One of the intimidating things about getting started in golf is wondering whether you’re using the right clubs. As with most things in this game, the key with equipment is to start slowly but strategically. First, even if most players get there eventually, there’s no need to begin with 14 clubs in your bag. Basically you need less, not more.
You need a club you can hit off the tee on par 4s and par 5s, you need two or three clubs you can advance the ball down the fairway with at basically 100-, 150- and 200-yard increments (pitching wedge, 7-iron and a hybrid would be our choice), you need a sand wedge you can use around the green and out of the greenside bunkers and you need a putter. That’s six clubs max.
Since limited sets are rare—you might get lucky with a used set, or on eBay—that probably means your buying strategy is to invest in a full set and pare down to the minimum number of clubs to get you around the golf course. There are box sets with a full complement of clubs for less than $200 in many places.
You’ll need golf balls, but our advice at this point in your golf career is to spend less than $25 for as many balls as you can get. Once you stop losing two sleeves a round, then you can start to be a little more particular. Some other essentials we think are important:
Golf bag. Hard to find one that’s decent quality for less than $100. If you’re not sure about golf, maybe you should ask a friend who plays a lot if they’ve got an extra one in their garage. That will be sufficient for the time being, and it’ll save you some cash.
Tees. These used to be handed out for free in piles but may be less plentiful today under the current touchless environment. Buy a pack of 100, and you won’t be buying tees for years.
A divot tool to repair marks on the green will come in handy once your iron shots start to hit greens with more regularity, and you’ll buy goodwill with playing partners.
Towel. Don’t steal one from the linen closet. Steal one from your golfer friend who probably has 20 littering up his garage. It comes in handy to keep your clubs clean, and it helps when that chunky 9-iron’s backwash splatters in your face. Trust us. It even happens to the best players in the game.
That’s it, for starters. We think you can make this whole entrance to the game start for less than $500, and if you get creative, maybe even half that. Seems a bargain for the game of a lifetime.
Source: golfdigest.com
