How to Find the Right Golf Clubs for You

All golfers need to use the right equipment for their body types and physical conditions, including golf clubs that fit their needs. For instance, many manufacturers of golf clubs specialize in creating clubs for women that have softer shafts, which are lighter and more flexible.

Here are some factors every golfer should consider:

• Grip thickness: Grips that are too thin encourage too much hand action in your swing; grips that are too thick restrict your hands too much. Generally, the proper-sized grip should allow the middle and ring fingers on your left hand to barely touch the pad of your thumb when you hold the club. If your fingers don’t touch your thumb, the grip is too big; if your fingers dig into the pad, the grip is too thin.

• The shaft: Consider your height, build, and strength when you choose a club. If you’re really tall, you need longer (and probably stiffer) shafts.

  What does your swing sound like? If your swing makes a loud swish noise and the shaft bends like a long cast from a fly-fishing rod at the top of your swing, you need a very strong shaft. If your swing makes no noise and you could hang laundry on your shaft at the top of your swing, you need a regular shaft. Anybody in between needs a medium-stiff to stiff shaft.

• Loft: If you slice, for example, you can get clubs with less loft — or perhaps offset heads — to help alleviate that common problem.

• The clubhead: Today, you can get standard, midsize, and oversize heads on your clubs. Bigger clubheads are more forgiving and can help psychologically, too. (“With a clubhead this big, how could I miss?”)

  

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• The iron: Forged, muscle-backed irons are for good players who hit the ball on the clubface precisely. Cavity-backed irons are for players who hit the ball all over the clubface.