Best Golf Clubs for Beginners to Intermediate

A golf course is a large area averaging 75 acres with diverse terrains. It is inconceivable and impossible to design a club that will work well in all terrains. So, the need for a range of good beginner golf clubs that will cover every situation as you play the game.

Drivers and woods are for long shots from the fairway, while irons come in handy for shorter midrange shots. You will find a sand wedge vital to get you out of a bunker. For accurate closeup rolls on the green, the putter does the job well.

Let us examine each club available for play in detail and understand when and how they are used.

The Woods

The woods are for long-distance shots from the tee or fairway. Compared to other clubs, woods come with a bigger clubface and a lower loft angle.

The driver, also known as 1- wood is the club used to hit the ball from an elevated tee. It is the lowest lofted of the woods. Lower the loft angle, the farthest the ball will travel.

The higher-numbered woods are known as fairway woods. The woods from 2- to 9- are available from top brands, though 3- wood is the most common fairway wood found in beginner golf club sets. You may find a 5- wood as well in a set if it includes a second fairway wood. 

Though typically used for shots off the turf of the fairways, a fairway wood may come in handy off the tee when shorter tee off is advantageous due to the presence of a dogleg or a hazard in the range of the driver. 

As the name indicates, the woods used to be made of wood, either hickory or persimmon. The advancement of golf technology has made it possible to have metals lighter than real wood. This has led to titanium or stainless-steel woods, known as metal woods. In addition to increased durability, metal woods allow bigger and more forgiving club heads to the delight of beginner golfers.

The Irons

Deriving their name from the metal club heads, the irons are available from 1- through 9-, though 1- and 2- are rarely found in use. Irons are used for shots to propel the ball to the green. They come in handy for a golfer in a variety of situations and so the most commonly used among all the clubs.

Complete golf sets typically include 5- to 9- irons, while bigger sets may have 3- and 4- irons as well. As in woods, the lower numbered irons come with lower loft. Higher the number, the higher the loft.

3-, 4- and 5- irons are known as long irons as they have long shafts for hitting long-distance shots. For a beginner, long irons are hard to master. So, most club sets replace them with hybrids.

6-, 7-, and 8- irons, known as middle irons are useful for covering shorter distances. 9- iron, called the short iron is for hitting much shorter shots to the green.

The Hybrids

As the name indicates, the hybrids used to be made from a combination of woods and metals. Now with even the woods made of metal, the hybrids, though made of metal, bring together the features of woods and irons. The club head of a hybrid is rounded like that of a wood, while the clubface is similar to that of an iron.

As a result of their unique design, the hybrids have a low center of gravity and consequently greater forgiveness. They come in a variety of loft angles in the range of 16° to 26°.

The long irons are difficult to hit and so often replaced with the more forgiving alternatives of hybrids. They also serve well to fill the distance gap between the fairway woods and middle irons. 

The Wedges

The wedges are used for lofting the ball high in the air. Shots such as pitches, lobs, and chips are helpful to get you out of tricky situations. There are four main types of wedges.

The pitching wedge is a typical component of complete club sets. With a loft angle between 46° to 51°, a pitching wedge is used for shots 120 yards from the green.

The sand wedge, as the name suggests, is useful to get out of sand bunkers. It comes equipped with the widest sole of all the wedges to provide sufficient bounce. The design is such that the club head glides through the sand without digging in.

The lob wedge is for the lob or flop shot, that is, the ball goes up high in the air and lands softly without much rollout. It is a difficult stroke to master and so often avoided in beginner golf club sets.

The gap wedge is useful to fill in the distance gap between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge.

The Putter

Last but not least is the putter, the most important of all the clubs to finish off the hole in style. Used in the green to roll the ball towards the hole, a putter is the most used club by a beginner golfer. 

Putters come in different shaft lengths, varying between 32” to 35”, to suit individual requirements. Putter heads come in two types - blade putter and mallet putter.

The old-style blade putter has a flat blade-like head, a small sweet spot, and consequently low forgiveness.

The mallet putter is more forgiving and allows the ball to roll with greater accuracy even when mishit.

The belly putter and broomstick putter are way more forgiving, but recent rule changes have led to a decline in their use.

As you watch others play the game, you may not get the right impression about how easy or hard the game actually is. It is only when you start playing the game that you understand the difficulty involved. To help you in the early stages, you need a starter golf club set that is most forgiving. The more forgiving the better!

Every manufacturer of golf clubs has beginner golf club sets specifically made for beginners. The main feature of these starter golf clubs is the massive sweet spot that helps in increasing their forgiveness. In practical terms, this translates to hitting the ball the intended distance accurately even in the event of mishits.

Without this extra help from the starter golf clubs, beginners typically lose interest in the game and may quit altogether. It is no fun to watch yourself play miserably. The joy and elation you get out of decent shots in the early days can motivate you to practice more and improve your game.

Drivers with a low center of gravity, cavity-backed irons, and mallet putters find a place in a golf club set for beginners.

Or is it okay for them to play the game with men’s clubs? 

The answer is simple. Women should play with clubs designed for them. The difference in their physical characteristics makes this necessary.

Because of the average shorter stature of women, the clubs too are made shorter with more flexible and lightweight graphite shafts. Lighter and flexible graphite shafts can help with a slower swing speed in women. 

The grips are also smaller to accommodate for the smaller hands. Drivers have a slightly higher loft for a better launch angle at slower swing speed. 

Other than these few accommodating features, the quality of men’s and women’s club sets are the same.

Most major golf club manufacturers have on offer specially-designed golf clubs for beginners, available either individually or as a set. The most well-known among them are:

• TaylorMade 
• Callaway
• Wilson
• Precise
• Pinemeadow

More brands offer good golf club sets for beginners. And, each one of these brands has come up with multiple complete package sets that include all clubs that a beginner may require to master the game. 

The common thread of all these beginner club sets is its emphasis on ample forgiveness. The forgiveness of starter golf clubs is raised with low-back positioning of the center of gravity and by making the sweet spot bigger. 

Most major brands invest in R&D to discover new ways to achieve this. Taking advantage of the latest technology and their unique design, these brands raise the forgiveness in the starter golf clubs for a better playing experience for beginners. 

Forgiveness, flex of the shaft, and weight of the club are the three main features to pay attention to while buying a golf club set for beginners. 

The most common error made by a beginner golfer while playing is mishits or off-center hits. This happens when the clubface doesn’t meet the golf ball straight on. With larger sweet spots, the ball, instead of getting deflected, will continue to travel straight in the intended direction even in the event of mishits.

Shaft flex depends on the player’s swing speed. Beginners typically have slower swing speeds and this necessitates higher flex. However, incorrect flex may result in problems in getting the clubface back to square at the time of impact.

Slower swing speed among beginners can be rectified to a large extent with lighter clubs. Innovations in club design have helped major brands achieve this without compromising on quality.

The price of beginner golf club sets varies vastly based on the number of clubs included in the set, quality of material, and technology used. The ballpark figure would be in the range of $200-$500. 

If budget is a constraint for complete club sets designed for beginners, you may consider buying used clubs or partial sets. As a beginner, you won’t be using all the clubs that come in a set, even the smaller sets. This means you are paying for some of the clubs in vain, at least in the beginning.

Golf coaches suggest that beginners start playing with a bunch of lower irons such as 7- to 9- irons and a couple of wedges until they find their footing on the course and get a hang of it. As you gain skill and your game improves, you can start using the remaining clubs one-by-one.

Starting small like this in a slow tempo takes away the pressure as you learn the game at your own pace. Once you master the swing, it is smooth sailing ahead.

If budget permits, go for a good golf clubs set for a beginner. You need to use only a small selection in the beginning but can make use of the other clubs in the set as you gain experience and confidence. So, it is not a waste investing on a good beginner golf clubs set after all.

When you buy a complete club set, as a beginner or an advanced level player, you choose one that suits your current level of play. As your game progresses, and progress it will, you may gradually find the beginner golf set insufficient and restricting your game. Then it is time to move on to a better club set. Typically, this happens every few years. An approximate estimate would be three years.

You may also need a new club set due to damages in your current set. By taking good care of your clubs, you can prolong their time with you. 

Another reason for hunting for a new set is the slow decline in the performance of even good beginner golf clubs. It is possible to keep your clubs in excellent condition and playing like new is to replace the grips. The general rule of thumb for grip replacement is after 40 rounds of play or two years, whichever is earlier.

As newer beginner golf club sets are introduced in the market with better technology to improve the forgiveness, flex, weight, loft, and backspin, beginners are naturally tempted to upgrade. These features will indeed make a world of difference to your game, but ultimately it is your buying power that decides whether to go for it immediately or not.

The short answer is no, they are not. Graphite shafts can make your clubs lighter and more flexible. This is advantageous for raising your swing speed, thereby for added distance and fewer strokes to the green.

Graphite shafts are favored over stainless shafts for players with physical issues or restrictions concerning their shoulder, arm, or back. Lightweight and more flexible, graphite shafts make the swings less painful. Graphite shafts are found to lessen the vibrational impact on the body for off-center strikes.

The graphite shaft is definitely a good choice for golf clubs for a beginner.

The general as well as expert opinion is that beginners are better off with complete golf sets. The reasons for this are many.

As a beginner, your game and playing style is not yet developed. So, it is a waste of money to invest in high-end individual clubs. Allow your game to settle down with an off-the-shelf regular club set. This will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses as well as your likes and dislikes. 

After a few years, when your game has improved and you are ready for an upgrade, you will have all inputs ready for what to look for in your new set of clubs. Such as your preference for certain clubs when there are choices - long irons or hybrids, 5- wood or lob wedge. Or about shafts, grips, and a lot more.

All this information you will have only if you start playing. No amount of expert advice will give you the level of insight as your own experience.

Ultimately it boils down to affordability for a majority of beginners. Starting with a modest beginner golf set will enable you to pick more expensive choices at the time of the first upgrade.

It is not easy to find a used starter golf club set in new condition or something even close to that. Unlike golfers with experience, beginners tend to damage their clubs more due to their lack of skill, knowledge, and experience. 

These beginner mistakes result in bends, cracks, tear, dents, and scratches in the clubs. One or more of these can change the nature and performance of the clubs, making them less than desirable or at the worst, not playable.

Another point to note is the technology used in the manufacture of starter golf clubs. With improvements being made in the clubs very frequently, too old beginner golf club sets would have outdated technology. This will rob you of the advantage of technology in mastering the game.

In case, you can find a ‘as good as new’ used starter golf club set that is not older than 2-3 years, do not hesitate; just go for it. This can help you save money.

Expert advice on the matter is to stay clear of used sets. As beginner club design is getting updated in the blink of an eye, you can take full advantage of this by opting for a new beginner golf set. This way you have a better chance of finding starter golf clubs that suit your personal needs.