To understand how to buy golf club components, you first need to know how these parts work and what they are in the first place. So let's begin in this way. If you know the parts already, treat this portion as a short review of Golf 101.

The Grip

The grip of the golf club is important because it is the extension of the golfer's hands. According to the rules of golf, the grip has to be round, without obvious pockmarks which detract significantly from the roundness.

The Shaft

The shaft of the golf club connects the grip to the head and, like the grip, must also conform to accepted roundness rules. Most modern golf club shafts are made of either steel or a carbon-fiber and resin composite. Now it's about time to explain the concept and the theory behind a golf club component. The operant word is assembly type. It's like playing Lego set. So let's say you want to fit your choice of shaft to the rest of the club components, you'll be running into a vendor that sells a golf component kit. Now you've got to be careful about whom you trust in this business. It's easy to ruin your investment. It can get scratched or worse, broken. It's not a simple glue or Epoxy situation.

Some unscrupulous golf component vendors use a sacrificial laminate process, involving grinding the outside of the shaft. By cutting the fibers on the surface, energy and feel are lost. Solution: Look for a high grade modulus shaft fiber which results in very little loss of energy from your hands to the clubface.