Golf is a game of tremendous strategy, dedication, and commitment. The sport requires self-discipline to learn the game, become good at it, and remain at that high level. In saying that, it’s a beautiful game that we all love because of its difficulty, but also raw beauty. The downside to Golf is practicing every day for 8 hours is pointless if done incorrectly. At the end of the day, what we want is to improve our score round to round. Vital information that will help you do that is knowing what are the most important clubs in Golf.
To become a better golfer, you will need to have a complete understanding of every club that is in your bag. If you are getting started, here are 5 clubs that you need to focus on to improve your overall score. The 5 most important clubs are a Long Iron/Hybrid, 60-degree wedge, Driver, 50/54 degree wedge, and Putter.
Top 5 Most Important Clubs In Golf (In Descending Order)
#5 – Long Iron/Hybrid:
At number 5, we start with a Long Iron/Hybrid. First off, this is a vague title because everybody’s bag is different. Each person will have a different set of clubs. Some sets have hybrids over long irons, some having both, some old school sets do not have hybrids at all.
The most common Long Iron club that would apply here is either a 4 Iron or a 5 Iron. A 4 Iron has commonly been replaced by a 4 hybrid in many club sets. If your set has a 4 Iron I highly recommend taking some time to work on how to hit this club. Typically, a 4 Iron will have around 24 degrees of loft on the clubface. A 5 Iron will typically have 27 degrees of loft on the clubface.
The two irons are very similar in shot shape, distance, and how you need to hit them. To find more details on club loft, and loft for the rest of your irons, click here.
The average golfer will typically hit a 4 iron around 170-180 yards with a roll. A 5 iron will be slightly shorter than that. For myself I normally sit around 200-210 yards with my 4 iron, and 190-200 yards with my 5 iron.
The second part to the 5th most important club in your golf bag is going to be your Hybrid. Now to start, hitting a hybrid is arguably the most difficult club to hit for the majority of golfers. The benefit of a Hybrid over a long iron is the club is built with a Driver/Wood-like clubface. The club shaft of your Hybrid will feel like your Driver shaft, except slightly shorter. A Hybrid’s typical loft can range from 16 to the mid 20 degrees.
The feedback from golfers is they find the ball stays airborne longer when hitting a Hybrid. A Hybrid and Iron will go a similar distance, but the Hybrid allows for a smoother swing. This limits errors within your swing.
Mastering your Long Irons/Hybrids will make for hitting greens in two that much easier. Hello Birdie Juice!
#4 – 60 Degree Wedge
At number 4, we have a 60-degree wedge. Some people will read this and go “I don’t even have a 60-degree wedge, what’s so important about it?”. The truth is, many golf sets do not come with a 60-degree wedge included. This club typically needs to be purchased separately from your set. If you want to grow your Golf game and eventually become very good, a 60-degree wedge is extremely important.
A major benefit of the 60-degree wedge is the amount of spin on the ball once it lands. This is from the loft and nature of the open clubface. This allows you to be more confident in every shot you take. With a full swing, don’t worry about going past the hole; If you hit the shot correctly, the ball should either stop on a dime or spin back towards the hole.
At the end of the day, we all want to improve our score and handicap. That starts with avoiding water, trees, and bunkers as much as possible. That is key to the 60-degree wedge, being able to flop your shot over hazards and onto the green. Now take that paired with sticking your ball on the green with your approach shot. That makes a 60 degree wedge easily one of the most important clubs to have in your bag!
#3 – Driver
At number 3, we have the trusty Driver. Every golfer’s club to rip out of the bag after a rough hole and swing as hard as they can. In all seriousness though, it’s simple why the Driver is one of the most important clubs in your bag. The objective of Golf is to get the ball down the hole in the least amount of shots possible.
The Driver should be your go-to club on Par 5’s, long Par 4’s, and the occasional short Par 4. Of course depending on the layout of the hole. That is also subject to whether or not the hole in question has a water hazard specifically at Driver distance. There may be bunkers in play at that distance, forcing you into laying up as well. Mostly, any hole with significant length will require a solid Driver to have any chance at making Par.
The most important objective with your Driver is to find fairways on every shot. Doing so will no doubt give you chances for Birdie or Par on every hole. That alone makes the Driver easily one of the top 5 most important clubs in Golf.
#2 – 50/54 Degree Wedge
Back to the wedges, not surprisingly. Having a strong short game is critical to lowering your Golf score and becoming more consistent. The 50-degree or 54-degree wedges are together because of the versatility you have with the clubs. The 54-degree wedge has a loft of 54 degrees, but another name for the club is a Gap Wedge.
It’s called a Gap Wedge because the club bridges the gap between a Pitching Wedge and Sand Wedge. The 50-degree wedge is included because not many people have a Gap Wedge in their bag. The 50-degree wedge is more commonly included in iron sets.
What I like most about these clubs is the wide variety of shots at your disposal. A few examples are:
- Short Bump and Run chip shots
- Fairway shots to the green anywhere from 80-120 yards away
- Chips from thicker grass
- Long bunker shots
- The ability to hit a high wedge shot, with spin on the ball, but from a long distance. This allows you to hit greens for birdie chances at a much higher percent.
The average distance with a 50/54 degree wedge range is 80-90 yards. Some golfers can hit these clubs over 100 yards. If you can hit these clubs that distance your golf score is going to drop significantly. Pair that with the loft and spin they offer and you’re in business. The versatility of these clubs is why they are in the top 5 most important clubs list.
#1 – Putter
To absolutely no one’s surprise, the most important club in your golf bag is going to be your Putter. More times than not, you will use your Putter on every hole. The Putter either saves your round or completely kills it.
There is nothing fancy or complex about your Putter. Becoming consistent with your Putting comes down solely to practice. The only way you will get better at Putting is on practice greens, and playing rounds. Repetition, making the same putts over and over again is what will take your putting to the next level.
If you take away practice, what tends to mess people up when they putt can come down to three things:
- Not reading the Greens properly, and where the ball is going to run towards.
- Incorrect speed, not evaluating any hills or slope changes between your ball and the hole.
- Lining up the Putter face incorrectly. When you line up the Putt, if the putter face is not on line you will never sink putts. This is still true regardless of how much you read the green.
To summarize, you will never become the golfer you want to be without working on your Putter. A consistent Putter will take your Golf game to the next level. That’s why the Putter is number 1 on the most important Golf clubs list.
I hope you enjoyed this article! Hopefully, you were able to take something and apply it to your own Golf game. Golf is a sport we all love to play and practice, but we also love to see our practice paying off. Working on these clubs, with continued practice, I guarantee your Golf score and handicap will continue to drop!
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