How To Purchase Superb Golf Clubs Without Straining Your Purse

Golf Clubs count among the most expensive of all sports gear and accessories; the reason being that unlike in the case of similar ball striking accessories like bats, rackets and hockey sticks, high technology goes into the making of a golf club which has to be precision designed and balanced to carry the ball exactly where it is intended to by a skilled player; with regard to the horizontal direction, vertical flight and to come as close as possible to the intended target, if not hitting the jackpot at once.

However, such precision crafted golf clubs are superfluous to the needs of beginners or even average golfers who could obtain quite good standard golf clubs to satisfy their requirements at much lesser prices from sports goods stores and online.

The temptation to go for the more highly priced upper range of Callaway clubs used by top golfers is too much for the beginners to resist due to the prestige value attached and the illusion that more expensive golf clubs would boost stroke play to perform like a champion in next to no time. But the hard fact is that you can never wield the more high tech clubs effectively before acquiring the proper techniques from grass root level. Higher priced golf clubs are far more efficient for the experienced players, but definitely not for the beginners, for if not held and swung at the precise angles to get a desired shot, the slightest deviation in your stance and angle of swing could bring the most unexpected results by sending the ball flying in a trajectory far off course from the target. My advice to beginners is to stick to beginners’ golf clubs that are more tolerant to errors in angles of stroke play saving you undue embarrassment by making you the laughing stock of the golf course. With golf clubs designed for beginners, you can slowly but surely build up your technique gradually to handle more expensive precision designed clubs with more confidence derived from the superior knowledge gained as you go on.

Don’t feel ashamed to purchase a secondhand golf club for a start; for it could save you much money, time and regrets in the experimental stages. You could find some seniors willing to part with their golf clubs still in very good condition for a reasonable price in order to graduate to higher priced models. However, be very careful in choosing one without compromising quality for price since golf clubs too age with time that sometimes render them almost unusable. If you are purchasing from a senior player you meet frequently on the course, you would be at an advantage to have a few test shots with the intended golf club before purchasing outright. With luck, you may even find a player who would lend one to you for a considerable period until you decide on its suitability for purchase.

Auctions and pawnshops are two other options for finding used older models of golf clubs. This procedure however would be more time consuming and less certain in finding a proper golf club, than if you were buying from a known person. It is altogether more risky since as a beginner you would be lacking in knowledge to distinguish between a good and a bad golf club, so that you may need the help of a trusted person knowledgeable in these affairs. If you have to go shopping alone at such auctions and pawnshops, make sure you obtain some solid advice beforehand and have a good idea of the features sought by you in making your initial investment in golfing. The advantage of buying from an auction or a pawnshop is the possibility of finding one at a very cheap price.

Don’t be blinded by a bargain to the extent of ignoring or compromising on quality. It is very important that you acquire at least some basic knowledge about golf clubs; that would make all the difference between making a worthy or a wasted investment, in addition to the time likely to be wasted by going fishing in unknown waters. You should be knowledgeable enough to close on a deal with confidence when you spot a worthy golf club. Go scouting for used golf clubs equipped with a good knowledge of the features that constitute a good golf club; and that way you could save yourself a lot of money, time and heartburn.

Custom Golf Club

Every golfer’s physical capability and swing is distinctive. Many of today’s best golf clubs can be custom fit for lie angle, shaft type and length, grip type and size. Custom fitting golf clubs involves several easy measurements and a quick self-assessment of your game. This custom golf club has become more than a fad that even not so professional golfers test its waters.

Custom fitting is the process for tailoring a golf club to suit your personal swing.

Whatever your level, with a custom golf club the aim is to ensure that if you do make a good swing, the club will be square at impact and should produce a straight shot.

Custom Golf Club How To’s:

To custom fit your golf clubs, you need to know: your gender (male or female); your height in your stockings or socks; the distance from your wrist (where it bends) to the floor with your shoes off; your age; your handicap or skill level; how fast you swing a golf club; what club you use at the 150 yard marker.

Gender is used to put you into the correct fitting scale for custom golf clubs. The golf industry uses different definitions of “standard length” for men and women.

Your height and the distance in inches from your wrist to the floor are used together to determine the length of a custom golf club that is appropriate for you. The starting point for club length can vary up to 3 ½-inch ranging from ladies to men plus 1 ½-inch. A tall person with long arms can very easily require shorter clubs than an average height person with short arms. About 80 percent of golfers are standard length.

Your age, handicap (if you happen to have one), self-assessed skill level, estimated golf swing speed and club you use at the 150 yard marker are all combined to determined the custom golf club’s shaft flex that is appropriate for you.

Custom fitting can fix your slice. If you slice the ball it means that the toe of the club is leading into the ball which opens the face of the club. That may be down to a swing fault, but it could be because the club is too flat. So as part of the custom fitting process you can make the custom golf club more upright to help with this. This will mean that the toe of the club will be slightly off the ground at address to compensate.

There are different methods of fitting according to custom golf club manufacturers but ultimately they are all trying to improve your game. To begin with simple measurements such as wrist-to-floor, height and hand size are taken and will point you to the right size club and at what angle it should be to the ground. Then you will take a club and hit some balls. One method is to place impact tape on the bottom of the custom golf club and an impact board on the floor.

As you hit the ball the board will leave a mark on the tape showing whether the heel or the toe of the custom golf club is striking the floor first. The resulting mark will show whether the club face needs to be flatter or more upright. Then things get a bit more advanced. Analysis equipment can measure everything from your club speed to the side spin of the ball so that you can get maximum distance from your shot. You can also measure the launch angle of the ball, how much backspin you generate and impact efficiency – all which affect distance. The angle in which the custom golf club approaches the ball and the sidespin of it can help fix your game too.

Rather than bringing down your old clubs, it might be better to start from scratch. It’s a big misconception that custom fitting is only for good golfers. Anyone can benefit. That said, if you plan to upgrade a new set of clubs with the same manufacturer they may be able to adjust your old set to become custom golf clubs.

Custom fitting won’t cure all your bad shots. Coaching will sort that out. But if you do make a good swing, then the custom golf club will arrive correctly at impact and should produce a straight shot at your target. That alone will save shots during a round.

Lastly, custom fitting is often free of charge. But it is usually on the condition that you buy some clubs once you’ve been fitted. So it really depends on what your budget is. If you’re prepared to buy a new set of clubs it’s definitely worth getting fitted. And that’s the most important advise.

Odyssey Golf Putters- Black Series

The Odyssey company offers extensive lines of putters, and this article will describe one of their product lines, the Odyssey Black Series of putters.

The Odyssey Black Series consists of 3 putter head designs all of which take advantage of the design and technology features developed for this product line.

One feature used on all three models is a tungsten flange at the back of the putter head. This flange adds weight to the rear of the putter head and creates a low CG (center of gravity) which is deep in the club face. This feature helps to lift the ball slightly upon impact and get it rolling quicker. Since the golf ball actually is slightly nestled down into the grass of the putting green, hitting the putt initially with an upward angle helps get the ball rolling. In fact there is a short video on the Odyssey Black Series web site that shows a comparison between these clubs and another allegedly typical putter. The Black Series putter got the ball rolling about 1 ½ inches before the other putter did. Working in conjunction with the placement of the CG is the loft of the putter face. Each of the putter heads in the line, which are simply called Black Series no. 1, no. 2, and no. 3, have a different loft angle of the putter face which is optimized to get the quickest roll possible for the given CG location of each particular putter head. The theory is that the sooner the ball stops skidding after impact and begins a true roll, the more accurate the putt will be, and this certainly makes sense. It should also be noted that the weighted flange helps to create a higher MOI as well, and this provides some forgiveness for putts not hit exactly on the “sweet spot” of the putter face.

These putters are certainly top of the line and carry a retail price tag of $249 each. Black Series no. 1 putter has a rounded heel-toe weighted putter blade with a so called “crank-neck” hosel and a one shaft offset. The crank neck simply means that the offset is achieved by moving the shaft forward at 90 degree angles instead of a gradual bending of the hosel or shaft. The Black Series no. 2 putter has the same features but is more squared-off in appearance. Black Series model no. 3 is a mallet style putter with a double bend shaft that gives the same full-shaft offset.

The putter head is made of 1025 carbon steel and features a mix-milled face design which indicates the proper impact area. In other words the face has two different mill patterns on it. There is also a urethane damping layer between the flange and the milled carbon steel head that dampens vibrations.

The three traditional shaped heads of the Odyssey Back Series golf putters offer an interesting alternative for the serious golfer who prefers a traditional type of look and who can afford to spend $249 on his putter. They are certainly worth a look.