Most golfers, whether a beginner or a pro, struggle when trying to decide which golf club to buy. The buying process becomes easier when the consumer has a good understanding of the types of golf clubs available and their specific use. Your playing (and thus your staying) power is greatly enhanced by choosing the proper golf clubs.

For the novice golfer, the basic set of golf clubs consists of drivers, wedges, putters and irons. Using the proper type of golf club will help the beginner learn quickly and achieve results. Each different type of club is designed to help with swing speed and to correct faults to improve your game ? and your score.

In addition to clubs, a wide variety of accessories are also available, many of which are necessities and others that are ?just for looks.? One absolute necessity is a golf bag to assist you or your caddy in moving from green to green, and of course, golf balls. Another must is a pair of golf shoes to help stabilize your body so you can achieve the perfect swing. Other accessories include golf gloves, a golf cap, clothing, and covers for your golf clubs to protect them from the elements or while stored.

There are many variations in the types and styles of golf clubs and their uses. For example, if you?re trying to make a shorter shot, irons may be your best bet. Irons are usually available in sets that include several different sizes. You must also take into consideration the style, size, and type of material used to make the golf club shaft. One of the less expensive materials is steel. Clubs with a steel shaft weigh more but can be longer-lasting than other types. The steel shaft may also give you more control over those fast swings. If you choose a graphite shaft, it will be lighter than steel but will be more costly. This type of club is used for long distance shots or for slower swingers.

Most golf clubs are available with both steel and graphite shafts.

The flexibility of a shaft is referred to as flex, or bend. The less the bend in a shaft, the more control the powerful swinger will have. On the other hand, beginners and those with less powerful swings generally use a shaft with greater flexibility. The average swing speed is from 65 miles per hour for the beginner up to over 100 miles per hour for powerful swingers.

The goal when buying golf clubs should be to own the best golf clubs you can afford, whether they are name brands, used, or a reproduction of one of the name brands. Golf clubs can be purchased at many different types of establishments such as discount stores, buying clubs, specialty shops, catalogs, or the Internet, which offers an almost limitless variety of clubs and bargains, including used golf clubs. The cost of the golf club depends on the type and where it is purchased. Retail stores and catalogs have pre-season, post-season and regular sales, but since someone, somewhere, has the perfect climate in which to play golf at any given time of the year, you may find it difficult to find a true bargain. Internet shopping offers excellent prices throughout the year, and in many cases shipping is free. Golf club replicas are very good bargains if you compare their features to the originals. Many, many types of merchandise are duplicated, or cloned, so be sure the set of clubs you buy have not been illegally duplicated.

Most anytime is the perfect time for most golfers and ?wannabe? golfers to play, so take advantage of the large variety of clubs and bargains to be found, and don?t wait another day to start buying your golf clubs.

Keith Kingston is a professional web publisher who offers advice and reviews on golf club components and cheap golf clubs