Morris on clubs

Types of golf clubs, explained for your bag

There are six families of club and every one of them does a job the others cannot. Here is what each one is, what the number on it means, the rules that limit them, and the bag that fits your speed and your level rather than a catalogue.

Short answer: driver (8–13°, the tee shot), fairway woods (13–22°, long shots), hybrids (16–30°, the long irons replaced), irons 3 to 9 (18–45°, approaches), wedges (43–64°, the short game) and the putter. A lower number is less loft and more distance. Fourteen clubs at most (Rule 4.1b); fewer is fine.

By Morris, by Badgie Golf · Updated 9 October 2026

The six families

Usual loft bands in makers' catalogues; a given model can sit a degree or two outside.
Club	Loft	What it is for
Driver (1-wood)	8–13°	The tee shot on long holes. The biggest head (up to 460 cc) and the longest shaft (up to 48 in by the rules, 45 to 46 in most sets).
Fairway woods (3, 5, 7)	13–22°	Long shots from the tee or the fairway; the 3-wood is the second-longest club, the 5 and 7 are easier to launch.
Hybrids (2 to 6)	16–30°	A wood's head on an iron's length: they replace the long irons for most golfers, since they launch higher and forgive more from the rough.
Irons (3 to 9)	18–45°	Approach shots; each number is about 4 degrees more loft and 10 to 12 yards shorter. Few sets start below the 5-iron today.
Wedges (PW, GW, SW, LW)	43–64°	Pitching (43–47°), gap (48–54°), sand (54–58°), lob (58–64°): the short game and bunkers. The sole's bounce matters as much as the loft.
Putter	2–4°	On the green. The only club without a maximum length and with a loft the rules cap at 10 degrees; most are 2 to 4.

Golf club names, old and new

Name you will hear	What it is
Big dog, the big stick	The driver
Brassie, spoon, cleek, baffy	Old names for the 2-wood, 3-wood, 4-wood and 5-wood
Mashie, mashie-niblick, niblick	Old names for the 5-iron, 7-iron and 9-iron
Rescue, utility	A hybrid (makers' trade names)
Driving iron	A 2- to 4-iron with a hollow or thick head for the tee, for fast swingers
Gap wedge, approach wedge, utility wedge (GW, AW, UW)	The same club: the wedge between pitching and sand, 48–54°
Lob wedge	58–64°, the highest loft in the bag
Blade, muscle-back	A players' iron with a solid back; little forgiveness, much feel
Cavity back, game improvement	An iron with weight moved to the edges; forgiving on off-centre hits
Mallet, blade (putters)	A large, stable putter head; a thin, traditional one

What the rules allow

Three things matter to a buyer. Fourteen clubs at most in the bag during a round (Rule 4.1b): two penalty strokes per hole, four maximum, if you carry fifteen. Length: at least 18 inches, at most 48 except the putter (Equipment Rules 2.1c); most drivers are 45 to 46. Head size: a wood may not exceed 460 cc (2.4b), which is why every driver is 460. Grooves on irons and wedges have a maximum width and depth (2.5c), which is why a worn wedge spins less, not more.

How to think about your own bag

Start from the gaps, not from the names. Between your longest iron you hit well and your driver there are 60 to 80 yards; fill them with a fairway wood and one or two hybrids. Between your pitching wedge and your sand wedge there are often 25 yards of nothing; a gap wedge fixes that. The 3-iron is a club for 100 mph of club speed and up; below that a hybrid does its job higher and from the rough. And the putter is forty percent of your strokes: fit it before anything else.

The finder above lays out a bag for your level and your driver speed (or your 7-iron carry). From there, what clubs you actually need, which shaft flex and how to buy them used without getting burned.

Sources

The R&A — Equipment Rules, Part 2: Conformance of Clubs — Woods, irons, putters (2.1a); length at least 18 in and at most 48 in except putters (2.1c); 460 cc (2.4b); putter loft ≤ 10° (2.1a); grooves (2.5c). Read 9 October 2026.
The R&A — Rules of Golf, Rule 4: The Player's Equipment — Rule 4.1b(1): no more than 14 clubs; two strokes per hole, four maximum, in stroke play. Read 9 October 2026.

The bag that fits your speed and level

Driver club speed

Level

I only know my 7-iron carry

13 clubs

1Driver10.5 to 12 degrees: more loft is more carry at this speed.
23-woodSecond shot on par 5s and a safe tee club.
35-wood or 7-woodReplaces the 3-iron for almost everyone.
44-hybridThe long-iron distance with a wood's launch.
55-hybridA 5-iron needs speed to fly; the hybrid does not.
66-iron
77-ironThe club that tells you how you are striking it.
88-iron
99-iron
10Pitching wedgeFull shots to about 100–130 yards and chips.
11Gap wedge (50–52°)Fills the hole between the pitching and the sand wedge, where most amateurs have 25 yards of nothing.
12Sand wedge (54–56°)Bunkers and pitches; mid bounce unless your course is firm.
13PutterForty percent of your strokes. Try several lengths; a fitting here pays faster than anywhere.

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Club questions

What are the types of golf clubs?

Six families: the driver, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and the putter. The Equipment Rules only distinguish woods, irons and putters; hybrids are woods or irons by shape, and wedges are irons with more loft. Each family covers a band of lofts, and loft is what sets distance and height.

What do the numbers on golf clubs mean?

A lower number is less loft and more distance: a 3-wood flies further than a 5-wood, a 5-iron further than a 9-iron. Each iron number is about four degrees of loft and 10 to 12 yards for most golfers. Wedges are named by loft (52°, 56°) or by job (pitching, gap, sand, lob).

How many clubs can you carry?

Fourteen at most, under Rule 4.1b. More than that costs two strokes per hole in stroke play (four maximum) or a hole per hole in match play (two maximum). Fewer is allowed, and for a beginner fewer is better.

What is the difference between a hybrid and a fairway wood?

A hybrid has a wood's hollow head on an iron's shorter shaft: it launches like a wood from any lie and swings like an iron. A fairway wood is longer and faster but needs a clean lie. For most golfers the 3- and 4-iron are hybrids now.

What is a golf club's loft, lie and bounce?

Loft is the face angle that sends the ball up. Lie is the angle between shaft and sole: wrong lie, the ball starts left or right. Bounce is the angle of a wedge's sole: more bounce glides through sand and soft turf, less digs on firm ground.

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