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Your Personal Primer Course on Golf Clubs

By: Kevin T. Fairbanks The modern golfer has an arsenal of golf clubs in their golf bag. The typical set would contain a driver, fairway woods, irons, and a putter. Each golfer has their own unique style and would have different combinations of these golf clubs. Also included would be a replacement golf club for the longer irons and fairway woods known as the golf club hybrid.

According to the rules of golf, as set forth by the United States Golf Association (USGA), a golfer's bag may hold 14 clubs. Most golfers will carry a driver, two fairway woods, 7 irons, 3 wedges and the putter. Each golfer has their own preference for the mix of golf clubs that comprise the 14 golf club limit. As mentioned earlier, some longer irons and fairway woods have been replaced in recent years with hybrid golf clubs.

The most expensive golf club would be the golf club driver. It also has the longest shaft and the biggest head. The driver properties allow the golfer to hit the golf ball the farthest of any of the golf clubs. This distance is usually at the sacrifice of accuracy. Club head size is limited to around 460cc. Prices will range from $200 to upward of $400 or more. Less expensive golf club drivers can be found for usually under $100.

Typical fairway woods normally consist of a 3, 5 and 7 wood. The club heads used to be made of wood, but modern fairway woods are now made of metal. They have more loft than the driver and are normally used from the fairway or for more accurate tee shots. Retail prices for a set of fairway metal woods would range from $150 to $300. Discount woods, or sometimes referred to as clone golf clubs, would run significantly less.

Hybrid golf clubs are a kind of cross between a fairway wood and a longer golf club iron. The shaft is usually a bit shorter, but the golf club hybrid head is similar to a fairway wood. They can be used from the rough or off the fairway and are very versatile golf clubs. Some are even used to putt from just off the green. Retail prices for hybrid golf clubs can be similar to a driver.

Golf club irons are considered the most important group of clubs in a golf club set. Golf club irons are used in the range of 125 yards to 225 yards from the putting green. A set of golf club irons consists of the numbered irons 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The higher the number of the golf club iron, the higher the loft and the shorter distance the golf ball will fly. The shaft length will be shorter for the higher numbered golf club irons.

Golf club wedges are usually considered part of the purchase included in a set of golf club irons. The pitching wedge, the sand wedge and the lob wedge are common types of golf club wedges. The lob wedge can com in several different lofts, normally around 58 degrees to 60 or more degrees. These wedges are used from close range to the green for accuracy and control.

Golf club irons have two primary types to choose from. Fro the lower handicapped golfer, forged irons enable shaping of golf shots for easier draws and fades. For the higher handicapped golfer, cavity-backed golf club irons are more forgiving on off-center shots, have a larger sweet spot and allow the golfer to hit straight shots easier. A set of golf club irons is usually considered a 2 through 9 iron, a pitching wedge (PW) and a sand wedge (SW). This set of 10 irons can range in price from $250 up to and over $1,500. Knockoff golf irons would provide similar quality for a significant savings. These are also known as clone golf club irons or discount golf club irons.

Arguably, the most valuable golf club is the putter. This golf club, the putter, will be the most used golf club of all golf clubs. It is used on every hole, most of the time more than once per hole. The golf club putter has the single purpose of getting the golf ball rolling and into the hole in the least number of putts.

Being the most important golf club, the putter has gone through quite a change in recent years. The size and shape of the putter head comes in many different varieties. The shaft length also can be very short or very long and anywhere in between. Conventional putters, belly putters, mallet putters - the choices seem endless. Golf club putters also have a wide range of prices, ranging from around $20 to around $300.