Golf clubs

Golf Glossary

Golf clubs

In short

Golf clubs are the tools you use to play the ball from the tee into the hole. There are five types of golf clubs: woods (driver and fairway woods), hybrids, irons, wedges and the putter. They differ mainly in loft, the angle of the clubface, and in shaft length. Under Rule 4.1b you may carry no more than 14 clubs during a round. Beginners need far fewer than that.

Types of golf clubs at a glance

Each type of club has its own job on the course. As a rule of thumb, the longer the shaft and the less loft on the face, the further and lower the ball flies.

Golf club names and numbers explained

The number on a club tells you about its loft and length. With irons, the higher the number, the more loft and the shorter the shaft. A 5-iron therefore flies further and lower than a 9-iron. Neighbouring irons are typically about 3 to 5 degrees of loft and roughly half an inch (1.3 cm) of shaft length apart. For many players that adds up to about 10 metres of distance per club, though this varies a lot from player to player.

Woods follow the same idea: a 3-wood has less loft than a 5-wood, and the driver is sometimes called the 1-wood. Wedges often carry letters instead of numbers: P or PW for pitching wedge, G, A or GW for gap wedge, S or SW for sand wedge and L or LW for lob wedge. Many manufacturers also stamp the loft in degrees on wedges, for example 56 on a typical sand wedge.

How many clubs are allowed in a golf bag?

Rule 4.1b of the Rules of Golf says you may start a round with no more than 14 clubs. There is no minimum, so in theory you could play with a single club.

If you start with more than 14 clubs by mistake, you are penalised. In stroke play you get two penalty strokes for each hole on which the breach happened, up to a maximum of four strokes per round. In match play the score of the match is adjusted by one hole for each hole affected, up to a maximum of two holes. As soon as you notice the mistake, you must take the extra club out of play.

A typical full set of 14 might include a driver, one or two fairway woods, one or two hybrids, irons from 5 to 9, several wedges and a putter. Each player chooses the exact mix to suit their game.

Which golf club to use and when

The right club depends mostly on the distance to the flag and on how the ball is lying. These rules of thumb help beginners:

These distances depend heavily on your swing speed. It is worth measuring your own carry distances once on a range with a launch monitor and writing them down as a small chart.

Example: four types of club on a par-4 hole

You are playing a 340-metre par 4. On the tee you take the driver. The ball finishes 190 metres away on the fairway, leaving 150 metres to the flag. For many club golfers that distance calls for a fairway wood or a hybrid. You choose the hybrid because the ball sits slightly in the light rough.

The ball lands just short of the green, 15 metres from the flag. Now you need little flight and plenty of roll. A chip with the pitching wedge finishes one metre from the hole, and you hole the putt with the putter. Result: four strokes, a par, using four different types of club.

The example shows why a set is made up of several types of club. Each type covers a different situation.

Golf clubs for beginners: half set, hire clubs, fitting

You do not need a full set to get started. Many beginners learn in lessons with hire clubs, usually starting with a 7-iron. It is of medium length and forgiving of small mistakes.

If you want to buy your own clubs, a half set is a common first step. This is a small set of about seven to nine clubs, for example one wood or hybrid, three or four irons, a pitching wedge, a sand wedge and a putter. It covers almost every situation on the course.

When buying, look at three things: a shaft length that suits your height, a shaft with the right flex, and clubheads that forgive off-centre hits. These are often called game-improvement or cavity-back irons. A club fitting with a coach shows which specifications suit you. Left-handed players need dedicated left-handed clubs.

Key terms around golf clubs

Once you start looking at golf clubs, a few technical terms come up again and again. Here are the most important ones in brief:

Each of these terms has its own page in the golf glossary.

Try it at Golf Lounge

Would you like to try golf clubs before buying your own? In the Golf Lounge taster course, clubs and balls are provided. In 90 minutes with a coach you hit your first shots on the covered TrackMan range, so the course runs in any weather. You get tips on grip, posture and swing plus a short overview of equipment and rules. No previous experience is needed. There are several sessions a week, and children aged 6 and over can join too.

View the taster course

Frequently asked questions

What types of golf clubs are there?

There are five main types: woods (driver and fairway woods), hybrids, irons, wedges and the putter. Woods and hybrids are for long shots, irons mainly for approach shots to the green. Wedges are used for short, high shots and from bunkers. The putter rolls the ball into the hole on the green.

How many clubs can you carry in golf?

No more than 14, as set out in Rule 4.1b of the Rules of Golf. There is no minimum. If you start with more than 14, stroke play brings two penalty strokes per hole affected, up to four per round. You must take the extra club out of play as soon as you notice the mistake.

What do the numbers on golf clubs mean?

The number shows how much loft a club has and how long it is. The higher the number, the more lofted the face and the shorter the shaft. A 9-iron therefore flies higher and shorter than a 5-iron. Wedges often carry letters such as P, G, S or L, or the loft in degrees.

Which golf clubs do beginners need?

To begin with, hire clubs are enough, and many lessons provide them. If you want to buy, a half set of about seven to nine clubs is a good start: one wood or hybrid, a few irons, pitching wedge, sand wedge and putter. Look for the right shaft length, the right flex and forgiving clubheads.

All terms on this topic

As of: October 2026

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