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How to Choose Golf Clubs
About How to Choose Golf Clubs
About 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 grip and a clubhead. There are many specialized designs of club, falling into three general categories: woods, used for long-distance fairway shots; irons, the most versatile class used for a variety of shots, and putters, 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; virtually 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 (a clockwise spin when viewed from a parallel standpoint to the left of the ball). Together, the compression and backspin create lift. The majority of woods and irons are labelled with a number; higher numbers indicate shorter shafts and higher lofts, which give the ball a higher and shorter trajectory.
While the variation of clubs can differ greatly between golfers, a set used to play a round of golf must have no more than 14 clubs. 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 3- and 4-irons (which are more difficult to hit). Another common variation is to use only the 3, 5, 7 and 9 out of the numbered irons. The extra space in the player's bag can then be filled with more woods, easier-to-hit "hybrid" clubs, additional high-loft or intermediate wedges, and/or a specialized chipping club or multiple putters.
Reference: Wikipedia
