As a beginner, you must be wondering how many golf clubs you can carry in your bag or what is the standard club lengths. So, according to USGA rule 4, a player can carry up to a maximum of 14 clubs in his or her bag. But this does not mean you have to carry all 14 clubs, especially when they are quite expensive.
Hence, choosing the right equipment depends on your game style and skill level. This gives you the freedom to choose however at the same time makes golf challenging. Especially, if you are a beginner and don’t know what equipment to use for different conditions.
How Many Golf Clubs Come In A Set
Golf clubs come in different shapes and sizes. Because every piece of equipment has its structure and role. With time and experience, you will learn which club suits your game style. However, in the begging use any club whether a 3-wood or a 4-iron that gives you confidence and helps you start. Then slowly try different clubs and decide which golf club best suits you.
In the end, a golfer’s skill level determines what and how many golf clubs they should carry.
Generally, a quick look at how many golf clubs are in a bag of different levels of players.
| High-Handicappers or beginners | Mid-handicappers or Average players | Low-handicappers or Professionals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Driver | 1 Driver | 1 Driver |
| 1 Fairway wood | 1 3-wood or 5-wood | 1 3-wood |
| 1 pitching wedge | 1 Hybrid wood | 1 Hybrid wood |
| 1 sand wedge | 7,6,5, 4, and 3 irons | 9,8,7,6,5, 4, and 3 irons |
| 7,6,5, and 4 irons | 1 sand wedge | 1 sand wedge |
| 1 putter | 1 pitching wedge | 1 lob wedge |
| 1 putter | 1 pitching wedge | |
| 1 putter |
All these terminologies feel overwhelming and as a beginner, you may think about what is a wood or driver or what it means by 7, 6, and 5 irons. Don’t worry we will explain every piece of equipment to you one by one.
Types of Golf Clubs and their role?
Three are six types of golf clubs that you can use in your game. Below we have described every category.
Driver
Firstly, a driver is the biggest club in the bag and is also called 1 wood. This club has the longest shaft and the biggest club head. These clubs are used to send the ball far away and can hit the ball over 200 yards. These clubs are used at the beginning of the game. They are quite hard to hit the ball off the ground so we used a tee to lift the ball a little up.
Which players should use the driver?
These clubs are mostly recommended for Low to Mid-handicappers similarly, as they are quite difficult to hit with. As a beginner, you should not touch a driver at first but keep it in your bag and practice with it when you have the opportunity so that you get familiar with it.
Wood
Secondly, wood is like a little brother to the driver as they have the same shape but has a smaller head, shorter shaft length, and higher loft than the driver. Similarly, they provide you with less distance than the drivers and are used in fairways when you are about 170 or 180 yards away from the greens.
Two types of wood are commonly used:
3-wood
Firstly, a 3-wood has less loft than other woods and is used to hit the ball for a longer distance. Thus, these clubs are normally used in the beginning if you don’t have a driver.
5-wood
Secondly, on the other hand, a 5-wood has more loft and is easy to hit. But they cannot hit the ball that far away as a 3-wood. These clubs are used for the second shot.
Which player uses wood?
As a beginner, it is recommended to use a 5 or even 7 or 9 wood because they are much easier to hit the ball. But for average and professional players it is recommended to use 3-wood for getting the maximum distance.
Hybrid
Thirdly, as the name suggests this club is a cross of wood and iron and has the features of both. Hence, Hybrids are becoming more popular these days because they are easy to hit and provide long distances. I would prefer to use 3 or 4 hybrids instead of 3 or 4 iron. They can be used for 150 to 170 yards of distance.
Which players can use Hybrids?
These clubs are popular with every kind of player whether you are an amateur or a professional. In my opinion, it is a good decision to have a hybrid in your bag instead of one iron.
Irons
This equipment has compact head than the above ones and is used in the greens when the distance is less than 170 yards. There are numbers printed on the lower side of the iron head these numbers are directly proportional to its loft the higher the number is higher the loft will be but the shaft length will decrease.
The higher numbers of irons like 5 iron, 6 iron, and 7 iron are used for accuracy. They are easy to hit but have less shot distance. on the other hand, lower irons are difficult to hit but are used when the distance is above 170 yards.
Here is a quick look at the iron numbers, their loft, and their expected distance.
| Iron number | loft | Length | distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-iron | 18° | 39.125" | above 200 yards |
| 4-iron | 20° | 38.75" | 180 to 200 yards |
| 5-iron | 23° | 38.25" | 170 to 180 yards |
| 6-iron | 26° | 37.50" | 160 to 170 yards |
| 7-iron | 30° | 37.00" | 150 to 160 yards |
| 8-iron | 34° | 36.75" | 140 to 150 yards |
| 9-iron | 38° | 36.00" | 130 to 140 yards |
Which player should use what number of iron?
As a beginner or mid handicapper, you want distance and forgiveness and these attributes are in the irons with lower numbers like 4 iron or 5 iron. Similarly, they should use irons from 4 numbers to 7 numbers.
On the other hand, low handicappers and professional players need accuracy and consistency so they can use irons with higher numbers like 7 iron or 9 iron.
Wedges
Wedge head shapes are just like irons but have more loft. Similarly, They are used in tricky conditions when there is an obstacle in front of you or when you have to launch the ball high but not far enough. Thus, they have a curve on the bottom that bounces the ball upward. There are mainly three different kinds of wedges namely pitching wedge gap wedge and sand wedge.
Pitching wedge
Firstly, these wedges have a loft between 44° to 48° depending upon the manufacturer, and have the longest shaft. they are used to hitting the ball at a distance with a lower lift. These wedges are used when the obstacle is a bush or a little tree.
Gap wedge
Secondly, as the name suggested these wedges fill the gap between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge. They can shoot the ball a little higher but at a shorter distance than a pitching wedge. Gap wedges have a loft between 50° to 54° and have shorter shafts than pitching wedges. They are used where obstacles are higher like a big tree etc.
Sand wedge
Thirdly, the Sand wedge is also called a lob wedge this wedge has a loft of 56° to 60° and the shortest shaft from above two. This wedge has the most loft and most bounce on it. They are used where to hit the ball higher but for a shorter distance like a bunker or water.
Which player should use what kind of wedge?
As a beginner or mid-handicapper, you should keep it simple and use only two kinds of wedge a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. With time and experience your game grows you should opt for more variety like a gap wedge or lob wedge. However, a professional player can carry 3 to 4 wedges in his set depending upon his choice and game style.
Here is a quick look at the wedge loft, length, and expected distance.
| Iron number | loft | Length | distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitching Wedge | 44°-48° | 35.75" | 100 to 120 yards |
| Gap Wedge | 50°-54° | 35.50" | 80 to 100 yards |
| Sand Wedge | 56°-60° | 35.25" | 60 to 80 yards |
Putters
Putters are the last but not the least golf equipment and are used to put the ball in the hole. It is a game within a game to put the ball in the hole with the least number of strokes. The putters commonly used are of two designs.
- Blade putters
Firstly, as the name suggests they have a blade-like appearance and compact head design. They are toe balanced and used for accuracy. They are less forgiving and are best suited for players with arced strokes. - Mallet putters
Secondly, this putter has a bigger head and they are face balanced. They are mostly suited for players with straight strokes and provide plenty of forgiveness.
Which player should use a putter?
Mostly beginners and mid-handicappers need forgiveness Thus, so they should use mallet-design putters and professionals should use blade-type putters for accuracy and consistency.
Conclusion
In the conclusion, there is no exact answer on how many or what types of golf clubs you can carry in your golf bags. The only thing You know is that you can carry up to a maximum of 14 clubs and the rest of the choice is yours. Your clubs don’t remain the same in your golf journey as you grow your clubs also change. So don’t give too much thought about clubs in the beginning and just starts with the clubs that make you comfortable.