Golf Equipment – A Primer
By Anne Clarke

The sun is shining on your shoulders as you step out onto the course, feeling the spongy grass soft under your spikes. Morning birds sing a song as you hoist your bag higher on your shoulder and you take a minute to enjoy the serenity of the early morning. You don’t need to consider the generations before you who have done the same thing, but you do anyway. After all: golf is deep in tradition.

Since the Scots began organizing the 18-hole game more than 500 years ago, there have been few changes. While the fashion has changed (even though you can still find players in kilts on a lucky day), the main items of golf equipment needed to play the game have not changed.

Golf clubs are the most important pieces of equipment. Despite their intended purpose to project a ball close to the hole, each club is different to carry out specific types of hits. For example, there are three major clubs: woods, irons and putters. Woods, or drivers, are heavy clubs intended to hit the ball far down the fairway; players often begin each hole with these clubs The face of these clubs is round with a flattened sole so it doesn’t dig into the ground during a swing. Drivers also have longer shafts to provide more power, although shorter woods do exist. The name of these clubs comes from their solid, wooden composition, which was standard until the late 1980s. Since then drivers have been made from steel, titanium and, recently, carbon fibers.

Once the ball is on the fairway, players use irons to maneuver it through obstacles like sand traps, rough, through, and trees. Irons come in sizes according to their length; 1-4 irons are considered long irons, which provide more power. 5-7 are mid-irons, and 8-plus are short-irons. Also, the faces of irons are slanted at different angles to accommodate different terrain. For example, sand wedges have an angle of 54-58 degrees.

Because of their specific purpose, putters are a golfer’s best friends. After the ball has made its way from the fairway to the green, it is the putter’s job to ease it toward the hole. Because this moment proves so crucial during a game, players put a huge amount of emphasis on the quality of these clubs. These clubs have a flat face which provides smooth stroke, good glide, and bounceless topspin.

Golf bags are especially valuable for a player to transport their clubs. New bags come with wheels that make them easy to pull, but traditional golfers carry them. Pockets on the side also make it easy to store and transport items like extra balls, gloves and towels.

Golf shoes are another important type of golf equipment. These shoes have small spikes on the sole to help stabilize a player on wet grass. The spikes used to be made of metal, but replaceable soft spikes are becoming more common today. Actually, soft spikes are often required by golf courses because the cause less damage to the physical course.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for Web sites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background also includes teaching, gardening, and a variety of outdoor recreation and sports. For more of her useful articles on golf, visit Golf Equipment, supplier of many useful articles on golf and equipment.

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Golf Clubs – A Major Part of Golf
By Anne Clarke

Since the Scots began hitting balls more than 500 years ago, clubs have been a source of pride for golfers everywhere. As any experienced player will tell you, a quality set of equipment can drastically improve your play, which is why most players care for their clubs like they would a family member!

So now you’ve seen the players out on the course and you think it looks fun, but where do you start? This informational article will provide a brief rundown of the different types of clubs and their purposes.

There are three general kinds of clubs: woods, irons and putters. Woods, or drivers, are the most powerful clubs; they are used for long-distance shots. Players begin each game with a wood, which they use to drive the ball down the fairway. The face of these clubs is round with a flattened sole so it doesn’t dig into the ground during a swing. Drivers also generally tend to have a longer shaft than other clubs; some players prefer to use shorter drivers, however this reduces their distance. Like their name suggests, woods were made out of wood until the late 80s, when club manufacturers began to use steel or titanium. Today, many drivers are made from ultra lightweight materials like carbon fiber, but they still retain the wood title for tradition-sake.

Irons have a shorter shaft than woods an angled face. After a player uses a wood to drive the ball down the fairway, they use irons to perform technical shots, getting the ball closer to the green. The angled face allows players to hit in difficult situations, including sand, rough, through, over trees and other obstacles. These clubs are also numbered according to their length. For example, 1-4 irons are considered long irons, which provide more power. 5-7 are mid-irons, and 8-plus are short-irons. Also, the angle of the face changes between clubs – sand wedges have an angle of 54-58 degrees.

Putters have flat faces which are designed to push the ball toward the hole when it’s in close proximity to it, especially when it’s on the green. Because of the preciseness of these clubs, they are among the most valuable pieces of equipment for a golfer. The advantages of putters include: smooth stroke, good glide, and bounce-less topspin – all of which increase the club’s performance near the hole.

Golf bags are especially valuable for a player to transport their clubs. The round-shaped bags can be made of leather or nylon and they allow players to organize their clubs into easily-accessible categories (i.e. size, length, type). New bags come with wheels that make them easy to pull, but traditional golfers carry them. Pockets on the side also make it easy to store and transport items like extra balls, gloves and towels.

Golf is a sport ripe in tradition – it’s also extremely difficult to master. However, a solid knowledge of clubs is a perfect jump-off for anyone interested in learning the game.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for Web sites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background also includes teaching, gardening, and a variety of outdoor recreation and sports. For more of her useful articles on golf, visit Golf Equipment, supplier of many useful articles on golf and equipment.

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