Getting the correct golf club is an important part of playing golf well. As you improve from a beginner to an intermediate player, your needs change. A set of golf clubs which served you well as a beginner may hold you back as an intermediate player. So how do you choose the best golf clubs for intermediate players?
First of all, we need to define what we mean by an intermediate player. To us, an intermediate player is a golfer who is starting to consistently make good contact with the golf ball. He is hitting his irons more accurately and making the expected distance. He is also reaching the greens well, consistently 4 or 5 strokes every round. Basically, as an intermediate player, you are swinging your golf clubs with more speed and power than before, and can hit the balls with the sweet spot relatively often. All these factors are giving you more distance with all your clubs.
As a beginner, you want clubs which are more forgiving of mistakes. Usually, this means clubs with bigger heads and larger sweet spots, as well as stiffer shafts. However, as an intermediate player, the best golf clubs for you must give you more control. Generally speaking, you will want to play using golf clubs with a more flexible shaft. This gives you a more powerful swing but also requires better golf swing mechanics from you. Do note that you do not need to buy a completely new set of golf clubs.
Before you start replacing your golf clubs, you may want to get your existing clubs re-checked for fit. Now that you are swinging your clubs more consistently, this is probably one of the fastest ways to shave a few strokes off your handicap. Check if your existing grips are still right for you. This may well fix that slice which you are having trouble with. Also remember to check the length and flex of your golf clubs. This will be a good guide of the clubs you most need to replace.
The first club you should replace is probably your putter. Why? Because most golfers use their putters two times more often than any other golf club. Experts estimate that putters are used 30% to 40% of the time. In fact, many golf instructors say that the best way to lower your golf handicap is to improve your short game.
The next club for you to replace is your driver, also known as the #1 wood. Golfers use this 10% to 20% of the time. As a beginner, you may have been using the easier to play #2 wood. If so, this is the best time for you to try switching back to the #1 wood. On the other hand, if you have been using the #1 wood all this while, this is the time to see if your game will improve with the #2 wood instead.
Depending on your mastery of golf swing techniques, you may need think about your wedges. Many golfers play with the pitching wedge and the sand wedge. However, if you find yourself in trouble frequently, and needing to chip up to the green, you may want to play with more wedges - the gap wedge and lob wedge come to mind. A simple way to see if you need more wedges is to keep track of how many strokes you spend chipping - many beginners need 15 to 20 strokes on their good days.
Most golfers will not need to replace their irons. You probably do not use any single iron more than 2 or 3 times every round. Still, if you have the budget, you may want to consider the 1-Iron Golf System, where all the irons are the same length. This helps to flatten your learning curve, since you only need to learn one swing instead of 7 (if you play with the standard irons from 3 to 9).
As you can see, the best golf clubs for intermediate players will give you more control, while sacrificing some forgiveness. Getting the correct golf club for an intermediate golfer does not need an expensive budget, as long as you are careful to buy only the clubs which you need most, and test them before you buy them.
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