Golf clubs

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Different golf clubs: wood, putter and iron (not to scale, the wood is much more voluminous)

A golf club is a piece of sports equipment that is used to move a ball on the fairways of a golf course from the tee to the hole .

Each "hole" of a golf course has a different length (i.e. the distance from the tee point to the target point, the actual hole in which the golf ball ends up) and a different terrain characteristic, so that the ball will move with every golf stroke different distances and depending on the terrain, steep, flat, upwards or downwards, and therefore there are different requirements for the flight curves. Since the beginning of golf showed that it was easier to use different clubs than to learn different stroke movements , a variety of clubs of different types have been developed over time.

General

Basic information, knowledge of which can be regarded as a prerequisite for practicing the sport itself, can be found in the main article on golf . The clubs differ from one another in their structure, the club loft (inclination of the club face) and the length of the shaft.

A typical golf bag for the average player might contain the following clubs:

  • Wood 1 (also called driver ), wood 3 (fairway wood)
  • Hybrid / Rescue 22 °
  • Iron 3-9
  • Pitching Wedge, Sand Wedge, Lob Wedge
  • putter

A player may carry a maximum of 14 clubs with him for rounds of golf that are effective. A violation of this rule will result in penalty strokes or hole losses up to disqualification if the violation was knowingly. However, every golfer is completely free to put together the clubs. You have already seen two drivers or four wedges in golf bags at professional tournaments, in the amateur area you can occasionally find two putters or a restriction to a few irons in favor of more woods or hybrid / rescue clubs.

The clubs are marked on the base plate for easy identification in a golf bag, in which they are upside down. While the irons are usually numbered, both woods and wedges can differ. The driver can be marked with a 1 but also with a D or the specification of the loft. Wedges can be marked with P (pitching wedge) and S (sand wedge) as well as the loft.

The golf rules define fixed limit values ​​for clubs with regard to properties such as length, weight or shape. Occasionally, these technical specifications are also changed to keep pace with new developments. For example, in 2009 the R&A and the USGA decided on new rules for "grooves" (the horizontal grooves on the club face): all irons with a loft of 25 degrees or higher (ie from about 5 iron upwards) are allowed by manufacturers from 2011 can only be produced with less aggressive “grooves”. The grooves must no longer be so sharp-edged and no longer so deep. From 2014, only such irons may be used on the Pro-Tour; from 2024, this regulation will also apply to amateur tournaments. The reason for this rule change was a (statistical) finding that the rate of fairway hits from the tee had no significant effect on the score, as the players with the irons allowed up to now also from the (semi) rough through the aggressive ones Grooves could produce enough spin to bring the ball to a halt on the green.

These regulations for the construction and design of golf clubs are defined in the official golf rules in Appendix II "Shape of clubs".

Historical racket names

In the past, the clubs were not numbered, as there was initially only one version of each type of club. The classic equipment in the 19th century and before consisted of:

  • Play Club (Driver)
  • Brassie (wood 2)
  • Spoon (wood 3)
  • Mid Iron (Iron 2)
  • Mashie (iron 5)
  • Niblick (9 iron)
  • putter

Later came:

  • Baffie (wood 4)
  • Cleek (1 iron)
  • Mid Mashie (3 iron)
  • Mashie Iron (iron 4)
  • Spade Mashie (6 iron)
  • Mashie Niblick (7 iron)
  • Lofter (8 iron)
  • Jigger , Pitching Niblick or Lofting Iron (Wedge)

The current equivalents in brackets are not always exact, for example a jigger could have the loft of a 4 iron, but it was used for approach shots due to its short shaft and thus comes close to a wedge in use.

Structure of a golf club

The three main components that make up a golf club are the club head, shaft and handle. There is also the so-called ferrule , which is of minor importance. The top of the club head has what is known as the hosel, which is the connecting piece into which the shaft is inserted. The shaft and head are then firmly connected with an adhesive, usually epoxy resin . The handle is pulled up at the other end of the shaft with the help of double-sided adhesive tape. A solvent that evaporates easily is used to make the handle easier to put on the shaft and to straighten it. The handle may be tapered, but not be bulged or bulged at any point. Its diameter must not be greater than 44.45 mm at any point.

Club head

Both woods and irons are usually provided with grooves on the face, which are known as grooves. They should increase the speed of rotation (spin) of the ball and achieve better ball contact in the rough. Grooves are increasingly being dispensed with, especially with the driver.

Wood

Woods (English: woods ) are generally used for strokes from the tee or fairway (rarely in a good location of the ball well from the semi-high grass, the semi-rough ). They are characterized by a large, drop- to pear-shaped club head that is hollow and usually has a volume between 150 and 460 cm³. Originally these clubs were provided with heads and later with inlays made of wood ( persimmon ). In the course of development, the wood has disappeared from the clubs and today alloys of high-quality, light and elastic metals are used ( titanium , aluminum , but also Kevlar , steel or plastics ). A standard set of clubs usually includes three woods (called wood 1, 3, 5 or 7). As the number increases, the loft increases , while the shaft length and volume of the club head decrease. Lofts between approx. 9 to 18 ° (with pure fairway woods up to 25 °) with a shaft length of approx. 40 to 45 inches are common.

Club heads for woods have a very large face, especially with the driver. This makes it easier to hit the ball, which is particularly important when teeing off, since the highest swing speeds and thus the greatest inaccuracies are achieved here. The large volume of the head allows the center of gravity to be shifted backwards and downwards, which ensures a rapidly ascending flight curve. Modern drivers are therefore often made with a crown made of very light plastic, so that a percentage more weight can be placed in the base plate. A driver head weighs a total of around 200–210 grams, fairway woods 3 and 5 are then usually 10 grams heavier each.

Due to the very high striking surface, the driver is practically only used for tee-offs where the golf ball can be placed on a tee . Only very good players use the driver from the fairway in exceptional cases, as the ball can only be hit below the sweet spot (ideal meeting point, at the height of the vertical center of gravity). This then results in a very low trajectory.

The fairway woods 3, 5, etc. are occasionally used when teeing off and are also pitched, but lower because they have lower striking surfaces and thus deeper sweet spots than the driver. In principle, fairway woods are optimized for the longest possible hits from the fairway.

iron

The irons are used for medium-length strokes in the range from 70 to 180 m. They have a rather trapezoidal club head that is rarely completely hollow. Often, however, it is hollowed out on the back or provided with a kind of dent or slit. In the manufacture of club heads for irons, a distinction is made between forged and cast heads. Forging is relatively expensive due to the manual work involved, so club heads from mass production are cast. The advocates of forged heads, however, appreciate them because of their subjectively better feel. Lofts between approx. 20 ° to 45 ° with a shaft length of approx. 35 to 39 inches are common.

With regard to the design, a distinction is made between blades and cavity backs. The latter have a larger face and a peripheral weighting (mostly realized by a hollowed out back wall), which leads to a greater forgiveness. This means that balls that are not hit exactly in the middle hardly lose length and are comparatively directionally stable. Blades provide better feedback on failure.

Iron clubs offer a higher ball control compared to woods and can also be used from more difficult locations (half-high grass, semi-rough). A standard set of clubs includes 3 to 9 irons, with a higher number indicating a higher loft but a shorter shaft length.

Iron 1 is no longer common these days and is also difficult to find in stores. Iron 2 is only produced by a few manufacturers. While iron club sets started with 3 iron a few years ago, nowadays more and more sets start with 4 iron. The argument from the industry is that amateur players are increasingly turning to hybrid clubs because they are easier to play than long irons. Some experts like Tom Wishon, however, criticize the fact that for marketing reasons ("with our 7 iron you hit longer than with any other") the lofts were simply reduced, so that today's 4 iron is basically identical to an earlier 2 iron.

Hybrid or rescue racket

Hybrid or rescue bat (English: rescue -Rettung) did not appear until the beginning of the 21st century and a mixture of iron and wooden bat. They are mostly chosen as a substitute for an iron or wood. The material, shaft length, loft and lie angle are similar to those of the corresponding iron, but the design is more voluminous and often more similar to that of wood. This type of club is often used in semi-rough and on the fairway. A hybrid club offers a compromise between the length of a wood and the accuracy of an iron and is considered by many players to be easier to play than a wood. Lofts of approx. 14 ° to 35 ° with a shaft length of approx. 37 to 41 inches are common.

Wedges

Some wedges

Wedges (English: wedge -Keil) are racket for short shots around the green (below 100 m) or difficult situations (bunkers, trenches, tall grass). They are similar in structure and material to iron clubs, but are characterized by a rounded, rather balloon-shaped club head. This is also often softer than the normal irons to allow greater accuracy and greater feedback to the player. Lofts of approx. 48 ° to 54 ° are common for the pitching and sand wedges belonging to a standard set with a shaft length of approx. 34 to 36 inches. The rather be regarded as a special bat Gap Wedge should (English: the distance gap gap -gap, divide) close between the pitching wedge and sand wedge and is also in the loft between them, while the lob wedge with a loft of up to 68 ° for short approach shots , from the sand or to overcome high obstacles from a short distance and mostly difficult locations.

Pitching wedge

A pitching wedge is often used for approach shots to the green or for shots from a bunker . The distance here is between 20 and 100 meters. Due to its flat club head, the struck ball makes a high trajectory. After it has hit the ball, it hardly rolls any further - this is referred to as a “drop and stop”. This often creates a pitch mark that should be repaired with a pitch fork .

A pitching wedge has a number of degrees from 42 to 49 and is in the order between the 9 iron and the sand wedge.

Gap wedge

A golf club (iron) that fills the gap between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge is called a gap wedge (GW). The term Approach Wedge (AW) is often used for this .

Through the use of new materials and manufacturing technologies in racket manufacture, such as cavity back and shifting the center of gravity into the sole of the racket head, it became possible for recreational players to achieve a high level of precision in shots in the course of the 1990s. At the same time, the lofts became steeper to allow greater lengths. As a result, the pitching wedge's loft was reduced from approx. 50 ° in the 1980s to 40 ° to 44 ° and the distance to the sand wedge was greatly increased with 54 ° to 58 ° loft. This gap ( English : gap ) is closed by the gap wedge with a loft of between 48 ° and 52 °.

Sand wedge

A sand wedge (from English sand wedge , German about "sand wedge") is a golf club for shots out of the sand bunker . Sand wedges have a high loft of approx. 56 ° and have a bounce of 12 to 16 °, which means a club sole that rises against the direction of impact, which, like a ski, should reduce digging into the sand.

The sand wedge is also often used for approach shots outside the sand bunker when a high trajectory of the ball is to be achieved, such as. B. when pitching. This golf club is also often used in deep rough , as it is particularly suitable for such difficult situations due to the high loft . However, the sand wedge is less suitable for extremely hard ground, as the sole ricochets off there due to the high bounce angle and the ball is then often hit uncontrollably with the edge.

Praise wedge

A lob wedge is a golf club for very short but high shots, or for shots out of the deep rough. Lob wedges have a strong loft of around 58 to 64 degrees. They have a lower bounce (usually about 6 °) than the sand wedge, as digging into the rough with the sharp leading edge of the club is desirable. Due to the very high loft, however, there is a risk of hitting under the ball, which is why the lob wedge is usually only mastered by advanced players.

Chipper

A chipper is a golf club for very short strokes on the green, which belongs to the group of wedges. It makes chipping much easier, but there is no longer any possibility of varying the length of the chip by choosing a club with more or less loft.

putter

Putter with insert in the face

The putter is used for playing on the green , sometimes also on the foregreen. In contrast to all other clubs, the aim here is not the flight of the ball, but the targeted run on the ground. Very different designs are possible with the putter, as the club is swung so slowly that there are fewer physical restrictions than with the other clubs. In this respect, it is possible to set a special visual accent with the putter without impairing the playing behavior. What all putters have in common, however, is the vertical or almost vertical striking surface (80 ° to 90 °), as this is the only way to achieve an even rolling behavior of the ball. The putter is particularly important because it is used more often than any other club (the par standard assumes two putts per hole), but there is only one putter in almost every set.

shaft

General

With the exception of a few exotic ones, the shafts are made of steel or carbon fiber reinforced plastic (usually referred to as graphite ).

In the case of steel, there is strong feedback due to its heavy weight. The vibrations caused by the contact between the ball, racket and floor are passed on to the player. This feedback is very important to some golfers, as it gives them information about the quality of the shot and thus potential for improvement. Others find the vibrations uncomfortable and therefore prefer to use graphite shafts, which can dampen them to a certain extent. However, there are also special shaft fillings that achieve this damping regardless of the shaft material.

Since graphite shafts are usually much lighter than steel shafts, they can be accelerated more with the same amount of force, which can then lead to longer strikes. Players who find their shot distances to be too small therefore often turn to graphite - others believe that they can achieve greater accuracy with steel shafts. In the case of graphite shafts of the first generation, there were metrologically verifiable problems in this regard; in the case of newer shafts, no fundamental difference in the precision of the two materials has so far been proven.

It does happen that two different golfers hit very different distances with the same club. The most important factor for the length of a shot is the so-called club head speed, i.e. the speed that the head has at the moment of impact. It is measured in miles per hour (mph). Professionals achieve an average of 110 to 115 mph with the driver, most amateurs are significantly lower. In order to achieve an optimal translation for the respective club head speed that a player generates, it is important that the stiffness of the shaft is appropriate. This so-called flex of the shaft tends to be harder at higher speeds, since a shaft that is too soft would be uncontrollable. On the other hand, a softer flex is usually required at lower speeds so that a catapult effect can arise at all.

In marketing, the so-called L-Flex is recommended for women, the A-Flex for slowly swinging men and seniors, the R-Flex for men who play average, the S-Flex for men with sporty swinging and the X-Flex for long hitters . However, these designations are only a marketing concept, because a related technical standard does not exist. In this respect, the specified flex values ​​from different manufacturers are not comparable.

Special features of the putter

Broomstick putter
Belly putter

The shaft of a putter is almost always made of steel. Most golfers use putters with a typical shaft length of 33 to 35 inches . These putters are gripped with both hands and swung freely.

However, there are also so-called belly putters, here the shaft is around 43 inches long. With the belly putter, the upper end of the handle is pressed against the chest or stomach with one hand, while the other hand grips below.

The broomstick putter is even longer, it is 48 inches and is attached to the chin.

The advantage of the extended putter is that you only swing the club with one hand. The traditional putter, on the other hand, is held tightly with both hands and there is a risk of slightly twitching or tearing the stroke. If this twitching occurs regularly, it is called the yips . A well-known Yips victim is Bernhard Langer , who has therefore been playing a broomstick putter for many years. Anchoring these long putters to the body was approved for tournaments until the end of 2015.

An extinct type of putter is the Stymie putter, which was mainly used earlier when you were not allowed to pick up a strange ball that was in your own putt line. It was specially designed so that you could play over a ball that was in the way.

Handle

In addition to the club head and shaft, the handle is the third component of a golf club. Since it represents the connection between athletes and sports equipment, the most important properties of a grip are its slip resistance, especially in wet weather, as well as the subjective feeling of play that it gives the golfer. In the past, handles were made exclusively from leather, today a wide variety of rubber-containing plastics are used.

Ferrule

This is a small plastic sleeve that is pushed onto the shaft where it emerges from the club head. Without a ferrule, the transition between the hosel and the shaft would be very abrupt, so it initially has an optical function. But there are also indications that speak for a higher breaking strength, especially with graphite shafts, if these are provided with a ferrule.

Golf club fitting

Angle on the club head

When choosing a club, it is important that the clubs fit the size of the player. Standard clubs, as you can buy them in every shop, are based on statistical average data, which apply more or less precisely to the individual case. Depending on the demands of the player on his material, a static or an additional dynamic fitting can be carried out.

With static fitting, the distance from the wrist to the floor is usually used as a basis for determining an optimal shaft length. The length of the fingers is measured to determine the thickness of the handle.

A golf simulator video system is used for dynamic fitting, in which dynamic parameters such as posture, flexibility, swing level and club head speed are also included in determining the optimal set of clubs. In addition, several golf shots are executed on a special mat to determine the optimal lie angle. Imprints of the club sole on this mat then indicate which lie angle is required so that the sole enters the ground straight (and not with toe or heel first).

See also

literature

  • Tom Wishon, Tom Grundner: The Search for the Perfect Golf Club . 2005, Sports Media Group, ISBN 1-5872-6185-5 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Golf clubs  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. Official Golf Rules 2016: Licensed Translation R&A Rules Limited . Ed .: Association Suisse de Golf. Rule 4 and Appendix II. Köllen Druck + Verlag GmbH.