Golf Equipment -
Irons
Irons are so-called
because their clubheads are made of metal. Of course, "woods" are now
also made of metal, but that's a relatively recent development. Irons
have featured metal clubheads (steel, these days) for centuries.
Irons feature thin clubheads and grooved faces. Accomplished players
might choose a "muscleback" or "blade" style of iron, whereas beginners
and most recreational players will want a "cavity back" style.
The difference is that a blade-style features a full back on the rear of
the clubhead, whereas a cavity back is exactly that: the rear of the
clubhead is, to a certain degree, hollowed out. This creates an effect
known as "perimeter weighting," which is helpful to less-accomplished
players.
A typical, off-the-shelf set of irons will include a 3-iron through
pitching wedge (advertised as "3-PW"), 8 clubs total.
The clubs are identified by a number (or "PW") on the sole of each club.
Each club has a little less loft than the next and a little longer shaft
length than the next, so each club goes a little farther than the next.
That is, a 3-iron has less loft than a 4-iron, which has less loft than
a 5-iron, and so on. Also, a 3-iron is a little longer than a 4-iron,
which is a little longer than a 5-iron, and so on. Therefore, a 3-iron
will go a little farther than a 4-iron, which will go a little farther
than a 5-iron, on through the pitching wedge.
The yardage gap between irons is generally 10-15 yards. Your 3-iron, in
other words, should produce shots that are 10-15 yards longer than your
4-iron.
Also, as you move through the set to the shorter, more lofted clubs, the
resulting shots will have a steeper trajectory; shots will rise at a
steeper angle and fall at a steeper angle.
Two other irons, the 1-iron and 2-iron, are often offered for separate
purchase. As a beginner, you'll want to steer clear of both of these.
With their thin clubheads, very little loft and longer shafts, 1- and
2-irons are difficult clubs for recreational players to master. (In
fact, many experts will recommend that beginners and recreational
players also stay away from 3-irons and 4-irons, replacing them with
utility clubs or fairway woods.)
Irons are generally categorized as long irons, mid-irons and short
irons. Long irons are the 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-irons; mid-irons, the 5-, 6-
and 7-irons; short irons, the 8- and 9-irons and pitching wedge.
For most amateurs, the short irons are easier to hit than the mid-irons,
which are easier to hit than the long irons. Without getting too
technical, the reason is that as loft increases and shaft length
decreases, a club becomes easier to master. A shorter shaft makes a club
easier to control in the swing (think of baseball where a batter will
"choke up" on the bat - essentially, shorten the bat - when he's simply
trying to make contact rather than swing for the fences). More loft
helps get the ball airborne and adds a little more control to the shot.
Learning your distances - how far you hit each club - is much more
important than trying to hit each club to some predetermined "correct"
yardage. There is no "right" distance for each club, there is only your
distance. That said, a typical male recreational golfer might hit a 4-,
5- or 6- iron from 150 yards, while a typical female might use a 3-wood,
5-wood or 3-iron from that distance. (Beginners often overestimate how
far they are "supposed" to hit each club because they watch the
professionals blasting 220-yard 5-irons. No matter what the commercial
says, you are not Tiger Woods! Pro players are in a different universe;
do not compare yourself to them.)
Irons can be played from the teeing ground, using a tee, and it is often
appropriate to do so. On a par-3, for example, you will probably use an
iron on your tee shot. Or you might use an iron off any (or even every)
tee in order to have better control over the shot.
But most of your iron shots will come from the fairway. Irons are
designed with divots in mind. That's why they have a leading edge that
is somewhat sharply rounded. If you take a shot with an iron and dig up
a chunk of turf, don't feel bad. Maybe you dug up too much turf, but it
is entirely appropriate to take a divot with an iron played from the
fairway.
That is because iron shots are played with the ball positioned so that
it is struck on the downswing. That is, the club is still descending
when it makes contact with the ball (for the proper ball position, see
the article "Setup for Success").
Knowing which iron to use in which situation is mostly a function of
learning how far you hit each club. But trajectory also often comes into
play. If you need to hit the ball high - to get over a tree, for example
- you would choose one of the higher-lofted clubs. So learning the
trajectory of each of your irons - how high the ball climbs, and how
quickly it climbs, with each iron - is another important factor.
From:
http://golf.about.com/cs/beginnersguide/a/ironsbeginners.htm
Back to Equipment
|
