Golf Equipment Tips

Blaming your shots and swings for your golf mishits and mishaps? No matter how much time and effort you put into practicing your shots to improve your game, you still won't achieve your goal if you are using the wrong kind of equipment.

Consider the following golf tips:

• If you plan to buy used clubs, thoroughly checking them before purchasing is a must. Are the club heads, the shafts, and the grips damaged? If so, is this damage superficial, or will it affect how the club is used? Also, if you're looking at a set of clubs, are they of the same type? Mixing types and brands of clubs can bring inconsistency into your game. Check the price of used vs new, and decide for yourself whether the saving is worth comprimising your game.

• If you plan to re-grip your clubs, be very careful. The grip is the one spot on any club that you will touch during a shot, therefore any change has to be done correctly. Before going ahead with the re-gripping, know the core grip of the club and your hand's grip size. To work out your core size grip, measure the diameter of the butt of the shaft you're going to re-grip. The shaft's diameter will match the grip's core diameter. To work out your hand's grip, the general sizes of grips are regular, mid-size, oversize and jumbo. Use the best re-gripping material you can afford, as poor material will cause the grip to deteriorate drastically.

• Using ill-fitted clubs will be an hindrance to your golf success. A golfer should always consider his or her body type when choosing the best equipment to support and deliver his or her back-swing efficiently. The angle of your backswing will only be perfect if you have the right equipment for the job.

• Custom fitting may be a better option than buying new clubs, and may prove to be a very worthwhile investment. The uniqueness of a person's body means that no 'off the shelf' club is going to be truly perfect for your game.

• If possible, try different types of club before you buy, you may find you have a preference of a graphite shaft over steel, or vice versa. Generally, a graphite shaft is more forgiving, but a correctly-used steel shaft could outperform graphite.

• Perhaps the most important thing to remember is always make sure the equipment in your bag is tailored to your style and skill level. It wouldn't be wise to go out and buy the most expensive, professional equipment if you're a beginner. Although these clubs might be the best you can get, in inexperienced hands they will prove to be a total disaster! They should be something to aim for years down the line, not something to start with.