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Aside from hitting a ball toward a hole, full-scale regulation golf doesn't have a lot in common with put-put miniature golf courses. Walking around a regulation course with only a putter in tow won't get you very far. You need different clubs to do different jobs. A typical Golf Club Set has at least 12 clubs, with many people opting to carry an additional wood and iron in their bag. A basic set includes a driver (also called the 1-wood), 3-wood, 5-wood, 3-9 irons, pitching wedge (PW), and putter. Golf Drivers and Fairway Woods
Players use the best fairway woods and drivers when they stand more than 175 yards away from the green. The lower the number wood, the lower its loft. Driver and Fairway Wood heads are usually made from cast steel or forged titanium. Stainless steel: If you want a classic-looking club, buy stainless steel woods. They look small and weigh more than titanium woods. Fairway wood heads are usually cast from stainless steel. Titanium: Lightweight titanium woods often have larger heads and sweet spots than stainless steel woods. A lightweight club head will reduce the overall weight of the club facilitating a higher swing speed. A higher swing speed translates into more distance. A light weight material like titanium also allows oversized heads of 460 cc. volume. Oversized heads feature perimeter weight distribution, meaning the discretionary weight was shifted to the perimeter of the club head. Perimeter weight design increases resistance to twisting at impact, improves stability and promotes forgiveness on off-center shots. Titanium is the preferred material for golf driver heads. Golf Hybrid Clubs
Hybrids are a new class of golf clubs staying between fairway woods and irons. A hybrid club head is similar to a fairway wood; hollow steel or titanium with a shallow, slightly convex face. A hybrid head is usually smaller and does not extend backwards from the face as far as a comparable fairway wood, as a hybrid is designed for tighter and/or firmer lies than the fairway wood. The hybrid's lie and length is comparable to an iron. Playability of Golf Hybrid Clubs
Hybrid golf clubs play similar to a wood of the same loft in performance (although they allow for a bit less carry distance but similar launch trajectory) and similar swing mechanics like an iron, but there are some differences: Because the wood-like head design creates enormous impulse on the ball, the loft of a hybrid head is generally higher than either the wood or iron of the same number, so that the distance carried by the ball is similar to the comparable iron number. • The launch angle is increased so that the ball carries higher than the comparable iron. • The increased loft coupled with the tighter impulse also imparts increased backspin on the ball. This increased backspin is different from both the iron and the wood of the same number, and creates a flight path similar to a higher-loft iron but at a lower launch angle. Application of Golf Hybrid Clubs Hybrids are often used for long shots from difficult rough and for nearly any shot where the golfer would normally use a long iron but feels uncomfortable doing so. They also are direct replacements for fairway woods in most situations, but a fairway wood will have greater club speed and more roll for better distance. Hybrids often replace, rather than supplement long irons. Shots from deep within trees and in very high grass can still be difficult with a hybrid-wood, however, as the higher angle of flight can make "punching" out through low-hanging branches difficult, and the wider sole of the hybrid, similar to a wood, will still skim rather than cut into tall grass (similar to a wood but to a lesser degree). Here, a hybrid-iron is preferable as the trajectory and cut-through are similar to a traditional long iron's while maintaining much of the power of a hybrid-wood. When a ball is lying just off the edge of the green, a player can use a hybrid to perform a pitch style chip. By assuming the player's typical putting stance and grip, a ball can be bumped onto the green with a low trajectory where it will then run out like a putt. Irons
Use custom made irons when you're less than 200 yards away from the green. A standard set of irons includes the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9-irons as well as a pitching wedge. Most people find it easier to hit with the 7 and 9-irons than the 3 and 4-irons preferred by some seasoned golfers. Choose which type of steel you want in your irons: Cast/Perimeter-weighted: These irons have more weight on the outside of the club, creating a large sweet spot. The perimeter weight distribution promotes a higher Moment of Inertial, i.e. resistance to twisting. Perimeter weighted irons are also more forgiving on mis-shots and are also called ‘game improvement’ irons. Cavity back, or perimeter weighted, irons are usually made by investment casting. They are so called because of the cavity created by the redistribution of the weight from the middle to the perimeter of the club head when compared with a traditional muscle back. The perimeter weighting increases the size of the sweet-spot and the moment of inertia of the club head, which reduces twisting when the ball is struck off-center, allowing such shots to lose less distance and accuracy when compared with a muscle back iron. More weight is often put into the sole of the club head, which lowers the center of gravity and increases the launch angle of the ball. Cavity Back perimeter weighted irons work well for mid-to-high handicap golfers. Forged/Blade Irons: Softer metal improves feel from the club head. Forging process usually allows only blade style or muscle back iron designs with no or very little cavity. These iron designs are less forgiving and makes forged steel clubs more difficult to hit. A muscle back is the more traditional design and consists of a solid head with little or none of the weight being distributed around the perimeter of the head. As such they require a great deal of skill in order to hit the ball consistently because the "sweet-spot" is fairly small. In addition, any shot that is struck "off-center" may be severely compromised in terms of distance and direction. Perceived advantages of muscle backs are that, when hit correctly, they provide greater distance than cavity backs, and much improved feel, although this is most likely due to the forging process by which they are usually made. Blade style or muscle back irons work best for mid-to-low handicap players. Wedges
Wedges have a lot of loft to promote a high ball flight. Although similar in design and construction to other irons, they can generally be differentiated by having higher loft than the numbered irons, and a much wider sole, which provides more "bounce", enabling the club to easily cut through long grass, turf and sand without digging in. It is this wide sole that gives the wedge its name, alluding to the profile of its club head. Wedges are used mostly for approach shots to the putting green, getting the ball out of tough situations, and to escape from hazards. They are designed to produce a high, short trajectory with a high degree of spin, all of which cuts down on the distance the ball will roll after landing. Most golfers will generally have at least two custom wedges, traditionally a pitching wedge and a sand wedge, with a lob wedge or a gap wedge commonly being added to provide additional options. Wedges are usually identified by their loft (56°, 62°, etc.) or letter denoting their function (PW, GW, SW, LW, etc.). Use a certain wedge when you want to fulfill a specific task. Pitching Wedge: Use the long Pitching Wedge for shots from the fairway into the green. The loft is usually around 48º. Sand Wedge: Use a Sand Wedge to dig your ball out of a bunker (sand trap). A Sand Wedge usually has 56º loft. Lob Wedge: Use a high lofted Low Wedge to make short-distance shots around the green. The loft can be around 60º to 64º Gap Wedge: Use a Gap Wedge when you want results between those you could achieve with a pitching wedge and lob wedge. The loft of a Gap Wedge is around 52º. The traditional pair of pitching wedge and sand iron is starting to become less common as players opt for a selection wedges with an array of different lofts and bounce angles. For example, a player may pick two gap wedges, one with low bounce but greater loft than a pitching wedge, and the other with similar bounce but less loft than a sand wedge, then add a lob wedge and forgo both of the traditional wedges. Putters
Putters are used from very close distances to the cup, generally on the putting green, though certain courses have fringes and roughs which are suitable for putting. It is a highly specialized tool for a specific job and virtually no golfer is without one. The putter kits must be designed to give the golfer every technical advantage including smooth stroke, good glide, sweet impact, and bounce-less topspin ball launch as well as every technique advantage including perfect fit as to shaft angle and length. Putters usually have a loft of 3º to 5°. The putter is the only club that may have a grip that is not perfectly round; putter grips with a flat top and curved underside are most common. The putter is also the only club allowed to have a bent shaft; often, club makers will attach the shaft to the club head on the near edge for visibility, but to increase stability, the shaft is bent near the club head mounting so that its lie and the resulting club head position places the line of the straight part of the shaft at the sweet spot, where the ball should be for the best putt. This increases accuracy as the golfer can direct their swing through the ball, without feeling like they are slightly behind it. Putter Designs
The design of the putter's club head has undergone radical change in the last 20–30 years resulting in several design improvements. Low Center of Gravity: First of all, the majority of mass behind the clubface was placed as low as possible, resulting in an L-shaped side profile with a thin, flat clubface and another thin block along the bottom of the club behind the face. Perimeter Weight Distribution: Peripheral weighting or the placing of mass as far away from the center of the clubface as possible creates the following benefits: • Increases the moment of inertia of the putter heads • Reduces twisting if the club contacts the ball slightly off-center and thus giving the club a larger "sweet spot" with which to contact the ball Insert Face: Newer innovations replacing the metal at the hitting face with a softer polymer compound that will give and rebound at impact, which increases the peak impulse imparted to the ball for better distance. Putter designs are mallet, peripheral weighted and blade styles. Mallet putters increase forgiveness and stability and preferred by high handicap golfers. Blade style putter are traditional designs preferred by players with low handicap. Know your handicap
If you know how well you play on a regulation par-72 course, you can get a rough idea of which clubs you need. How far over par (the standard number of strokes for a course) you play reflects your golfing ability. Always try for a lower score. Evaluate and Select Golf Clubs Not all golf clubs are created equal. If you don't find your new clubs comfortable, you won't use them. Know what type of clubs you want to buy before searching out a good deal. Club head sizing
Club heads come in three sizes: standard, midsize and oversized, • Standard: Easy-to-control club with a small sweet spot. • Midsize: Weighs less than an oversized club and offers a larger sweet spot than a standard club. • Oversized: Offers a large sweet spot, but users cannot control it as well as clubs with midsize and standard size heads. Select a shaft
Woods and irons can come with steel golf shafts or graphite shafts. • Steel: Heavier than graphite, steel offers durability and control. • Graphite: Lightweight graphite can cost more than steel, but offers a little less durability. The main advantage is the light weight properties of carbon fibers. The light weight design reduces the overall weight of the golf club and facilitates a higher swing speed. The result is more distance. Lightweight graphite golf shafts are preferred by players with average swing speed to get the ball easily airborne. Select Shaft Flex
The shaft flex is the amount of bend in a shaft. Shafts with a lower bend point promote a higher ball flight, preferred by players with slow to average swing speed. Shafts with mid to high bend point promote a lower ball flight with increased accuracy, preferred by low handicap golfers. Beginners will want more flex than experienced golfers. • L-Flex: designed for women golfers or players with below average swing speed. • A-Flex: Geared toward seniors. • R-Flex: Men’s Regular is designed for average players with a 75 to 90mph swing speed. • Stiff / Extra-Stiff: Designed for players with a high swing speed between 90 to 110mph. Select Golf Clubs for Left Handers, Women and Children: Left-handed players, women, and children need to take special care to buy proper golf clubs designed just for them. Don't leave out lefties. Golf clubs come designed for Left-Handed players (marked as “LH”) and Right-Handed players (marked as “RH”).Make sure you buy the correct orientation. Women on the green Women often find clubs designed for men too heavy. Hence, it is essential that women’s golf club components should be lightweight. These lightweight clubs designed for women, often with graphite shafts, come in a standard size for people between 5'5" and 5'9" and in variable lengths for shorter users. • If you want a larger hitting area, replace the #3 Iron and #4 Iron with a #7 Wood and #9 Wood. • If you're shorter than 5'5", buy a 33” putter. • Look for clubs with an L flex shaft designed for women. Clubs for Children
Kids learning how to golf shouldn't use adult-sized clubs or rigid cut down adult-sized clubs. To determine how long a club will work for your child, measure him or her from just above the waist to the ground. Sets geared toward kids don't include as many clubs as adult sets, reducing the weight of the bag. These sets usually include the 6 through 9 irons, 3-wood, 5-wood, and may include a driver. There are plenty of junior golf clubs, especially complete junior sets, available to choose from.
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