Before playing a round of golf you should know what the golf clubs are used for. Beginning golfers usually have a tough time deciding which club to hit from a particular distance. This article will discuss the different clubs and will help you decide which ones to use in each situation.

Putter

The putter is the club that will be used the most in a round of golf. It comes in different lengths and has different types of heads either mallet or blade. The regular size putter goes from 34-35 inches in length depending on the brand of clubs you purchase. There are other putters available though such as the belly putter and the long-handled putter.

Wedges

The shortest golf clubs in your bag are the wedges. Beginners usually use the sand wedge as this club is specifically designed to help you hit balls out of the sand bunkers surrounding the green. They are usually used for distances of 60-80 yards and they mostly have a 56-degree loft. The sand wedges are usually the club beginners bring to the course but as you gain more experience youll find out that you need to carry other wedges with you. Most wedges are available in 2-degree increments from 48 degrees to 64 degrees. The higher the degree the less distance you will get out of each wedge.

Pitching Wedge

Another one of the clubs that youll use often during a round of golf is the pitching wedge. It is the second-shortest club in your bag and can be hit at an average distance of 80-110 yards. This club can also be used however to pitch or chip the ball onto the green.

Irons

Irons are commonly used off the fairways and easier to control than the woods. These golf clubs have three different categories: short irons mid-irons and long irons. As a beginner though it is highly recommended that you only carry the short and mid-irons in your bag. The 8 and 9 irons are considered the short irons and they are usually used to hit the ball from 90-130 yards on average. The mid-irons are numbered 5 6 and 7 and can be used to hit from 110-160 yards on average. Some of the more experienced golfers like to carry the long irons which are numbered 3 and 4. These irons though are harder to hit for a beginner. Most beginning golfers should only carry the 5 6 7 8 and 9 irons in their bag.

Hybrids

Hybrid golf clubs are certainly gaining popularity even with professional golfers. These clubs allow you to have the control of an iron but they have the distance of a wood. For beginners it is better to replace your 3 and 4 irons with hybrid golf clubs. Some golfers even decide to replace all their irons with hybrids as each iron has a hybrid golf club that is equal in length and loft. However most golfers carry these hybrid clubs because they are easier to hit than the long irons. The heads look like a smaller version of the woods. The 4 hybrid can be hit by an average golfer a distance of 140-170 yards. The 3 hybrid can generally be hit a distance of 150-180 yards.

Fairway Woods

The fairway woods are required to hit the ball at longer distances off the fairway. Golfers usually carry a 3 wood and a 5 wood in their bag when they first start golfing. The 3 wood commonly has a loft of 15 degrees but that can also depend on the manufacturer. The 5 wood meanwhile has an 18 degree loft on the club. Always remember: the more the loft the less distance. Although these two clubs are better suited for hitting the longer golf ball you tend to lose control because of their length.

Driver

The longest club golfers usually have in their bag is the driver. Many beginners want to hit the ball at a great distance with this club but they always have a hard time in controlling it. Typically this is the club that is least used on the course. More often than not you only get to use it off the tee box which only occurs about 14 times per round. They also have the largest head on the end of the club compared with any other club in your bag. These clubs come in lofts of 8.5 degrees to 12 degrees in increments of 0.5 degrees. As a beginner you should use the driver with a 10.5 degree loft or more.  Never forget that the lower the loft the harder it is for this club to hit.

Recommended Set for Beginners

You should spend your money on a set of golf clubs that has a driver a 3 wood 5 wood 3 hybrid 4 hybrid irons 5 through 9 a pitching wedge sand wedge and putter. You dont necessarily need to get the expensive golf sets. It would be wiser to use the extra money on golf lessons until you can greatly improve your game. Only then can you decide on the more expensive game-improvement clubs.