EVERY year, The Open golf championship is responsible for thousands of rational people taking up the most addictive, infuriating game known to man.

Youngsters see Tiger Woods launching shots effortlessly into the middle of next week and decide to give it a go, not knowing how it will destroy their childhood as they try to master a game that can never be mastered.

Meanwhile, older swingers who should know better spot the likes of Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle still going strong in their 40s, and fall into temptation. In no time, their marriages collapse and their backs seize up.

But don't let me put you off. Golf, despite being time-consuming and exasperating, is character-building, fascinating and wonderfully challenging.

It can, however, be a daunting sport to take up. There are often huge waiting lists to join clubs, and it usually helps to be friends with influential current members if you want to be accepted.

The vast choice of equipment on the market is equally intimidating for the novice golfer.

You would need to take out a second mortgage to buy some of the latest drivers, which make use of materials and science normally reserved for the aerospace industry, and some of the terminology used to sell clubs is quite baffling.

After you've decided between cavity backed and bladed clubs, cast iron and forged and graphite and steel, you're faced with options such as oversized heads, off-set heads and shaft flexes.

Club-making used to be an art, carried out by club professionals. Now, it's pure science.

Gone are the romantic days of mashies, niblicks and spoons - today's market is dominated by beasts such as Big Berthas, Fireblades and Launchers, with heads bigger than the average Premiership footballer's.

However, you don't need any clubs to get started in the game. Before parting with any serious money, you should visit your local PGA professional and book a lesson.

"I can assess a golfer's ability and then give them advice on what sort of clubs to go for," says Mark Woodward, the professional at Perdiswell Golf Club.

"If you buy clubs before you start playing, you could end up with ones that don't suit your ability."

If you survive a lesson and feel that golf is the game for you, Mark recommends buying just a seven iron to begin with - a club that can be used for both long and short shots.

"It's a useful club to start with," he says. "If you can master the seven iron, you're well on the way to mastering the basics."

Once you've got to grips with this club, the serious business of arming yourself for a full round of golf begins.

The good news is that you can buy a respectable new set of clubs and get enough change from £150 to buy a bag, too.

There are plenty of beginners' clubs available - the best bet is to shop around, comparing prices in the increasingly common golf supermarkets as well as in the more comfortable surroundings of your local professionals' shop.

Although there's little to choose between most cheap sets, it's essential to give them a try before parting with your hard-earned cash.

As a rule, you should go for cavity back clubs to begin with, rather than the forged, bladed clubs that professionals use. Put simply, good shots don't feel quite as good, but bad shots aren't as bad as they are with blades.

"They are more forgiving and have a bigger 'sweet spot', which helps you to hit better shots," says Mark. "Shots which aren't out of the middle of the face still travel quite well."

Ask to take clubs out on a driving range - it's impossible to get a feel for them without hitting some shots. Because people are different shapes and sizes, clubs can be adjusted for lie and length, and grips can be made thicker for larger hands.

An off-the-shelf set of clubs is unlikely to suit everyone. It's not always the case that more expensive clubs give better performance than cheaper ones.

If you feel ready to move on from your loyal but limited starter set and are prepared to make a bigger investment, again ask a professional for advice and try a selection of other clubs.

If they feel no better than your present set, don't buy them.That may be stating the obvious, but some people feel that they have to have expensive clubs to be a good player.

"It's important to feel confident with the clubs," says Mark. "You could buy the most expensive clubs in the world, but if you don't like the way they look and feel, they'll be no use to you."

So, becoming a golfer is quite simple. But be warned - golf is a drug and there are side-effects that come with it. You will lose any dress sense you may have, you'll suffer from wild mood swings as your game falls apart, and you'll develop a severe intolerance towards young people, if my experience as a junior golfer is anything to go by. Enjoy!