Want to learn how to play golf.

Question
QUESTION: I have never played golf but want to learn what do I need to do?

ANSWER: Hi Steve,

Welcome to the game.

I'd recommend you do some major reading about the golf swing and the game. I'd advise you get some lessons from a good pro. However, it's important that you have a good understanding about the cause and effect aspects of the game, thus the reading.

You don't need a full set of golf clubs to start. All you really need is a 3 wood, 9 iron, 7 iron, 5 iron and perhaps a hybrid woods (say a 20 degree loft). If you do want a full set, I'd recommend the following. After 30 years of golf, I switched to a set of irons that are all the same length. Being they are all the same length and weight means I'm swinging the same club for every shot; the only difference is the loft which determines the length of the shot. I sell these 1-iron golf irons from my website. They cost a little more than $300, but they are well worth it, from a consistency standpoint. Take a look at them here: http://www.1irongolf.com/?10504 If you do decide to purchase them, use the code 10504 and checkout and you'll get a free set of iron covers to prevent them from getting nicked up. When purchasing, you'll be asked how far your hands hang from the ground so you are fitted with the correct lie angle. If you have further questions, feel free to contact me at [email protected]

My favourite golf book is "Golf My Way" by Jack Nicklaus.

If you want a great interactive CD that teaches you about the swing, I 'd recommend, "Hit Down Dammit." You can take a look at the details on my site:
http://probablegolfinstruction.com/HitDown/hitdowndammit.html

Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Ken Tannar

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What if I were to get a set from Sports Authority or Academy ? Say perhaps in the $150.00 range what brand would you recommend and do they usually come with the shafts being the same length?

ANSWER: No, standard clubs some with shafts that differ in length, the lower lofted irons being longer. The difference in length between a 5-iron and 7-iron is about 1 inch. The difference in length only makes a very small difference in distance. The main difference is due to loft. Club lengths developed like this originally because of a misconception: thinking that  longer length produced significantly longer distance. The golf industry has just continued this.

The difference in distance between a 9-iron and Driver is very significant which results in a significant difference in distance. But, between the irons, there is not a significant enough difference in lengths to make a significant difference. Why bother learning how to swing different length clubs?

You could buy a set and get your local pro shop to lengthen the short irons and shorten the long irons, so they're all the same length. However, the club weights are different, so if they will feel different when you swing.

The 1-iron clubs I support all have the same length and weight, so they all feel the same.

If you're on a tight budget, just get a 5-iron, 9-iron, hybrid wood and putter to start. After playing a bit and you're sure it's for you, you could then get a new set.

Hope this helps.

Ken

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:  You said to get a 5-iron,9-iron,hybrid wood and a putter to start. Any particular brand?

Answer
No particular brand to recommend. You might want to visit a golf shop. They sometimes have bins of miscellaneous clubs. Or, you might get a good deal on a full set (which you don't really need at this point), which you could resell later.
Just for some names, the top line manufacturers are: Ping, Titleist, Top-Flite, Mizuno, Adams, Taylor Made

Hope this helps.
Ken