7 Essential Golf Clubs for Beginners

Birdie Golf Review 7 Essential Golf Clubs for Beginners

by Brett Francisco

The rules of golf permit us to use up to 14 clubs in the bag. If you are a beginner this might seem overwhelming due to the variety of brands that are currently on the market. Hybrids, blades, cavity backs, wedges, drivers & woods...Oh my! It’s important that beginners know which and when certain clubs are supposed to be used. This article will break down the 7 essential clubs that beginners should have in their bag.

Contents

Overview
Putter
Wedges
Irons
Woods
Driver
Conclusion

Putter

Statistically, the putter is the most used club during a round of golf. In most cases the putter will account for roughly 50% or more of the total amount of strokes. It is paramount that a beginner finds a putter that allows them to control their stroke. There are basically two varieties of putters: the blade and the mallet. The blade putter presents a sleek look and smaller profile than a mallet putter. One great advantage the mallet has over the blade is the total weight. An increase in weight will assist in stabilizing your stroke because your forearms will thus be more engaged. As a result, the club face is often more stable because the wrists and hand motion are cancelled out by the additional weight.

Wedges

The second most essential club in a round of golf is/are the wedge(s). There are many different styles and lofts. To be clear, loft is the degree of angle that allows the ball to fly higher or lower. The standard sand wedge is normally 56 degrees in loft. This club is meant to be used around the surface of the putting green. It’s specifically designed to hit high or short shots. Next, you will want a pitching wedge which normally has 48 degrees of loft.

Irons

Now that we have covered the short game clubs, we will need to address the mid-to-long range clubs. A mid-iron like a 7 iron would be highly recommended. If you ever go to a golf store you will notice that the demo irons are almost always 7 irons. The 7 iron is statistically one of the easiest clubs for people to hit because of its length and loft. When you’re confident and ready to add more irons, it’s easy to understand how far you hit them. There should be a 10-12 yd gap between each iron. For example, if a 7 iron travels 150 yds then an 8 iron will travel roughly 140-142 yds and a 6 iron will travel 160-162 yds. In easy-to-understand terms the lower the number of irons, the longer the distance they will travel and the higher the number, the shorter.

Woods

Longer distance shots can be difficult for most beginners because they are learning their technique. Plus, the longer the length of the club, the further you will be positioned from the ball. Now that we are covering the long-distance shots, I will introduce you to the woods (no pun intended). Fairway woods are the long clubs with the larger heads. Woods can come in a wide variety of options such as a 7 wood, 5 wood or 3 wood. The same distance factor of lower number sequences applies. The longer the distances the lower the number and higher numbers travel shorter distances. The average 7 wood has 21 degrees of loft, 5 wood has 19 degrees and 3 wood has 15 degrees. This can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I would recommend that you only pick two woods and keep them in sequential order. For example, if you choose to purchase a 7 wood then also purchase a 5 wood. If you purchase a 3 wood also get a 5 wood.

Driver

The last of the most essential clubs you will need is the driver. Unfortunately, too many people bypass the previous clubs that I mentioned and go straight to the driver. Therefore, high handicap golfers exist. Think about it; the driver is the longest club in the bag meant for great distances. This means a beginner golfer is going to spend most of their time swinging as hard as they can to maximize distance. I’m not going to lie; the driver is fun to hit and there’s no greater feeling than smashing a drive down-the-middle. The driver is essential but during a round of golf it’s typically used only 14 times. The average 18-hole golf course is composed of four par 3’s and the rest are par 4’s & 5’s. This means on the par 3’s you will most likely not need to use your driver.

Now I would like to recap and highlight the 7 Most Essential Golf Clubs for Beginners:

Putter
Sand Wedge
Pitching Wedge
7 Iron
7 Wood or 5 Wood
3 Wood
Driver

Here are some notes to consider for your budget. Golf is simply not a cheap sport to play. With driver costs averaging over $400, most people opt for clubs of lesser value. Do yourself a favor a buy a name brand driver & putter. I’m not asking you to spend break the bank, but you can source pre-owned equipment with plenty of life left for much less. When people buy new cheap clubs, they will most likely suffer because the quality of the club is noticeably of lesser standards. Buying a new cheap driver is comparable to buying new cheap tissue paper. When you use them, you will face difficult times.

Before you make your purchase, study the top brands in golf. Here is a list of brands that every golfer should be familiar with:

TaylorMade
Callaway
Ping
PXG

There are many other brands to choose from, but these manufacturers tend to build quality beginner products. The general rule to remember when buying clubs is to know if it sounds to good to be true, then it is not worth wasting your money. Study up on other factors like shaft flexibility and length. Once you develop your skills you will have a clear understanding of why you’re allowed to carry up to 14 clubs. Start small and work your way to the tour!