Golf Clubs
Tuesday August 21st, 2007 3:19PMGolf clubs are what you used to hit the golf balls. The basic components of a golf club are: the club head, shaft and the grip. All golf clubs, from driver to putter, have these 3 components, the only difference being the design. The major types of golf clubs are: driver/woods, irons, wedges and putter. And a set of golf clubs usually includes all of them.
Drivers
Driver is the longest golf club in the bag. It is also the one with the biggest club head. Main purpose of the driver is to achieve maximum distance. On the par 4 and par 5, you will see a lot of golf pros using the driver to put the ball closer to the green to reduce the number of strokes. Because of long club length and lack of loft (usually 11deg and below), it is usually also the hardest club to master.
Woods
Woods or fairway woods are the distance golf clubs. They are often used when distance is needed (hit the ball further). They usually come in number like 3-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood … (In case you are wondering the 1-wood is actually the driver). The higher the number, the higher the clubface loft and the shorter the distance it will produce.
Irons
Irons are the accuracy golf clubs. They are good for direction and distance control. Irons are usually numbered from 3 to 9. The lower the number, the higher the distance produced because of shallower clubface loft and longer club length. This means that a golf balls strike with a 3-iron will fly further than a 5-iron.
The shortest irons in the bag are the wedges. The pitching wedge is vital weapon in the short game and is usually used from distance 80 yards and nearer to the green. The sand wedge is for getting your ball out of the greenside sand bunker. It can also be used around the green. Wedges have high clubface loft and impart high backspin on the golf ball making it stop quickly on the green.
Putters
Putters are used on the green to get the golf balls into the hole. They are usually considered the most personal club in the bag because putting is all about feel. Different putter feel differently to different people. You need to experiment to find the putter that’s suit you. Since feel is a fickle thing, don’t be afraid to change putter when it is not longer working for you.
