The Club - The Basics of Golf Equipment
A golf club has three parts - the Grip, the Shaft and the Head.
A standard set of golf clubs consists of three woods (the 1, 3, and 5), eight irons (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and Pitching Wedge), and a putter - a total of twelve clubs. Golf rules allow you to carry 14 clubs in your bag, so many golfers add another iron or a specialty wood.
Woods - Woods are used to hit long shots. If a golf hole is 430 yards from the tee to the green, most golfers will use a wood to hit it off the tee. A wood is a hollow-bodied large headed golf club. When you have 175 yards or more to the green, use a wood .
The Driver - The Driver (also called the 1 Wood) has the lowest “loft” of any golf club. Loft is the angle of the club face. The face controls trajectory and affects distance. A 1 Wood driver has a loft of 7-12 degrees.
Most golfers also carry 3 and 5 woods in their bags. A 3 wood has a loft between 15 and 18 degrees, and a 5 wood has a loft between 20 and 22 degrees. The higher the golf club number, the higher the loft. In addition, the higher the golf club number, the shorter the club.
Irons - These clubs are generally used when you have less than 200 yards to go to get to the green. Use a higher iron if you are closer to the green. As mentioned before, a standard set of irons consists of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 irons and the PW.
Wedges - Think of wedges as specialty irons. The most significant wedge is the PW. It has 48 degree in loft. (Wedge blade angles increase in increments of 4 degrees). So wedges commonly come in standard degree lofts of 48, 52, 56, 60 and 64. In a typical club set, the pitching wedge is the highest lofted iron.
Wedges are extremely valuable to the golfer. Most golfers own a few wedges and couldn’t live without them. They are generally designed as “blade clubs” because you are close to the green. Wedges are important for clearly-defined shot control.
Putters - A putter is a golf club with a very specific purpose: getting the ball into the hole while on the green. After you have whacked the ball 270 yards right down the middle of the fairway, smacked your second shot 160 yards into the sand trap (bunker), and then chipped it onto the green, it is time to putt. There are many styles of putters: short, belly, long, bent, heel-toe, and others.
Above I’ve listed the main ingredients of what should go into a typical golf bag. Golfers experiment all the time with different kinds and makes of clubs. You should too. All aspiring golfers need good golf equipment.