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The ultimate beginner’s guide to building your first golf club set

So, you’re getting started in golf and your mind is turning to building yourself a set of golf clubs that you can fill your golf bag with to head out onto the greens. Choosing the right golf equipment is easy when you know how, but it’s useful to have a few pointers before you start spending money to end up with the right clubs for your needs.

When you know what you’re looking for, you’re more likely to spend your money in the right places, and the good news is that it doesn’t have to break the bank either - especially when you buy second-hand. Used golf clubs cost a fraction of the price of new, and often they’ve barely been used. You’ll also be making the right choice for the planet, too, and you can read more about how used golf equipment is the eco-friendly option on our golf sustainability page.

In this guide, we’ll tell you what you need to consider for each type of golf club. We’ll signpost you to dedicated buyers’ guides for each club, and we’ll take you straight to the best bargains for each one too. You’ll learn a little more about the considerations you need to make based on your playing ability, height and personal preferences, and you’ll also gain important knowledge on the technical aspects and history of each club in our Ace Series, too.

Where to start…

Before you begin choosing your golf clubs, you may find it useful to swot up on articles like the three most important clubs in your bag, which also outlines the rules on what types of club you can carry, along with how many of them. Beginners also love our articles on the history of golf, the basics of the golf handicapping system, and the rules of golf too. You’ll find a wealth of information on golf clubs, golf brands and more in our Blog, and our golfclubs4cash YouTube channel is also an excellent place to learn more.

So, let’s crack on and get you ready to choose your golf club set so you can get out on the course and enjoy everything there is to love about the beautiful game of golf.

Choosing a beginner’s driver

We’ll start with the biggest hitter - the driver. The driver is the club you (usually) tee off with, although sometimes players use a fairway or hybrid for this job, depending on what’s needed. The rule of thumb is that, if distance is more important to you than accuracy, then a driver is a good choice. Bear in mind though that beginners are better off prioritising accuracy over distance, so try and avoid the temptation to only focus on distance. After all, if you hit an impressively long distance but it ends up in the rough, you’ll lose time and points looking for lost balls. You can practise your speed, distance and accuracy on the driving range.

When it comes to choosing the best used driver for your needs, you could do a lot worse than checking out our list of top ten best-selling drivers. Many of our customers are beginners just like you are, so this is a fairly reliable list for anyone looking to buy a reasonably priced second-hand driver that will do its job well.

More information on drivers

You’ll find loads more information on used drivers on our driver collection page, our buyers’ guide to drivers and our article on drivers by golf brand. You can also find out which drivers world-class golfing professionals like Rory McIlroy use, and learn everything there is to know about drivers in our dedicated Ace Series article.

Choosing a beginner’s fairway

The fairway (also known as the fairway wood) is the next biggest clubhead in your set. It’s also used to tee off with, and is a great choice for beginners looking to improve their distance and accuracy. Because a fairway has more loft than a driver and therefore hits the ball higher it’s often the club of choice for players on a more undulating course. You can find out more about loft in our article about golf club loft and lie.

In terms of what to focus on as a beginner, there is no need to splash out too much on your fairway wood to start with, as often those new to the game like to experiment with a few different options. If you can, pop into one of our stores in Edinburgh or Warrington and try out a few options, choosing something that feels comfortable to you. One of the biggest risks when you buy second-hand golf clubs from non-reputable companies or individuals, is that you risk accidentally acquiring a fake (and therefore unsellable) club. With golfclubs4cash, you can be 100% confident that all of the clubs, bags and accessories we sell are confirmed to be genuine and authentic. Find out more about avoiding counterfeit golf clubs, and only ever buy from genuine sources.

More information on fairways

If you want to learn more about the fairway wood, we’ve got loads of resources for you. Start with our Ace Series on fairways, and then head straight to our fairway collection page to start browsing some of our most popular used fairway options. Our top ten used fairway woods list will give you some more ideas, and our buyers’ guide to fairways will help you narrow down your options. And for more inspiration, you can check out our What’s In The Bag series to find out which fairway woods some of the world’s most elite golfers use.

Choosing a beginner’s hybrid

Hybrid clubs, also known as utility clubs or rescue clubs, are the next ones on the list, and they bridge the gap between the woods (e.g. drivers/fairways) and the irons. Almost every golfer these days will carry at least one hybrid in their golf bag, but the hybrid only burst onto the golf scene relatively recently (around the early 2000s). Hybrid clubs give the beginner golfer a far better margin for error, more forgiveness and a deeper, lower centre of gravity.

Because of the fact the hybrids offer a great compromise between the woods and irons, it’s useful to know which irons they can potentially replace. After all, there’s little point in buying a set of irons that starts with a 2 or a 3 if a hybrid can do the same job, as demonstrated in the adjacent chart.

A loft chart for hybrids, showing which iron they potentially replace

More information on hybrids

To learn more and to help you narrow down your options, check out our buyer’s guide to hybrids where you’ll find much more information on what to consider, and to really get stuck into the details, check out our Ace Series article on hybrids. When you’re ready to buy, you’ll find our hybrids collection page the perfect place to start browsing (and you’ll also find links to the very best deals on offer, too). Check out our list of the 10 best-selling used hybrids at golfclubs4cash for more inspiration.

Choosing a beginner’s iron set

Iron sets are the option to focus on when it comes to irons. Some beginners make the mistake of thinking they need to buy individual irons, but the truth is that iron sets are deliberately configured so that they complement each other perfectly. Your irons are the club of choice when it comes to precision and consistency (as opposed to distance – although that’s still a factor). Iron sets are usually made up of around 5-10 irons, each with its own job to do. So for example, if you were looking at a particular Callaway iron set, it could comprise around six clubs from a 5-iron to a PW (pitching wedge), while another similar set could be a nine-piece, for example, a 3-iron through to a SW (sand wedge).

Iron sets tend to usually include at least a couple of wedge options, so choose your irons first before you consider which other wedges you may need.

More information on iron sets

To kick things off, you’ll find our buyers’ guide to second-hand irons very helpful in understanding the particular considerations you should make. Then, take a look at our list of the ten best-selling used iron sets at golfclubs4cash. And finally, swot up on everything you need to know about irons, from the history of the club through to technical aspects and tips on using irons in our Ace Series article that’s dedicated to irons.

Choosing a beginner’s wedge

First things first, you should have already selected your iron set before you move on to thinking about which other wedges to add to your golf bag, because most iron sets include at least one wedge. Wedges come in four different types - the lob wedge (LW), the sand wedge (SW), the gap wedge – also known as the utility wedge (GW), and the pitching wedge (PW). They each have different lofts to achieve different heights (versus distance). The chart below demonstrates this in more detail.

The golf wedges are used when height is of particular importance, for example if you are trying to clear an obstacle, or you need a little extra lift to get you out of a sand bunker. The thing to focus on is making sure that you don’t leave too much of a gap between your wedge lofts – that way you can be confident that you’ll always have a decent wedge to rely on in any given situation.

Height vs distance when it comes to the four different wedge types

More information on wedges

Start by reading our buyers’ guide to used wedges, where you’ll be able to learn far more about this particular type of golf club and what the main considerations are. Once you’ve done that, our Ace Series on wedges will give you even more information. You can view our entire collection of used wedges, where you’ll also find quick links to the best deals on second-hand wedges. Check out our top ten best-selling used wedges at golfclubs4cash if you want to know which golf wedges our customers are loving the most.

Choosing a beginner’s putter

We’re getting into the short game now, where we focus on the best used putters for beginners. The putter is used on the putting green (which is where the hole is). When it comes to putters, it’s all about precision, with the tiniest adjustments to your stance and technique can make the biggest differences. One carefully chosen putter is all you need, but golfers can agonise over which one to put in their golf bag. All the big brands like Cleveland, PING and TaylorMade offer a range of putters, and some golf brands like Scotty Cameron and Odyssey are particularly well-known for their putters.

As a beginner, you don’t need to spend a huge amount on your putter, but it’s important to experiment with a few different types to see which ones feel most natural and comfortable to you. Check out our guide to better putting to get more great tips on improving your technique.

More information on second-hand putters

Our blog section has a wealth of resources when it comes to better understand which used putter might be best for you. Start with our guide to better putting to understand what it takes to perfect your putt. Then, check out our buyers’ guide to second-hand putters. You might also find our list of best used putters on the market by brand useful, along with our top ten best-selling second-hand putters at golfclubs4cash.

Read more about brands that specialise in putters, such as Scotty Cameron and Odyssey in our golf brand focus articles. And finally, check out our collection page dedicated to used putters for fast access to the best deals and latest additions.

Choosing a beginner’s golf bag

Now you’ve got your golf club set sorted, you’re going to need something fancy to keep them in! Choosing the best used golf bag for you starts with deciding whether you want a cart bag or a stand bag, and that depends on how much carrying you’re happy to do. There are also pencil bags and tour staff bags to consider, and the best way to decide which is the best option for you is to check out our buyers’ guide to second-hand golf bags.

More information on used golf bags

Our What’s In the Bag features plenty of famous golfers, like Cam Smith, with their golf bags of choice, so that’s a great place to start. Most of the big golf brands offer a few different types of golf bags, and the best place to grab a bargain used golf bag is at golfclubs4cash. We are constantly adding new stock, so keep an eye on our site (and download the golfclubs4cash app so you have 24/7 access to the best golf deals).

And that’s a wrap…

By now you should have a much better idea of which golf clubs you’ll select to enhance your game. You’re bound to have more questions, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team for personalised advice, tips and tricks.

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