14 reasons to choose really good golf clubs

A driver to cup the hole from a tee.

A set of custom golf equipment is the top tool of choice for the advanced golfer. Most of us do just fine with a quality set of clubs consisting of woods, irons and a putter. 

According to the rules of golf, as set forth by the United States Golf Association (USGA), a golfer’s bag may hold only 14 clubs. 

Most golfers will carry a driver, two fairway woods, 7 irons, 3 wedges and the putter.

Custom golf equipment may be expensive to start but you will never need to change it. When all your golf clubs are designed to fit your height and shape and style custom golf equipment is the best. If you are a weekend golfer or less, then it's unlikely you "need" custom made clubs, but since when has that stopped anyone from wanting them!

If you are interested in adapting golf clubs or customizing them yourself, there is a book on how to do this on my top picks list. Petes Golf Book Picks

The golf driver or fairway woods.

A driver is a long-shafted club with a full head generally used to strike the ball that is set upon a tee.  The club head does not have much of a loft angle to it, to achieve maximum distance off the tee.  The fairway woods have club heads that are slightly more lofted than the driver, and are used for long shots when the ball is lying on the ground. 

Typically, the greater the loft, the higher and shorter the resulting ball trajectory. Most of the brand name drivers will cost you between $200 and $400.  Fairway woods normally retail from $150 to $300. You can get aldala golf driver shafts, affinity cube golf driver or club driver golf hippo.

Steel shaft golf driver and stainless steel driver golf club are often used. You can buy a complete golf set and taylormade drivers or go for the cheap name brand golf drivers which are good for people just starting out and not sure they will keep going. Golf club drivers for senior golfers should be custom fitted, if not custom made, to reduce the risk of twisting the back.

1-9 club custom fit golf irons: most used for long to mid range shots  

Golf irons are the essence of a set of golf clubs.  Two thirds of the shots in a normal round of golf will utilize an iron.  Irons are used to hit the golf ball off the ground from distances of 125 yards to 225 yards.  Each iron is assigned a number based upon the loft angle of the club head.  The 9-iron has the most loft, and is used to hit short, high shots.  A 2-iron has very little loft, and is used to hit low, long shots. Many people get club custom fit golf irons.

Wedges: pitching, gap, sand and lob; used for short controlled shots 

Wedges are normally included in the purchase of a set of irons.  The most common wedges are the pitching wedge, the sand wedge and the lob wedge.  These golf clubs are used for short, controlled shots, normally very close to the putting green.  Some golfers may choose to remove one of the wedges in lieu of a 2-iron.  Also worth noting, there are two primary types of irons available.  Forged irons are precision clubs that can give experienced golfers a greater ability to shape their shots.  Cavity-back irons are considered to be more forgiving, with a larger sweet spot and primarily for golfers who want to focus on hitting straight shots.  A set of 10 irons can range in price from as little as $250, to as much as $1,500.Used or second hand clubs can be bought quite cheaply.

Putter for golf - blade and mallet; used for rolling the ball on the green 

The final and perhaps most important golf club, is the putter for golf.  The putter is also known as the “money club” because it is the club used to tap the ball into the hole.  The purpose of the putter is to roll the ball, so there is no loft on the club head.  There are many varieties of putters in all shapes and sizes including a teardrop golf putter.  Some of the putter shafts are so short that the golfer grips it near his knees, and some are so long that they are gripped at the golfer’s chest.  Many golfers spend their entire lives changing a putter for golf to find the one that feels right for them.  A simple putter for golf can cost as little as $20 but the more exotic putters can cost as much as $300.