The Club - The Basics of Golf Equipment

Total views: 32 Word Count: 493 Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 Time: 6:22 AM - 0 comments

A standard golf club has three main parts - the Head, the Grip, and the Shaft. All clubs have them. All three parts are made from different materials.

Look into a standard set of clubs and you'll find the following sets: a putter, eight irons (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and Pitching Wedge), and three woods (the 1, 3, and 5) for a grant total of twelve clubs. Official golf rules state that each golfer can carry up to 14 clubs in the bag. The easiest and most useful addition is a specialty wood or another iron.

Woods - They are used to hit the ball for distance. If a hole is 410 yards from tee to green, most golfers will use a wood to smack it from the tee. A wood has a hollow body and a large head. When you have 185 yards or more to get the ball to the green, use one of your woods.

The Driver - This club (also called the 1 Wood) has the lowest "loft" of any golf club. (Loft is the angle of the club face). The face affects distance and controls the trajectory of the ball. A #1 Wood has a loft of between 7-12 degrees.

Most golfers also carry 3 and 5 woods in their bags. A 3 wood has a loft of 15-18 degrees, and a 5 wood has a loft of 20-22 degrees. The higher the golf club number, the higher the loft. The clubs also shorten the higher the number goes on a club.

Irons - Irons are generally used when you are less than 200 yards away from the green. The closer you are to the green, the higher the iron you will use. 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 useful. Most avid golfers have a few wedges and couldn't live without them. Wedges are generally designed as "blade clubs" because you are close to the green. Wedges are necessary for increased shot control.

Putters - A putter is a golf club with a very specific purpose: getting the ball into the hole while you're on the lowest cut grass called the green. After you have whacked the ball 260 yards right down the middle of the fairway, smacked your second shot 155 yards into the bunker (sand trap), and then chipped it up onto the green, it is time to putt.

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.