How to choose golf clubs?

Remember, CityGolf is not just an online golf store, but we also operate physical shops in Prague and Brno. Each store is staffed by golfers of various skill levels who can perfectly advise you on which golf clubs are ideal specifically for you. In Prague and Brno, we have the best-equipped fitting centers where you can try golf clubs from Callaway, Titleist, TaylorMade, Mizuno, Ping, or Honma. We pride ourselves on the widest selection and regularly update with new club heads and shafts that you won’t find anywhere else. Experienced fitters will take care of you, with many years of experience selecting golf clubs for beginners, recreational players, as well as competitive and performance players.

Choose according to your experience

At CityGolf, over the time we have been selling golf clubs, we have identified four groups of players. Try to estimate your game and place yourself in one of these groups. (On the e-shop, you can select clubs from each group using the Player Type filter)

• Recreational player – Plays regularly but hardly trains. When they find time for golf, they want to spend it on the course, not on the practice mat. Prefers clubs with high forgiveness for easy contact. They don’t plan to shape shots; the main goal is to get the ball easily in the air and, if possible, into the hole without major complications.
• Advanced recreational player – Plays regularly and trains irregularly. Prefers easy-to-play clubs with higher forgiveness and a sporty look. They don’t aim to play competitive golf, but when they do well, they have a higher percentage of fairways and greens hit in regulation.
• Sport player – Plays and trains regularly. Prefers clubs with a sporty design and increased forgiveness. Often hits the sweet spot and with high probability hits fairways and green positions for easy scoring.
• Performance player – Plays regularly and trains often. Can shape shots and play from any position. Their score is around par, and they demand maximum feedback and precise feel from their equipment.

The boundaries between these categories are not strict, and it’s common for players to mix clubs from different categories in their bag. For example, they may prefer high forgiveness in their driver and therefore choose a driver from the advanced recreational category, but require better feedback and control from irons and choose irons for sport players.

^{When choosing, avoid the myth that you should buy clubs for sport players right away and that you will “grow into them.” Often, before you “grow into them,” you might get discouraged by many unnecessarily bad shots and lose interest in golf, turning to another sport instead.}

Accurately assessing your abilities is important for your golf growth and maximum enjoyment of the game. You might be surprised that players on the Senior PGA Tour often choose clubs from the advanced recreational category even though they are still excellent golfers. They choose clubs with higher forgiveness to make the game easier and more enjoyable even without the training they can no longer dedicate as before.

Types of golf clubs

^{Your golf set can contain up to 14 clubs. One of them will definitely be a driver, which you will most often use to start the hole, and another will be a putter, which you will most often use to finish the hole. That leaves room for 12 more clubs, with which you should be able to play any distance from the tee to the green. It’s not necessary to fill every slot in the bag, but the main purpose of a properly composed set of golf clubs is to have options for as many situations as possible that you most often play from and to have ideal distance gaps between clubs.}

Drivers

They have the largest clubhead, and their main purpose is to hit the ball as far as possible and set up the best position for the next shot. Drivers mainly differ in forgiveness and balance. For recreational players drivers are usually balanced for a slight draw to eliminate the common mistake where the ball starts left and then sharply curves right (opposite for left-handed players). Together with maximum forgiveness and a higher launch angle, you will play longer and straighter drives. For sport players preferences shift toward easier shaping and better feedback. Forgiveness is not a priority for advanced golfers, who often expect to fine-tune their driver for their ideal tee shot. That’s why adjustable loft and balance drivers are available on the market. This allows sport golfers to lower or raise the launch angle and ball spin for maximum carry distance and preferred shot shape.

A very important part of the driver is the shaft, which critically affects how the driver will perform for your swing. Shafts vary greatly in weight and stiffness, and choosing the right shaft requires knowledge of your swing speed and tempo. Older golfers swing slower, athletes faster; some have slower tempo, others fast and dynamic. Often, the shaft offered by the manufacturer in the standard configuration with the head doesn’t fit everyone, so we recommend visiting our fitting center to measure your swing on TrackMan and recommend the ideal shaft just for you.

Golf drivers available in our e-shop.

Fairway woods

Woods can significantly improve your game and, if you give them a chance, become indispensable for both tee shots and longer fairway shots. Woods complement your set to fill the distance gaps between the driver and hybrid or the longest iron. Like drivers, woods differ mainly in forgiveness and balance. Woods for recreational players are balanced for higher launch angle and maximum forgiveness, with a lower profile of the impact area to make it easier for players to get under the ball and hit it well. Woods for sport players are usually balanced for a medium, penetrating trajectory and often have adjustable loft to fine-tune the preferred balance between carry distance and total distance.

Golf fairway woods available in our e-shop.

Hybrids

These are golf clubs that some love and others (unnecessarily) hate. Hybrids are designed to replace long irons, which are difficult for recreational players to hit well. Hybrids are most often used for shots into the green, but players also frequently use them for more accurate tee shots. It’s a mistake to think hybrids are only for recreational players, as evidenced by their growing popularity among PGA Tour players. Nobody wants to struggle with a 2- or 3-iron when they can hit the same distance with a higher chance of a good result. Hybrids fill the distance gaps between fairway woods and the longest iron you can effectively hit. The result should be that you have a club for every distance and no green becomes unreachable.

Golf hybrids available in our e-shop.

Irons

You should make no compromises in this category of your golf equipment. Current technologies and materials used in manufacturing offer almost unlimited options to choose the best irons for you. So how do different types of golf irons differ?

Irons for recreational players: Highest forgiveness. Higher trajectory. Minimal distance loss between well-hit and mishit shots.

Irons for advanced recreational players: Higher forgiveness. Sportier look. Progressive head design. Larger heads and higher forgiveness in long irons. Smaller heads and sportier look in short scoring irons.

Irons for sport players: Sporty look. Decent forgiveness. Great feedback and feel on ball contact. Easier shot shaping. Progressive design. Larger heads and higher forgiveness in long irons. Smaller heads and sportier look in short scoring irons.

Irons for performance players: Small heads. Very sporty look resembling blades. Minimal forgiveness. Maximum shot-shaping ability. Precise feedback on ball contact. Unmatched feel.

Golf irons available in our e-shop.

Wedges

They are an important part of your golf set. If you have a set of irons, it will probably end with a club marked PW (Pitching Wedge). This is usually made in a similar configuration to other irons because you will swing it similarly. Other wedges are chosen to follow the pitching wedge in loft so that you have a club for every distance and type of shot you might encounter in your short game.

Distinguishing golf wedges is easy; primarily follow the loft. If your pitching wedge (PW) has a loft of 45°, it should be followed by at least two wedges: an Approach Wedge (AW) with a loft of 50° and a Sand Wedge (SW) with a loft of 54° or 56°. You can add a Lob Wedge (LW) with a loft of 60° after the sand wedge, but it is more difficult to play and not every recreational player can handle it. Most golf manufacturers now sell wedges for both right- and left-handed players. Lefties can now choose from roughly the same wide selection as righties.

An important parameter for new wedges is the correct combination of bounce and grind. Simply put, bounce is how high the leading edge of the clubhead is above the ground, and grind is the shaping of the sole. Bounce and grind are chosen based on how you most often swing and from what surface. If you play a deep divot and mostly use wedges in sand or softer surfaces, a higher bounce (10° or more) is recommended. Conversely, if you rarely take a divot with wedges and mostly use them on tightly mown, harder surfaces we recommend bounce of 10° or less.

As Bob Vokey says, bounce is your friend!

Sole shaping is most often considered when you try to play different types of shots with a wedge. You can either have a universal grind (standard), with which you can play every shot with compromises, or you can choose a grind that allows easier opening/closing of the clubhead for unlimited creativity in height and spin of your chips.

Golf wedges available in our e-shop.

Putters

Also known as the golf club for the green, it is the club you will most often use to finish the hole. The range of designs is really wide today, and choosing the right golf putter takes a few tens of minutes. For the right choice, we definitely recommend visiting a physical store. There you can try how each design suits you when addressing the ball. Each putter head has a different weight, and you can usually choose from three lengths: 33", 34", or 35".

With putters, you definitely shouldn’t overlook the sound and feel on ball contact. Some will prefer the quiet sound of inserts made of hardened polyurethane, others the clink of a metal insert. Most manufacturers do not differentiate between women’s and men’s putters. Women usually choose putters by the same rules as men, most often opting for mallet types and lengths between 32" and 34". Men’s putters are most commonly sold in lengths of 34" or 35".

Golf putters available in our e-shop.

If you have read this article this far, congratulations! You now have a basic overview of how to choose golf clubs and can browse our e-shop selection in the Golf Clubs category. If you want personal advice, visit our physical stores where we will gladly assist you and recommend the best golf clubs for your current game and goals.

CityGolf Prague, Českobrodská 920, Prague 9 – Dolní Počernice

CityGolf Brno, Holandská 10, Brno