A standard golf bag carries up to 14 clubs, each designed for a different shot — but the modern bag is more varied than ever. Drivers shaped like spacecraft, hybrids that replace long irons, hollow-body iron sets that look like blades but play like cavity-backs, mallet putters with adjustable weights. This page is the master index of every club, shaft, grip, and gear term defined on Golfing Fore All.
If you’re building a bag, switching from steel to graphite, choosing your first wedge set, or just trying to understand what the launch monitor numbers in the fitting bay actually mean, the terms below are your reference library. Every entry links to a plain-English definition reviewed by a PGA-credentialed editor.
The Essentials
- Driver — the longest and lowest-lofted club, built only for distance off the tee
- Fairway Wood — the long-distance club for shots from the fairway or tee
- Hybrid — easier to hit than a long iron, more accurate than a wood
- Iron — the workhorse club for approach shots into the green
- Pitching Wedge — the lowest-lofted wedge, for full approach shots inside 130 yards
- Sand Wedge — the bunker specialist, also useful from the rough
- Lob Wedge — the highest-lofted club for short, high-flying shots that stop fast
- Shaft — the connection between your swing and the clubhead — flex and weight matter more than most amateurs realise
- Compression — how a golf ball deforms at impact, with implications for distance and feel
How These Terms Relate
Clubs are organised by what they’re built to do. The driver is the longest, lowest-lofted, longest-hitting club in the bag — and it is used almost exclusively from the tee. Fairway woods and hybrids fill the distance gap between the driver and the irons. Hybrids in particular have replaced 3, 4, and 5 irons for most amateurs because they launch higher with less effort. The iron set proper (typically 5-iron through 9-iron and the pitching wedge) handles approach shots into greens from 100 to 200 yards. Wedges — pitching, gap, sand, and lob — handle everything inside 100 yards. The putter is the only club designed exclusively for the green.
Inside each club, three variables matter: the head, the shaft, and the grip. The head determines how forgiving the club is and how the ball launches off the face. Cavity-back irons (hollowed out behind the face) are more forgiving than blades but feel less crisp. Forged irons are shaped from a single billet for soft feel; cast irons are molded for forgiveness and value. The shaft determines how the club delivers energy — flex (regular, stiff, senior, ladies) is tuned to your swing speed, and weight changes how heavy the club feels in motion. Graphite shafts are lighter and more forgiving on the hands; steel shafts are heavier and more consistent. The grip is the only thing your hands actually touch; size, material, and texture all change how the club moves.
Golf balls are equipment too, and they matter more than amateurs realise. A two-piece ball (rubber core, hard cover) is built for distance and durability. A three- or four-piece ball with a urethane cover spins more on wedge shots and stops faster on greens — at twice the price. Compression (how much the ball deforms at impact) matches the ball to your swing speed; low-compression balls reward slower swings, high-compression balls reward fast ones. The full bag — clubs, balls, glove, tees, shoes, bag — adds up, but the right gear can save you strokes that lessons alone can’t.
The Complete Index
Every term in this cluster, alphabetised, each linked to its full plain-English definition.
- Alignment Stick
- Ball Marker
- Blade
- Cavity Back
- Chipper
- Club Fitting
- Compression
- Dimples
- Divot Repair Tool
- Driver
- Fairway Wood
- Flex
- Gap Wedge
- Golf Ball
- Golf Cart
- Golf Glove
- Golf Simulator
- Golf Tee
- Headcover
- Hosel
- Hybrid
- Iron
- Launch Monitor
- Lie
- Lie Angle
- Lob Wedge
- Loft
- Long Iron
- Offset
- Pitching Wedge
- Rangefinder
- Sand Wedge
- Shaft
- Short Iron
- Stiff
Common Questions
How many golf clubs am I allowed to carry?
The Rules of Golf cap your bag at 14 clubs. Carrying more is a two-stroke penalty per hole in stroke play, capped at four strokes maximum per round. There is no minimum — you could play with one club if you wanted. Most amateurs carry a driver, a fairway wood or two, one or two hybrids, irons from 5 or 6 down through pitching wedge, two or three wedges, and a putter.
What is the difference between forged and cast irons?
Forged irons are shaped from a single billet of steel by repeated hammering and grinding. They feel softer at impact and let skilled players shape shots, but they offer less forgiveness on mishits. Cast irons are made by pouring molten steel into a mold. They are cheaper to produce, support more design freedom (cavity backs, perimeter weighting, hollow construction), and are generally more forgiving. Most amateurs will play better with cast cavity-backs; better players often prefer forged for the feel and workability.
What shaft flex should I play?
Driver swing speed is the rule of thumb: under 75 mph favors senior or ladies flex; 75 to 85 mph favors regular; 85 to 95 mph favors stiff; 95+ mph favors extra stiff. But a proper fitting beats any chart. Tempo, transition speed, and where you load the shaft all influence which flex actually performs best for your swing. If you have access to a launch monitor, look at smash factor, spin rate, and dispersion — not just distance — when comparing flexes.
What is the difference between a fairway wood and a hybrid?
Both fill the distance gap between the driver and the irons, but they do it differently. A fairway wood has a larger, flatter head and a longer shaft — it sweeps the ball off the turf or tee and produces more distance with less spin. A hybrid has a smaller, more compact head and a shorter shaft — it digs into the turf more like an iron, launches the ball higher, and is much more forgiving on mishits. Hybrids are easier to hit consistently; fairway woods produce more distance when you catch them clean.
Do golf balls really make a difference?
Yes, more than most amateurs realise. A premium urethane-cover ball (Pro V1, Chrome Tour, TP5, etc.) spins more on wedge shots and stops faster on greens, but rewards a faster, more consistent swing. A two-piece distance ball gives up some short-game spin but costs a third as much and goes slightly farther for slower swings. If your handicap is under 15 and you have a consistent short game, the premium ball is worth it. Under 90 mph driver swing speed and a higher handicap? You’re probably leaving distance on the table with a premium ball — try a soft, low-compression ball instead.
What is loft, and why does it matter?
Loft is the angle of the clubface relative to the shaft, measured in degrees. Higher loft launches the ball higher and shorter; lower loft launches it lower and longer. A driver has about 9 to 12 degrees of loft. A pitching wedge has about 44 to 48. A lob wedge has 58 to 64. Modern iron sets are progressively stronger lofted than they were 20 years ago — today’s 7-iron is essentially yesterday’s 6-iron — which is why distance comparisons between generations of clubs can be misleading.
Related Clusters
- Putting and Greens — putters and putting are covered in their own cluster
- Swing and Technique — how shaft, head, and grip choices interact with your swing mechanics
- Shot Types — which club to choose for which shot
About This Page
This cluster index is maintained by the Golfing Fore All editorial team and reviewed by a PGA-credentialed editor. If you spot something wrong, our corrections policy explains what happens next.