Golf Equipment & Golf Teaching Aids

Golf Clubs

Find golf clubs that match your skill level.
Try before you buy: Try different golf clubs out before you buy them by borrowing or renting. You'll find that the feel of each manufacturer and club varies. No sense of running out and buying spendy golf clubs until you develop your game and get comfortable with a certain style of club.
A set of good used clubs that are only a couple of years old can be a good investment to get you started.
A set of irons starts at about $200. If you're looking for a set of used clubs, but whole sets because it's important that they match. Iron sets consist of the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 irons and a wedge. A standard putter costs about $25. Woods sets typically start at $300. These may be sold separately or in sets. A set of woods includes a driver, a 3 wood and a 5 wood.
Everyone's swing is different.

The shaft flex and loft angle of a club is important to the feel of the golf club and effect on distance.
Swing speeds can be measured at your local golf shop by a golf impact indicator and help determine what flex you'll need to travel the distance as well as what loft angle for driving clubs. Knowing your impact speed will make a huge difference in your selection of golf clubs.
The faster your speed the more impact you'll have on distance. Speeds start out under 60 mph, most golfers are 70 - 85 mph, with experienced hitters between - 95 and 120. For comparison, pros typically hit over 110 mph and impact master Tiger Woods hits an incredible 200 mph.
Shaft length is also important. The proper shaft size allows you to hit the ball on center… most of the time. If you are shorter or taller you'll want to match the shaft length to your size. Sometimes children's clubs will work for shorter sizes and taller shaft clubs can be special ordered or made for you.
If you're looking for that great golf birthday gift or wedding present, it's safer to stay with accessories or tickets to a PGA tour event. Unless you can closely examine an existing set of clubs it's too easy to get the wrong set. Even when you know they're looking for a Wilson Pro Staff golf club set, there can be too many variables. If you do choose this route, make sure to buy them somewhere local where you can return them for something different if need be.

There are lots of golf teaching tools and training aids available, ranging from simple, low-tech, inexpensive to complicated and very expensive tech gadgets, so it's a good idea to do a little research before you hit the store. It's also a good idea to set a budget before you get started; there are some great electronic techie toys out there that can cost more than all the equipment in your golf bag.
If you're looking for the easy golf teaching and training tools then a putting system like Eye Line Golf (retails for $60) and swing swatches at $5.95 can really help your game without breaking your budget. Gold Dust or Golf Dust is a great golf training aid and a good investment for $16 - you spray gold dust on your golf club to determine the ball's impact point on the club. When you're done with the gold dust just wipe it off your clubs.

Some bags can weight you down and zap your playing energy if you have to carry them. Unless you always use a golf cart consider a lightweight golf bag with a stand.
Useful things to carry in your golf bag: a wire brush, golf towel, spare pencil, an umbrella and sunscreen.