Hi,
Firstly, I assume that your logic of buying on-line is to get better value !? In my opinion, if you know exactly what equipment you require and then can find it on-line at a better price then there's no problem but as you haven't played before that's a hard thing to do. Without getting too detailed, there are factors such as your age, build and likely swing speed that would dictate the correct equipment. There is a lot to be said for going to a trusted pro shop to get good advice....But if you can give me some more detail I will try and help further.....Age, height, do you play other sports (Hurling, Hockey ?) Does it matter to you whether you buy new or used, What sort of total budget do you have and finally, do you have anything at all yet...Shoes, bag, clothes etc ?
Cheers,
r2d2