Beginners Golfing Question!

[Timmy33]

Morning all.

After a long, long break I've decided to take up golf again.

What I'd like to do is rather than charging in and spending loads on a full set of clubs ( most of which I will lack the skill to use anyway ) I'd like to put together a set of say 5-6 clubs, that will give me 99% of what a fairly crap beginner needs.

I was thinking

1 putter.
1 driver ( but what size ? )
2-3 irons ....again what are the most versatile? a 9, 7, and a 4? ( something to get me out of the rough, something for bunkers, and something for mid range shots as I doubt I'll ever drive the thing all the way down the fairway in one shot!!!)

Please be gentle chaps, really all I want to do at first is potter about on some of the local 9 hole courses on a sunny day.

[MoleVision]

I personally use the following and find they cover all bases..

3 Wood
5, 7, 9 irons
Sand Iron
Putter

I struggle to use irons lower than 5... rarely find i need one though

[Timmy33]

MoleVision said:

I personally use the following and find they cover all bases..

3 Wood
5, 7, 9 irons
Sand Iron
Putter

I struggle to use irons lower than 5... rarely find i need one though

Thanks mate! That's exactly what I wanted.

I'm going to buy those 6 clubs. It's the sizes that I couldn't remember.

Nothing nicer than a round on a nice 9 hole course on a sunny evening ( assuming it ever stops raining! )

Cheers

[RLK500]

If you are looking for a good site for stuff, try www.golfbidder.co.uk (no affiliation etc etc..)

[Nuggs]

Do you need a wood? I find long irons much easier to hit.

I'd recommend:

4 iron - can use it to drive and off the fairway (eventually)
7-iron - the handiest club in the bag - you can use it on the fairway, in the rough, out the sand, you can chip with it and it's pretty forgiving too.
9-iron - get some height and spin on your approach shots
Sand wedge - good out the sand and easy to spin up for pitch shots.
Putter - if you make it to the green, you'll need one

[Blib]

MoleVision said:

I personally use the following and find they cover all bases..

3 Wood
5, 7, 9 irons
Sand Iron
Putter

I struggle to use irons lower than 5... rarely find i need one though

ooh..maybe a 3 iron just for when your game's in 'the zone'!

eta.

Edited by Blib on Wednesday 23 January 10:06

[tigger1]

I'm in the same boat (although now looking for a full-set). Avoided woods completely to begin with (and still don't use them on a round).

I now have: -

Driver (1 wood)
3 iron
6 iron
Pitch wedge

for driving range use. If I'm playing a round, I borrow the rest of a set - along with a cheap stand-bag. Main thing (I think...and I'm crap) is to get a consistent swing, and remember that hitting with a 3 iron is THE SAME as with a 9 iron, it's the club that dictates the length of shot.

[mat1227]

I'd question the need for a beginner to take a driver along - long shaft and steep loft will exaggurate any swerve on your shots.

Take another iron I reckon, leave the woods until you can get it in the air and straight consistently - I reckon it's perfectly possible to play round most courses to or below your handicap with just irons. ie. what you gain in distance on a couple of good drives is offset by the strokes ones loses hacking one's way out of the deep rough after another errant drive

[tigger1]

mat1227 said:

I'd question the need for a beginner to take a driver along - long shaft and steep loft will exaggurate any swerve on your shots.

Take another iron I reckon, leave the woods until you can get it in the air and straight consistently - I reckon it's perfectly possible to play round most courses to or below your handicap with just irons. ie. what you gain in distance on a couple of good drives is offset by the strokes ones loses hacking one's way out of the deep rough after another errant drive

Exactly (I said as much myself ) - I can hit as far with a 3 iron as I can with a driver at the minute (due to the way I waft the driver about), but with FAR more consistency. Driver only gets used at the range - not on a round, until I feel happy using it.

[mat1227]

[quote=tigger1] (I said as much myself ) quote]

I know it took me more than 9 minutes to write my post as I had a pint at lunch

[deevee]

As a beginner I wouldn't bother with a driver - you need to have a swing that is relatively predictable and repeatable in order for it to do more good than harm!

I'm surprised no-one has suggested a hybrid club yet - kind of a cross between a fairway wood and a long iron. You use them as you would an iron, they're pretty easy to hit and you can get them in a number of lofts to replace your long irons. I'd be tempted to go for a 3-iron hybrid equivalent, then 5, 7 and 9 irons, PW and SW and a putter.

[mat1227]

deevee said:

I'm surprised no-one has suggested a hybrid club yet - kind of a cross between a fairway wood and a long iron.

Depends if you're a lady/junior/gaymoquiffian

[bodhi]

MoleVision said:

I personally use the following and find they cover all bases..

3 Wood
5, 7, 9 irons
Sand Iron
Putter

I struggle to use irons lower than 5... rarely find i need one though

Best suggestion this one, at least until you get used to playing. You WILL want a full set at some point though, and that's where the REAL fun begins. 14 clubs gives you oodles of choice. I've gone for a driver (or a Sasquatch as it's known), 1-9 irons, PW, Gap Wedge and SW. And of course a putter. I wouldn't suggest anything lower than a 4 iron though if you're just starting. I play off 7 and still have issues with the long irons sometimes.