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The golf club itself is composed of three basic parts.
Head - this is the part of the club that will actually strike the golf ball
Shaft - this connects the grip and the head together and helps to create club head speed
Grip - this is the only spot on the club that the hands will remain during the golf swing
Basics of the head of the club - let's start with the overall appearance and uses
Heads come in two basic forms, irons and woods.
Irons
are the club heads that generally hit the ball onto the the green.
Irons will appear smaller in size in comparison with woods.This is an image of an iron
Woods hit the ball longer that irons and are larger than irons.
This is an image of a wood
Use irons when you are closer to the green, and use woods when starting the hole (assuming you cannot reach the hole in one shot - read the post on "The Golf Course" if you haven't already).
Let's discuss the shaft. Shaft come in two basic forms - graphite and steel.
Graphite shafts are always found in woods (at least the woods that are new within 10 years) and steel shafts are found in irons; irons can also have graphite shafts.
Graphite shafts are traditionally slightly longer (one half inch) than a normal steel shaft. Graphite shafts are designed for irons to hit the ball higher, slightly longer because of the extra shaft length, and to feel better when the club head hits the ball off center.
Graphite shafts in irons are traditionally recommended for players just starting out, players with lower club head speed or for someone that prefers the feeling of a lighter shaft (graphite shafts in irons are typically 50-80 grams in total weight, while steel shafts are 80-140 grams).
Steel shafts in irons are good for someone with average or higher club head speed (average club head speed for a man would produce 135 yards of carry with a 7 iron and a lady would produce 90 yards of carry with a 7 iron), or for someone that is looking for more control.
The two biggest fitting variables in shafts are length and flex. A standard steel 6 iron (depending on the manufacturer) is about 37 inches in length. Standard flex is called "regular" and fits most male golfers well. Ladies use a "A-flex" or a "Ladies-flex." Both the "A" and "Ladies" flex are typical flex fits for women.
Grip Basics
The only key to know with grips for, "Golf 101" is to understand sizing.
Grips come in three basic sizes -
Standard
Midsize
Oversize
Without getting into exact measurements, standard sized grips will fit about 75% of the golf population.
Midsized grips are normally used for players with larger hands or longer fingers.
Oversized grips are used for players with very large hands or fingers.
A BONUS POINT ON GRIPS - Golfers with arthritis of the hands, fingers or wrists tend to find that oversized grips are much more comfortable and allow greater enjoyment physically when gripping and swinging the golf club - however - larger than standard grips will tend to produce a ball flight for a right handed golfer that flies to the right. Therefore, before switching to a non-standard grip, consult your PGA Professional and have them fit you for grip size.
This is one post in a series of posts on, "Golf 101." Please click here for the entire thread of posts.
