How Many Clubs are Allowed in a Set?
While there are no rules against which clubs you put in your set, the United States Golf Association has set the limit at 14 clubs for each player. USGA rule 4.1b states that a player must not start a round or have more than 14 clubs during a round. However, it is within the rules to play with less than 14 clubs, which many players elect to do.
The type of clubs that go into a set
There are plenty of options for the 14 clubs that go into your bag. If you were to walk down the hitting line at your local driving range and check the player’s set composition, you would see plenty of unique sets. The two staples for a complete set are the driver and putter. The other 12 clubs differ based on your preferences, ability, and needs. Let’s discuss what options are available for clubs in your set.
Driver
The driver is a club that most players have a love/hate relationship with. Typically, this is the club you are using for your first shot on par 4s and par 5s. The driver is the longest club in the bag, from both a length and distance perspective. This is an important club for setting players up to score well on the longer holes. While there are options for how other positions in the bag are filled, I would suggest everyone puts a driver in their set.
Fairway Woods
The fairway woods are used for longer 2nd or 3rd shots on long holes or even off the tee in situations where the driver goes too far and gets you into penalty areas, trees, or sand bunkers. These clubs fill a large gap between your driver and long irons. Typically, a player will carry a 3-wood and potentially a 5-wood if they have the space in their set. The 7-wood is growing in popularity recently and some players even opt for a 9-wood instead of the alternative hybrid or long irons.
Hybrid Clubs
I have seen many players transition to utilizing hybrids in place of their 3-iron and 4-iron. They provide a similar distance while being easier to strike correctly and elevate the ball. Most players have at least one hybrid and choose to play many more.
Irons
Irons make up the bulk of a set. Most players play a 4,5,6,7,8, and 9-iron. Players also use a 3-iron, but with the emergence of hybrids, players often elect the ease of a hybrid to fill that gap. The irons are usually 4 to 5 degrees apart to ensure gapping requirements are met. It is important to know what the degree of your 9 iron is when you choose your wedge lofts.
Wedges
Wedges are used for specialty shots as you get closer to the putting green. Since they are used for so many different shot types, it is important to choose the correct lofts to fit your game. The most common wedges are the pitching wedge (PW) which is around 46 degrees of loft and the sand wedge (SW) which is typically 56 degrees of loft. Remember that your irons are typically 4 to 5 degrees apart. If a set only has a PW and SW, there is a 10-degree gap in the wedges. The next wedge players usually add is called the Gap Wedge (GW) which is in the range of 50 to 52 degrees usually. You may see this called an A-wedge in some sets. Lastly, the lob wedge (LW) is another wedge option that players put in their bags. At 60 degrees of loft, the LW helps players elevate the ball around the greens. This can be helpful for greenside bunkers, short sided shots, and elevated green surfaces.
Putter
Lastly, the putter fills out the club types we can put in our set. This is the club players use the most in the whole set. It is also the club that comes with the most options to choose from. Head styles such as mallet or blade, neck configuration, shaft length, grip style, and weight are all preferences the player gets to decide on when choosing a putter. It is by far the most personalized club in the bag.
Distance Gapping and Minimizing the Overlaps
The purpose of a set of clubs is to give the player all the tools they need to hit the shots on the golf course. If there are big gaps in their club distances, the player will face shots on the course that they do not have a club for, leading to wasted strokes and higher scores. All players should write down how far they hit each club to see if there are any gaps in their set. If so, there is always a club option to fill that gap. Let’s take a look at my clubs and distances for example,
Driver: 295 yards
3-wood: 270 yards
Hybrid/Driving Iron: 240 yards
4-iron: 215 yards
5-iron: 200 yards
6-iron: 185 yards
7-iron: 172 yards
8-iron: 160 yards
9-iron: 150 yards
Pitching Wedge (46 degree): 140 yards
Gap Wedge (50 degree): 128 yards
Sand Wedge (56 Degree): 110 yards
Lob Wedge (60 Degree): 85 yards
As you can see, the gaps for most of my clubs are less than 15 yards, which allows me to play most shots without having to play specialty shots to control the distance. This set composition works for my game, but it wouldn’t work for everyone. Write out your distances and see if you could benefit from a change to fill a distance gap.
What golf clubs should be in a beginner player’s set?
If you are just getting into playing golf and wondering where to start for your set, the best place to start is to get a packaged set. Many companies offer packaged sets as an option. While there is a 14-club limit for your bag, most of these sets will offer anywhere from 8-14 pieces. You may not need all 14 clubs in the beginning stages. A few clubs you want to make sure are included are a driver, putter, at least two fairway woods or hybrid clubs, and at least two wedges (most likely a pitching wedge and sand wedge). The rest of the set will be irons. Usually 6, 7, 8, and 9-iron. This is enough to get you started and then longer irons such as a 4 or 5-iron can be added later on if you have a distance gap between your irons and fairway woods or hybrid clubs.
How to choose the right set composition for you
Okay, so now that we know how many clubs we can have, the different types of clubs to choose from, their purpose, and the importance of proper distance gapping. Let’s talk about choosing the right set composition for you. The real answer is that it’s all about distance. For players that hit the ball shorter off the tee, they can expect to have a longer approach shot into greens. This player will most likely be hitting more fairway woods and hybrids. Their set might look like: Driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, 4-hybrid, 6-hybrid, 5,6,7,8,9 irons, pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, putter. I see this set make up quite often for seniors, women, beginners, and high-handicapers. A player that hits the ball a long distance will not need as many longer clubs. Their set might look like: Driver, 1 fairway wood, 1 hybrid, 4iron-9iron, pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge and putter. The difference being 1 less fairway wood and hybrid, which allows the player to add a 4 iron for approach shots and a lob wedge for shots around the green. Another thing to consider is if you are normally on the same course when you play. If this is the case, you might choose your clubs based on the par 3 distances that are at that course. For example, if we use my numbers from above and the course I routinely play has a par 3 that is 225 yards. I would struggle to choose a club on that hole. I might decide to add a hybrid to my set that goes that distance. A lot of professional golfers change which clubs are in their bag every week to fit the course they are playing.
Whether you hit the ball long or short, there are options for you to choose a set composition that fits your game. This will help you be prepared for the shots you will face on the golf course and ultimately lead to lower scores.