A full set of golf clubs typically consists of 12 clubs, which can include a make-up of one wedge, a putter, a hybrid, 3 woods, and 6 irons.
When you are just starting out golf, you don’t necessarily need to have a full set of clubs. Its best to keep it simple until you have mastered a few basic skills. Once you get to that intermediate or pro level, then you should definitely carry a full set of clubs.
Professional players will try new clubs to improve their game, or to make temporary changes based on the course they’re playing on.
Nonetheless, it doesn’t hurt to carry around a full set of clubs as a beginner as each club can serve a specific purpose when the set is constructed properly in your golf bag.
The choice of golf clubs is up to the player. He or she should find the right combination for their ability, swing speed and the type of golf course they play. Therefore, if you play on the same golf course each time, then you should set up your bag to that course.
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What Happens If You Have Too Many Clubs In Your Bag?
The number of clubs in your bag should not exceed 14 according to the rules of the sport. If you go over the limit of 14 clubs, then you’ll receive a penalty of two strokes for each hole.
Also, how you organize the golf clubs in your bag becomes important as you begin to increase the number of clubs in your bag. If you don’t pack your clubs properly and in the right order, then your game will not run smoothly. A well organized golf bag will allow for ease of access and faster pace of play which is becoming more important on the golf course.
The general rule is that you want to pack your bag such that the clubs are arranged from left to right with the longer irons to the right and the shorter irons to the left. The larger clubs are to be placed at the back section whereas the shorter clubs to the front so that the longer clubs doesn’t obscure the view of the shorter clubs.
Related post: How to pack your golf clubs?
What Should Be In Your Golf Bag?
There’s no fixed answer to what should be in your golf bag as one size doesn’t fit all. My bag and your bag shouldn’t necessarily be the same because we may play at different levels and at different handicaps. Moreover, we all have different strengths and weaknesses.
If you’re playing with a set of clubs that are ill-suited, you are immediately giving an advantage to your opponent.
You should take advantage of the technology and the types of clubs that are available to get the best make-up in your bag.
First of all, make sure to put and use all 14 clubs you are allowed to carry in your bag. It makes no sense to put golf clubs in your bag that you don’t like to hit, or can’t hit at all. If you have one or a few of these, take them out to make room for better options.
A typical modern golf bag will usually carry a driver, one or two fairway woods, one of two hybrid clubs, several irons, 2 to 4 wedges and one putter.
Now, how many you carry of one type depends on which type of club you prefer. For example, some golfers prefer to hit hybrids rather than long irons so hybrids could be creeping into the 3, 4, 5, or even 6-iron territory.
Otherwise, some may find more success hitting fairways woods rather than hybrids so these golfers may carry 3 or 4 fairways woods, at the expense of hybrids.
Regarding wedges, you should try to find a way to carry more than 2 wedges. Indeed, golfers that start the game will usually only carry 2 wedges, a pitching wedge (PW) and a sand wedge (SW).
Try to see if you could sneak a gap wedge (GW) and even a lob wedge (LW) in there. Carrying more than 2 wedges will give you more options when you are around the green or when you are a short range away from the green.
It’s all about finding a specific use and distance for each club and making sure that you enjoy and can find success hitting every club in your bag.
Purchasing A Set Of Golf Clubs – Buying Guide
The first thing you should know when buying golf clubs is to not believe the marketing. Marketers will tell you every single year that they have the latest and best club that will improve your game. In reality, it just doesn’t work.
If you’ve got a budget of say $1,000 , it’s better to spend more than half of that money on golf lessons as you’ll make a bigger difference than the equipment.
As long as your driver was custom fitted and is no older than 5 years old, getting a new one won’t help your game that much. As far as irons are concerned, custom fitted irons bought within the last 10 years should still work fine for your game, again as long as they were custom fitted for your game.
One of the things you can do to make your clubs feel like new again without spending too much money is to change your grips. Golf grips wear down over time and getting a new set will make your clubs feel like new again. This brings us to our next point.
Custom Fitted Clubs
A custom fitted golf club is a great choice to go with your set of clubs, especially for the player who is serious about improving their golf game. These type of clubs are made to your specifications and are designed to play up strengths and compensate for any weaknesses.
First of all, you will need to choose a club head for your clubs and very many are available from the manufacturers you know and love such as Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, etc.
Once you decide on a clubhead that fits you will then consider the shaft for the club, the weight of the shaft, the flex and the kick point. Each combination will produce a different ball flight.
You’ll then consider the grips and how different models produce a different feel, texture and even size. While you hit golf balls the custom fitter will make sure that your clubs have the correct lie angle so that the sole of the club is flat to the ground at impact.
Getting a custom fitted driver is a whole world into itself and will allow for even more customization options through adjustments to the head. This will help produce different launch conditions and spin parameters, all of which will allow you to pick a ball flight that is compatible with your golf swing.
Custom fitted wedges will offer different bounce and shape of bounce options. The grinds will vary and you are best to pick the ones that will offer you the best striking conditions for the type of ground and course you normally play.
Finally, you can and should also get custom fitted for a putter. The length of the putter shaft as well as the various options for a putter head will come into play.
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