A golf club is as important on a golf course as armor and weapons in combat. A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball. It is made of a shaft with a grip and a club head. It is made up of different materials used for different shots. In golf, the player needs to strike the ball and send it to systematically assigned holes. In an ideal game of golf, there are 18 holes; in others, it can be played with 9 holes, going two rounds through each hole making it a total of 18.
Specifications of a Golf Club
- Golf clubs are usually made of wooden and iron materials.
- Wooden is mainly used for long shots whereas iron looks classy and is used for short shots where holes are visible and an easy push is needed for the ball to make it to the destined hole.
- Golf clubs are usually available in a set of 14 clubs that varies with materials and loft.
- The loft is a very important variation in every club with different angles between the club’s face and vertical plane.
- This angle decides the trajectory of the ball hit, with that particular club.
- Experienced golfers possess good knowledge in deciding which club to use for which shot making it very hard to miss the hole.
- For novice players, many wooden and iron clubs are designated a number, which will explain the motion of ball hit; for instance, a higher number is for shorter shafts and higher lofts which provide the ball a high but short trajectory.
Club Types
- Wood: Wood clubs are meant to drive the ball for long-distance traveling shots. This has a very good speed because of a large head and long shaft. These are the most traditional type of golf clubs which initially was made of persimmon wood. But, with the passing years, it has evolved a lot from woods to carbon fiber, titanium, and scandium. The interesting thing is even when the material has changed so much over the years; this is still popularly known as wood, following its origin. A typical club set consists of 4 to 5 woods; the biggest one is known as driver wood.
- Iron: These are the easiest to play with. These golf clubs are made up of complete metal and have a solid stature with a flat angled face and shorter shaft. This has a more upright lie angle as compared to a wood. Iron golf clubs are the most versatile of all. They can be used for a variety of shots; ranging from a short-range shot to a shot with complex hurdles. Even the dogleg holes can be covered using these golf clubs. Dogleg holes are those that are bent towards a specific side, either to right or left. Initially, they used to be made up of forged iron but, nowadays, it has been changed to steel alloys which makes it more robust yet lightweight and hence easy to handle. They usually are numbered from 1 to 9, number based on their loft angle.
- Wedge: Wedges are a subset of irons, changing in loft angle. There are five types of wedges categorized on the loft angle. Similar to irons, they are also used for numerous shots. A few of them are: short-distance, high altitude, and free hitting shots.
- Hybrid: As the name suggests, it is a cross between two traditional golf clubs. It is a mix of wood and iron; wood’s long-distance and high launch abilities mixed with iron’s ease of playing and a smooth swing. It is similar to both wood as well as an iron golf club and at the same time, differs considerably. Since it has a good design from two of the best clubs, and it has got its features too; it has become preferable for everyone, starting from newcomers, to regular players and even the best professional world-class players.
- Putter: Putter golf clubs are a special class of sophisticated clubs in which the loft angle does not exceed 10 degrees. This particularly helps to roll the ball on the grass to get the perfect edge to make the perfect strike; its features help in rolling the ball smoothly without any bounces which helps in keeping the golf ball calm without disturbing its indentation. It has a few exclusive features attached to it, such as two striking faces, non-circular grip cross-sections, bent shaft appendages for player’s aim, etc.
- Chipper: Chipper golf clubs are not very common in usual club sets; however, it is very helpful especially when the ball lands on an uneven surface. It is more or less like a putter but with slightly higher loft, which makes it easy to move the ball on higher grass and help it to land flatly on the green; from there the putter can take it forward towards the intended hole. The only important thing to notice is, chippers cannot be of a different size than other clubs in the golf club set.
Conclusion
To reiterate the facts mentioned above, a golf club is a must, to have equipment required to participate and excel in any golf game, be it local, national or international. Mentioned are a few specifications to determine the best club for each shot. There is no limitation in using any number of clubs in a particular game. So, do your research and get the best clubs in your set and rock the course.