How to Choose the Best Golf Equipment
Golf is an expensive undertaking at the best of times, so you want to be sure that all the money you’re sinking into golf supplies is really worth it. It’s all too easy to get burned on shoddy equipment or to pay too much for a club or bag, not realizing that it could be had for less elsewhere. When you’re outfitting yourself with new golf equipment, keep the following tips in mind to make sure you get your money’s worth.
Clubs
It can be tempting to just throw your money at the most expensive clubs you come across, under the assumption that they are the best ones available. While there’s some truth to this, you must be aware that all clubs are different and those expensive ones you’re eyeing might well be great clubs, but they might also be intended for a skill level different than yours. For example, steel shafted golf clubs are typically more expensive than graphite, but beginners who try to use them often hit the ball harder than they would like, resulting in sloppy swings. Titanium club heads, on the other hand, are more expensive than steel ones, but they’re usually intended for beginners because their larger surface area makes them more forgiving in terms of getting the “sweet spot” to the ball. Always be sure that the clubs you’re buying are not just good quality, but that they’re suited to your particular playing style.
Moreover, beware of counterfeit clubs. There are lots of manufacturers out there who like to produce discount clubs with logos and brand names confusingly similar to the name brand products like Callaway or Cobra. Always be sure that you know what you’re looking at, so you don’t get burned on a deal that’s too good to be true.
Balls
Golf balls, while they might well look identical in most respects, are often very different on the inside. In general, there are three types of balls available, and if you aren’t totally sure which one you’re taking a swing at, the results can be quite surprising and not always in a good way! Note that there are balls made for distance, control, and spin.
The balls made for distance are meant to have a quick reaction time as soon as the club face comes into contact with them, which gives an increase in speed, and thus overall distance. While these can definitely boost your drive, the high speed can also create a tendency to cause the ball to skip, so it’s possible to overshoot the green if you aren’t careful!
Control balls, on the other hand, are designed to hamper spin so that the ball will have less of a tendency to hook or slice. These are especially useful for those naturally strong golfers who have no trouble getting the right distance, but find control a little more difficult. They’re also used by every day golfers on windy days when they want to keep a ball low to the ground on a long drive.
Spin balls, lastly, are intended to create an abundance of backspin (the opposite of control balls) so that they rise higher into the air. The drawback to this, of course, is that they don’t travel nearly so far as distance balls, but on the other hand, they tend to stop almost immediately upon striking the ground, so one has an excellent degree of control.
When you’re buying golfing equipment, do your best to remember that not all equipment is created equally. Know what you’re buying before you go throwing your money down a hole!