Golf
Types of Clubs
Different clubs in the golfer's bag are designed for different uses on the course. We'll explain
more about what makes them different when we describe the parts of a club, but here are the
clubs:
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Woods are the longest clubs in the golfer's bag, the clubs with large, bulbous heads
designed to send a golf ball sailing hundreds of yards with a single swing.
Irons are present in the greatest variety, from the low-numbered clubs designed to hit a
ball nearly as far as a wood, to the high-numbered irons and wedges designed to send
the ball a short distance in a high, arcing trajectory.
Putters are built for finesse, designed to help guide a golfer's aim and steady her hands
as they send the ball rolling into the cup from a short distance.
Parts of the Club
Any golf club has three basic parts:
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The grip - the part you hold
The shaft - the part that connects the grip to the head
The head - the part that actually hits the ball
The Grip
The grip of the golf club is important because it connects the club to the golfer's hands. According
to the rules of golf, recognized by both ruling bodies, the grip has to be round, without obvious
bumps, lumps or hollows. You'll see grips made of rubber or leather with an assortment of small
holes, grooves or ridges. All of these qualities are designed to make it easier for the golfer to hold
onto the club without making the grip so large that it will run afoul of the rules. There are various
sizes of grips to accommodate different hand sizes and grip styles. According to most experts,
the ideal material and design of the grip are a matter of personal preference.
The Shaft
The shaft of the golf club connects the grip to the head and, like the grip, must be basically round
in cross section. Most modern golf club shafts are made of either steel or a carbon-fiber and
resin composite. Carbon fiber has the advantage of being lighter than steel, but clubs with
carbon-fiber shafts also tend to be more expensive. In addition, some golfers say that hitting a
golf ball with a carbon-fiber club feels different than hitting the ball with a steel-shafted club. This
difference arises because steel and carbon fiber transmit vibrations differently. As in grips, shaft
material tends to be a personal preference.
The Head
The head of the golf club is where all the energy of the swing is transferred to the golf ball. There
is more variation in the appearance of golf club heads than there is in either shafts or grips, but all
the variations fall into one of three broad categories: the heads
of woods, irons and putters.
Woods
Woods have the largest heads of any golf club. These large
clubs are designed to send the ball 300 yards or more with a
single swing. What is it about the bulbous shape of the wood
that suits it for these long-distance strikes? The answer has to
do with the wood's shaft, especially in the largest wood, called
the driver. Wood shafts are considerably longer than the shafts
of most other clubs. This length increases the power that can
be transferred to the ball, but it also makes it less likely that the
ball will meet the the quarter-sized sweet spot in the middle of
the club face. When an off-center hit occurs, the head of the
club tends to twist, pointing the face in an unintended direction,
and sending the ball the wrong way.
A club's "sweet spot" marks
the middle of the club face -the ideal place to hit the ball.
Irons
Irons are designed for a greater variety of shots than woods. Where woods tend to be optimal for
long to very long shots, the shots made using irons range from 200 yards or more, in the case of
2 irons, down to 40 yards or less in the case of the various wedges. Club designers must cope
with the same issues in irons as in woods, but their shorter shafts and the less exaggerated
swings with which they are used have led to different solutions for different types of players.
Putters
Putters have a relatively simple job: to strike the golf ball with a face perpendicular to the path of
a gentle swing and cause the ball to roll along the ground until it falls into a hole. Twisting is still a
concern with off-center hits, but a putter is designed to transfer far less energy to the ball than
either irons or woods. It's interesting, then, to note the incredible array of shapes taken by the
heads of putters -- blocks, blades, short, long, thick, thin, etc., and the various patterns of lines
found on the faces. So why is there such variation in a club designed for such a simple task?
Because the mechanical simplicity of putting places most of the pressure on the golfer's mental
processes, where there is room for far more variation than in any golf swing.
The Parts of the Club Head
The head of the golf club has several parts: the hosel, where the head connects to the shaft; the
face, which actually strikes the ball; the sole, which is the part closest to the ground; and the
back, which is on the side opposite the face. We've talked a bit about the design of the back, and
there's not much to say about the hosel, so let's look at the face and the sole.
The Face
When you hear an announcer for a golf tournament talking about the player's selection of a club,
you'll generally hear whether the player has chosen a wood or an iron, and then a number. The
number is related to the angle at which the face slopes back from vertical when the club is held in
its normal position facing the ball. A higher number for the club represents a greater degree of
slope away from vertical, generally resulting in a higher, shorter shot. There are some slight
variations between manufacturers, but the club numbers and their related slopes generally look
like this:
The slope is important for two reasons. First, the face will launch the ball on a path perpendicular
to the plane of the face at impact, so a more "laid back" face will start the ball on a higher
trajectory. This is crucial when a golfer tries to send the ball over some obstacle, or when the
golfer wants the ball to come back down at a steep angle, which tends to result in a shorter roll
after landing. The second important aspect of the slope is spin -- the greater the slope, the
greater the spin
A spinning golf ball is a good thing because the rapid spin provides aerodynamic lift, causing a
spinning ball to travel higher and farther than one with no spin at all. The spinning ball is also less
influenced by small gusts of wind, making for a more predictable shot. One of the other features
you will notice on the face of a golf club, the grooves, also help provide spin.
The grooves on the face of a golf club serve two purposes. First, they provide just a bit of "bite"
for the golf ball as it's sliding up the face, helping it to spin more rapidly. Next, if grass is trapped
between the ball and club at impact, the water in the grass will be squeezed out by the nearly
3,000 pounds of force generated by the average swing. Like the tread on an automobile tire, the
grooves on the club face give the water somewhere to go so that the ball doesn't skid up the face
without spinning.
The Sole
Ideally, the sole of the golf club will minimize the twisting of a bad hit. In woods, the broad, flat
sole with rounded edges helps the head glide over the surface of the grass without digging in.
Shots using irons tend to take patches of the turf away (the patch is called a divot), so the sole of
irons are designed to slice through the turf evenly, without twisting or unexpected tugging to
disrupt the golfer's shot.
Golf Ball
Today there is a rich variety of golf balls to suit the individual game and circumstance. Some offer
control, some offer distance while others are suitable for practice only.
Golf Terms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Ace
Albatross
Birdie
Bogey
Double Bogey
Double Eagle
Eagle
Tee Marker
9. Fairway
10. Hazard
11. Sand Trap
12. Putting Green
13. Par
A hole in one.
Three strokes under par for a given hole.
One under par for the hole.
One over par for the hole.
Two shots over the hole par.
Three shots under the hole par; also known as albatross.
To score two under par for a hole.
Boundary on the tee behind which a drive must be made. The ball
must be placed onto the tee within two club lengths of the tee
marker.
The playing area between the tee and the green, does not include
hazards.
Permanent features on the golf course designed to obstruct play.
A sand bunker.
The area of short grass surrounding the hole way the ball is hit
using a putter.
The number of shots a low handicapper should take for a hole or
round. The hole par is measured by the number of shots needed
to reach the green plus two for the putting. The round par is
calculated by adding all the hole par's together.