still enjoy. I got really into golf. I changed up my swing over the years, learned about different types of clubs, and eventually I realized some of my clubs were not the best for me. My junior year, I did the research, saved my money, and bought myself some new wedges, a driver, and fairway woods. Since then, I have had all the same clubs, except a putter that I was gifted a few years ago after my old putter’s head fell off. Definitely not a normal thing and weirdly, I didn’t cause it from abuse.
I tell all of this to give my background. When my dad got me my nice set of clubs, I didn’t know what I was looking for, and I didn’t fully appreciate them. I am thankful for them now because I got into golf. If I hadn’t, the clubs would have been “wasted” on me. Clubs are an investment. If taken care of, they can last a lifetime. It takes tens of thousands of hits in the same spot to wear out the sweet spot in a club. My favorite 60-degree wedge is getting close, but I enjoy and trust it too much to replace it anytime soon.
When it comes to getting yourself or your kid a set of clubs, here are some things to consider:
Are you a golfing family? My dad enjoyed golfing and wanted his kids to do a sport that we could do together for the rest of our lives. Many people aren’t golfers. If you are not going to be playing with your kid in the future during the summers after high school, then clubs don’t have to last a lifetime. A cheaper set will do.
Do they know how to golf? Starting out, a person can’t tell the difference between a $5 club and a $500 club. A playing can grow to like anything you get them. There is a real difference between a $5 and $500 club. If you are going to spend real money on a club, it should be for a reason. It should be to fix a problem like switch from cavity back iron to blades in order to be able to work the ball from left-to-right or right-to-left better. Most players, and pros, will play with cheaper cavity backs and hybrids because they are easier to hit straight more consistently. Until a young player is consistently breaking 100 on 18, they probably can’t tell the difference between any club.
Most young people who are playing high school golf are not good enough to need specialized clubs. From a coach perspective, I would love to have a team of players who are breaking 80 and fitted clubs would help them perform better. Golf is a game that is played mainly in the head though. The score reflects the player way more than the clubs. Giving Tiger a set of $300 Top Flight clubs and balls, he would still score in the 70’s. The fitted clubs just give him a little more edge, which when each stroke in the tournament is worth $100,000’s to the player, a little edge can go a long ways.
So, if your kid is just starting out, a kid set of clubs like this would totally work. For a taller, male student, this set would also work. For ladies, their clubs are different so something like this would be great. Also, don’t be afraid to look second hand at like goodwill or garage sales because you can find some steal there or even borrowing them from a family member. Each player will need their own set to compete though.
When it comes to golf balls, price really matters. A new player will play worse with a more expensive ball. It will spin too much for them and cause a poor hit to go from bad to worse. These are my currently favorite to play with. Theseand these would also work for any new player. Until a player is swinging over 100 MPH and scoring in the 90’s, they should not be looking to spend more on balls than this. It is really terrible to get a 2-stroke penalty for a lost ball, especially when that ball costs $4 instead of $1.
I forgot about this site. I used to get all of my gear from here. Here is a pair of water-resistant golf pants that are on sale right now for cheap. We play rain or shine, so this is very handy to keep in your bag.
This is a game that I still love, and I look forward to sharing it with our people. It is the only game that one can play all their life. If you can walk, you can play. Hopefully this is helpful to those who aren’t familiar to the game. Here is to a great season with hopefully many more to come.