Like many sports, perhaps golf in particular, you can choose to spend nearly nothing on your equipment, to very easily ten or fifteen thousand dollars before you even play a single game.

So what’s the difference between the clubs you can buy for $99 versus the ones selling for $1200? The more expensive clubs are much more forgiving. As a beginner, you probably won’t want to invest too much in your first set of clubs and will be looking more on the cheaper end; However you certainly won’t regret investing in a more expensive set either.

Go to your local golf pro shop with your new golf buddy and test out some clubs in their driving range / range computer simulation. Grab a 7-Iron from a few different sets: the absolute cheapest they have, one of the most expensive they have, and from one which is somewhere in your price comfort zone. You’ll want to be using a 7-Iron because it will still drive the ball somewhat level (versus a 9-Iron for example), however will be much easier on your hands. A more flat-faced club like a 3-Iron will hit the ball further and lower to the ground but will shake your hands much more and make the shot more uncomfortable — especially to a new player.

Remember, you’re just feeling out the club, not trying to see how far you can hit it. You just want to feel the club for its weight — does it feel good in your hands? When you swing, how is the weight distribution? When you impact with the ball, do your hands jiggle too much and ache?

At this point, you should start to actually feel the difference between the cheap clubs and the expensive ones. When I was picking out my set, I actually found that the cheapest set was somewhat painful to use and actually made my hands ache after every swing; Yet when I swung with the more expensive ones even if I hit the ball horribly, it still swung through smoothly as if it were a beautiful shot — and my hands hardly felt anything.

When you’re trying out the clubs, be sure to try both steel and graphite clubs just to know what the difference feels like. Unlike racquet sports where lighter is better, and graphite is king, in golf you will usually not want to play with graphite shafts. Graphite is typically used by children or senior citizens who may not have the strength to swing with a heavier club. The problem with graphite is that it bends (you can actually try this yourself by taking a graphite club and bending it with your hands). This bending motion leads to inaccurate shots which would have otherwise been straight if a stiffer steel club was used.

In the end, I selected a set of Precept Irons which was originally priced at $399 but I was lucky to catch it on special for $299. Not the cheapest clubs but certainly not the most expensive. It was right in the middle of my comfort zone and I’m happy with my purchase.

One more thing — as a beginner, stay away from drivers. You shouldn’t be concerned with how far your ball goes, only how straight and accurate your shots are. We’ll get into them later on…