What Golf Clubs Do I Need (Recommendations)

Written by Todd in Online Golf Instruction

Whether you have played golf for 20 years or you are new to the game, a question you might frequently asked is what golf clubs do I need?

There are many different combinations of clubs you can use to play the game of golf.

Overall, you can carry 14 golf clubs for a round of golf, which includes the putter.

There are different combinations you can bring together to help capitalize on the strengths of your game and your swing.  The technology out there has made golf an easier sport, especially for beginners.

The variety of clubs designed to help the golfer hit the ball higher and further than ever before should be an advantage that golfers should take advantage of.  Also, the flexibility in making adjustments to the club, such as loft or draw or fade bias should help all golfers out.

There are many options when it comes to golf clubs. Check out the advice below!

What Golf Clubs Do I Need?

Let’s dive right into the recommendations for the following levels of golfers:

  • Beginner Golf
  • Senior Golfer
  • Junior Golfer
  • Woman Golfer
  • High Handicap Golfer
  • Low Handicap Golfer

Beginner Golfer: What Golf Clubs Do I Need?

The beginner golfer should carry at a minimum the following clubs:

  • Driver
  • 3 Wood
  • 7 iron thru Pitching Wedge
  • Sand Wedge
  • Low Wedge
  • Putter

There are a total of 9 clubs out of the 14.  These clubs are essential to getting you started with the game of golf.  The driver will be used off the tee on the majority of par 4s and par 5s, with your irons and other clubs being used on par 3s. 

Charting out the distances that you hit each club, within a range of 10 yards will help you when you head out to the course.  Heading to the driving range with your essential clubs and testing out the distances and the curve of the ball will help you experience more success your first several times out on the course.

Resource: How many golf clubs does a beginner need?

If you want to add 5 more clubs to get a total of 14 clubs, here are some additional clubs you should consider:

  • 5 Wood or 3 Hybrid
  • 4 Hybrid
  • 5 Hybrid
  • 4-6 irons

Some combination of these 7 clubs should help you further advance your game and give you additional clubs to hit to cover all of the distances between chipping and up to however far you can hit the ball.

Senior Golfer: What Golf Clubs Do I Need?

The senior golfer should carry at a minimum the following golf clubs:

  • Driver
  • 3 Wood
  • 3 or 5 hybrid
  • 6 thru Pitching Wedge
  • Sand Wedge
  • Lob Wedge
  • Putter

This is a total of 11 clubs, leaving you with 3 additional clubs you can add.  Every golfer needs the clubs listed above, but can start to consider subbing different clubs in and out of the lineup.  It is important to have all of your distances covered from chip shots to the distance that you hit your driver. 

The total gap between these two is essential to cover.  However, you are just starting the game, or simply want to have a good time you can get started with the amount of clubs above.

For most senior golfers, I would highly recommend the hybrid option as a possible replacement for the 4, 5 and 6 iron.  As the swing speed slows down, the technology behind the hybrid makes it an easier club to launch higher and further than irons.

Resource: Steel shafts vs graphite shafts

Here are some additional clubs a Senior Golfer should consider:

  • 3, 4 and/or 5 hybrid
  • 5 wood
  • Gap Wedge

If you are someone with a lot of gaps in your longer clubs, you can add several of the hybrids or fairway woods.  If you struggle with your irons, you might consider replacing your 6 and maybe even your 7 iron with a hybrid.

If you are someone that struggles inside of 80 yards and need another wedge in there, the gap wedge is a quality option.

Selecting your preferred brand might seem difficult. However, it is difficult to go wrong with any of the top brands!

Junior Golfer: What Clubs Do I Need?

Helping your junior golfer experience success from the beginning is important.  This starts with making sure the junior golfer has clubs that actually fit their height. 

Here are the essential golf clubs for a junior golfer that is starting the game:

  • Driver
  • 3 Wood
  • Hybrid
  • 7 Iron
  • 9 Iron
  • Sand Wedge 
  • Putter

Many junior sets come standard as a 7 golf club set to get the junior started.  Until the swing speed starts to increase, anything more than a 7 iron might be difficult for most juniors.  Around the greens, it is important to have a sand wedge to provide enough loft to help them to get the ball to stop on the greens when they hit a chip shot.

Some people might try to cut down older clubs, but with the quality options out there for junior sets in today’s market, I would highly recommend the different options sold by Taylor Made and Cobra.  There are some quality options out there that often come with a stand bag and head cover.  This helps the junior golfer be excited about playing the game.

Resource: Are new golf clubs worth it?

Here are some additional clubs to add as the junior golfer advances in this game:

  • 5 Wood
  • Additional Hybrid
  • 5-6 iron
  • Low Wedge

As the junior golfer advances, it is important to help them by adding clubs to help close some of the distance gaps that might exist with only 7 clubs in the bag.  The options above will help round out the 14 total clubs they are allowed to carry.

Woman Golfer: What Clubs Do I Need?

There following clubs at a minimum are needed to play a round of golf with some success:

  • Driver
  • 3 Wood
  • 7 thru Pitching Wedge
  • Sand Wedge
  • Putter

Resource: 6 different golf clubs

Once again, this is only 8 clubs and the average woman golfer could consider adding the following onto their set:

  • 5 Wood
  • 2-3 additional hybrids
  • 5-6 iron
  • Low Wedge
  • Gap Wedge

The most important part for the women golf clubs are the graphite shafts which are lighter and help increase swing speed.  Some golfers lack the overall swing speed to help get the ball in the air.  The graphite shafts help produce additional speed and should be considered for most women golfers.

The utility iron is a game changer. This is a great option for a low handicap golfer. See below for more information.

High Handicap Golfer: What Clubs Do I Need?

At a minimum a high handicap golfer should carry the following clubs:

  • Driver
  • 3 Wood
  • 5 Wood
  • 3 Hybrid
  • 6 thru Pitching Wedge
  • Sand Wedge
  • Low Wedge
  • Putter

This is a total of 12 clubs.  You will see that this set is heavy on the fairway woods and hybrids and also the wedges.  Having the right clubs from inside 120 is very important.  Also, having clubs that helps the golfer get the ball in the air and hit it high enough to hold a green is important.

Other clubs to consider adding:

  • 4 and 5 iron (for higher swing speeds)
  • 4-6 Hybrid (for slower swing speeds)
  • Gap Wedge (for those that have trouble controlling distances inside 120 yards)

Overall, the golfer needs to build the back based on his or her strengths.  Make sure you are honest with your results so you have clarity on the best options to shoot your best scores.

Resource: How far should I hit my golf clubs?

Low Handicap Golfer: What Clubs Do I Need?

The low handicap golfers will typically carry the following clubs:

  • Driver
  • 3 Wood
  • Utility Iron or Hybrid
  • 4 thru Pitching Wedge
  • Sand Wedge
  • Low Wedge
  • Putter

Resource: Utility iron vs hybrid: Which one should I carry?

This is a total of 13 clubs.  Of course, the low handicap golfer, just like the high handicap golfer needs to continue to assess their game.  If they struggle inside of 120 yards, an additional wedge might help.

If they are struggling with a hybrid, maybe it is time to swap it out with a utility iron.  This is something I did recently and I have such better control with the utility iron vs the hybrid.  The stability through the hitting zone is helpful and the overall accuracy is highly improved.

Resource: When to use a driving iron?

The SkyTrak can be used indoors or at the driving range. Practice all winter and then use during the season as well!

A Tool To Help All Golfers

I would highly recommend a portable launch monitor.  These great technology based devised can be purchased for between 500 and 2000 thousand dollars.  The major benefit is that you can map your bag to know your carry distance for every club in your bag.  The also provide the following data to give you real time feedback after every shot:

  • Ball Speed
  • Carry Distance
  • Spin Rate
  • Spin Axis
  • Launch Angle

These 5 sets of data are everything that you need to select the right clubs and improve your swing.  

I would recommend the following:

With each club in the bag, hit complete the following:

  • Hit a total of 5 shots.
  • Remove your farthest and shortest distance.
  • Average the other 3 for your average with that club for carry distance


If your numbers seem out of sort for some reasons, repeat with another 5 balls.  Chart these out on a spreadsheet and reference it during a round of golf.

Here are the top 3 launch monitors I would recommend:

Final Thoughts: What Golf Clubs Do I Need?

Golf is a journey that you should enjoy.  Part of that enjoyment is trying to find ways to improve your game.  Club selection is one way.  Keep your eyes open to the different options on the golf market and test clubs out if you get the chance.  I love my SkyTrak as I can head to the course with confidence that I have the right golf clubs and golf balls in bag to help me shoot my best scores!

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you?  I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor.  Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed.  Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier.  Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system?  It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:

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