To improve your golf swing, you'll need to make changes to your mechanics. You can do that with lessons, practice or a combination of both. While clubs can't improve your swing, many have characteristics that improve your shots, based on the swing you have. Whether you have a slow or fast swing, have accuracy but need distance, or hit the ball far but struggle with control, you can match clubs to your swing to improve your shots and lower your scores.
Woods
While a driver may provide the most distance, it's also the most difficult to control. To improve your shots off the tee box, consider using a 3- or 5-wood if you're a male hitting a longer distance, or a 7-wood or other rescue club if you're a woman or junior. Choose woods with longer, more flexible shafts and a larger head to give you more distance and control. The added length creates a longer swing, which gives you more time to accelerate the club and create speed. A more flexible shaft also offers more distance. Graphite shafts are more flexible than steel. Length and flexibility decrease control, but you regain it with a larger, more stable head. If you are a power hitter, use a stiffer shaft and shorter club since you don't need power. These characteristics will improve your accuracy. Finally, a more lofted clubface, or one with a lower flex point on the shaft, will help you hit the ball higher if you're having a problem getting the ball in the air.
Irons
The same principles that apply to woods should guide you in your purchase of irons. Irons also offer an option of perimeter-weighted heads. If you have a problem with accuracy, this feature will help stabilize the clubhead. If you have a problem hitting the ground before ball contact, purchase irons with a wider sole, which is the bottom of the clubhead that touches the ground. A wider sole will stabilize the club if you hit the ground too early. Choose an offset clubhead if you need more trajectory and more accuracy. An offset clubhead is one in which the head of the club is set slightly behind the shaft, helping some players who need more elevation or a more square fact at impact. Depending on your mechanics, offset clubheads, on both woods and irons, may improve the shots you get with the swing you have. Start with shorter irons if you have accuracy problems.
Wedges
A variety of wedges are available featuring different lofts, bounce angles and soles to help you with elevation and stability. A pitching wedge will help you with your longer pitches, based on its loft, which will help you get the ball in the air but allow you to keep the distance you need as you approach from 100 yards out or more. A sand wedge is the heaviest wedge because you'll need to drag it through sand. It has a higher loft and bounce angle than a pitching wedge to give you more elevation and less forward roll after it lands since you'll be close to the green when you use it. Lob wedges feature severe lofts, take more skill to use and aren't necessary for most standard approach shots--they will help you get straight up over a hazard, such as the lip of a sand trap.
Putters
You can purchase traditional-length putters or longer belly putters that allow you to stand straight up. Both are a matter of preference, with seniors preferring the belly putter. You can improve the stability of your putts using a mallet head, which has a thicker clubhead than the thinner blade putters.
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