The DICK'S Sporting Goods Golf Club Buying Guide
Learn more about the clubs in your bag before making your selection:
Golf Drivers
Golf drivers help you achieve distance and flight off the tee. You can select from standard, midsize and oversized clubheads and a variety of materials from innovative titanium to popular aluminum. Drivers are typically the longest club you'll have in your bag and provide the lowest loft angle.
Today's larger drivers have bigger sweet spots to promote greater stability and power on impact. In addition, drivers can come in many lofts, typically between 8 and 15 degrees for men and 10 and 15 degrees for women.
Fairway Woods
Fairway woods are versatile clubs that can be used from the fairway or from a good lie in the rough. Some golfers may even use a fairway wood off the tee. Fairway woods have a higher loft than drivers and features a smaller profile that can be used for directional control. This type of club is typically made from graphite. The distance you may get from a fairway wood will depend on experience, skill and clubhead speed, but here are some of the average numbers you can expect:
- 3-wood: 125 - 240 yds
- 4-wood: 110 - 220 yds
- 5-wood: 105 - 215 yds
- 7-wood: 90 - 170 yds
Irons
Irons are typically used for shots >200 yds. Traditional iron sets include eight irons (three through nine irons and a pitching wedge). A low profile, wide sole and lower center of gravity make irons exceptionally playable.
The distance you get from your irons will also depend on clubhead speed, skill and experience, but here are some average iron distances to help you build your bag accordingly:
- 2-iron: 105 - 210 yds
- 3-iron: 100 - 205 yds
- 4-iron: 90 - 190 yds
- 5-iron: 80 - 175 yds
- 6-iron: 70 - 165 yds
- 7-iron: 65 - 155 yds
- 8-iron: 60 - 145 yds
- 9-iron: 55 - 135 yds
There are a variety of iron types to choose from, including game-improvement irons, player irons and driving irons.
Putters
Putters are available in a variety of different styles. Blade Putters are more narrow and flat, and provide great feel for the golf ball. Mallet putters have a larger, more rounded clubhead that helps golfers achieve a more consistent performance. Alignment putters come with larger clubheads and feature geometric alignment aids to help start the ball at the target line. Counterbalanced putters are designed with some extra weight in the shaft and clubhead for more stability, smoothness and accuracy. Perimeter-weighted putters have larger sweet spots and are more forgiving because their design distributes weight around the edges. Insert putters are built with composite inserts to help promote a smoother roll and better feel.
Wedges
Wedges are irons that are designed with high loft angle. This type of club typically produces high-trajectory, low-distance shots. Common types of wedges include:
- Pitching Wedges allow more distance and have the lowest loft angle.
- Sand Wedges are designed to assist with getting the ball out of a bunker.
- Lob Wedges generally have the highest loft of any wedge and can help get the ball into the air quickly to get over tall obstacles.
- Gap Wedges offer a shorter shot than pitching wedges but further than sand wedges, with slightly more loft than a standard pitching wedge.
Hybrid Golf Clubs
Hybrid clubs generally have a wider and thicker head than an iron but are smaller than a wood. This type of club can be easier to strike than a driver, and can also be useful in the fairway.
Remember that the best clubs for you will depend on your swing, skill level and how you play. Need help deciding which clubs will help you build your perfect bag? DICK'S Sporting Goods has expert club fitting services that can help you find the right clubs for your game. To customize your game even further, shop personalized golf balls from Titleist, Callaway and more top brands.
