Here’s a beginners guide to the types of golf clubs and their purposes.
There are five basic types of golf clubs to consider.
Woods
This category includes the driver and a variety of numbered fairway woods, such as 3-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood etc. Woods are designed to fire the golf ball the longest distances. The driver (1-wood) is designed to fire the golf ball the greatest distance. This club has the least amount of loft, the largest clubhead and is almost exclusively used from the tee. Fairway woods are shaped with the general appearance of the driver, but with slightly smaller heads, shorter shaft lengths and greater lofts. They are designed to allow golfers to produce long distances whether from the tee or from directly off the turf. Shop Drivers and Fairways.
Irons
Irons are classically numbered from 3-iron to 9-iron. The loft of each iron is greater as the number increases, which affects the ball flight and total distance each club can achieve. The 3- and 4-iron are considered long-irons producing the furthest distances from the iron category. The 5-, 6- and 7-irons are referred to as mid-irons. And the 8- and 9-irons are the short-irons. These clubs produce the highest launching iron shots. This category of golf club is intended to hit the ball onto the green and used on par 3s, plus approach shots into the green on par 4s and par 5s. Shop Irons.
Hybrids
This category includes rescues and utility clubs. Hybrids are the newest type of golf club and created to be a cross of a wood and an iron. Boasting a wood-type look with a larger clubhead in combination with the shorter shaft length of a traditional iron, hybrids are designed to be easier to use than the long irons. Hence, in recent times, many golfers have switched to hybrids to replace the 3- and 4-irons. Shop Hybrids.
Wedges
The wedge category includes the clubs…Pitching, Gap, Sand and Lob. Wedges are the highest lofted clubs and contain sharply etched grooves to assist ball spin and control. They are designed for use close to the green, whether playing chip and pitch shots from the fairway and the rough or, blasting bunker shots from the sand traps. Wedges produce high launching ball flight with minimal roll after landing. Shop Wedges.
Putters
Nicknamed the flat stick and Texas wedge, the putter is the type of club used on the greens. The face of the putter is flat and designed to produce forward roll rather than launching that ball into the air, as with the other types of clubs. This category offers the widest variety of options in order to best suit any golfer stroke the ball into the hole in the least amount of shots. Variations from putter to putter include clubhead design, shaft position, shaft length, grip thickness, alignment aids, face balance, inserts and more. Shop Putters.
