A measure of accuracy and/or distance

How the golf club is constructed can affect the distance the golf ball will travel and how accurate the trajectory of the ball is.

For the person new to golf, accuracy is far more important than distance. If you choose clubs that give you greater distance, but cannot control the direction the ball will travel, then that extra gain of distance is completely pointless.

As you improve your skill, you will gain distance due to improvements in your style of play, and understanding how the equipment works for you.

The sweet spot

Irons are constructed in two ways, either cast or forged. The cast irons are more forgiving of errors when hitting the ball, and therefore are ideal for the novice player. The reason for this is due to the size of what is known as the sweet spot. The sweet spot is the area on the golf club's face where you are supposed to hit the golf ball. This sweet spot is larger on cast irons than on forged irons, thus better for the beginner.

Forged iron clubs, though less forgiving of errors, allow for greater accuracy, and therefore best for the seasoned golfer.

Bigger is not always better

Although having a club with a bigger head, thus a greater sweet spot, will benefit the novice golfer by allowing for not so perfect swings, they will also lead to less control of the trajectory of the ball if not hit perfectly. The way to solve this would be to use medium sized heads rather than large headed irons, which will still have a good sized sweet spot, thus still forgiving of errors made during the swing, but will also allow for greater accuracy.

Perhaps when you first take up the sport, borrow or hire a set of the big headed version of the cast iron clubs, just until your accuracy with them gets to an okay level, then move to the medium sized heads. It's best not to buy until you can move to a type of club that you will be happy to use for a good long time.

Swing time for shaft

When considering the material the golf club's shaft should be made of, you need to take into account the golfer's swing speed. Steel shafts are ideal for someone with high swing speeds, as the heavier and more rigid shaft helps develop greater accuracy in play. For the low swing speed golfer, their shaft of choice should be a graphite one, which is usually longer, and lighter than their steel cousins, and are also more flexible.

It's not all iron

The golf clubs, although called irons, are not always made from iron. There are three types of metal that irons can be made of; iron, stainless steel, and titanium. Titanium is the most expensive, but being light and very strong it allows for a larger head, without the unwanted increase in weight that you would get with iron or stainless steel. This makes it an excellent choice for those new to the sport (large head = large sweet spot). Between stainless steel and iron heads, cast iron is the better choice.

Summary

The person new to the sport of golf is best off using irons made from titanium, with a large head (large sweet spot), and a shaft made from graphite. If not a titanium head, then the next best material will be cast iron.

Once the golfer's swing speed increases, then they can move on to clubs with a steel shaft and forged iron heads, which will enable them to further improve their accuracy.