How to assemble your perfect half set of golf clubs
Posted by Ryan Barat March 18, 2023
Using a half set is a great way to enjoy the game.
Ryan Barat
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced golfer, playing with a half set of clubs is not only easier to carry, but can also be a fun way to lighten the load and get creative on the course. I personally love to play half set golf and one of the most common questions I get from golfers is how to create the right gap and how best to choose the right clubs.
I won’t go so far as to call this a definitive guide, but this is my personal philosophy of creating the perfect set of eight clubs to get you through the field and inspire you to improve your shots. If you want to really go crazy, you can go to five of clubs, but if the half-set is new to you, this is a great place to start.
golf bag
Let’s start with how you’re going to carry everything.
Yes, it’s easy to just remove six clubs from your current set and be done with it, but if you have a golf bag with tons of extra pockets or room, you’ll end up carrying the extra weight no matter what – and the point of a half set is to make things as easy as possible.
Tweed Sunday bag from Seamus Golf. Seamus Golf
A lightweight bag without a stand is a great option, but if you’re planning on playing early in the morning when the grass is still wet, a stand is hard to beat. For example, Sunday Golf has built its line around lightweight bags.
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Sunday Golf El Camino golf bag
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Carry clubs
Before we get to the specifics of the clubs, it is necessary to analyze which clubs you have had the most success with and what shots you rely on when you enter the field. For example, if you decide to hire a driver (we’ll get to that stick in a minute) and you’re not sure you’re going to 3-wood the fairway, it’s best to have your 5th putter next. – or 7-wood.
The same goes for your irons and wedges. If you are confident that you can play a certain stroke with your favorite iron, build a set around the club or clubs that you have the most confidence in. green and not behind it, so you need to make sure you’re comfortable carrying the right distances to get close to your target.
Driver
If you’re going to play clubs under eight, you can make an argument for starting the top of the set with a high three of a kind, but for most golfers, I highly recommend carrying a driver.
Don’t sacrifice distance. Ping Golf
This will bring the most success from the target area, and misses are not penalized as severely. Giving up distance from the tee, even with a half set, is a big taboo, so don’t forgo that advantage.
fairway woods
If you already have a driver in your bag, I suggest moving on to a 5- or 7-tree as the next club in your bag. These clubs provide good distance from the rider and can be useful almost anywhere on the pitch, including rough spots, and especially on any long par-3s. You can even chip with them.
irons
Like I said, if you have a favorite stick, it’s okay to build your half set, or at least the iron part around it. For example, if you like iron 7s, it might be a good idea to use odd numbered clubs, but if you really like iron 6s, use even ones.
The use of even or odd numbered clubs ensures the correct break in most cases. Ryan Barat
On that note, there’s one more thing to consider, and that’s tearing the iron. For example, many modern distance play irons have 5-degree club gaps at the bottom of the set, and smaller gaps at the top in longer irons. Before making any final decisions, take a look at the lofts of your irons and the distance between them to make sure you don’t have obvious gaps in the distance. If you usually have gaps of 12-15 yards, expect your half-set to be 20-25 yards, so get creative.
One final note on irons, if you want to build half a set from scratch, all OEMs allow you to order only the clubs you need, so don’t feel like you have to buy all the clubs in a set if you only intend to use half of them.
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wedges
If you only have 8 clubs to play with, it’s very important that you have a wedge that you feel comfortable throwing a lot of shots with. Whether the longest stick in your suitable set of irons is a 9-iron or a pitcher, I recommend that the highest raised wedge be 54-56 degrees with a fairly versatile sole grind.
A wedge with universal grinding makes it easier to perform various strokes. Ryan Barat
This way you can keep gaps to a minimum, but you can still get out of trouble if you have to open your face to pick up the ball quickly.
hockey stick
What can I say about the stick other than having it in your bag is a really good idea. You’re going to putt a lot, so no matter how many clubs you have in your half-set, take your favorite club with you on the trip.
Conclusion
Although this is just my personal guide, the end result of creating a half kit looks like this:
Driver, 5-tree, 4/6/8/pw, 56-degree wedge, stick – all I need and nothing more.
Want to update your bag for 2022 or create your own semi-kit? Find the right spot near you at GOLF’s sister company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest news and gear information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below!
Golf Editor
Ryan Barat is GOLF Magazine and Senior Hardware Editor at GOLF.com. He has extensive experience in the club fitting and building industry and has over 20 years of experience working with golfers of all levels, including PGA Tour players. Prior to joining the staff, he was the lead content strategist at Tour Experience Golf in Toronto, Canada.
