What's a good beginner's club mix?

With the snow finally melting here in upstate NY it seems like a good time to start planning for the upcoming golf season.

Last year I started golfing when my son wanted to take up the game and I picked up a fairly eclectic set of used and closeout clubs from various sources, not expecting to really enjoy the game myself all that much.  After playing with that mixed set of clubs last year I found I actually was enjoying myself and decided to put together a more consistent set over the winter with the intention of making it comprehensive enough that it could last me for a number of years and through improvements in my game without having to go back and search out increasingly old and worn used clubs to match what I already had.  I started with the clubs that I liked best from my original set (Adams Speedline Draw 3 & 5 fairway woods and Adams A3OS 4 & 5 hybrids) and added from there.

I currently have an Adams Speedline Draw 12.5 driver with matching 3, 5, and 7 fairway woods, Adams A3OS 3, 4, & 5 hybrids & 6-SW irons/wedges.  What I'm looking for now are opinions about which clubs are most valuable to a beginner and should be in my bag immediately and which I should put away until my game improves.  Any suggestions would be appreciated, especially if you could explain your thinking behind them.  Thank you.

I would ditch the fairway woods ( for now ) and get a 52* Gap Wedge to add to your wedges....fairway woods are hard to hit for a beginner

It depends though, can you hit them very well?

I still can't hit my 4 Wood very well, but my friend has a 17* 2 Hybrid that goes just as far and is WAY easier to hit.

Other than that, your set is perfect for a beginner. You made good purchases.

I actually did hit my fairway woods better than my hybrids last year.  Hence the decision to include a 7W even though that was by far the hardest club to find.

Do you swing a Hybrid like an iron? Or are you sweeping at the ball?

ie. a hybrid should have more of a downward striking swing than a fairway wood

As a fellow beginner I find it easier and more accurate to hit my fairway woods over my driver (though driver has improved greatly), and my 3 & 4 hybrids over my 3 and 4 irons.  I'm not sure your set includes a gap wedge, but I've gotten more comfortable with that than my 60* wedge.

Your driver is higher loft (close to most 3W loft) so you could swap it out unless you hit it really well or swap out your 3H since you hit your 7W better to add another  wedge or 5i if you want too.  Opinions vary on how many wedges beginners should carry, it depends on the lofts on your irons, and how comfortable you are making less than full swings with your PW or SW.  I hit my 5i well and prefer the ball flight I get with it over my 5h, but that's personal preference.

Overall you have all the bases covered just need to get out there and enjoy!

You know, I'm not sure, not having swung a club for the past few months (no indoor practice facilities around here).  I'll have to watch that when the ranges open again.  In truth it was the 3H that gave me the most grief, one of the reasons I sought out a 7W and opted to forgo a 2H when I found one.

If you do not have extremely high ss then that driver you have is a great one! I would stick with that.

Quote:

One thing you get out of fairway woods is the gear effect from the bulge and roll on the clubface. The bulge - or face curvature -  helps correct for off-center hits, creating a gear effect - toe and heel hits get spun back toward the center. Hybrids, with flatter faces, don't do this very well.

7Ws had an interesting history about 2001. Before the hybrids arrived, a couple of the long hitters on tour carried a 3W + 7W mix, dropping the 2 iron out of the bag. Sorry I can't remember names... Anyone?

At the 2004 U.S. Senior Open at Bellerive C.C., lots of the players carried 3-5-7W mix in the bag. Got to see the bags as players entered and left the practice range.

As far as wedges... If you have a PW and a SW, that should do it in the early going. Learn what all you can do with these. LWs are tough for beginners to use, and they eat up a lot of practice time.

I think you stumbled onto the number one reason for a beginner not to have a lob wedge in the bag. It eats up time that could be spent practicing the shots that reduce the number of times it's needed. Some sand wedges are very versatile. You can open them way up and hit high cuts. Other sand wedges that are meant for mostly use out of the sand and rough are easier to get that good thump out of a bunker. I'd go with that type at first.

Thanks everyone for the responses.  My set does in fact include a gap wedge.  I opted to skip the lob wedge in the A3OS set.  I assumed by the time I'd gotten good enough to think about one I'd probably be looking to upgrade the whole iron set anyways.

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether I should be carrying the full set, or if there are certain clubs that would be better left home, at least at first?  The reason I ask is that I do actually carry the bag and don't see any reason to carry anything I won't or shouldn't be using anyways.

Wait a few rounds, maybe 5 or 6, and see what you use. You can then start mixing and matching your clubs to suit how you play...you may even find you;re missing a club, then you'll start getting addicted to buying golf gear.....it's a natural cycle.

I lelieve the reason to carry 13 clubs + putter is to cover all your possible distances (10-20 yard gag) you might have to hit full swing.  If there are clubs you don't hit well and would avoid using during a round or that you hit the same distance as another club then you might opt to leave them home.  For example you said you have difficulty hitting your hybrids and opted to carry a 7W.  If you're looking to lighten your bag, you might leave your 3H or 4H out of it until you are more comfortable with it since you prefer your 7W.

I've read others say that beginners don't need to carry more than two wedges, so this could be another area where you might be able to cut weight.   You could carry your full bag and take notice of which clubs you don't use very often if at all.  For some reason (most likely my lack of skill) I don't seem to use my 6i or 8i very often.  I tend to opt for more club rather than overswing, so I'm usually hitting my 5i or 7i instead.

Good advice everybody.  I have one more question.  The clubs have a mix of different grips, some original & some regripped at some point before I acquired them.  Assuming that the grips are in good condition, how important is it to keep them consistent.  Should I pick the grip that I find most comfortable (the Winn Xi7 on the driver) and regrip the others to match, or just use them as is and gradually replace the grips as needed until they all match?  Or is there an advantage to using different type grips on woods vs hybrids vs irons vs wedges?

I personally prefer same grips on all my clubs.

There are grip sizes too ( mid size etc) and how many wraps of tape underneath the grip. If you have big hands, 2 or 3 wraps under the grip can really help.

I have 2 wraps underneath mine, thinking about going to 3

Go to your local golf store and they will have a wide range you can try out, some grips are good in the cold and wet, some aren't....

You can also use warm mild soapy water to clean your current grips to get some more life out of them if you;re happy with them.