For most golfers, the basic set of golf clubs consists of a driver, 3 wood, 4 wood and 5 wood, 3 iron through 9 iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge and a putter.
However, this basic set can vary quite a bit depending upon the skill level of the player, and how far they are able to hit a golf ball.
For me, my set up includes a driver, 3 wood, 2 iron through 9 iron, sand wedge, 60 degree wedge and a putter.
Keep in mind that you are allowed to carry a total of 14 clubs.
Driver
The driver is often the first club that beginners reach for on the driving range to see how far they can hit it.
The swings I often see as a result just make me shake my head. Many times, people are literally falling backwards because they are so far off balance, and have employed the wrong Kinematic Sequence.
In any event, the driver is clearly an important club in the bag. Typically, and 18 hole golf course will consist of at least 14 holes that are either par 4 or par 5. As such, hitting a driver off these tees is an option, depending upon your length off the tee.
Because the driver has so little loft (typically 9 to 12 degrees), the club creates more side spin than other clubs. This is why it is more difficult to hit a driver straight.
Also, the lack of loft makes it difficult to hit in the air, which is why we place the ball high on a tee in the tee box. Because we typically tee the ball fairly high, we also want to set up with the ball more forward in our stance when we hit the driver.
Generally speaking, the less loft on the club, the more forward you set up the ball in your stance. A good swing bottoms out closer to the inside of your front foot.
In the case of the driver, since we are teeing the ball high (a good rule of thumb is that about 50% of the ball should be above the top of the driver), we want to catch the ball on the upswing. Moving the ball more forward in our stance allows that.
With the driver, the ball is typically set up somewhere between the heel and big toe of the front foot.
Fairway Woods (Yeah, they aren’t made of wood anymore)
The fairway woods should also be played from forward in your stance, but not as far forward as the driver. These will have a much smaller head than the driver, and have more loft, so we are not trying to hit the ball on the upswing with these clubs, but much closer to the bottom of our swing.
Long Irons and Hybrids
The long irons and hybrids will also be played forward of center. If you don’t generate a lot of swing speed, you’ll likely want to replace the 4 iron with a hybrid club, and instead of carrying a 2 and 3 iron, carry a 4 wood and 5 wood.
The reason being is that long irons are more difficult clubs to hit, particularly out of the rough. The hybrids and higher lofted wood clubs can get through the longer grass more easily and since they have larger heads than the long irons, they also have a larger sweet spot to allow for more consistent contact.
Mid and Short Irons
The mid irons and short irons should then be played from about the middle of your stance. These clubs have more loft, and then more grooves to create more back spin.
The back spin is what allows the ball to climb higher into the air. With a good golf swing, you’ll be able to take advantage of the design of the club by hitting the ball first, then the turf (you’ll do the same with long irons and hybrids, but you don’t want to hit as much turf). The loft of the club and the grooves will then create the back spin that creates the higher ball flight.
One of the keys to playing golf is then learning how far you can hit each club. Distance control is really what sets the better players apart.
The tour players’ ability to control distance with their short to mid-irons is what allows them to be so precise with shots into the green.
Swing Speed and Club Shaft
Club shafts generally come in regular, stiff and extra stiff shaft stiffness. Golfers that are capable of generating swing speeds of about 110 mph or more with the driver will tend to need extra stiff shafts.
Once you have learned to play a bit, it’s a good idea to see a club fitter. The fitter will also recommend an appropriate shaft length. Clubs generally come in a pretty uniform length, but if you are taller than normal or shorter than normal, you may need an adjustment.
That about covers the basic set of golf clubs. If you are new to the game, it’s always a good idea to invest in used clubs first due to the cost of new clubs.
Once you’ve been playing a while, then go see a fitter.
