There are some very important things one should consider before buying new clubs. All the hype now is, "Our clubs increase your distance and accuracy." "Buy Nike," for example. "After all, look how well Tiger does!"

All manufacturers make so many claims but the truth is that if your clubs don’t fit you, you’re actually just as well off going to Costco or the like.

The trick to all this is finding a competent, professional club fitter.

This person could be a local golf professional or a local club repairman, but find someone who specializes in club fitting. To identify this person as such, ask the following question: Does he provide you with a dynamic club fitting? That is, will he fit you based on the results you experience while you’re actually hitting golf balls under his supervision? If not, he is going to measure you as if he were a tailor and you were buying a suit of clothes. Find another and ask him the same question.

This is not the be-all and end-all way to determine whether or not a person is a competent club fitter but it does indicate whether or not he has an idea of what is important in helping you play your best. Trust me on this: If a golf pro, club fitter or even a professional salesman in one of the large golf outfits will not watch you hit golf balls before making a recommendation, pay him no mind. He is interested in making a sale and that is all.

There are some people who will tell you that equipment doesn’t matter, that it’s the swing that counts. Do not believe this. Equipment cannot come later. The equipment must come now when you need it the most. If your equipment doesn’t fit you, you are lost. You cannot ask your brain to learn a golf swing if the golf clubs will not reward it with the results it deserves. The fact is that the beginner is in most need of properly fit equipment and the expert golfer needs perfect equipment the least.

Rules teaser:

If a player stands close enough to the flagstick so he can touch it, is he deemed to be attending the flagstick?

Answer to last column’s teaser:

In match play, both players hit into a water hazard in shallow water. At the direction of one of the players, a caddie retrieved the balls. Mistakenly, the balls were switched and the hole was played with each other’s ball. Ruling? No penalty.

John Lucas is the professional at Sky Ridge Golf Course and can be reached at john98382@olypen.com.