Buying golf equipment can be like throwing your money into the wind, but armed with some fore-knowledge you can save yourself some time and money when you're selecting golf clubs for yourself. As with most things in life, you can either spend a lot of money in one go or you can spend a little several times, until you get what you really want.

If you are just beginning and are not 100% certain that you want to commit yourself to the addictive game of golf, you should either hire golf clubs at the clubhouse on the golf course, or buy a starter set of golf clubs.

Buying a set of beginner's golf clubs enables you to become accustomed to them; enabling you to concentrate on your swing instead of wondering how this set of miss-matched golf clubs you just rented is going to pan out.

As you become better at golf, you should invest in a better set of clubs more suited to you.

In general, a set of clubs includes a driver, one or two fairway woods, numbers 4-9 irons, a wedge or two and a putter.

As you become more experienced and start thinking about new clubs, you may want to consider purchasing your driver separately. Some players want a driver to give them more accuracy, others need more distance.

There are numerous types of golf ball on the market and the golf ball box will usually have a chart on the back to direct you to the right ball for your needs. As you learn more about the game and get better at it, you should experiment with different balls which could improve your accuracy and/or your distance.

Having the right golf equipment is an important part of the game, so watch out and make your purchases wisely!