Picking the Perfect Golf Clubs

We all know the history of golf: early man used clubs to kill their prey. 

We’ve seen these early clubs, big bulky things carved out of stone or wood.

Eventually, these proto-humans realized that they needed different tools for different jobs. It was silly to hammer their “Cave, Sweet Cave” paintings with the same club they used to hunt saber-toothed tigers or woolly mammoths.

Hence, they began fashioning a whole array of clubs. Sooner or later, came the prehistoric supermarkets and they no longer needed their clubs to kill. Ergo, there was little else to do with the outmoded tools than play games, so they invented golf! 

All right, full-disclosure, we got this summary of the history of golf from watching The Flintstones, but it’s kind of apropos.

Beginning golfers might not realize that they need different tools for different jobs—different clubs for different situations. Even advanced golfers might still need a little help choosing a good club once in a while.

For this article, we thought we’d give beginners a little heads up on how to get the perfect set but also, if you’re an expert golfer, you might find something of use here as well.

Beginner’s Luck

If you’re a beginner, someone who’s shooting somewhere in the hundreds or you still think your handicap is associated with old age, the phrase “less is more” probably applies to you. You don’t need the USGA-approved 14 clubs in your bag but, instead, more like two or three fairway woods (usually a three- and five-wood), a handful of irons (odd numbers) and a putter.

More to the point, we don’t want to warn you away from getting a full bag (in fact, we offer a number of lovely 12-club golf bags) but you’ll want to get your head around the game and figure out what you like before you begin dropping serious money.

A smaller bag takes some of the guesswork out of selecting a club during a game and lets you focus on the one thing you should be focusing on—your swing! And playing golf, along with buying new, fancy clubs, can become quite the addiction! 

We suggest steel clubs because they’re more durable for beginners but we love graphite too!

For the record, or in case you’re interested, the biggest differences between men’s, women’s and junior’s clubs are the size. In general, ladies’ clubs will be shorter in stature and have smaller diameter grips. Some may even be made of graphite because graphite tends to be lighter. Junior’s clubs are smaller than both and fitted for young golfers. Of course, these are generally just branding distinctions and some men may even find that women’s clubs are better for them if they’re shorter or smaller in stature! 

Intermediate Stages

When you start getting a little bit better (and, don’t worry, you will start to get better, slowly but surely) you’ll want to upgrade your clubs.

For intermediate players, you’ll want to gradually add more clubs to your bag. Usually this means a sand wedge, and various “approach” wedges as well as even numbered irons. For intermediate players (you’re shooting in the eighties at this point), we’d suggest switching over to graphite. Steel is great for getting the hang of your swing and you can swing the hell of them without worry of any bending, but graphite is much lighter, allowing you to swing harder and faster, and you’ll begin to see your ball travelling greater distances!

Also, if you haven’t yet, you should certainly add a driver to your bag.

Expert Decisions

If you’re an expert, chances are you aren’t reading this article. We hope by now you know what you like and what you need to get those strokes down and stop slicing it on that par five. 

Accessories

Do you need a golf glove right off the bat (er, right off the “club”)?

As much as we do want to sell you a golf glove you’re going to love—use of a glove is player preference. If you’re only teeing off once a month or once every couple months, then you probably don’t need one right away. If, on the other hand, you’re playing once a week (or more if you’re lucky), then we’d suggest picking one up! 

Golf gloves keep the club from turning in your hand, leading to a better shot. If you’re getting serious, you’ll seriously want to get one.