Now when you pick up magazines or discount shop offers are you looking for what suits you best or, more likely, same clubs you thought Tiger or Vijay or Ernie or Annika were winning with last weekend?

This is a good time to dispel a widely held belief, only similarity between clubs you can buy and clubs winning major pro tournaments is branding. These pro golfers are paid anything up to seven figure sums of money to use these brands, they and their coaches specify every head, shaft and grip that makes up that set and somebody has to pay for that. So when you buy your set of Z43 Super Pingaway irons you are paying for components, plush headquarters and massive advertising and endorsements that made you notice them in first place.

A good custom club builder will use components made from at least as good raw materials as big boys, often from same factories to produce heads, they offer same shafts and grips AND take same sort of time to analyse your game and physique as those top pros get, but because they don't pay for names on their components, that set of clubs, designed just for you, is an affordable possibility.

Again a good clubmaker, and there are bad ones as in any walk of life, will be more concerned about results of your fitting than you spending money.

There are many ways of fitting but during fitting ask your clubmaker what they think of your game, does it match with your and your friends impressions of your shot shape and distance or are they just telling you things to make you sepnd money. If it doesn't meet expectations can they justify their statements without resorting to technobabble?

The best part about about custom building should be when you go back to your clubmaker and tell them "I've just shot my lowest ever score" or "I've just won my first ever competition" or "I've just hit my best ever shot" or, and my favourite, "That's most I've enjoyed a game of golf for years".

Please let me have any questions or comments to trevor@1offgolf.co.uk and see how we custom build at http://www.1offgolf.co.uk

Golf exercise is a very popular topic these days among all pros, teachers and even amateurs. It’s no secret that if you get your body fitter, stronger and more flexible you will swing better and hit longer drives that produce lower scores.

That’s what we all want right? What a feeling to be longest (and straightest) hitter in your group. Always hitting your approach shot last because you were furthest down fairway. Those are kinds of thoughts you should have this winter while you’re working out.

The simplist way to implement golf exercises is to look at golf swing. First off, it’s standing on your feet. Not sitting down, like on a machine in your local gym. So try to do most of your exercises on your feet.

Secondly, you should be in your golf posture. Which is a bend forward at hips, with your knees slightly flexed. Doing exercises in this position will create a very strong, stable golf swing.

A good example of a golf exercise would be Golf Posture Lateral Raise: •Bend forward at hips just beyond normal golf posture. •Hold dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing each other. •Slowly raise dumbbell to side and up. •Slowly bring back down to pre-stretch position.

Do you see how this would quickly build up strength in back of your shoulders for a strong take-away and downswing? The only equipment required was a pair of dumbbells (hand weights), which probably cost about $10. No fancy gym. And in convenience of your home.

This is just one example of a simple golf exercise you can do quickly and conveniently in your home to dramatically transform your game!