I have a confession to make. I played with a set of old clubs for nearly 25 years. They were a mixed bag of Hogan forged irons that I bought from a colleague at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation way back in 1980. And they were nearly 10 years old when I bought them!

I could hit the five iron down to the pitching wedge. Sort of. I couldn't hit the three or four irons. And that two iron? You don't want to know.

When I met my second wife, who loves the game (hallelujah!), she offered a suggestion one day at the range two years ago.

"Don't you think it's time you got some new clubs? You're worth it, you know".

Well, first, her remark did wonders for my spirit. And then I quickly realized she was absolutely right. What idiot tries to play with forged irons from 30 years ago when golf equipment has rocketed into the stratosphere in recent years?

I was about to embark on a ballistic learning curve.

Off I went to Golf Town, Canada's equivalent of Golf Galaxy (actually Golf Galaxy owns a piece of Golf Town) and wandered into one of their huge stores in Toronto where I live.

Did I want Hogans again? Or maybe Nikes? What about Calloways? In short, I had no clue. I knew how to buy a golf glove or a box of balls. But new CLUBS?

One of the expert sales people assisted me and we selected four different manufacturers. He taped up four six-irons and off I went into the simulator.

Forty minutes later, I emerged, dazed and happy. I had no idea how forgiving today's clubs are. And I realized that my swing wasn't that bad (that was before I discovered SwingMachineGolf - now my swing is a SWING!). I was thrilled with the results, settled on Calloway Big Berthas and off I went to the range.

There was a breaking-in period. Not for the clubs. For me. I had to get used to how the Calloways looked and felt before I was comfortable. But I did and I can tell you, it was the smartest thing I ever did.

Buy modern golf equipment. Buy it used if you can't afford new. Calloway, in particular, has what is purported to be a very good used club sales operation. But get fitted for the clubs. That was another new experience. I had heard about club fitting. I'd also heard about orange juice futures once...

The point is you will never go wrong. Your game will improve, your scores will improve, your mood will improve - you get the picture!