The one factor players often overlook when purchasing new golf clubs is the set make up. They often accept and buy what clubs are included without considering their individual needs.
Typically, most stock or off the rack sets of irons include 7 clubs, a 4 through PW being the most common. Unless a player is strong with a lot of club head speed, I would not recommend including a 4 or 5 iron in their new set. One reason is the stronger lofts of today’s models compared to irons from 10 years ago. Today’s 4 iron lofts are more like 2 iron lofts when they were still available. For the average golfer deleting the 4 and 5 iron and replacing them with a 4 and 5 hybrid is a much better choice. This is not an option when buying off the rack sets.
Another area to consider is fairway woods. Many of today’s fairway woods have stronger lofts making them difficult to launch high enough. Often a 5,7 or even 9 wood is a better option. Each player’s needs should be determined on a case-by-case basis.
When discussing wedges, I would recommend a maximum loft gap of 5 degrees. An example would be a 45-degree pitching wedge, 50- degree gap wedge and 55- degree sand wedge. These lofts can be adjusted depending on whether a player hits their wedges unusually high or low.
An experienced and knowledgeable club fitter will help you determine the best set make up during your fitting appointment. Keep in mind all major club manufacturers now offer custom sets allowing you to choose the specific clubs in your new set that best suit your game. Custom sets sell for the same price per club as off the rack sets so in many cases there is a cost savings.
In summary, today golfers have many more options available to them when buying new golf clubs. Set make up is one of the options that should not be ignored in the club fitting process.