What Golf Clubs Do I Need? A Beginner's Bag, Club by Club

How many golf clubs do you need? The 14 club limit

You can carry up to 14 clubs, and that number is a maximum, not a target. For a beginner, our published rules suggest a starter bag of 10 or 11 clubs.

Rule 4.1b of the Rules of Golf, published by The R&A, limits a player to 14 clubs during a round. The rule says a player must not start a round with “more than 14 clubs”.

You will be starting in good company. The R&A reported on 4 June 2026 that 6.1 million people played 9 or 18 hole golf in Great Britain and Ireland in 2025, up 5%.

How many clubs different sources suggest for a beginner

Source	Clubs	What it says
Rules of Golf, Rule 4.1b (The R&A)	Up to 14	The most you may carry in a round
England Golf, Get into Golf	4 key clubs	Woods, irons, wedges and a putter will get you round when you start
Our starter bag (published rules)	10 or 11	Driver (or a 5 wood off the tee) to putter, listed below
Our half set (published rules)	Fewer than the starter bag	The 7 and 9 irons replace the run from 6 iron to pitching wedge

What counts as a full set of golf clubs

A full set usually means a bag built up to, or close to, the 14 club limit. It typically holds a driver, one or two fairway woods or hybrids, a run of irons, two to four wedges and a putter.

A package set is a boxed set of clubs sold together, often with a bag. It can hold fewer clubs than a full set, so check the list of clubs before you compare boxes.

Why a smaller bag suits a beginner

England Golf’s Get into Golf beginners guide puts it plainly: “You don’t need to buy a full set of clubs to begin with.” The guide sets out to “make things simple, friendly and pressure-free”, and a smaller bag fits that aim.

There are practical reasons too. Each club in a set is designed to go a little further or shorter than the one next to it. So leaving one out leaves only a small gap while you learn. Every club you leave out is one less to buy, and our guide to how much golf clubs cost shows where the money goes.

If you are weighing up a smaller starter set, our half set versus full set guide compares the two.

What does each golf club do?

A golf bag holds five kinds of club, each with its own job. Woods are for distance, and hybrids mix a wood and an iron. Irons are for approach shots, wedges for short shots and bunkers, and the putter for the green. Within each kind, more loft sends the ball higher and shorter, which is how a set covers different distances.

Loft is the angle of the clubface. A low-lofted club, such as a driver, sends the ball on a lower, longer flight. A high-lofted club, such as a sand wedge, sends it high and short.

Club	What it is for	In a beginner’s bag?
Driver	The longest club, hit from the tee on longer holes	Yes, or use a 5 wood instead
3 wood	Long shots from the fairway or a controlled tee shot	Add later
5 wood	Long shots from the grass, with more loft than a 3 wood	Yes
Hybrid	Does the job of a long iron with a small wood-shaped head	Yes, one or two
Irons	Approach shots to the green; a higher number means a shorter shot	6 iron to pitching wedge
Gap, sand and lob wedges	Short shots, bunker shots and high, soft shots near the green	Sand wedge to start
Putter	Rolling the ball into the hole on the green	Yes, a mallet

Woods and the driver

Woods have large, rounded heads and long shafts, built for distance. The driver has the lowest loft and the longest shaft in the bag, and you hit it off a tee.

Fairway woods are numbered 3, 5 and up. They carry more loft than the driver, so you can hit them from the grass as well as the tee.

Hybrids

A hybrid has a head shaped like a small wood and a length close to an iron. It does the job of a long iron, such as a 4 or 5 iron. Its head is designed to get the ball in the air more easily.

Irons and wedges

Irons are numbered, and each step up in number adds loft and takes off distance. A 6 iron flies further than a 9 iron from the same swing.

Wedges are the most lofted irons. The pitching wedge usually comes as part of an iron set, while gap, sand and lob wedges are usually bought on their own.

The putter

The putter rolls the ball along the green. A blade putter has a small, narrow head. A mallet has a larger head that spreads weight away from the face, designed to keep off-centre putts on line.

What golf clubs do I need as a beginner? A starter bag

As a beginner, you need 10 or 11 clubs, by our published rules. That is a driver (or a 5 wood off the tee), a 5 wood for the fairway, one or two hybrids, irons from 6 to pitching wedge, a sand wedge and a mallet putter.

Carry them in a stand bag. If you tee off with the 5 wood instead of a driver, take one off that count.

Why each club is there

• Driver with 10.5 to 12 degrees of loft, or a 5 wood off the tee. More loft helps a developing swing get the ball airborne from the tee. If the driver feels hard to control, the 5 wood is the simpler tee club.
• 5 wood. Your longest club from the fairway, with more loft than a 3 wood.
• One or two hybrids. They replace the 4 and 5 irons, the least-lofted irons in a set, with a head designed to launch the ball more easily.
• Irons from 6 to pitching wedge. Five clubs for approach shots, each a steady step shorter than the last.
• Sand wedge with 56 degrees of loft. For bunkers and short shots around the green.
• Mallet putter. The larger head is designed to stay steadier on putts struck away from the centre.
• Stand bag. Fold-out legs keep it upright on wet grass, and it is light enough to carry.

Starting with a half set

If you want to start smaller, our rules give a half set the 7 and 9 irons in place of the full iron run above. Our half set versus full set guide sets out the trade-offs.

Where to look for beginner golf clubs

For model picks, see our beginner golf clubs guide, drivers for beginners and irons for high handicappers.

If you would rather buy everything in one box, our golf club sets page covers package sets.

What clubs should you add as you improve?

As your swing becomes more repeatable, our rules move you to a 3 wood, irons from 5 to pitching wedge and three wedges at 50, 54 and 58 degrees of loft. Each change adds a shot: more distance from the fairway, one more iron and finer control of distance on short shots.

	Starter bag	Improving bag
Fairway wood	5 wood	3 wood
Long irons	1 or 2 hybrids for the 4 and 5 irons	5 iron joins the set
Irons	6 to pitching wedge	5 to pitching wedge
Wedges	Sand wedge, 56 degrees	50, 54 and 58 degrees

The three changes

1. A 3 wood comes into the bag. It has less loft than the 5 wood, so it goes further from a good lie on the fairway.
2. The 5 iron joins the irons. The set now runs from 5 to pitching wedge.
3. Three wedges replace the single sand wedge. At 50, 54 and 58 degrees they sit 4 degrees apart, which keeps the gaps between your short shots even.

Staying inside 14 clubs

A bag with a driver, a 3 wood, irons from 5 to pitching wedge, three wedges and a putter holds 12 clubs. That leaves room for two more within the 14 club limit, such as a 5 wood or a hybrid.

Knowing when to add a club

Add a club when you keep facing a distance that nothing in your bag fits. If two clubs go about the same distance, keep the one you hit more often. Use the space for a club that fills a gap.

What size golf clubs should I have? Length and flex

The right size comes down to club length, which should suit your height, and shaft flex, which should suit your swing speed. Our flex and length suggestions are a starting guide, and if you are spending more than about £500 we recommend an in-person check by a qualified golf professional or club fitter.

The two tables below come from our how we choose page, which explains the method.

Golf club length by height

Clubs come in a standard length, and makers also sell them longer or shorter. A club that is too long or too short changes how you stand over the ball. That affects where you make contact on the face.

Your height	Length starting point
Under 163 cm (5 ft 4 in)	1 inch shorter than standard
163 to 169 cm (5 ft 4 in to 5 ft 6 in)	Half an inch shorter than standard
170 to 184 cm (5 ft 7 in to 6 ft)	Standard
185 to 192 cm (6 ft 1 in to 6 ft 3 in)	Half an inch longer than standard
193 cm (6 ft 4 in) or taller	1 inch longer than standard

Shaft flex by 7 iron distance

Flex is how much the shaft bends during the swing. A faster swing generally suits a stiffer shaft, and a slower swing a more flexible one. Build your bag asks how far you hit a 7 iron along with your height.

7 iron carry	Flex starting point
Under 100 yards	Ladies (L)
100 to 119 yards	Senior (A)
120 to 149 yards	Regular (R)
150 to 164 yards	Stiff (S)
165 yards or more	Extra stiff (X)

Both tables are a starting guide, with an in-person check recommended above about £500.

Juniors and left-handed golfers

Juniors need clubs made for their size, and our junior golf clubs size guide covers the age bands. Left-handed golfers need left-handed clubs, so check the hand on every listing before you buy.

How does Build your bag choose your golf clubs?

Build your bag is a free tool that asks a few short questions and needs no sign-up. It applies the same published rules this article explains.

Adults first get a choice of a complete package set, a half set, or a bag built club by club, with the reason.

Then comes a top pick for each club, each with a plain reason. Prices show as the maker’s RRP. Juniors get one junior set sized by the maker’s height range. Used options are not listed yet.

Picks come from rules and maker specs, not from who pays us. Its flex and length suggestions are a starting guide, with an in-person check recommended above about £500. If you buy through a link, the retailer pays us a commission at no extra cost to you.

So, what golf clubs do you need?

Start with fewer clubs than the 14 allowed. For a beginner, that means the 10 or 11 club starter bag above, from driver (or a 5 wood off the tee) to putter. Add a 3 wood, a 5 iron and extra wedges as your game grows. Treat length and flex suggestions as a starting guide, with an in-person check above about £500.

To see a bag with picks for your game, try Build your bag.