How to choose golf clubs?

Remember that CityGolf is not just a golf eshop, but we also operate brick-and-mortar stores in Prague and Brno. In each store, golfers of various skill levels work and can perfectly advise you on the selection of which golf clubs are ideal exactly for you. In Prague and Brno, we have the best-equipped testing 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 the latest club heads and shafts that you won't find anywhere else. Experienced fitters will take care of you, who have many years of experience selecting golf clubs for beginners, recreational players, as well as sports and competitive players.

Choose according to your experience

At CityGolf, during the time we have been selling golf clubs, we have created four groups of players. Try to estimate your game and classify yourself into one of them. (On the eshop, you can select clubs from individual groups using the Player Type filter)

• Recreational player – Plays regularly and hardly trains. When they find time for golf, they want to spend it on the course, not on the mat. Prefers clubs with high forgiveness for easy hitting. They do not plan to shape shots, and the main goal is to get the ball easily into the air and, if possible, into the hole without major complications.
• Advanced recreational player – Plays regularly and trains irregularly. Prefers easily playable clubs with higher forgiveness and a sporty look. They have no ambitions to play competitive golf, but when they do well, they have a higher percentage of fairways and greens hit in regulation.
• Sport player – Plays regularly and trains regularly. Prefers sporty club designs with increased forgiveness. Often hits the sweet spot and with high probability hits the fairway and green positions for easy scoring.
• Competitive 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 sharp, and it is not uncommon for players to combine golf clubs in their bag across these categories. For example, they prefer high forgiveness for the driver and therefore choose a driver from the advanced recreational player category, while they require better feedback and control from irons and therefore choose irons for sport players.

^{When choosing, it is necessary to avoid the myth that you will buy golf clubs for sport players right away and that you will "grow into them." It often happens that before you "grow into them," you get discouraged from golf by so many unnecessarily spoiled shots that you enthusiastically switch to another sport.}

A correct estimate of 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 player category even though they are still excellent golfers. They choose clubs with higher forgiveness to make the game easier and enjoy it more even without training, which they can no longer devote to 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 the other a putter, which you will most often use to finish the hole. That leaves room for 12 other clubs, with which you should be able to play any distance from the tee to the green. It is not necessary to fill all slots in the bag, but the main purpose of a properly composed set of golf clubs is to have options for as many situations as you most often play from and to have ideal distance gaps between clubs.}

Drivers

They have the largest head, and their main purpose is to start the hole as far as possible and prepare the best position for the next shot. Drivers mainly differ in forgiveness and balance. For recreational players drivers are most often balanced for a slight draw to eliminate the common mistake when the ball starts left after the tee shot and then sharply curves right (opposite for lefties). Together with maximum forgiveness and a higher launch angle, you will play longer and straighter drives. For sport players preferences shift towards easier shaping and better feedback. For advanced golfers, forgiveness is not a priority, and they often expect their driver to be adjustable for their ideal tee shot. Therefore, there are drivers on the market with adjustable loft and balance. Thanks to this, a sport golfer can reduce or increase 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 work for your swing. There are big differences in shaft 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. It often happens that the shaft offered by the manufacturer in the standard configuration with the head does not fit everyone, and therefore, for choosing the right shaft, we recommend visiting our fitting center, where we measure your swing on TrackMan and recommend the ideal shaft exactly for you.

Golf drivers available in our e-shop.

Fairway woods

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

Golf fairway woods available in our e-shop.

Hybrids

They are golf clubs that some love and others (unnecessarily) hate. Hybrids are here to replace long irons, which are hard to hit for recreational players. Hybrids are most often used for shots into the green, but players also often use them for more accurate tee shots. It is a mistake to think that hybrids are only for recreational players, and proof of this is their growing popularity among PGA Tour players. No one wants to struggle with a 2 or 3 iron when there is an option to play the same distance with a higher probability of a good result. Hybrids complement the set to fill the distance gaps between the fairway wood 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 for you.

Golf hybrids available in our e-shop.

Irons

You should not make any compromises in this category of your golf equipment. Current technologies and materials used for manufacturing offer almost unlimited options to choose the best irons for you. So how do the different types of golf irons differ?

Irons for recreational players: Highest forgiveness. Higher trajectory. Minimal distance loss between hit and missed 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 competitive 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.

Wedge

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

Distinguishing golf wedges is easy; primarily follow the loft. If your pitching wedge (PW) has a loft of 45°, at least two wedges should follow it. Approach wedge (AW) with a loft of 50° and Sand wedge (SW) with a loft of 54° or 56°. You can follow the sand wedge with a Lob wedge (LW) with a loft of 60°, but it is more difficult to play and not every recreational player can handle it. Most golf manufacturers today sell golf wedges for right and left-handed players. Lefties can now choose from approximately the same wide range 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 head 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 cut and most often use the wedge in sand or softer surfaces, a higher bounce (10° and more) is recommended. Conversely, if you almost never make a cut with wedges and use them mostly on closely mown, harder surfaces we recommend bounce 10° and lower.

As Bob Vokey says, bounce is your friend!

Sole shaping is most often addressed 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 you easier opening/closing of the head for unlimited imagination of height and spin of your chips.

Golf wedges available in our e-shop.

Putters

Also known as the golf club for the hole, 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 brick-and-mortar 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 should definitely not 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 distinguish between what is a women's or men's putter. Women usually choose the mallet type and length between 32" and 34". Men's putters are most sold in lengths of 34" or 35".

Golf putters available in our e-shop.

If you have read the article this far, congratulations! Now you have a basic overview of how to choose golf clubs and can browse our eshop offer in the category Golf clubs. If you want personal advice on selection, visit our brick-and-mortar stores, where we will gladly take care of you and recommend the best golf clubs for your current game and goals.

CityGolf Praha, Českobrodská 920, Prague 9 – Dolní Počernice

CityGolf Brno, Holandská 10, Brno