Are there any sites out there that can tell me about the function and purpose of each golf club? I am just begging to learn golf but I don’t know exactly what the purpose of each club is supposed to do, or when to sue it.
Woods -
driver - hard to hit/keep straight. Mostly used off the tee
3/5 woods - mid-distance woods that I prefer to use since they’re easier to hit. Can be used off the fairway or even the rough. Used for ~200+ yard shots
7/9 wood - usually not used since their distances are covered by irons. A 7 wood is probably equivalent to a 5 iron
Irons -
2-4 - used rarely, can be harder to hit.
5-8 - used from about 130-190 yards
9/sand wedge/pitching wedge - used to loft the ball up from 20 - 120 yards.
If you’re new to golf just play with a 7 iron and a putter the first few weeks, then start to experiment with the other clubs. The 7 is an easy club to hit and get used to, if you start off on woods and low irons you’ll no doubt be shanking the ball all over the course and probably go home very angry. Even now, after 20 years of golf, I still stick to a few clubs - driver (sometimes), 5 wood, and 6-9 irons plus the wedges (and my ‘chipper’, I love that club).
The rule of thumb with club distances is that there’s usually a 10 yard distance between each club. So practice and see how far you can hit a 7 iron - lets say you average 150 yards. Well if you’re 170 yards from the hole, you should use a 5 iron. If you’re 140 yards, try the 8 iron.
Remember, the average person needs to play at the minimum twice a week and spend some time at the putting greens/driving ranges to actually improve, it’s a great game but can be frustrating if you just dabble in it. Good luck!
thank you BOB55 for the info. It is a great help.
you used a term I’m don’t know yet. what is shanking?
My instructor didtell me to start out with a 7 iron and the we work from there.
also from the expination I guess is that the lower the iron # the farther it goes.
Shanking is when you hit the ball with the hosel of the club (where the shaft joins the club face). The ball shoots off at a 45 deg angle (or more) to the right if you’re right handed.
Another thing that might help you get started, is don’t take full swnings (even with your 7-iron). The most important thing about a golf swing is to actually hit the ball, preferrable squarely with the head of the club. When you first start off, it’s hard to do that when you take a full swing. Better to take a half swing and get a feel for how a well struck shot feels than to get frustrated with mis-hits from full swings.
As you get more confident hitting the ball, increase your swing for more power.
BTW, if you want some web sites, go to the PGA web site or the one from The Golf Channel. Both of those will get you started on the right track. I don’t have the URLs, but they’re easy enough to find with a simple search.
Yes, the lower the club number the farther the potential distance AND the lower the ball trajectory. In other words, the lower the club number the more vertical the club face. The angle of the club face relative to the ground is known as “loft”. All clubs have some degree of loft, ranging from 8-10 degrees for a “standard” driver (1 wood) to 60+ degrees for a loft wedge. Note that lofts for the same club can vary substantially by brand. My Cobra 7-iron may be more or less lofted than your Ping Eye II 7-iron.
One specialty club is the sand wedge. It has a wider “flange” (the part that meets the ground) than other irons. This allows the club to move through the sand rather than digging in.
Welcome to golf. You’ll never hate yourself more!
Why do they call it GOLF? Sh*t was already taken!
You sue when you’ve gotten so frustrated that you’ve thrown all of your clubs into the lake.
[sub][sup]I can’t believe no one else caught this.[/sub][/sup]
For the first part, if the OP happens to be a woman then the 7/9 woods are better then the irons. I have been though a couple of classes and they usually say that and for the most part I have seen it to be true. Plus a number of the women on the LPGA use at least the 7 wood.
As for the second part I agree and disagree, I would find one club that you like. Personally I don’t care much for my 7 iron and have always found I like my 6, even when I first started out. So if you like the 6, or even an 8 use that.
Also don’t go by par, par is playing the hole perfect. Since you are starting out make par +1 or 2 for you. If you can hit a ball good even just 100 yards, you can make most par 4s in 3 strokes, plus two putts and you’ve just shot a 5. Instead of trying to hit the ball 200 yards and off the fairway, then a crappy pitch and you still will most likely be off the green. And if you would like to improve your putting I suggest mini golf. I found that I putt much better if I’ve been playing some mini golf. That’s also how I got into real golf and I have found I’m a much better putter then most people.
Picking nits - par is the score that a scratch golfer could be expected to make most of the time on that hole. Par includes a two putt allowance plus 1-3 shots to get to the green, depending on the distance and shape of the hole.
Ed The Head’s advice still stands.
Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden, atleast that’s what I was told.
Damn!!
Then you have your sand wedge (usually 56 degrees), lob wedges (60-64 degrees) – backtracking – the intermediate wedges “gap wedges” which slot between the PW (usually 46-48 degrees loft) and the SW (again, usually 56).
Clear? Good. If not, all those clubs are for shorter shots. The more loft, the shorter the shot. (note flange discussion above by Doctor Jackson) Well, some SWs have more flange than others. More flange means a club more forgiving in the sand. Less flange is better for nipping shots off of short grass. All wedges past the PW can be had with more or less flange.
I carry a PW (strong, 46), SW (strong, 55), and a 60 and/or 64 degree for disaster management. I’m on my third 64 degree. Nothing is better for those shots where you have stupidly short sided yourself by a sucker pin you went for. Not that I know that from experience, or I do.
I can KILL a PW about 145. I can KILL a SW about 125. I can KILL my 64 degree about 90 yards. DON’T do that.
I only do that on the driving range once in a while to change the pace. On the course I only do it downwind or if I have to go over a tree. Generally speaking, slow and rhythmic swings with the shorter clubs are the order of the day. Three quarter and less shots with the wedges are the second most important part of the game, after putting, followed in third by accurate driving and iron play. Guess what most beginners practice most?
A good short game can make up for a weak long game. A lousy short game will wreck a decent long game – in spectacularly aggrivating fashion.
Thank you all for the information…
Isn’t that a circular definition? What’s a scratch golfer? Someone who usually shoots par.
The acronym origin of the word golf, like most other acronym word origins, has been thoroughly debunked by Snopes. Golf probably derives from an older Scottish word meaning “to strike.”
Well, yeah, but we’re talking golf, not logic! The two are mutually exclusive, you know. Paraphrasing one of my favorite B.C. comics “If the object is to get the lowest score possible, why play at all?”