Golf is a game with a rich history, as it originated in the 15th century in Scotland. The first golf clubs were made of wood, with shafts from ash or hazel and heads from tougher wood such as holly, apple, beech, or pear. Over the decades, golf clubs have evolved to a great extent, and today, there are five types players use. If you're a beginner at the amazing game of golf, you would most likely want to learn as much as possible, and a good starting point concerns golf clubs and their uses. So, in this article, we'll be discussing the five types of modern golf clubs and their qualities.

1. Woods

Although their heads are no longer made of wood, the name of these golf clubs has remained. This category includes the driver and the fairway woods. These golf clubs are the ones with the largest heads and the longest shafts. Golfers can swing woods the fastest, and for this reason, they are generally used for the longest shots, such as strokes played from the teeing ground. They are used at the beginning of every hole, and for longer courses, woods are also used in the second swing. If a hole is 450 yards from tee to green, most golfers will use a wood to hit off the tee. It's also customary to use woods when you're 175 yards or more away from the green.

2. Irons

These golf clubs come in numbered sets, usually ranging from 3 to 9. They have smaller clubheads than woods, particularly front to back, where they are comparatively very thin. Most irons have solid heads, even though some are hollow. They have angled faces, which are known as "loft," etched with grooves to help grip the golf ball and impart spin. Irons are typically used for tee shots on short holes or shots from the fairway. As the number of the irons goes up, the loft increases, whereas the length of the shaft decreases. The head of these golf clubs is made of solid iron or steel, hence their name. Irons are used for most approach shots to the green.

3. Hybrids

While they have existed for a longer time, hybrid golf clubs became widely used at the turn of the 21st century. They are a cross between woods and irons, and their number corresponds to that of the iron they replace. Hybrids are considered iron-replacing golf clubs. It's important to note that a fairway wood will go further than a hybrid. Usually, hybrid clubs are easier to hit than fairway woods. When golfers use hybrids, it's often because they want to replace irons. These golf clubs are more forgiving for off-center strikes and more versatile when used from the rough, fairway, and tee.

4. Wedges

There are four types of golf clubs in this category, namely the pitching, gap, sand, and lob wedge. Wedges are their own category of golf clubs, but also a subset of irons, as they have the same clubheads as irons, only more severely angled for more loft. These golf clubs are used for shorter approach shots into greens, for chips and pitches around greens, and for playing out of sand bunkers. Wedges help golfers to hit the ball up into the air with a high degree of spin. The spin can help the golf ball stop quickly on the green or even roll back toward the hole. Wedges come in various loft angles, from 46 degrees up to 64 degrees.

5. Putters

Regardless of their size or shape, putters are designed to start the ball rolling smoothly, with minimum backspin to avoid skipping or skidding. These golf clubs are the most specialized and come in a wide variety, as choosing a putter is a very personal process. They generally come in three styles of clubheads and three varieties of lengths. More specifically, you can choose from mallet putters, traditional putters, and blade putters. The putter is used on the putting green and is often the final club used on each hole. A putter's face is flat and designed to get the golf ball rolling forward rather than lift it from the ground.

The sheer variety of golf clubs that exist can be overwhelming, so if you're a beginner, don't be afraid to ask for help and guidance when buying your first set of golf clubs. Most importantly, you should thoroughly do your research before purchasing your first clubs and practice as much as possible on golf courses where you can rent the clubs to know which ones are the best for you and your style of playing. Golf may seem like a very challenging and difficult game, and it really is for beginners, but once you gain some experience, it will also become rewarding.

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