Golf club

A golf club is a club used to hit a <a href="/facts/Golf_ball/1r2Y3CEb">golf ball</a> in a game of <a href="/facts/Golf/k8jn7q42">golf</a>. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. <a href="/facts/Wood_(golf)/guoJQLQY">Woods</a> are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; <a href="/facts/Iron_(golf)/jT5HNFLn">irons</a>, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; <a href="/facts/Hybrid_(golf)/JM0RXBLy">hybrids</a> that combine design elements of woods and irons are becoming increasingly popular; <a href="/facts/Putter_(golf)/LWth7teD">putters</a> are used mainly on the green to roll the ball into the hole. A set of clubs is limited by the <a href="/facts/Rules_of_golf/b13aQXRq">rules of golf</a> to a maximum of 14 golf clubs, and while there are traditional combinations sold at retail as matched sets, players are free to use any combination of legal clubs.
The most significant difference between clubs of the same type is loft, or the angle between the club's face and the vertical plane. It is loft that is the primary determinant of the ascending <a href="/facts/Trajectory/STNN33FK">trajectory</a> of the golf ball, with the tangential angle of the club head's swing arc at impact being a secondary and relatively minor consideration (though these small changes in swing angle can nevertheless have a significant influence on launch angle when using low-lofted clubs). The impact of the club compresses the ball, while grooves on the club face give the ball <a href="/facts/Backspin/NGGyW2TK">backspin</a>. Together, the compression and backspin create <a href="/facts/Lift_(force)/ehQKKaWP">lift</a>. The majority of woods and irons are labeled with a number; higher numbers usually indicate shorter shafts and higher lofts, which give the ball a higher and shorter trajectory.

Golf club open-in-new

Golf club