There are many golf clubs available in sporting goods stores and golf club shops alike, so much so there seems to be little difference to the casual observer.
Professional golfers know what brands are worth the time of day but even choosing from one brand means that you will be faced with many clubs from that brand alone.
Choosing a good set of clubs or individual club is not a cut and dry case with many different golfers preferring a different club from the next golfer and this is mainly due to people being comfortable with the way a club feels and the motion they achieve from using it.
For example, putters may seem like the most straight forward purchase for any golfer but there are hundreds of different head designs to choose from due to each of them being weighted differently, this affects how the club feels and moves and so you may spend some time mulling over your decision for just this one club! Beginning at the top the grip or handle of the golf club is important as you need to be able to keep a hold of the club throughout your swing to avoid any embarrassing (and dangerous) flying golf clubs.
Golf grips tend to come as rubber but in the past leather has been used as it can provide enough grip for your hands.
Golf grips can come in many different varieties and construction which can compliment your hand positioning.
The shafts of the club is something that the modern game of golf has brought about, club shafts used to be made solely of steel.
Steel is good due to it's tensity and resilience, but now lightweight compound materials like graphite can provide a much quicker swing and so more powerful shots due to the graphite being lighter than traditional metal shafts.
The club head can be varied even between two alike clubs such as a 9 Iron.
The construction of the head will affect how easy it is to hit a shot straight.
Clubs with cavity backs are usually easier to hit with as the head allows for a wider "sweet spot" to hit the ball with.
A lot of golf club shops will have the clubs out for you to handle and see how they feel in your hand.
Whilst the mantra of higher prices bringing higher quality essentially (especially when starting out in golf) you want a cheap set that feel good in your hands and has the benefits of beginner friendly technology such as graphite shafts for longer shots and cavity back club heads for a more lenient shot direction.