Build Your Squad

Ask the vast majority of club golfers about the clubs that make up their bag, and you’ll most likely still hear a familiar pattern: Driver, 3-wood, hybrid, 3- or 4-iron to pitching wedge, sand wedge and putter. Depending on the level of golfer and how recently they bought their clubs, you might hear either a 5-wood or hybrid in the mix as well.

But here’s the mindset shift golfers need to make: stop thinking in terms of a fixed set of 14 clubs and start building a squad.

Most golfers play the same 14 clubs for every round, following a standard template:
Driver → 3-wood → hybrid → irons → wedge(s)

But golf isn’t played in a template. It’s played on different courses, in different conditions, with different shot demands.

The best players are starting to think differently:

• What clubs give me the best chance on this course?
• What weather and turf conditions will I be facing?
• What shots do I need more often?
• Where do I actually lose strokes?

That’s where the “squad” mentality comes in.

Instead of forcing certain clubs into your bag because that's what you've always had or maybe it was all that was available when you bought your clubs, you build a wider pool of options — your squad — and then select the 14 clubs that give you the best chance on that specific day.

Think of it like a matchday team:

Some clubs are always in the starting lineup. Others rotate in and out depending on the conditions.

• Windy day? You might favour a hybrid over a high-launching wood.
• Soft greens and calm conditions? A 7-wood could be a weapon. Maybe even a 9-wood depending on which tees you play from and how far you hit the ball.
• Tight course layout? Maybe an extra fairway finder replaces a longer option.

The key is this: you can own more than 14 clubs — you just can’t play more than 14 at a time.

That freedom allows you to:

• Fine-tune your distance gapping for different courses
• Adjust ball flight based on weather and ground conditions
• Choose clubs that suit the shots you’ll actually face

So instead of asking, “Should I replace my hybrid with a 7-wood?”
Start asking, “Should I add a 7-wood to my squad?” and then, on game day, “Which one gives me the best chance today?”

So how do you decide which clubs should have a place in your squad and then ultimately in the matchday 14?

Fairway Woods (3-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood, 9-wood)

When comparing fairway woods to hybrids and long irons, you'll find fairway woods have the highest trajectory for their loft. They are the most forgiving (from a strike perspective, not necessarily the easiest to hit. A toe strike on a fairway wood will give you better results than an equivalent strike on a hybrid or long iron), the most airtime and steepest descent angle, therefore the shortest run, but they are the most affected by the wind. So when do they make it into your starting lineup?

• Long approach shots: On par 5s or longer par 4s, where holding the green is the goal. A 7-wood or 9-wood will fly higher and come down steeper than a hybrid or long irons that travel the same distance, thus landing softly on the green.
• Tee shots on tight holes or holes that force you to lay back off the tee: Imagine holes with fairways that narrow severely around your driving distance or even have hazards cutting the fairway that you can't fly. So, if a driver feels risky, a 3-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood, or 9-wood could be the right call to find the widest landing area on the course you're playing that day.
• If you're expecting light rough or fairway lies but with lots of trees: Woods launch high and land softly, giving you the ability to launch over trees that a hybrid or long iron would hit. The woods also have the added benefit of more stopping power on firm greens.

Hybrids

Hybrids, as the name suggests, are the middle ground between woods and irons and, as such, you get some of the benefit from both sides, but also some of the challenges. So when do they make it into your starting lineup?

• Tight fairways or conditions that are too windy to feel comfortable with the trajectory of a high lofted wood: A hybrid can keep the ball lower and reduce the chance of it being blown offline.
• Challenging approaches from light rough: hybrids can get through moderate rough more easily than irons and are easier to “sweep” from thicker lies without digging too much or getting "snagged" like an iron would.
• Replacing long irons if you want more forgiveness than you experience from your irons, as well as consistency and control, then a hybrid can provide more a more consistent trajectory when compared with long irons, especially on off centre strikes.

Long Irons / Driving Irons

Irons are more traditional than either hybrids or high lofted fairway woods. They are the least forgiving, lowest launching, shortest carrying and longest running. So when do they make it into your starting lineup?

• Long irons and driving irons are only recommended for traditionalists and better players who are very comfortable with their ball striking and ability to find the centre of the club face consistently.
• If the first point describes you, then they are great for tight fairways and windy conditions to find the fairway and maximise run over carry.
• If you feel you'll hit plenty of fairways off the tee, then these could be the right option if you're someone who prefers their look to that of a hybrid. Unlike a hybrid, challenging approaches from the rough is not where these clubs shine.

By thinking this way, you’re not just filling 14 spots in a bag — you’re selecting a team.

And the smartest golfers aren’t choosing between woods or hybrids or driving irons permanently, just on a day to day and course to course basis.

They’re building a squad that includes both… and knowing exactly when to put each one into play — and when to leave it on the bench.