Last Updated on April 19, 2024 by Britt Olizarowicz
Golf terminology takes a little while to understand fully. However, knowing the different types of golf clubs and golf club names can make a big difference in how your bag is set up and how it benefits you on the course.
As a golf professional, I’m pretty particular about the clubs I have in my bag, but I’ve worked with many beginners who are very unsure about the names of their clubs and the options they have to help their game.
Traditional Types of Golf Clubs (No Longer Used)
Some golf clubs from the past are no longer part of the game. If you watch an old golf movie or do a little reading into the game’s history, expect to see some of these names mentioned.
- Mashie: a versatile iron type club for short approach shots and bunker shots
- Niblick: lofted iron club for chipping and pitching, had a high loft angle similar to a modern sand wedge
- Brassie: even though the Brassie might not have sounded like it, this is a wooden club for long distance shots
- Cleek: a low lofted iron designed to give more control and accuracy; this one was used to keep the ball low.
- Mid-Mashie: A mid-mashie had more loft angle than the mashie and made a good choice for mid range shots
- Spade Mashie: The spade mashie was similar to a 7 or 8 iron with enough loft to increase overall forgiveness
It wasn’t until 1938 that golfers had to start limiting the number of clubs to only 14. If you wanted 4 mashies in your bag in 1930, nothing stopped you!
Types of Golf Clubs (Modern Clubs)
Even though the Mashie Niblick isn’t on the shelves of your local golf store, there are still plenty of options. For each of these types of golf clubs, I’ll go through what the club is used for, typical lofts, and which players will benefit from having it in the golf bag.
Driver
What Is It Used For Tee shots (a select few golfers can hit it from the turf)
Typical Lofts: 8 to 15 degrees
Who Should Use It: All golfers
The driver is the lowest lofted club in the bag (aside from the putter) with the largest clubhead (460cc limit). Drivers get put on a tee, are used for the long shots, and will be the club most golfers tee off with on par 4 and 5 holes.
Fairway Woods
What Is It Used For: Alternative to a driver from the tee box, long approach shots from the fairway
Typical Lofts: 14 to 23 degrees
Who Should Use It: Golfers seeking distance on longer approach shots
Fairway woods can include the 3 wood, 5 wood, 7 wood, and even the more uncommon 9 wood and 13 wood. The fairway woods have a slightly shorter shaft than the driver, more loft, and typically a little more forgiveness. Most golfers find a 3 or 5 wood easier to hit from the tee box than the driver.
Hybrid Clubs
What Is It Used For: Approach shots to the green, approach shots from the rough
Typical Lofts: 18 to 28 degrees
Who Should Use It: Golfers looking for forgiveness, performance from the rough and high ball flight
A hybrid club (sometimes called a rescue) is a mix of fairway wood and iron. The hybrid type of golf club is one of the newer options you have to choose from,, but these have certainly made the game of golf more playable for a wide range of players. Importantly, long iron clubs are replaced in the bag by hybrid clubs.
Utility Clubs
What Is It Used For: Replacement for long irons
Typical Lofts: 18 to 25 degrees
Who Should Use It: Low and mid-handicap golfers looking for a bit more forgiveness than typical long irons
It should be noted, a utility club is one of the least common golf clubs on the market. However, a few companies like Ping and TaylorMade make high qualities utitilies. Importantly, if you don’t love the hybrid, a utility club is a good replacement. The sole of the utility club is a bit wider than a typical long iron, making it more lenient out of the rough and allowing for maximum distance even from a tough lie.
Long Irons
What Is It Used For: Long approach shots, long par 3’s, stinger type shots
Typical Lofts: Usually the 3, 4 & 5 iron
Who Should Use It: Golfers with faster swing speeds
Did you know that most golf club sets were at one point sold with a 3 and 4 iron included? Recently, golf club customization has taken off, and we have learned so much about different golf clubs and the ability players have to hit them. Long irons are not nearly as popular as they once were.
They have longer shafts than the mid and short irons and are harder to hit unless the lie is perfect. Long irons are a good option if you have a decent amount of clubhead speed and need to fill in that gap between the fairway woods and the mid-irons. I’ll warn you, it’s getting harder and harder to find a 2 iron!
Mid Irons
What Is It Used For: Approach shots, par 3 holes
Typical Lofts: 6, 7, 8 irons
Who Should Use It: All golfers
Most of your golf shots will be hit with the 6, 7, and 8 iron. If you are playing from the right tees, you will have a lot of approach shots in this yardage range. These clubs are slightly shorter than long irons, have more loft, making them easier to launch, and can be hit from the fairway and the rough. If you want to score well, practice hitting your mid- irons.
Short Irons
What Is It Used For: Shorter approach shots, some short game shots
Typical Lofts: 8, 9 and PW
Who Should Use It: All golfers
Some golfers consider their pitching wedge part of their short irons, while others do not. With how golf clubs have changed in the last few years, and the pitching wedge now has less loft than ever, I find it to be more of a short iron than a wedge.
Short irons are your scoring clubs. Learn to hit the ball close to the hole with your short irons, especially the 8 and 9 iron and you will shoot lower numbers. Great news here, the short irons are some of the easiest golf clubs in the bag to hit.
Approach Wedge or Gap Wedge
What Is It Used For: Mid length wedge shots fills the gap between the pitching wedge and sand wedge.
Typical Lofts: 48-54 degrees
Who Should Use It: Any golfer with a lower lofted pitching wedge and a large gap between PW and SW
The approach wedge or gap wedge is a piece of modern equipment designed to fill the gap between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge. Most of the time, I love the approach wedge for longer bunker shots or an approach shot where a sand wedge just won’t cut it.
Sand Wedge
What Is It Used For: Higher lofted shots to the green, greenside chips, bunker shots
Typical Lofts: 54-58 degrees
Who Should Use It: All golfers
The sand wedge is not just a type of club. It is a tool. With the sand wedge, you can hit chip shots, pitch shots, approaches to the green, and sand shots. One of the first steps to learning the game of golf is to get confident in hitting the sweet spot on your sand wedge. You will thank me later when your scores are low!
Lob Wedges
What Is It Used For: The highest lofted shots, bunkers, thick, rough
Typical Lofts: 58-64 degrees
Who Should Use It: Golfers confident in their short game who want more versatility
The lob wedge has been known to scare some golfers. Some players use the club wrong and take big, full swings when they are close to the hole. If you evaluate your skill level and start to use the lob wedge for shorter shots with higher loft, it’s an instrumental golf club.
I’ve learned to love my lob wedge from greenside bunkers with a high lip; I’ve also taught many players how to use the lob wedge to hit a shot that stops on the green, even when hitting out of the rough.
Chipper
What Is It Used For Simple greenside bump and run type shots
Typical Lofts: Varies
Who Should Use It: Higher handicappers and beginners
The Chipper is another club that is not all that common. The chipper resembles a mix between a wedge and a putter. It makes hitting the golf ball close to the hole easier when you have a simple and straightforward chip. Hitting behind the ball or even hitting it thin with a chipper is rare.
Blade Putter
What Is It Used For: Putting
Who Should Use It: Golfers with more of an arc in their putting stroke
The blade putter is considered a more classic style putter. Blade putters are great for golfers with a slight arc in their putting strokes. In addition, the blade putter tends to be preferred by lower-handicap players who want more creativity in their putting strokes.
Mallet Putter
What Is It Used For: Putting
Who Should Use It: Golfers with more of a straight back and straight through putting stroke
On the putting green, the mallet putter is very stable. If you have more straight back and straight through style stroke, the mallet keeps things steady through impact. In addition, the more oversized clubhead of the mallet putter makes alignment much easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many different clubs are there in golf?
Golfers can carry 14 golf clubs in their bag, but there are dozens of different golf clubs depending on the loft and style of club you are looking for.
How do I choose the right golf club for my shot?
When deciding what club to use for your golf shot, pay close attention to the length of the shot (distance to the hole). In addition, look at the lie and ensure you have a cgolf club with enough forgiveness.
What do irons mean in golf?
Irons are the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Some golfers have 2 iron in their bags. The iron set makes up the majority of golf clubs in a player’s bag. Irons are used for mid-length shots.
What does a wedge mean in golf?
A wedge is a high lofted golf club used for golf shots closer to the green. With a wedge in your hand, expect a shorter shaft, less distance but more control, and higher lofts.
