In any sport, the beginner asks himself the following questions – golf is no different:

• What do I need in the beginning to perform reasonably well in the sport?
• What do I have to consider in order not to damage my health?
• How do I behave best so as not to attract unpleasant attention as a beginner 😉 .
• And of course: what does it all cost!

In this article, not all these questions will be clarified. It should only be about the equipment and the cost of the same.
What belongs to the basic equipment of a beginner golfer and what does it cost?

Here are the absolutely necessary things you need to play golf:

• Golf clubs
• Golf bag
• Golf balls
• Tees
• Pitch fork
• Ball marker
• Golf clothes

Optional are the following:

• Golf trolley
• Glove
• Golf shoes
• Umbrella
• Laser range finder
• etc.

What golf equipment do beginners need?

1. golf clubs

A set of golf clubs includes a maximum of 14 clubs (because more are not allowed on a round of golf). These clubs are divided into the groups: Drivers, Woods, Irons, Wedges and Putters.

In my beginner golf course all participants were equipped with a so-called half set: 1 wood, irons 5,7 & 9, pitching and sand wedge and putter. So in total only 7 clubs – that’s quite enough! Anyway, you will quickly find out that there is one “special” club that you are most comfortable with. Usually it’s the 7 iron, and that’s how it was for me.

I could have bought such a beginner’s set including golf bag from the golf club for $150! I would have spent more in the trade. Even online the cheapest starter sets cost $199. But not every golf club offers such good conditions…

After the trial special, I decided not to buy the clubs, but to put together my own set. Also my pro is of the opinion that a starter set is only for hobby golfers. Those who play intensively (about 3 times a week or more) should rather buy iron set, wood, driver and putter separately.

Tip for the beginner

Before you are not sure if the sport is really for you, do not buy extensive club equipment! Take the rental clubs from the golf club and test first. If you find favor, start with 3 fitted clubs: 7 iron, sand wedge and putter. Fitted means that the length, type of shaft, and angle of the club head have been adjusted to fit your body size and agility.

Unfortunately, golf stores and golf coaches all understand fitting to mean something different. Only a few really make an effort, but instead just give the test person different clubs in their hands and if this gives them the feeling that they are working well, they are considered to have been fitted.

I will talk about fitting in more detail at another point.

Some clubs of mine. Headcovers are on the expensive Wood, Driver and Hybrid.

2. golf bag

Golf bags are divided into cart bags and stand bags. The latter are intended for the beginner or athletic player. You carry the bag and can comfortably put it down over 2 legs. A cart bag can also be carried, but has no legs, is heavier and intended to be mounted on a golf cart. But it is bigger and you can store more.

If you have not already bought a beginner’s set with bag, a stand bag will cost you from $50 upwards.

My golf bag with trolley. The bag was just $99 from Mizuno.

3. golf balls

In the beginning you will miss many balls and not find them again! This is frustrating – I know. But it is also expensive. Therefore, you better buy cheap balls than the Titleist Pro V1x for just under $6 each.

But do yourself a favor and play only one type of ball. Balls from different manufacturers are built differently, are softer or harder and have different spin behavior. This can only further distance you as a beginner from evaluating or observing your playing style yourself.

There are also Lake balls for a few cents, so you are at the beginning also environmentally on the right side 😉

The normal price for golf balls is between 80 cents and  $6.

Here is an article about balls I wrote.

 Pretty expensive balls from Titleist – the Tour Soft is ok for just $2,99.

4. tees

Tees are small wooden or plastic pins on which you can place the ball when teeing off. The ball then lies a little higher and can be hit better. You can get 30 for about 5$.

5. pitch fork

If you hit your ball onto the green in a high arc, you usually leave a so-called pitch mark (a small or larger dent in the turf). This can (no must!) be repaired with the pitch fork.

This tool has got a knife and a brush, too

6. ball marker

The ball marker is placed on the green to mark your ball if it is in the way of another player.

Pitch fork and ball marker can be bought in the pro store or at the reception of the golf club ($10 and $5). By the way, I use a washer from the hardware store as a ball marker 😉 Some have also seen silver coins.

This ball marker is special. You can use it to align the ball to the target

7. golf clothing

In golf, things are very conservative. Tracksuits and holey pants will get you sent off.

Fortunately, you don’t have to invest in extensive clothing right away. Usually a comfortable pair of trousers (if possible but not jeans and definitely not track pants!), a polo shirt, a rain jacket and sports shoes are enough. All things that you normally already own.

You can see that with $300 you are already in this sport. So much already costs a good equipment for jogging 🙂

Who wants even more comfort can reach for these things:

8. golf trolley

If you have ever run 18 holes, you know how exhausting it is! There you are grateful for any form of relief. A trolley is extremely helpful. This is a trolley on which you can attach the bag and then pull it behind you (pull trolley) or push it in front of you (push trolley). The latter are more expensive, but more ergonomic, as the “pulling” puts a lot of strain on the arm.

The luxury variant is then an E-Trolley. Here, by means of battery and motor, the trolley is driven. So moved with zero effort 🙂 Unfortunately, it is also immediately more expensive. From $800 to $5000 ranges there the span. There are also cheaper suppliers, but I would not recommend a lead battery today.

9. gloves

For $10 you can protect your left hand (right-handed) and your right hand (left-handed) from blisters and stress. In addition, the club lies better in the hand and can slip less.

10. golf shoes

As soon as the course condition is worse due to rain and wetness, for example, it quickly becomes noticeable if you do not have a firm footing in your swing. Slipping is inevitable and the ball is no longer hit correctly. In the worst case, you can even injure yourself. For such conditions, I would definitely recommend shoes with soft spikes (hard spikes have long been banned). These dig well into the ground and you stand much more stable.

There are still golf shoes with pimple soles, which are usually very comfortable, but do not provide good footing in bad weather. I have a pair of each type – one for each weather. The price is from $50 to $300.

11. umbrella

Of course, you can use any form of umbrella. But who has a trolley in use, would like to attach the umbrella surely also to it. And there only fit umbrellas that do not have a bow at the end / handle. You should also pay attention to sufficient UV protection, because you like to walk 4-5 hours in the sun. Then you can still use the umbrella as a sun umbrella. The price is from $25 to $80.

12. rangefinder

If you play stable golf, you know the average distances you can hit. To be on the safe side, you still check them with the golf trainer. The rangefinder is then an enormous support on the golf course. It uses GPS to show the distance to the water hazard, the next bunker, and the start and end of the green. From these values, one can then derive a club selection.

Such measuring devices are, for example, golf watches (Apple Watch with app, Garmin Approach golf watch or Samsung golf watch) or lasers (Bushnell or golflaser).

Watches cost from $150 to $500; rangefinders too 🙂

The rangefinder from lasergolf.de is cheap $199 and works fine!