Golf Clubs Set: Let Your Game Choose Your Clubs Set

For over a long time, golf has been played with basically the same set of clubs. The traditional golf set includes 3 woods (1, 3, 5), 11 irons (2-9, PW, SW) and a putter. Does this configuration work for everyone? Absolutely no! Now, it's time that you should take a fresh look at what a golf club set can and should be. Rather than deciding on clubs based on "traditional" way, why not choose golf clubs based on what YOUR golf game requires.

Playing the game of golf involves various kinds of shots. Sometimes a shot requires distance but other time requires accuracy. Some shots are hit from a tee while some from short grass and at times from ungodly places like rough, sand and dry dirt (hardpan). Each situation requires a special club. Depending upon our abilities, some shots will be relatively straightforward and some will be very tough.

For example, if a shot requires a 200 yard carry over water to a tight pin on a small green, the right golf club for a beginner, intermediate or advanced golfer will be entirely different. The beginner will need all the help and forgiveness possible (they might even need 2 shots). While the intermediate golfer may need a little less forgiveness but still wants to be comfortable with their club. Finally, the advanced player may want more subtle characteristics of feel and club head response that a beginner can't even visualize. In the past, all three types of different golfer were left with only a few choices but thankfully there are many more options today.

Which Clubs Are Most Important?

As pointed out previously, golf requires numerous kinds of shots - drives, long approach shots, short approach shots, pitches, chips, sand shots, putts and a variety of so-called trouble shots. By far the most frequent shot is a putt. For an average golfer, the putter is used more than twice as much as any other club. If a golfer shoots a score of 100, 35% - 40% of those strokes will be putts. So based on shear numbers, the putter is the most important club.

For most golfers, the driver is the next most often used - a possible 14 times from the tee, or roughly 12-20% of the time depending on ability level and hole requirements. That first shot from the tee sets the tone for the hole. A good drive makes the rest of the shots on that hole easier. That makes it a very important club too.

For beginners who have a hard time hitting the green in a regulation number of strokes, the wedges may be the second most used category of clubs. Typically, a beginner may hit 1-4 greens. So they spend a lot of strokes chipping up to the green (15-20%).

The remaining strokes in a round are spread among the rest of the set. It is likely that no one club will be used more than a few times. So in terms of frequency of use, the putter, driver and wedges are clearly used the most frequently with the rest of the clubs bringing up the rear.

On the other hand, the importance of a club has a lot to do with its effect on your games. A club that has the potential to cause problems (strokes) must be given added weight. The more difficult a club is to hit the more likely that it may cause disaster. The driver, the long irons, and fairway woods are the most likely culprits to cause that errant shot that never is heard from again. Good bye ball.

It's no coincidence that these problem clubs are also the longest clubs in the set. Most golfers would agree that the longer the club, the harder to hit. As our abilities improve, however, we can begin to take advantage of what the longer clubs offer (distance). But finding forgiving versions of these clubs is a priority to help your games now. Fortunately, there are many new possibilities with higher lofted drivers, fairway woods and the new hybrid clubs.

Depending upon your level of skills, let's take a look at how a golf set for a beginner, intermediate and an advanced golfer could be configured.