How to choose the right golf club
| Golf club types | Distance (yards) |
| 4-iron | 170 |
| 5-iron | 160 |
| 6-iron | 150 |
| 7-iron | 140 |
What are the best golf irons?
May 22, 2020 · There are two different types of golf irons, forged and cast irons. Forged Irons: Forged irons are created from a single piece of metal that is smashed into a rough shape and then hammered into the finished design. The club head is then sent through the process of grinding, milling and polishing until the final product is produced.
What are the different irons used for in golf?
Sep 16, 2021 · THE LOFT, LENGTH, AND DISTANCE. Irons are divided into three sets; long irons (2, 3 and 4-irons), mid-irons (5, 6 and 7-irons) and short irons (8 and 9-irons, plus the pitching wedge). Long irons are used to hit the ball further with a shorter loft, while the short irons are designed to produce a higher loft.
What are the types of irons in golf?
May 22, 2019 · Irons have angled faces (called "loft") etched with grooves that help grip the golf ball and impart spin. They are generally used on shots from the fairway, or for tee shots on short holes. As the number of an iron goes up (5-iron, 6-iron, etc.), the loft increases while the length of the shaft decreases.
What are golf irons used for?
Jul 21, 2021 · There are two types of irons: blade irons and cavity back irons. Low handicappers and all professional golfers use blades because they put a premium on controlling ball flight and shot shape. Cavity back irons are a much better choice for average golfers or high handicappers because they’re much more forgiving than blades. 5. Wedges
How do I know which iron to use?
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 pitching wedge (PW). The 3 and 4 irons are harder to hit than the higher number irons.
What are the 7 irons for golf?
A 7 iron is a golf club that is classified as a mid-iron and usually ranges between, 29-33 degrees of loft. Because it is towards the middle of the golf bag, the 7 iron can be used to hit a wide variety of golf shots: Going under trees. Golfing over trees.
What hits further 5-iron or 7 iron?
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. Your 9-iron, for beginners, is for shots from around 50-60 yards, Otherwise, stick with a gentle 7-iron shot.
What is the purpose of using a 2 9 iron golf?
Beta ProgramClubWhat It's ForDriverTeeing off — and very occasionally hitting from a good lie in the fairwayHybrid clubGetting shots of 150+ yards airborne2- to 9-ironHitting toward the green, usually from 120–190 yards away — use low-numbered irons for longer shots, high-numbered irons for shorter shots2 more rows•Mar 15, 2022
What is a 8-iron used for?
The 8 and 9 irons are commonly called the "short irons". They have the highest-mass clubheads and the shortest shafts of the numbered irons, and are used for shots requiring high loft or moderate to short distance (typically between 130 and 150 yards with a full swing).
How far can a 9 iron hit?
A 9 iron will be able to hit a 80 to 90 yards for a beginner, 125-135 yards in case of an average player and 145 yards for a professional.
How far should a beginner hit a 7 iron?
Estimated beginner driver golf club distance chartClubMenWomen6-iron130-150-17070-100-1307-iron120-140-16065-90-1208-iron110-130-15060-80-1109-iron95-115-14055-70-959 more rows
Why are there no 3 irons?
The only clubs with a 3-iron are pro sets designed for scratch golfers and professionals. The reason for not including a 3-iron in a set is simple—long irons are too difficult to hit.
Do I need a 7 iron?
A 7 iron is a golf club with a loft of around 35 degrees or lower. The higher the loft, the more the ball will fly higher in the air. A golfer should use a 7 iron when they need to hit a shot that is less than 150 yards away from the hole.
What does G mean on a golf club?
In golf, a gap wedge, also known as an approach wedge, is a wedge used to hit a shot with higher and shorter trajectory than a pitching wedge and lower and longer trajectory than a sand wedge.
Do I need a 3 and 4 iron?
Using a 4 hybrid with a loft of 22 degrees should be really close to a 3 iron. Not only that, but you'll be much more consistent because hybrids are way more forgiving. If you're a mid to high handicapper and want something like a 3 iron, stick to a 4 hybrid for now.
What does D mean on a golf club?
D wedges, also called DW wedges, usually range from 48-54 degrees depending on the brand. The D stands for dual, as in “dual-purpose” since it can be used for a variety of different shots thanks to its loft.Jul 1, 2020
Why are golf clubs called irons?
The golf clubs called irons are so-called because their clubheads are made of metal. Of course, "woods" are now also made of metal, but that's a relatively recent development. Irons have featured metal clubheads (steel, these days) for centuries. The clubheads of irons are thin from front to back, and the clubfaces are grooved to impart spin on ...
Why are irons called irons?
The golf clubs called irons are so-called because their clubheads are made of metal.
What is the difference between a blade and a muscleback iron?
The difference is that a blade-style features a full back on the rear ...
How many clubs are in a set of irons?
A typical, off-the-shelf set of irons will include a 3-iron through pitching wedge (advertised as "3-PW"), 8 clubs total. The clubs are identified by a number (3, 4, 5, etc.) on the sole of each club, except for the pitching wedge which will have a "PW" or "P." Other irons may be available for purchase separately, including a 2-iron and additional wedges ( gap wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge). None of the additional clubs are necessary for beginners, and especially not the 2-iron. 1-irons used to be available, too, but are now virtually extinct.
How many yards is a 3-iron?
The yardage gap between irons is generally 10-15 yards. Your 3-iron, in other words, should produce shots that are 10-15 yards longer than your 4-iron. The specifics of this gap depend on the player, but the gap should be consistent from club to club.
What are the different types of irons?
Irons are generally categorized as long irons, mid-irons , and short irons. Long irons are the 2-, 3- ,and 4-irons; mid-irons, the 5-, 6-, and 7-irons; short irons, the 8- and 9-irons and pitching wedge. (Two-irons are becoming obsolete and are exceedingly rare for recreational golfers. Because of this, some sources now count the 5-iron as one ...
Why is a shorter shaft better?
A shorter shaft makes a club easier to control in the swing (think of baseball where a batter will " choke up " on the bat—essentially, shorten the bat—when he's simply trying to make contact rather than swing for the fences). More loft helps get the ball airborne and adds a little more control to the shot.
What are the different types of golf irons?
The different golf irons can be divided into three categories: Long irons: 2, 3 and 4-irons. Used for long par threes or drives when your clubs are misbehaving. Can also be used for approach shots on long holes, but are harder to land where you want. Mid irons: 5, 6 and 7-irons.
What is a player's iron?
Players’ irons are designed by experts for highly skilled players, and they can be used and struck correctly only by golf pros. Average golfers do best with game improvement irons, as these babies are built to deliver straighter and longer shots even if you fail to hit the ball with the sweet spot.
What is forged iron?
Forged irons is built in a similar fashion to what an old-school village blacksmith used to do back in the day, i.e. you start from a rough shape, a chunk of metal if you like, which is hammered into the shape (more or less) of a golf iron. The raw forged iron, which is basically a carbon-steel alloy clubhead is then milled, ground, ...
What is the difference between a cavity back iron and a blade iron?
The former, cavity back irons respectively, are very popular nowadays among average-to-beginner golfers, and there’s a good reason for that: a cavity back iron has a larger sweet spot compared to a blade, and that makes it easier to hit, especially for beginners. On the other hand, muscle-back irons, also known as blade irons, ...
What is a game improvement iron?
Game improvement irons are basically a blend of nice design, larger head, great forgiveness on off-center hits, and impressive carry distance. Forgiveness and power, that’s the definition of a GII.
How are cast irons made?
On the other hand, cast irons are manufactured via a molding process, and that allows manufacturers to produce complex head designs, as liquid metal is poured into a mold, so you can play more with the head shape.
Is cast iron cheaper than forged iron?
It’s also worth mentioning that cast irons are cheaper to manufacture than forged irons, hence they’re more affordable, i.e. you get more for less.
What are the different types of golf irons?
There are two different types of golf irons, forged and cast irons . Forged Irons: Forged irons are created from a single piece of metal that is smashed into a rough shape and then hammered into the finished design. The club head is then sent through the process of grinding, milling and polishing until the final product is produced.
Why are short irons easier to hit?
Short irons are typically easier to hit because the shaft of the club is shorter compared to the rest of the set. Learning how to hit your short irons is vital to shooting low rounds. Mid irons: Mid irons are your 6 iron and your 7 iron. These two irons should be your “mid distance” irons. Mid irons are a drop harder to hit than short irons ...
What is the difference between a cavity back iron and a blade iron?
Cavity back irons have a larger sweet spot than blades and make it easier to elevate the ball and achieve a straighter shot. Muscle back irons (also called blade irons or blades) are not the most forgiving iron style. However, they do allow you to shape your ball much easier when compared to cavity back irons.
What is the majority of a golf bag made of?
A majority of your golf bag is made up of irons. It is important that a golfer knows how each iron feels. However, finding the right set of golf irons can take a considerable amount of time and money. The main two styles of golf irons are a cavity back and a muscle back blade. Each of these irons have different subsets within them.
What is a muscle back iron?
A muscle back iron (or blade) features a full back rear of the club, while a cavity back features a hollowed-out rear end of the club. Cavity backs are used by all types of players, from beginner golfers to PGA Tour pros. Muscle back irons typically are only used by advanced players and some professional golfers.
How is cast iron made?
This type of iron is created by pouring molten metal into a mold, which then hardens as the finished process. Cast irons are created with multiple materials and feature more parameter weights. The casting process is cheaper and faster than the forged process.
What is a short iron called?
Short irons: Short irons are your 8 iron, 9 iron, and pitching wedge. These irons are also called the “scoring irons”.
What are the two main styles of irons?
DIFFERENT STYLES OF IRONS. The two main styles of irons are cavity-backand muscle-backblades. The muscle-back style features a full back on the rear, while the cavity-back is made with a hollowed-out rear club head. Muscle backs are primarily used by the pros and advanced players, and the hollowed-out rear club head offers novices perimeter ...
What is the difference between a long iron and a short iron?
Long irons are used to hit the ball further with a shorter loft, while the short irons are designed to produce a higher loft. The higher loft results in a steeper ball launch angle from the initial elevation to the final drop.
How many degrees does a long hitter need to keep his irons separated?
Long hitters often keep irons separated by 3 degrees, while short hitters can use a 5-degree difference to ensure proper gapping. TYPES OF SHAFT AND FLEX. The type of shaft and flex you choose affects the feel of the club, the distance it produces and your swing speed.
How many clubs are in an 8 club iron set?
Typical iron sets include seven or eight clubs: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 irons, as well as a pitching wedge and sometimes a gap wedge. Now, 8-club sets generally come with a gap wedge instead of a 3-iron. Hybrid iron sets replace the harder to hit long irons with hybrid clubs that are easier to launch with more forgiveness.
What is hybrid golf club?
Hybrid clubs, also known as rescue clubs, are designed with a larger profile and sweet spot that makes it easier to quickly elevate the ball to achieve a straighter shot with its more forgiving club face.
What is the loft of an iron?
Irons have angled faces (called "loft") etched with grooves that help grip the golf ball and impart spin. They are generally used on shots from the fairway, or for tee shots on short holes. As the number of an iron goes up (5-iron, 6-iron, etc.), the loft increases while the length of the shaft decreases. Meet the Hybrids.
How many different types of golf clubs are there?
There are several different types of golf clubs in a typical golfer's bag. In fact, today, there are five categories of clubs: woods (including the driver), irons, hybrids, wedges and putters.
What is wedge golf?
The wedges are the highest-lofted golf clubs. They are used for shorter approach shots into greens, for chips and pitches around greens, and for playing out of sand bunkers.
What is putter used for?
Putters are used for, well, putting . They are the clubs golfers use on the putting greens, for the last strokes played on a golf hole - for knocking the ball into the hole. There are more varieties of putters on the market than any other club. That may be because choosing a putter is a very personal process.
What is a wood golf club?
The category of golf clubs called "woods" includes the driver and the fairway woods. (They are called woods even though their clubheads are no longer made of wood.) The woods are the clubs with the largest heads (typically hollow, extending a few inches from side-to-side and a few inches from front to back, with rounded lines) ...
What is the difference between a heel toe and a mallet putter?
Heel-toe putters have the same general shape as blades , but with extra weight at the heel and toe to add perimeter weighting, and with other design tricks to help make the clubs more "forgiving" on mishits. Mallet putters have large clubheads that maximize that forgiveness of poor contact.
What are the names of old golf clubs?
Names of Old Golf Clubs. Golf clubs have changed quite a bit over the long history of the sport. There used to be clubs with names like mashie and niblick and jigger and spoon.
1. Drivers
On most Par 4 and Par 5 holes, you’ll want to hit your driver off the tee. The driver is the most powerful club in your golf bag because it has the longest shaft length. Many golfers nickname their driver “the big stick” or “the big dog” since it will travel the furthest distance of any club in the bag.
2. Fairway Woods
Fairway woods come in handy after a nice tee shot that ends up in the short grass. They are most commonly used on second shots of a Par 4 or Par 5 hole. There are three different types of fairways woods: 3-Woods, 5-Woods, and 7-Woods.
3. Hybrids
Hybrid golf clubs have been around for several decades but didn’t become immensely popular until the early 2000s. Think of a hybrid as half-iron and half-wood. Engineers wanted to create an easier-to-hit club than traditional fairway woods but with better accuracy.
4. Irons
Irons make up the majority of clubs in a golfer’s arsenal. Most golfers carry at least five different irons (5-9) in their bags, and some may even carry as many as seven (3-9). Irons are primarily used for approach shots when you’re trying to reach the green.
5. Wedges
If you’re close to the green and need pinpoint accuracy, consider hitting one of your wedges. Wedges have the most loft, so they’re the best choice for hitting a high shot. For more information on wedges, check out my previous article: Pitching, Gap, Lob, and Sand Wedge Lofts: A Complete Guide.
6. Putters
Your putter is arguably the most important club in your bag because you’ll use it each time you’re on the green. One of the most accurate golf sayings is “you drive for show and putt for dough.”
FAQS
No, just because you’re allowed to carry 14 clubs doesn’t mean you have to have exactly 14 in your bag. The USGA limit is 14 clubs, but you’re allowed to have less than that in your bag. Young kids can learn the game with just a few clubs.
Why do golfers use hybrid irons?
2-, and 3- irons are been replaced by 3-hybrids because the two irons clubs are one of the most difficult clubs to hit, as they are less forgiving and offer little loft.
Why are wedges more lofty than irons?
Wedges could be regarded as a sub-set of the irons reason been that they have similar clubheads, with the only difference in club structure been that, wedges are more sharply angled for loft, and that Explained the reason why wedges have more loft than any other golf clubs.
How far does a pitching wedge go?
Pitching wedges. These have the least amount of loft, typically from 44 degrees to 55 degrees of loft, and generally, most golfers find it very easy to get the pitching wedge under the ball and with the loft of low degree, it sends the ball traveling as far as between 110 yards and 140 yards.
What makes a golf ball travel farther?
A less intense angle on a clubface makes it travel farther though at a lower height, and likewise the other way round. The higher loft clubs make a golf ball traveled higher but cover a shorter distance. A typer golfers bag contains more Irons than any other clubs.
What is the difference between a gap wedge and a pitching wedge?
The gap wedges have a slightly higher loft than the Pitching wedges, typically between 46 degrees to 54 degrees. It’s obvious that gap wedges are here to fill the gap in loft created by other wedges. With a slightly higher loft, the gap wedge sends a ball traveling at between 90 yards and 110 yards.
How many yards away from the green is an iron?
Irons are used in propelling the golf ball towards the hole, mostly when less than 200 yards away from the green. Golf Irons are numbered typically from 3-9, indicating their angle of the loft of the clubface, meaning the higher the number on the club, the higher the loft, and the lower the number, the lower the loft angle, ...
What is a hybrid club?
Hybrids are sometimes called Utility clubs or Rescue clubs and are also numbered like irons, eg 2.hybrids, 3-hybrids, and so on. Incidentally, hybrids are often used as replacement clubs for irons with each number on a hybrid club replacing the same number on an iron club.
What is a wedge golf?
Wedges. Wedges are short-shafted, specially designed irons with heavy bottoms and a lot of loft--as much as 64 degrees. When you want to hit a short shot that lands quickly or have missed a green and need to chip or pitch the ball only a few yards to the hole, you usually want a wedge.
What is a hybrid golf club?
While the typical hybrid has a flat face like an iron, some have the slightly curved face of a fairway wood; these are generally labeled "rescue clubs."
How much loft does a putter have?
The putter has a very straight face, with typically with no more than 5 degrees of loft (about half that of a driver). Some players prefer putters with longer shafts, ranging from "belly putters" to the longest "long putters” or, occasionally, "broomsticks.".
How many putters do golfers carry?
Golfers generally carry only one putter. Its purpose is simple--hit the ball into the hole after it lands on the green. Putters are sometimes used from just off the green when the grass is not too tall. The putter has a very straight face, with typically with no more than 5 degrees of loft (about half that of a driver). Some players prefer putters with longer shafts, ranging from "belly putters" to the longest "long putters” or, occasionally, "broomsticks."
What is the longest club in golf?
Woods. Woods, which are now almost exclusively made of metal or composite materials, are the longest clubs in the bag. They are designed to the ball the farthest and generally result in the ball rolling quite a way after it lands. The club head of a wood is large and hollow and has a curved face.
What is the difference between a 3-metal and a 5-metal golf club?
A 5-metal is equivalent to a 2-iron but easier to hit . Lofts vary, but an 18 to 19-degree is very popular.
How many yards does a 3 iron carry?
A 3-iron has 20-degrees of loft and will carry approx 180-yards. A 4-iron has 25-degrees of loft and will carry approx 170-yards. Good iron players and those that play in windy conditions often add a 1 or 2-iron to the bag. These are extremely difficult to hit and control and require hours of practice.
How much loft does an iron have?
Having said this, the better players make up their own sets specifically with loft in mind. Irons have ideally 3 degrees loft between clubs and 3 degrees equates to between 10 to 15 yards on each shot.
How many degrees are in a golf club loft?
The lofts can vary between 18 and 20-degrees. Yardages approx 190 to 200. Tip: Most golfers try to hit these clubs too hard, resulting in “gummed” thin shots that run along the ground. Swing the club like a 7-iron and see the difference.
What is the biggest fault with amateur golfers?
The biggest fault with amateurs is the lack of loft on the driver. Because the pros hit 7 or 8-degree lofts does not mean that the rank amateur can emulate this.
Why do putters use more loft?
More loft should be used to prevent a downward motion during the stroke to enable a smooth roll and avoid a “chopping” action. Hands behind increases the loft. Less loft will ensure an upward stroke and a smooth role. The best putters in world golf today strive to stroke the ball with an upward motion.
What is loft in golf?
Loft is the angle at which the face of the club “tilts” when the sole is laid flat on the ground. It is the mechanism used to get the golf ball airborne on each shot. Another way to describe loft is it is the player’s “friend”, however, too often golfers use a loft that does not suit their game or their swing.
Set Composition
Loft, Length, and Distance
- As you go through the set, from the 3-iron to the pitching wedge, each iron has a little more loft than the previous, and a little shorter shaft length than the previous, so each club (going from 3-iron to PW) hits the golf ball a little less distance than the previous. That is, a 5-iron has more loft, a shorter shaft, and produces shorter shots th...
Long, Mid-, and Short Irons
- Irons are generally categorized as long irons, mid-irons , and short irons. Long irons are the 2-, 3- ,and 4-irons; mid-irons, the 5-, 6-, and 7-irons; short irons, the 8- and 9-irons and pitching wedge. (Two-irons are becoming obsolete and are exceedingly rare for recreational golfers. Because of this, some sources now count the 5-iron as one of the long irons. We still classify it as a mid-iron…
Distances
- Learning your distances—how far you hit each club—is much more important than trying to hit each club to some predetermined "correct" yardage. There is no "right" distance for each club, there is only your distance. That said, a typical male recreational golfer might hit a 4-, 5-, or 6- iron from 150 yards, while a typical female might use a 3-wood, 5-wood, or 3-iron from that distance. …
Hitting
- Irons can be played from the teeing ground, using a golf tee, and it is often appropriate to do so. On a par-3 hole, for example, you will probably use an iron on your tee shot. Or you might use an iron off any (or even every) tee in order to have better control over the shot. But most of your iron shots will come from the fairway. Irons are designed with divots in mind. That's why they have a …