As a beginner who is just learning the game of golf, you will want to use clubs that are more forgiving when you make a bad shot-since the bad shots will come. Beginning golfers need to look for clubs that are forgiving when the ball is struck off-center. Perimeter-weighted clubs are best suited to those who may strike the ball off-center because they place the weight of the club around the edges. This prevents the club head from turning with a poorly hit shot.

If you are trying to find a club that makes it easier to hit the ball into the air, you should look for irons that have more sole weighting. The sole is at the bottom of the club head and increasing the sole weighting lowers the center of gravity by putting the weight under the ball, which gets it into the air quicker.

Some club heads feature an “offset” design to help prevent your shots from spinning from left-to-right and keep the ball straighter in flight. When a club has an “offset” design the face of the club is slightly behind the hosel (the part of the club where the shaft connects to the head of the club). This design gives golfers and extra split second in their swing to get the face of the club back to the square position before striking the ball.

Another option for beginning golfers is to purchase a Titanium club. Stronger, denser, and lighter than steel, the head of titanium clubs can be made larger with the same amount of material. Having a larger club head means the size of the sweet spot will be larger. Since off-center shots make you lose distance, having a larger sweet spot means the club will be more forgiving if you do not strike the ball in the center of the club head.

When selecting a driver, keep in mind that the “larger the club head, the larger the sweet spot” rule applies. Drivers are going to have the largest face of all of your clubs, but choosing a driver with a “Big Head” will give you a little more room for error if you don’t hit the ball right in the middle of the club face (studies show that you can lose 10 yards of distance for every 1/8 inch you miss the sweet spot).

For fairway woods (for beginners this is usually the 3 or 5 wood), a club with a “low profile” design will make it easier to get the ball airborne. Low profile designs place most of the weight of the club head below the center of the ball, thus driving the ball into the air.

In addition the club head, beginning golfers should also consider the shaft when selecting a club. While shafts can be made of various materials, the most popular shaft for beginners is graphite. Graphite shafts tend to be the most forgiving for poorly hit shots because they absorb vibration from the impact like a shock absorber. This allows for not only a cleaner shot, but a much better feeling one also. Because graphite shafts are lighter weight than other materials (like steel shafts), you will be able to pick up more speed on your swing, which will give you more distance on your shot.

However, while steel shafts don’t feel as soft as graphite shafts, they do have some advantages. Made of a heavier material, steel shafts tend to be more accurate when the ball is properly struck. Thus, they are usually better for irons, since accuracy is more important than distance when you are hitting onto greens and at the pin.