A golf club has three parts - the Grip, the Shaft and the Head.
A standard set of clubs includes eight irons (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and Pitching Wedge), three woods (the 1, 3, and 5), and a putter - a grant total of twelve clubs. The rules state that you can carry up to 14 clubs in your bag, so many people add a specialty wood or another iron.
Woods - Woods are used to "drive" the ball for distance. If from tee to green the hole is 400 yards, most golfers will use a wood to drive it at least to the fairway. A wood has a a large head and a hollow body. If you have 200 yards or more to go before you get to the green, use one of your woods.
The Driver - The Driver (also called the 1 Wood) has the lowest "loft" of any golf club. Loft is the angle of the club face. The face controls trajectory and affects distance. A 1 Wood driver has a loft of 7-12 degrees.
Most golfers also carry a 3 wood and a 5 wood in their bags. A and a 5 wood has a loft of 20-22 degrees, while a 3 wood has a loft of only 15-18 degrees. Remember this little bit: the higher the golf club number, the higher the loft on the face of the club. Clubs also get shorter the higher the number goes on a club.
Irons - These clubs are generally used when you are less than 200 yards from the green. Use a higher iron, the closer you are to the green. A standard golf club set (of irons) consists of the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 irons and the PW.
Wedges - Wedges are specialty irons. The first wedge is the PW, which is usually about 48 degrees in loft. Wedges increase by 4 degrees increments. So wedges commonly come in 48, 52, 56, 60 and 64 degree lofts. The PW is the highest lofted iron in a standard set.
Wedges are extremely useful. Most avid golfers have a few wedges and couldn't live without them. Wedges are generally designed as "blade clubs" because you are close to the green. Wedges are necessary for increased shot control.
Putters - A putter is a golf club with a very specific purpose: getting the ball into the hole while you're on the lowest cut grass called the green. After you have whacked the ball 260 yards right down the middle of the fairway, smacked your second shot 155 yards into the bunker (sand trap), and then chipped it up onto the green, it is time to putt.
In this post, I've listed the main ingredients of a Golf Club, the primary piece of Golf Equipment that an aspiring golfer needs.
