Intellectual for instance claims golf title (7)
I believe the answer is:
egghead
'intellectual' is the definition.
(I know that egghead is a type of intellectual)
'for instance claims golf title' is the wordplay.
'for instance' becomes 'eg' (short for 'exempli gratia', 'for example' in Latin).
'claims' indicates putting letters inside.
'golf' becomes 'g' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'title' becomes 'head' (head can mean to give a title).
'eg' placed around 'g' is 'egg'.
'egg'+'head'='EGGHEAD'
(Other definitions for egghead that I've seen before include "Very academic person" , "providing access to soldiers" , "Intellectual, studious academic" , "An intellectual (inf.)" , "Ovoid-shaped intellectual" .)