Stepping onto the first tee with a bag full of clubs can be overwhelming, but understanding the job of each one is fundamental to playing better golf. This guide breaks down every club in a standard set, explaining what it does, when to use it, and how to build a bag that works for you.
Before we get into the details of each club, you need to know a basic rule of golf: you can only carry up to 14 clubs in your bag during an official round. This rule, set by the official governing bodies like the USGA and R&A, forces you to be strategic about which clubs you choose to carry. You don’t need 14 clubs to start playing, and many beginner sets come with fewer options to keep things simple. But remembering that 14 is the maximum will be helpful as you begin to build your own perfect set over time.
Your golf bag will be filled with a mix of clubs from a few main families: woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, and a putter. Each is designed for a specific type of shot, and learning their strengths is the first step toward better course management.
The driver is your heavy hitter. It has the longest shaft, the biggest head (usually up to 460cc, the maximum allowed size), and the lowest loft (typically between 8° and 12°). Its one and only job is to hit the ball as far as possible off the tee on long holes like par 4s and par 5s. A well-struck drive sets you up for an easier second shot and can completely change how you play a hole.
When to use it: On the tee box when you need maximum distance.
A Quick Tip: Because of its length and low loft, the driver can also be the hardest club to control. Don't feel like you have to hit your driver on every long hole. If a fairway is narrow or has hazards, sometimes the smarter choice is to use a different club to find the short grass.
Think of fairway woods as your driver's smaller, more versatile siblings. They have smaller heads and more loft than a driver, which makes them much easier to hit consistently from a variety of situations. They are numbered (most commonly a 3-wood and 5-wood), with higher numbers indicating more loft and a shorter shaft, resulting in a higher, shorter shot.
When to use them: Off the tee on shorter par 4s or tight holes, or for long shots from the fairway.
Hybrids are a modern game-changer and a true gift to the average golfer. They combine the best features of a fairway wood (larger, more forgiving head shape) and an iron (shorter, more controllable shaft length). This friendly design helps you get the ball airborne easily from different lies - the fairway, the first cut of rough, and even from divots.
They are designed specifically to replace the hard-to-hit long irons (like the 3, 4, and even 5-iron). That’s why you'll often hear golfers call them "rescue clubs" - they can save you from a tough situation and turn a difficult long shot into a manageable one!
When to use them: Practically anywhere you would have once used a long iron. This could be for a long approach shot, a punch out from the trees, or even as a safe option off the tee.
Irons are the soul of your golf set, used for the majority of your shots from the fairway toward the green. They make up the bulk of your clubs and are numbered, typically from a 4-iron or 5-iron up to a 9-iron and pitching wedge. It's a simple system: the higher the number on the iron, the more loft it has. More loft means the ball will fly higher and shorter.
You’ll also hear irons described as either “cavity back” or “blade” style. Most golfers, especially beginners and mid-handicappers, play with cavity-back irons. These irons have a hollowed-out section on the back of the clubhead, which pushes weight to the perimeter. This design makes them much more forgiving on off-center hits. Blades, on the other hand, are solid muscle-back irons preferred by highly-skilled players who want to shape shots and get more feedback on their strike.
These are built for distance on longer approach shots. For many players, long irons are challenging to hit cleanly and consistently because of their lower loft. While some skilled players prefer them for their penetrating ball flight, most golfers find better results by replacing them with easier-to-hit hybrids of equivalent loft.
These are your workhorses. You’ll use them for a huge percentage of your shots from the 120 to 170-yard range (this varies greatly from player to player). They offer an excellent balance of distance and control, allowing you to attack pins with real confidence.
When you're getting close to waving distance of the green, you pull out a short iron. These clubs have the most loft in the iron family, which produces high, soft-landing shots perfect for shorter approaches. Here, accuracy and precision become more important than raw power.
Within about 100 yards of the green, your wedges are your best friends. These are your "scoring clubs," designed for precision, control, and getting the ball close to the hole to set up easy putts. While the Pitching Wedge (PW) comes standard with your iron set, you'll likely want to add a few more specialized wedges to your bag.
As the saying goes, "Drive for show, putt for dough." The putter has only one purpose: to roll the ball into the hole once you're on the putting green. It’s arguably the most important club you own, as you'll likely use it more than any other club in your bag - often for nearly half of your strokes in a round!
Putters come in a massive variety of shapes and sizes, but they generally fall into two categories: traditional "blade" putters and larger "mallet" putters, which often offer more forgiveness on off-center hits. The best putter is simply the one that feels good in your hands and gives you confidence standing over the ball.
A Quick Tip: Spend some time on the putting green at a golf store and try out different styles. Don't just pick one because a professional golfer uses it. Golf is a feel game, and the putter that feels right to you is the one you will perform best with.
So, how do you decide what your 14 clubs should be? There's no single right answer, as it depends on your skill level, swing Speed, and personal preferences. But here are a couple of sample setups to get you thinking:
Most beginner "package sets" are fantastic because they're designed for forgiveness and don't overwhelm you with too many clubs. A typical starter set might include:
This 11-club setup gives you a tool for every type of situation without getting too complicated.
As you improve, you'll want to add clubs to fill distance gaps and give you more options. A common setup for an intermediate player looks something like this:
This 13-club configuration provides excellent coverage from tee to green and gives you the specialized wedges needed to get up and down from anywhere, leaving you one open spot to add another fairway wood or hybrid based on your strengths.
Understanding the role of each club in your bag is a massive step toward better course management and lower scores. By knowing which club to pull for a given distance and situation, you replace guesswork with a clear plan, allowing you to swing away with more confidence.
Of course, knowing what each club can do is one thing, deciding which one to use for the specific shot in front of you is another. That's where we developed Caddie AI to help. On the course, when you’re torn between an 8-iron or a 9-iron, you can get an instant club recommendation based on your situation. More than just club selection, when you face a challenging shot from the rough or want a smart strategy for a new hole, you can just ask - or even share a photo of your ball's lie - to get expert guidance in seconds. It allows you to make smarter decisions and play with the kind of confidence that comes from knowing you have a solid plan. You can check it out at Caddie AI.
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