what are irons in golf

What do the irons mean in golf?

Generally speaking, a 3-wood is used for a shot in the range of 210 yards, while a 3-iron is used for a shot in the range of 180 yards. A 5-wood is used for a shot of about 180 yards, while a 5-iron is used for a shot of about 160 yards.

How many irons are in a golf set?

A full set of golf clubs consists of twelve clubs: three woods, one wedge, one putter, one hybrid, and six irons. But, do you really need all twelve, and can some golf clubs be downright superfluous for your golf game? Turns out you should use your full set of golf clubs for every game.Oct 25, 2018

What irons do you need for golf?

The Basic Clubs You'll Need There are several clubs you'll need including the putter, the pitching wedge, the sand wedge, the driver, the three, five, seven, and nine irons, and the three wood. These are the minimum that most golfers need to play the game.

What is a 7 iron golf club?

In the fairway From experience, most golfers will tell you that the 7-iron is the easiest club to master. A 5-iron will go further, and you can be on the green in three if you are lucky, but a 7-iron will go at least 120-130 yards, getting you easily on the green in four.

How far should you hit a 7 iron?

172 - 215 ydsThe average distance golfers hit each club varies widely. A PGA Tour player hits a 7-iron between 172-215 yards....Average Distances for PGA Tour Players.ClubAverage Distance7 Iron172 - 215 yds8 Iron160 - 200 yds9 Iron148 - 185 ydsPitching Wedge136 - 170 yds7 more rows

What does loft mean in golf?

Loft is the angle of the club face that controls trajectory and affects distance. A driver has a loft between 7 and 12 degrees. Experienced golfers have traditionally favored lower lofted drivers (less than 10 degrees of loft), which require much more skill to hit than higher lofted drivers.

Is a 3 iron necessary?

While many golfers still enjoy having the 3-iron available in their bags, the club is no longer necessary, thanks to the available alternatives.Dec 26, 2016

What is the easiest iron to hit?

What is the easiest iron to hit? With all the irons reviewed in this post, the iron that seems the easiest to hit is Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo irons. They deliver maximum forgiveness and a higher trajectory than every other club out there.

How should a beginner hold a golf club?

1:388:01How to hold a golf club correctly (easy way) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAs. You can see the club sits in between the edge of the little finger. And then middle of my indexMoreAs. You can see the club sits in between the edge of the little finger. And then middle of my index finger that is a great reference point straight down this line.

Is there a 1 iron golf club?

The 1 iron, or driving iron, is the lowest lofted and longest iron (14 or 16 degrees of loft), although Wilson did make a 0 iron for John Daly. Often called a butter knife because of how it looks, the 1 iron has the least surface area on its face and so is commonly regarded as the most difficult club in the bag to hit.

What is a 1 golf club?

The 1-wood is the longest — both in terms of the actual length of the club, from the top of the shaft to the bottom of the clubhead, and distance it plays — club in the golf bag. As such, it used almost exclusively for playing the golf ball off the tee from the teeing area at the start of golf holes.Feb 5, 2020

What is a 9 iron used for?

The loft of the 9 iron is generally about 4 degrees lower than that of a regular pitching wedge. Golfers use the 9-iron to hit longer. Most players hit their 9 iron from 120 to 150 yards. On the other hand, the pitching wedge is a true score club with which you will be familiar.

What is an iron in golf?

Irons in a golf bag. An iron is a type of club used in the sport of golf to propel the ball towards the hole. Irons typically have shorter shafts and smaller clubheads than woods, the head is made of solid iron or steel, and the head's primary feature is a large, flat, angled face, usually scored with grooves.

How many clubs can you have with a driver and two fairway irons?

This usually comes at the cost of having to remove other clubs, often the long irons, from the bag in order to meet the 14-club limit; with a driver and two fairway irons or hybrids, for a player to have four wedges, they must start their numbered irons at the four-iron instead of the three.

What is the hosel on an iron?

For irons, the hosel, an undefined part of the iron, is very noticeable, forming a barrel shape on the inside face of the club and the "heel" of the sole of the club. Many modern irons have a more offset hosel, integrated into the clubhead at a lower point and further from the hitting area of the club.

What is a pitching wedge?

The pitching wedge is the lowest-lofted club typically called a wedge. It lies on the cusp between the numbered irons and the wedges (in fact it is sometimes labelled the "10-iron"), and is useful for a variety of short shots from firm or semi-soft lies.

What are the 5 to 7 irons?

The irons from 5 to 7 are typically called the "mid irons", and are generally used from the fairway and rough for longer approach shots, between 130-210 yards depending on the club, player and course. They are also used on hillier fairways to avoid hitting a low rise, which is a risk with long irons. These irons are commonly needed for the second shot of a long par-4 or the second or third shot of a par-5, and whenever the player must "lay up" their tee or second shot to avoid a hazard in range of their woods or long irons. Mid irons are common "bump and run" clubs in close-in situations where the player does not wish to hit a more lofted chip shot, but needs more rolling distance than a pitch or bump-and-run with a short iron would produce.

What is the lowest lofted iron?

The 1 iron, or driving iron, is the lowest lofted and longest iron (14 or 16 degrees of loft), although Wilson did make a 0 iron for John Daly. Often called a butter knife because of how it looks, the 1 iron has the least surface area on its face and so is commonly regarded as the most difficult club in the bag to hit.

What is a wedge iron called?

Irons with higher loft than the numbered irons are called wedges, which are typically marked with a letter indicating their name, and are used for a variety of "utility" shots requiring short distances or high launch angles. Prior to about 1940, irons were given names rather than numbers.

How old are golf irons?

Designers and manufacturers have vastly improved the technology and appearance of golf irons. If you carry irons that are more than 8 years old, you are almost certainly leaving your best game out on the course or is it inside your bag.

What is a player's iron?

Players’ irons are ideal for the top one percent of golfers. That is golfers with a single-digit handicap and mostly available as blades or minimal cavity back. Although they are some of the best looking clubs available, it is only recommended for quality ball-strikers since the clubheads are generally small and unforgiving.

What is Taylormade iron?

TaylorMade is renowned for producing some of the best irons in the industry . The release of the P790 irons have placed them at the top and is arguably the best looking and performing irons to date. It comes with a clean look, forged design, and loaded with technology.

What is a super game improvement iron?

Super Game-Improvement Irons. Super game-improvement irons are aimed at golfers with a handicap of 15 or higher. These clubs are generally not the best looking on the market due to the large clubhead. Its forgiving nature makes it easier for beginners and high handicap golfers.

What is cavity back golf?

Cavity backed clubs have a lower center of gravity that sits further back for forgiveness and to increase the launch angle. These clubs have become extremely popular and some professional golfers use clubs with some level of a cavity.

How long do golf clubs last?

Many golfers keep their clubs for an extended period, between 6 and 8 years, while assessing new releases every year to determine whether there is any innovative technology that will make golf easier and more fun. Apart from Tour irons, clubs are generally split into four categories that will be discussed in this article: ...

Do short irons make a hollow sound?

The hollow sound produced by short irons may not be appreciated by better players. However, the buttery feel may allow a compromise for the sound. The confidence-inspiring looks of the Srixon Z585 irons with matching performance is almost certain to enable you to play better golf.

Callaway Rogue ST

We tested: Rogue ST Max: 4-PW, AW, GW, SW; Rogue ST Max OS: 4-9, PW, AW, GW, SW; Rogue ST Pro: 3-PW, AW; Rogue ST Max OS Lite: 4-PW, AW, GW, SW

Callaway Apex 21

Our take: There’s a reason that Callaway’s Apex irons are among the industry’s top selling and performing irons, year-after-year. Our testers found the Apex irons to offer a strong combination of distance, forgiveness, sound, feel and workability. If you’re unsure where to start your iron search, these are a good place to start.

Callaway Apex Pro 21

Our take: Don’t let the “Pro” name fool you. Yes, these irons are suited for low handicappers and even pros, but their forgiveness properties make them a contender for mid-handicappers, too.

Callaway Apex DCB 21

Our take: If you’re a mid-to-high handicapper who wants the look, feel and performance of an Apex iron, but don’t quite have the skill to use the smaller Apex or Apex Pro versions, the Apex DCB may be your ticket into the Apex family. They’re ultra-forgiving and have a slightly larger package to help with mishits.

Callaway Apex TCB

Our take: The Apex TCB (Tour Cavity Blade) irons offer everything that a better player wants from a blade iron in terms of looks, feel and performance, with just a touch of added forgiveness. They’re also world No. 1-approved, being that Jon Rahm used these irons to win the 2021 U.S. Open Championship.

Callaway Apex MB

Our take: Blade irons are for the golfer who wants the ultimate in precision performance, and the Apex MBs deliver both in shaping and in technology. If you hit the ball long and don’t miss the center of the face often, these could be the answer for your blade buying needs.

Callaway X Forged CB

Our take: The X Forged CB irons have a combination of control and forgiveness that suit both tour players and low-handicap amateurs alike. They’re not the smallest irons in Callaway’s stable, but they have compact shapes that produce precise workability with just enough forgiveness to help with misfires.

How to get better at golf irons?

Stick your irons closer than ever before. Find golf irons that feel like natural extensions of your arms. Choose from a wide variety of iron set options for right and left-handed players. Select a flex that fits your swing; extra stiff, stiff, regular or senior. Pick the shaft material that feels best to you.

Which shaft is better for golf?

Steel shafts offer the greatest amount of feedback and control during the swing, and are a bit heavier. Achieve faster swing speeds with lightweight graphite shafts and enjoy less vibration feedback. If you suffer from golf elbow or arthritis, graphite is a better choice. Match your irons to your playing level.

Overview

Types of irons

Most irons in a player's bag are labelled with a number indicating their loft; the higher the number, the higher the loft. A matched set of irons will have a regular, progressive increase in loft through the irons, which may differ from set to set due to other design considerations that can affect launch angle and distance. Irons have been seen ranging in number from 0 through 12, but the most common number range in the modern iron set is 3 to 9.

Design and manufacture

Components

See also

External links