Golf shop; when walking into one or looking on an online golf store, it can be difficult to know where to start if you are new to the sport. There are so many different pieces of equipment and clothing that are available to purchase. So, what do you really need?

You should begin by looking for the right golf balls. When purchasing a golf ball, you have the option of a two, three, or four piece design. This relates to the number of layers used when making the ball. The four-layer design will travel the furthest, while those with fewer layers allow for more spin. Another factor to consider is the dimples on the golf ball. There can be up to 450, and these are designed to ensure the ball sails smoothly through the air.

Aside from this, you will need to purchase golf clubs and tees. You have three main kinds of golf clubs to choose from – putters, irons, and woods. The latter are used for long shots while irons are usually used on the fairway for more precision. Finally, a putter is what you want when you are on the green and attempting to put the ball into the hole.

You should also purchase a golf bag so that you have something to put all of your equipment inside. There are many golf bags to choose from and whether you are going to walk the course or use a golf cart will have an influence on the one that you choose.

Finally, you will need to purchase golf clothing from your golf shop of choice. You should dress smartly while on the golf course. You will also need a good pair of golf shoes. These shoes have spikes on the bottom, which ensure you have good grip when swinging and make it easier to walk on the green.

There’s no truer test of shot-making ability and imagination than links golf; one of the reasons so many top players choose to compete in the Scottish Open the week prior to The Open. From gale-force winds to devil-like pot bunkers, you’ll certainly know when you’re out on the links.

Sweden’s Alex Noren coped best with the conditions at Castle Stuart, a 14-under-par winning total giving him his fifth European Tour title. All four of Noren’s previous victories had come when he held the lead heading into the final round, a record which he maintained thanks to a closing two-under-par. An early birdie at the par-5 second calmed any Sunday jitters, before the 33-year-old fought off strong challenges from a congested leaderboard at the Inverness Links.

As alluded to previously, there’s no type of golf that examines so many parts of a player’s game more than links. For once, hitting the ball a country mile doesn’t necessarily give you an edge; it’s all about plotting your way through the valleys and mounds on the fairways, hitting the correct part of the severely undulating greens before holding your nerve on the slick carpets.

Noren did exactly that last week. The Callaway Golf staffer was third on Driving Accuracy, hitting 84% of the fairways over the four days, whilst being just 47th on Driving Distance at a measly 275 yards. It’s a method that all the players will be adhering to at Troon this week for the 145th Open Championship.

What equipment did Noren use?

• Driver – Callaway XR 16 driver (8.5 degrees)
• Fairway wood – Callaway XR 3-wood (15 degrees)
• Hybrid – Callaway Apex (18 degrees)
• Irons – Callaway Apex Pro (4-9)
• Wedges – Callaway Mack Daddy (47, 52, 56 and 60 degrees)
• Putter – Odyssey Works

Open Championship Preview

We love Open week. Once a year, always in the middle of July, the world’s best descend upon our shores in the hope of winning golf’s oldest Major. Royal Troon takes centre stage for the 145th Open Championship this week, 12 years since Todd Hamilton’s play-off triumph over Ernie Els on the same track.

What sort of test will Royal Troon provide?

Measuring a little over 7000 yards, this Ayrshire links boasts both the shortest and longest holes on the Open Championship rota. The 8th hole needs no introduction. At just 123 yards, the ‘Postage Stamp’ is one of the finest par-3s in the world. On the scorecard it has birdie written all over it, but, in reality, this is rarely the case. Miss the green left or right, and you’ll more than likely find yourself in one of the five greenside bunkers, struggling to save par. Hitting the green with your tee-shot, from way above the green, is an absolute must.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, two holes earlier you’ll find ‘Turnberry’ – the longest hole in Open Championship golf. At 601 yards long, only the biggest hitters will fancy taming this monster in two blows. For the rest of us mere mortals, negotiating our way between the fairway bunkers off the tee will prove pivotal if you wish to have a birdie putt.

So, who’s going to come out on top this time?

The name on many people’s lips is that of Johnson. No, not last year’s winner, Zach Johnson, but his namesake, Dustin. DJ, as he is widely known, won last month’s US Open to break his Major duck. He’d come so close on numerous occasions before, always being the bridesmaid but never the bride. With the hoodoo now off his back, plus the fact he’s won a WGC event since and is in the form of his life, makes the American a serious contender this week.

What of the home contingent?

Well, there’s the other Major winner from 2016, Danny Willett, but without much form to note it is unlikely that the Yorkshireman will repeat his extraordinary feat from Augusta. Then there are the likes of Justin Rose, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey who are regularly in the mix when it comes to the Majors, and all three certainly have the game that could see them lift the Claret Jug come Sunday evening. Don’t write off Monty either, the Scot is a member at Royal Troon and went through qualifying to secure a spot this week – could we be in for an almighty shock?

It’s one of the hardest- to-call Majors in a long time but one thing is for sure, it’s not going to be short of drama. Enjoy the week, we certainly will.

With just one week separating The Open and the USPGA Championship, many of the world’s best chose to recharge their batteries instead of competing in this week’s Canadian Open. Nevertheless, the excitement of another Sunday showdown didn’t disappoint.

Having not competed in last week’s Open Championship, Vegas held a six-shot lead going into last weekend only to eventually lose out by three. But this time it was completely different. On an engrossing Sunday, Vegas started five shot behind the overnight leader but sprinted out of the pack with five birdies in his first six holes. With the lead changing countless times on the day, the 31-year-old finished his round in fine style – birdieing the final three holes for an eight-under-par 64, and in the processing setting the clubhouse target at 12-under-par.

With several contenders still left on the course, many thought a play-off looked likely. In the end, no-one could quite mount a challenge worthy enough of knocking Vegas off his perch. With this win, the Venezuelan secured his second PGA Tour victory and a place in next week’s USPGA Championship.

What equipment did Vegas use?

• Driver – Nike VR (8.5 degrees)
• Fairway wood – Nike Vapor Speed (15 & 19 degrees)
• Irons – Nike Vapor Pro (3-PW)
• Wedges – Nike Engage (54 & 58)
• Putter – Nike Method

On what can only be described as a gruelling marathon, Jimmy Walker came out trumps at the 2016 PGA Championship. It was a unique final day which provided us with plenty of drama (yet again).

Walker was a worthy winner at Baltusrol, claiming a wire-to-wire victory in the most testing conditions. With thunderstorms and weather delays disrupting play across the week, Walker faced 36 holes on Sunday in his bid for Major glory.

The 37-year-old held his nerve superbly, going bogey-free in the final 27 holes when the pressure was at its most. What makes it even more impressive is that Jimmy had Jason Day – the world number one – breathing down his neck until the very end.

Nothing sums this up as much as the spectacle on the 72nd hole. Walker had a three-shot lead going into the final hole, only for Day to blast his second shot to 15 feet at the par-5, going on to roll it in for an eagle. This meant that Walker knew he needed a par for victory – easier said than done when one of golf’s Majors is on the line. Having gone for the green in two, Walker’s shot found the deep rough well below the putting surface. Nevertheless, a safe chip to 35 feet left the American with two putts for victory.

It all ended perfectly for Walker. With this win, the newly crowned PGA champion completes a sweep of maiden winners across golf’s four Majors in 2016.

What equipment did Jimmy use?

• Driver – Titleist 917 D2 (8.5 loft)
• Fairway wood – TaylorMade M1 (15 loft); Titleist 915F (18 loft)
• Irons – Titleist 716 MB (3-9)
• Wedges – Titleist Vokey SM6 (48, 54 & 60)
• Putter – Scotty Cameron Newport 2
• Balls – Titleist Pro V1x

Travelers Championship

Russell Knox boosted his credentials for a place in the European Ryder Cup team after securing his second win of the season at the Travelers Championship in America. Having started the day three back from the overnight leader, the Scot carded his fourth sub-70 round of the week - including a clutch par-save from the greenside bunker at 18 – to win by one from American Jerry Kelly.

It’s not often that the main talking point from a Sunday has nothing to do with the winner, but Jim Furyk’s final-round exploits rather overshadowed Knox’s success. Starting the final round at one-over-par, Furyk went on to make 10 birdies and an eagle for a sensational 12-under-par 58. The 46-year-old American is the first player to achieve such a feat on the PGA Tour.

With the Ryder Cup taking place on American soil next month, both Furyk and Knox are looking like they’ll be dependent upon a captain’s pick to make their respective teams. As far as the European team goes, Knox could prove pivotal to the team’s chances having been based on the PGA Tour in recent years and winning twice this season. Watch this space.

What equipment did Knox use?

• Driver – TaylorMade M2 (10.5 loft)
• Fairway wood – Callaway Big Bertha (16 loft); Cleveland Launcher (19 degrees)
• Hybrid – Cleveland Launcher (20.5); Cleveland Mashie (23)
• Irons – Srixon Z-545 (5-iron); Srixon Z-745 (6-9)
• Wedges – Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 (54 & 60)
• Putter – SeeMore

Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Matchplay

To win one European Tour event is a dream to many, and the reality is that most golfers won’t even achieve that. But back in 2000 when Anthony Wall won his first event at the tender age of 24, many assumed he’d go on to win several more. Well, roll on 16 years and the Englishman has just clinched his second title at the 2016 Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Matchplay event.

After driving into the trees at the first during the final, Wall subsequently found himself two down through the first two holes. But the 41-year-old battled hard to overcome the favourite, Noren, on the final green of this taxing tournament. On what must be a welcome break for many players, matchplay golf always throws up a few surprises and not many would have predicted Wall to get to the latter stages, let alone go on to win the event.

But the Wilson Staff ambassador mixed 29 birdies with two eagles over an enthralling week to capture his second European Tour victory.

Any avid golf fan knows that things really start to hot up stateside come September as the FedExCup nears its conclusion. It’s when the PGA Tour’s best and most consistent golfers from the past 12 months battle it out across a series of playoff events to win golf’s biggest (monetary) prize.

Let’s get right to business – McIlroy stormed through the field on Monday’s final day to win his first PGA Tour title in 16 months; something which seemed so unlikely four days ago. Rory had a nightmare start to the tournament as he found himself four-over-par through three holes, only to play the following 6 holes in an incredible 19-under-par.

The Northern Irishman started the final round six shots behind tournament leader Paul Casey, but a closing 65 saw him close out the Deutsche Bank Championship two shots clear of the Englishman. This victory comes just a week after reverting back to a Scotty Cameron putter – see below – instead of Nike’s short stick which seemed to be the cause of so many of McIlroy’s recent woes.

With Europe’s best now finding his form once again, bring on the Ryder Cup!

What equipment did McIlroy use?

Driver – Nike Vapor Fly Pro (10.5 degrees)

Fairway wood – Nike Vapor Speed (15 & 19 degrees)

Irons – Nike VR Pro Blade (4-9)

Wedges – Nike Engage (47, 52, 56 & 59)

Putter – Scotty Cameron Concept M1 Prototype

The DP World Tour Championship in Dubai not only signalled the end of the European Tour season, but was also the final event of this year’s Race to Dubai. For those of you unaware, the Race to Dubai is the European Tour’s order of merit which rewards the most consistently good golfers throughout that season.

Heading into the event there were only two possible winners: Masters champion Danny Willett and Open Champion Henrik Stenson. Willett had held top spot in the Race to Dubai for much of 2016 following his Green Jacket back in April, but the inspiring form of Stenson – including his first Major title and a silver medal at the Olympics – saw the Swede leapfrog Willett with just a few events left to play.

The Englishman needed a good week – a top-five finish to be exact – to have any chance of ending 2016 top of the tree, but a disappointing week saw him finish runner-up for the second year running. On the other hand, a top 10 finish for the ice-cool Swede cemented his place as Europe’s most consistent golfer for the second time, having won the Race to Dubai once before in 2013.

A little mention must go to Alex Noren who had a breakthrough year to finish in the rankings. Noren was ranked at 653rd in the world just two years ago but four wins in 2016 has seen him gate-crash the world’s top 10.

There’s something all three of the above have in common – they’re Callaway Golf players. Coincidence? Probably not.

Click here to view Callaway’s current range

It’s been a memorable year for golf. 2016 has seen first time winners in each of the four majors, USA dispatched Europe with consummate ease in the 41st Ryder Cup, and it heralded the sport’s first inclusion in an Olympic Games for over a century. We’ve had a household brand quit the industry, other brands seemingly dominate across tours, and bums were on the edge of seats as arguably the best golfer to ever pick up a club made his eagerly-awaited comeback.

But before we recap all of this, 2016 also saw the passing of two World Golf Hall of Famers in Christy O’Connor Snr and Arnold Palmer. O’Connor played in 10 consecutive Ryder Cup matches, finished T2 in the 1965 Open Championship, and won the PGA Seniors Championship on six occasions. Palmer, nicknamed ‘The King’, was part of the Big Three (alongside Nicklaus and Player) who took golf’s popularity to a whole new level. He won seven major titles, racked up 62 PGA Tour titles, and participated in seven Ryder Cups. Two golfing greats whose impact on the game of golf should never be forgotten.

Another man in this bracket is Tiger Woods. He’s done it all. World number one year after year, 14 major victories and over 100 professional wins worldwide. Heck, he even had the sport’s video game named after him. But it hasn’t all been plain-sailing for the American as persistent back problems put Tiger out of action for 15 months before his return at December’s Hero World Challenge.

His comeback was met with rife intrigue as no one quite knew how he was going to fare. During his time in the wilderness, Nike Golf, Tiger’s equipment company, made the brave decision to pull out of the hardware market, choosing to focus solely on apparel and footwear. With several of the world’s best players on their books, it was going to be fascinating to see which brand these guys navigated towards. Nobody expected what was to follow…

Not only did Tiger put TaylorMade’s metals in his bag for his return, but Rory, Olesen and Molinari also opted for the M family too. Nearly all of Nike’s contracted players made the decision - a decision void of any money or obligation - to put at least one TaylorMade club in their bag. There can be no bigger testament to a product’s quality than when the world’s best choose to play that product. This is exactly what happened this year.

At that same moment in time, TaylorMade already had the world’s two best players - according to the rankings - on their books in Jason Day and Dustin Johnson. Jason has been World Number One for the majority of 2016, whilst Dustin finally overcame his major duck by winning the U.S. Open. But, as mentioned above, Johnson was not the only first-time major winner of 2016. Danny Willett’s Masters triumph, Henrik Stenson’s unforgettable Open Championship win and Jimmy Walker’s USPGA victory were all maiden major titles, too.

However, the one title that possible eclipsed all of the above was Justin Rose’s Gold Medal in the Rio Olympics. Golf’s inclusion in the Games was met with widespread negativity as many household names forwent the opportunity to win a medal for their country. Yet the one person who seemed genuinely pleased at the chance to compete for the Gold Medal was Britain’s Justin Rose, how fitting that he went on to produce some brilliant golf en-route to adding a Gold Medal to his trophy cabinet. Thoroughly deserved.

As much as it pains us to say it, another deserving victory came in the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine this autumn as the Americans waltzed to a convincing 17-11 win over their European counterparts. With all but one of Team USA inside the top 30 in the world, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Europeans, and so it proved. After losing the first morning’s foursomes 4-0, Europe’s hopes were quickly dashed as Team USA secured their first Ryder Cup victory in eight years.

And there you have it. Our trip down memory lane ends there as our review of 2016 comes to a close. Let’s hope 2017 offers us more of the same.