Driver: Also known as a one wood, the driver is traditionally used to hit the ball off the tee on the first stroke of most holes. Besides the putter, it's used more than any other golf club in your bag. The driver hits the ball the farthest because it has the least loft. The faster you can swing a club the lower loft you can use. An average male golfer should use about 11 degrees of loft and can hit the ball over 220 yards with a driver (World Book). If you don't swing over 100 mph, use lofts 11 and higher (pga.com). Professional golfers can swing 110 mph. Therefore, they use 9 degrees of loft.
Fairway Woods: Comprised of the three and five woods, fairway woods are often used on the second shot of play to move the ball from the fairway toward the green. They have more loft than a driver -- about 15 degrees for the three wood and 19 degrees for the five wood -- which reduces their distances (Denehy). An average man can hit a three wood about 200 yards and a five wood 190 yards (World Book).
Utility Woods: Consisting of the seven, nine and 11 woods, utility woods often are used as replacements for the three, four and five irons because the woods are easier to hit and achiever similar distances. They have lofts ranging from 22 degrees for the seven wood to 27 degrees for the 11 wood (Denehy). An average man can hit a ball about 180 yards with a seven wood, 170 yards with the nine wood and 160 yards with the 11 wood (Denehy).
Irons: Irons range from the one iron to the nine iron. The one iron has the lowest amount of loft and the most potential for distance-about 17 degrees of loft, and an average man can hit a ball over 200 yards using the one iron (Mulvoy, World Book). At the other extreme, the nine iron has about 47 degrees of loft and hits the ball about 100 yards (Mulvoy, World Book). However, most golfers can't consistently hit a one, two, three, four or sometimes even a five iron golf club. That is why most stores don't sell one and two irons, and golfers often replace the other low numbered irons with utility woods or hybrid golf clubs.
Hybrid Golf Clubs: A relative newcomer on the golf-club scene, hybrid golf clubs are another substitute for those hard-to-hit long irons. They are a compromise between the accuracy of an iron and the usability of a wood. They are meant to replace the three, four and five irons in your golf club set. They are sold as part of iron sets or as stand-alone golf clubs.
Wedges: Wedges are members of the iron family and are used for short, precise shots. The most common wedges are the sand wedge, for hitting your ball out of a bunker, and a pitching wedge, for getting your ball the last few yards to the green. Gap wedges, lob wedges and attack wedges have higher lofts than the sand wedge and pitching wedge and are also used. Wedges have the highest lofts and the shortest distances of any club, except for putters. The lofts of standard wedges range from the pitching wedge's 46 degrees to the lob wedge's 60 degrees (usgtf.com). Some wedges can have lofts as high as 68 degrees, such as Pinemeadow's Last Wedge, but those are not commonly used (pinemeadowgolf.com). All wedges are designed to hit about 100 yards or less (World Book).
Putters: Possibly the most important golf club in your bag, your putter is what usually gets the ball in the hole. There are a wide variety of club heads and shaft lengths to choose from, but personal preference is the biggest deciding factor. However, the type of green you normally putt on can make a difference. For example, if you play on fast greens, a light blade putter will give you better control and feel. If you play on slow and bumpy greens, a mallet-head putter will help generate more power with less effort. If you play on varying greens, a flange-blade putter offers the best of both worlds (Mulvoy).
Each golfer has his or her own preference about which golf club works best for a given shot. Some prefer utility woods instead of long irons, while others swear by their hybrid golf clubs. However, certain golf clubs offer advantages in particular situations. Knowing the capability, loft and expected distance of each golf club can help you decide which tool will work best for your game. Now that you know where to start in you golf club search, you'll need to test a few different golf clubs. Ask around at your golf course or driving range about any upcoming demo days. They are a great way to try new clubs for free. The more clubs you swing, the better chance you'll have of finding the perfect golf club to add to your bag.
