What Should A Beginner Have In Their Golf Bag?
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Patrick Corley
- 03/30/2023
Do you want to start playing golf, but are not sure what equipment you need? You’ve come to the right stop.
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Minimum Golf Clubs To Carry
Having taught beginners, I know how exciting first-time club shopping can be. It is still fun after playing for over thirty years. But do you know the minimum that you will need to get started?
Ok, then let’s go over some basics.
There are beginner golf clubs and nearly every major manufacturer can help get you going with a starter set for your first time on the golf course. I would even recommend going to Costco or Walmart as many have starter sets that often include the putter, fairway wood, and driver, as well as a nearly full set of irons. These shops will not break the bank and many even come with a bag as well.
A complete set is often not necessary because you are not yet going to notice the difference between a seven iron and an eight iron until you become a little more skilled. As you build your golf swing and develop more swing speed on the driving range, you can then add golf equipment as needed.
A set of golf clubs should be unique to you but as a new golfer, your goal is to get clubs that allow you to find the sweet spot. Also, when you start golfing a good teacher is going to have you practice a lot of short game shots so you will need a pitching wedge and a putter to start.
When you start working on tee shots, I typically have my new golfers start with a three wood. This is because the three wood has more loft than the driver and is a little shorter, and therefore easier to control. Once you feel comfortable, you can move on to the driver.
So, to summarize –
Minimum Clubs that you need:
- Putter
- Iron Set – ideally game improvement and the clubs should be five iron through pitching wedge (bonus if there is a sand wedge)
- Fairway wood with at least 15 degrees of loft
- Driver with at least 10 degrees of loft
Optional Clubs to add:
- Hybrid clubs
- Sand wedge
- Additional fairway wood
Not Recommend for New Golfers:
- Long Irons
- Lob wedge
The USGA Rules of Golf allow for up to fourteen clubs in a golfer’s bag. You do not need a full set when you are starting. In fact, I would advise against it as you learn. Once you understand your swing and can do proper club selection, then you can consider adding on.
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Don’t Buy Expensive Equipment
You do not need expensive equipment to enjoy golf as a beginner. Oftentimes the starter sets come with a very light shaft graphite shaft in the driver and fairway woods, which will prove beneficial while you are learning the proper technique.
There are so many types of clubs, but the process should be to learn to swing properly first and get some rounds of golf under your belt before you go for the expensive gear.
You will need golf shoes as well at some point in your learning as a beginner.
Virtually every major shoe company offers golf shoes, which means that not only can you find a comfortable option for you, but you will not break the bank either.
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Golf Beginner Accessories
When you are getting started as a beginner golfer, outside of getting clubs in the golf bag, you will need some accessories as well.
- A ball marker (or several)
- A ball mark fixing tool
- Bag of tees
- Golf balls
- Golf Ball Retriever
- Umbrella
- Rain Gear
FAQ Section
What should a beginner golfer have in his or her bag?
Beginning golfers do not need a lot of clubs in their bags. Because you can sometimes get a thirteen club set with a bag at a big box store, that can be a good place to start. You will not need to use every club in the bag when you are getting started. This is mainly because you are learning your swing, and how to find the center of the clubface consistently. Once you can do that the other clubs can start to come into play.
What should I add to my golf bag?
As a beginner, consider adding a hybrid or a five wood. When I started playing, I had a TaylorMade 5-wood that I would hit off the tee. It allowed me to get used to hitting a lofted wood but had a shorter shaft than a driver so I felt confident using it and slowly worked up to the driver.
Conclusion: Research by Tellmemoregolf.com
Tell Me More Golf has decades of real-world experience teaching and providing the highest quality advice to golfers. Beginners are no different. Other websites out there will not get as deep into the advice because they simply cannot compete with our experience.
As a beginner, reach out to us or sign up for Tell Me More Golf’s site, so you can stay aware of all of the trends, while also getting the best available advice and guidance to get you started and continue to help you improve.
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