For no particluar reason I was immediately drawn to Prince tennis racquets. I started with the cheapest one I could find at a big box athletic store. Its been good to me, got me through my first month of tennis.

Then, once I thought I knew what I was doing I spent the big bucks on O3 Blue. I got advice from a big box athletic store employee. Wrong person to get advice from. In any event, I actually found my game to be worse using the new equipment.

I feel a little cheated really. Its no ones fault but my own but there really ought to be a TRUE guide to buying a racquet. Everything I could find had technical specs but it has little bearing, at least for us tennis newbies.

I am now using the Prince Tour. Wow what a difference. But the cost of these things is brutal, and prohibitive in my opinion, for the sport to grow.

Heres MY tennis racquet buying guide for BEGINNERS with little or no experience.

1. start playing/hitting with one of the following: the wood racquet you have in your garage, a friends racquet, or buy the cheapest one you can find. Folks, I found a new strung racquet at Kmart for $15. Play a few times, a half dozen time, enough to get a feeling of how you play.

2. Go to your local Tennis Pro Shop. DO NOT go to a big box store. Go to a local place that only deals in racquet sports. Talk to the people there. They know more about tennis and equipment, usually with personal experience, then anything/anyone I could find. The beauty here is most of the local shops will let you demo the racquets they carry. With a description of how you think you play, and budget in mind, they give a few to try.

3. Go through as many racquets as you can find until you really have the one you feel works best for you.

Well, this turned more into how to buy a racquet for beginners thanthe new line of digs from Prince. Read about it here.

A word to Prince, I wish you had a trade in program. OR make the big box stores have a training.