You have made a resolution for this year, and have decided you want to learn how to play the game of golf.  Perhaps this is due to you seeing your buddies going out together and playing every once in a while, or you have a new business partnership, and you know they enjoy playing golf.  No matter the reason, learning how to play golf is a great forum for hanging out or conducting business.  However, when you walk into a store, you might be a little overwhelmed with all the various options of what you need.

Within this article, we’ll outline for you the basic necessities, so you can ensure you spend your money properly and don’t waste it on frivolous, non-essential items.

Golf Clubs

There are three things you must have in order to play the game of golf, and golf clubs are one of those items.  As you walk up and down the aisles, you will see there are a lot of options to choose from, and may not know the differences between them.

As you start out, it is more important to find a set of golf clubs that swing well for you, rather than worrying about ones which promise to provide more power or accuracy.  Each golf club is made slightly differently and out of different materials.

As a whole, for beginners, you want to stick with clubs which have graphite shafts and larger sweet spots on the heads of the clubs.  The larger sweet spot will give you more forgiveness, which is important as you start to learn how to swing the golf club.  This way, your ball will not flutter as often, and typically will go in the right direction.

Within each set of golf clubs, you can only carry a maximum of 14 clubs.  On average, this gets broken down into the following disbursement:

• Main Driver
• 3-Wood
• 5-Wood
• 1-Iron/Hybrid
• 3-9 Irons
• Pitching Wedge
• Sand Wedge
• Putter

As you continue to grow your golf game, you might switch out a 5-Wood or your Hybrid for a different wedge, or you might actually carry two different putters which specialize more in shorter or longer putts.  How you end up at 14 clubs is at your discretion, but it is advised that you stick with the most popular combination when you start up.

Golf Balls

The 2^nd most important thing when it comes to playing golf is having some golf balls to play with.  Although you can borrow golf balls a lot easier than golf clubs, it is always recommended that you have your own.  Most golf balls are sold in a sleeve, which come with three golf balls within each sleeve.  You will see some manufacturers put up to four sleeves in a box, and sell the golf balls in a box of 12.

It is recommended that you have at least 12 golf balls in your bag at all times.  No one ever plans on losing golf balls out on the course, but once you get out there, you will see that you might lose a couple to the water hazards on the course, as well as the out of bounds area.  There will be some golfers who also spend some time on the golf course actually looking for golf balls, and attempt to find more than they lose.  As a whole, as you begin, you don’t need to worry yourself with this practice; just make sure you have at least 12 golf balls when you start the round.

Golf Bag

In order to carry your golf clubs and golf balls on the course, you should have a golf bag.  Every bag has a different color and design, and can offer you different things while on the course.  There are some main things you should ensure your bag has in order to make sure your time on the golf course is a good one.

The first thing is you need to make sure the strap which comes with the golf bag is comfortable on your shoulder.  Even if you plan on having a cart each time you go out on the course, there might be times where you get to the course and they don’t have any carts available, or the person you play with wants to walk, rather than ride.

So, making sure that the golf bag is comfortable on your shoulder is very important, as you don’t want there to be any pain in your shoulder from the bag wearing down your shoulder while you are carrying it.  This will hinder your golf swing, and will make it much more difficult to swing the golf club appropriately.

The second thing with the golf bag is you want to make sure it has the right number of pockets for you what you need.  If it only comes with one pocket, it’ll be hard to store everything within that one pocket and keep it separated out.  During the course of a round, you will want to have access to golf balls and golf tees, as well as having a place to store your wallet, keys and cell phone.  If this is all in one pocket, it will start becoming frustrating for when you are attempting to find what you are looking for within one big mass of stuff.

Lastly, there are some golf bags which come with extra accessories, which could be beneficial but are not necessary.  Some bags come with a kick stand, which allows you to set up your golf bag on a couple of legs so that the bag is not laying on the ground as you are taking your shot.  Some golf bags are made out of leather, which looks cool, but if it ever rips, then it won’t look as good.

Plus, because golf is played outside, the leather may not hold up as well within each and every kind of weather types, and you might have to replace it sooner, rather than later.  Some golf bags come with a mechanism which allows you to have wheels with the golf bag, so you can roll the golf bag behind you, rather than having to carry it.  Each of these things, along with some other items, are all personal preferences – just remember you need a bag which is comfortable and has enough pockets to carry all of your belongings while out on the course.

Golf Cleats

Golf cleats are not a mandatory thing; you can play a round of golf within your athletic or tennis or running shoes you already own.  However, cleats do allow you to have better grip on the golf course, and ensure your feet will not slip while taking a shot.  If your feet slip while taking a shot, it throws off the entire base of your swing, which means the golf ball will fly errantly and will add strokes to your total score.  If your budget forces you to choose between one of the first three items and this one, then you should go with one of the first three items outlined above.  However, if you can fit it into your budget, you should invest in some golf cleats.

Other Accessories

As you are at the store, you will see a large variety of other accessories you can purchase.  Although these might all look nice, none of them are essential in allowing you to play a round of golf.  For example, having covers for the top of your drivers can look cool and will help protect your drivers, but they are not necessary.

You might also think you need a GPS watch,  GPS Rangefinder or any other GPS device.   Although it can help in some regards, these tools are meant for the golfers who play often or fully understand how to approach each hole and want some analytics on their own swing.  Make sure you do not sacrifice a main core golf playing item for a watch of a rangefinder.

You will see a ball retriever, which can extend out on a stick and allow you to reach deep into the waters to pull a golf ball out.  Although this tool can be helpful, it is not completely necessary unless you are one of the golfers who like to look for golf balls on the course.

An item that is very helpful while on the course is a golf glove.  This is another thing which is not vital, but is one of the few things which is very helpful and you should consider having if you have it within your budget.  With most gloves, they also have a ball marker with them, which is very helpful for when you are on the green, and need to mark your ball in case your ball is in between the hole and another golf ball on the green.

Conclusion

Overall, as a beginner golfer, you can stay away from most accessories.  And as you go into the store, make sure you have a very realistic budget for what it will take to get you started.  On the low side, if you are buying everything new, it’ll take a minimum of $350 to get a full set of golf clubs, golf balls, a bag and a couple of other things, like cleats, gloves and tees.  You can spend a whole lot more than this, so make sure you know what your budget is.  We wish you nothing but success, and we welcome you into this great sport of golf!

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