Golf Clubs

Golf clubs are used in the sport of golf to hit a golf ball. Each club is composed of a shaft with a lance (grip) and a clubhead. Woods are used for long-distance fairway shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; putters are used mainly on the green to roll the ball into the cup.

An important variation in different clubs is loft, or the angle between the club's face and the vertical plane. It is loft that makes a golf ball leave the tee on an ascending trajectory, not the angle of swing; all swings contact the ball with a horizontal motion. The impact of the club compresses the ball, while grooves on the clubface give the ball backspin (which would appear as a clockwise spin on the ball when viewed from the standpoint of a right-swinging golfer, or as a counter-clockwise spin when viewed from the standpoint of a left-swinging golfer). Together, the compression and backspin create lift. The majority of woods and irons are labeled with a number; higher numbers indicate shorter shafts and higher lofts, which give the ball a higher and shorter trajectory.

A set used to play a round of golf, under the rules of golf, must have no more than 14 clubs. While the variation of clubs differs between golfers, a full set typically consists of a driver, two fairway woods (generally 3- and 5-woods), a set of irons from 3 to 9, a pitching wedge, a sand wedge, a putter, and one more club of the player's choice. Many players opt to avoid the long irons (that many find difficult to hit) and replace them with more forgiving clubs, like hybrids.