Morris on first clubs

Golf clubs for beginners: how to choose a first set

The good news first: a beginner's clubs are the easiest to choose, because the right ones are the forgiving ones and forgiveness is cheap. This is what to look for, what to avoid, and how to decide between a new boxed set and a used one.

Short answer: about ten forgiving clubs in a flex that matches your speed: a lofted driver or 3-wood, a hybrid or two, cavity-back 6- to 9-irons with offset, pitching and sand wedge, and a putter fitted to your height. No blades, no 3-iron, no stiff shafts under 97 mph. A used set from a few seasons ago beats a new boxed set at the same price if the shafts match.

By Morris, by Badgie Golf · Updated 9 October 2026

What forgiving means, in the club

Feature	What it does for a beginner
Cavity back, perimeter weighting	Weight moved to the edges of the head: an off-centre hit loses less distance and direction.
Offset	The face sits a touch behind the shaft: more time to square it, which fights the slice most beginners have.
Wide sole, low centre of gravity	Glides instead of digging on fat shots and launches the ball higher with less effort.
More loft on the driver (10.5–12°)	Higher launch and less sideways curve at slower speeds.
Hybrids instead of 3- and 4-irons	The same distance with a head that launches from the rough.
Shaft flex to your speed	A shaft too stiff flies low and right; too soft, high and left. Regular or senior for most beginners.
A larger, forgiving putter head	A mallet keeps the face square on off-centre putts; length to your height so your eyes are over the ball.

What not to buy

1
Blades or players' irons
Beautiful, and they tell you every mistake. You will make many. They belong in the bag once the strike repeats.
2
A 3-iron, a 2-hybrid, a 60° wedge
Specialist clubs that need speed or touch. They fill the bag and empty the confidence.
3
Stiff shafts because they sound serious
Under about 97 mph of driver speed a stiff shaft costs height and carry. Flex is a measurement, not a compliment.
4
A full fourteen
The limit is fourteen; a beginner plays better with ten. Clear gaps, fewer choices, more swings with each club.

New boxed set or used set?

A new boxed set gives you ten or eleven matched clubs and a bag for less than one premium driver, with light shafts and forgiving heads; its weak points are usually the putter and the wedges. A used set of good game-improvement irons from three to six seasons ago plays better for the same money and holds value; its risk is the shaft (does it match your speed?) and the wear. Our second-hand guide has the checklist. Either way, buy the putter separately and try several lengths.

The one thing that matters more than the clubs

Contact. A beginner with forgiving clubs and a repeating strike beats one with a tour bag and a slice. The free swing analyzer reads one video of your swing and gives you one thing to fix, one feel and one drill with reps. Clubs help; that is what makes the game.

Sources

Golfshake — Why game improvement irons might be the way forward — Perimeter weighting, offset to square the face, low and back centre of gravity, hybrids for the long irons. Read 9 October 2026.
GOLF.com — Here's the shaft flex you should play based on your swing speed (True Spec Golf data) — Flex bands by driver speed. 12 June 2020; read 9 October 2026.
The R&A — Rules of Golf, Rule 4: The Player's Equipment — Fourteen clubs at most; fewer is allowed. Read 9 October 2026.

Your first bag, from your speed

Driver club speed

Level

I only know my 7-iron carry

13 clubs

1Driver10.5 to 12 degrees: more loft is more carry at this speed.
23-woodSecond shot on par 5s and a safe tee club.
35-wood or 7-woodReplaces the 3-iron for almost everyone.
44-hybridThe long-iron distance with a wood's launch.
55-hybridA 5-iron needs speed to fly; the hybrid does not.
66-iron
77-ironThe club that tells you how you are striking it.
88-iron
99-iron
10Pitching wedgeFull shots to about 100–130 yards and chips.
11Gap wedge (50–52°)Fills the hole between the pitching and the sand wedge, where most amateurs have 25 yards of nothing.
12Sand wedge (54–56°)Bunkers and pitches; mid bounce unless your course is firm.
13PutterForty percent of your strokes. Try several lengths; a fitting here pays faster than anywhere.

Ask Morris on WhatsApp

Beginner questions

What golf clubs should a beginner buy?

A forgiving set of about ten clubs: a driver with 10.5 to 12 degrees (or a 3-wood to start), a 5-wood or hybrid, a 5-hybrid, cavity-back 6- to 9-irons with some offset, pitching and sand wedges and a putter that fits your height. Shaft flex to your speed: regular for most men, senior or ladies under about 84 mph.

Are expensive golf clubs better for beginners?

No. A tour player's blades punish exactly the strikes a beginner makes. Game-improvement irons with perimeter weighting and a wide sole are built for off-centre hits, and they cost less. Spend on a putter fitting and lessons before spending on a driver.

Should a beginner buy a boxed set or build one?

A boxed set is cheaper and complete, and fine for the first season if the flex suits you. A used set of better clubs from three to six seasons ago usually plays better for the same money; check the shafts match and the grooves are not worn.

What shaft flex should a beginner use?

By driver club speed: ladies under 72 mph, senior 72 to 83, regular 84 to 96, stiff 97 to 104. Most beginners are regular or senior. If you do not know your speed, your 7-iron carry gives an estimate on our shaft page.

Do beginners need a driver?

Not on day one. A 3-wood or a 12-degree driver is easier to launch and keeps the ball in play; the driver comes when the swing repeats. Many coaches start students on a 7-iron for the same reason.

Keep reading

All of Clubs & Gear

Keep going with Morris on WhatsApp

Send him your next video from your phone, ask him about the drill, and he remembers your priority. Free to start, just your mobile number.

Continue on WhatsApp