An Ideal Set for Beginners

So, what's the right configuration of clubs for beginners?

For starters, beginners won't need so many clubs. You won't need more than twelve, even though you're allowed fourteen. Why make it harder than it has to be? Novices will find that longer clubs hit basically the same distances. It's only when it comes to a 7-PW that the distances will differ. This is especially true for women and seniors.

For the most amount of forgiveness, choose Super Game Improvement clubs. With SGIs, you get the most perimeter weighting, a larger offset, wide sole, and a lower center of gravity. The choices can be from a 6-iron through to a pitching wedge, or even a 6-sand wedge. Ideally, the sand wedges will offer extra bounce - the feature on the sole that offers better glide through the rough and sand.

The major clubs you shouldn't bother with are the longer irons - 3 and 4. start your iron set with a 5-iron or 6-iron and move up through to the sand wedge. Use lofted woods - 5, 7, 9 - and hybrids - 3, 4, 5 - for the longer shots. As you'll probably find that you hit about the same distance with all of them, try them all out to see which ones feel right for you.

Swing speed is a pivotal factor in choosing the right set. Slower swing speeds of under 80mph - women, juniors, most seniors - will require more woods and hybrids with more loft. Average male swing speeds up to 80mph should add some more irons - a 5 and a 6, say. However, you should still try to use more lofted woods and hybrids in place of the long irons, as woods are less difficult to use. You get more confidence with woods because of their larger heads and their flat soles. A good idea for beginners of all swing speeds is to use slightly shortened variants of 3, 5,and 7 woods - about -.5" is a good way to go.

A driver with a 440-460 cc titanium head is what you should aim for. Although they're still the longest club in the set, the large head makes the ball easier to hit. For better accuracy and more distance, make sure you have extra loft. If accuracy problems persist, try to choke up about an inch.

A large-headed mallet putter is what you want in your bag. They don't twist on mis-hits, due to their greater MOI, and short putts are made easier by their alignment.

As an optimum set-up we suggest the following combination:

• Woods (1, 5, 7)
• Hybrids (4, 5)
• Irons (SGI),(6-SW)
• Putter (Mallet)