Golf Club Basics

I am going to teach you a few golf club basics. If you are new to the game of golf then you probably have no idea how many clubs or what type of clubs you need in order to play a round of golf much less the proper use for the various clubs that exist. This is a tutorial of sorts to help you learn a little bit about the clubs you will find in your bag.

Golf clubs are generally divided into four classifications: fairway woods, irons, wedges, and putters. There are many different varieties, brands, and optional bells and whistles that can along with each of these don?t get lost in the details when purchasing clubs. If you ever hope to play in tournaments, it?s best if you learn to play with clubs that are tournament approved. That way you aren?t hindering your performance in tournaments by needing to learn new clubs.

If you are playing according to typical tournament rules you can have no more than 14 clubs in your bag. While there are no firm rules on which clubs you should have in your bag, the traditional clubs are 3 woods, 8 irons, 2 wedges, and a putter. Once a tournament has begun you cannot change the clubs that are in your bag.

1) There are three basic fairway woods that are used in tournaments. These clubs offer greater distance with the least amount of control. The three woods used in tournaments are traditionally the one wood, which is also called the driver, the three wood, and the 5 wood. You will want to practice driving with each of these on the driving range and get a feel for their distance and control as there are times when each of these will be a good idea for your golf game.

2) There are basically 8 irons that will be used in tournament golf. The number for irons begins at 2 and goes sequentially up to 9. The 2 iron has the least amount of pitch with each subsequent iron having a little more pitch. Pitch allows you to control the ball to some degree upon landing. The higher the pitch, the more control you are capable of having.

3) You will normally see two wedges in a tournament golf bag. The pitching wedge and the sand wedge. The pitching wedge has a 50-degree pitch to it and an excellent amount of control once the ball lands. Even better than the pitching wedge however is the pitch of a sand wedge. These wedges have a 55-degree pitch and excellent control.

4) Your putter is going to be a completely individual decision. No one can tell you the putter that is going to work best for you. We all want different things in our putter and if there was a magic in the hole putter, we?d all have one.

This is a very general guide of golf clubs and what a tournament bag will probably have in it. Keep in mind that you want your bag to hold the clubs that work best for you and that once again, there is no one size fits all in the world of golf. Happy golfing!

Edward Charkow is the administrator for Improving Golf. For more information please visit: http://www.improving-golf.com/