Iron Sets and the Golfer
Every golfer knows that a quality set of golf clubs is one of the most important tools for performing effectively on the course. While the drivers are critically important to setting forth with a great opening, and the putters are essential to sinking a shot when it really counts, one cannot overlook the vital importance of the irons. That’s right – a high quality set of irons usually translates directly into numbers off your score.
What exactly are the irons and why are they so important? Well, as you know, there are three classes of golf clubs, and each class has its own intended functionality and specific purpose. There are the woods, which are used to tee off and to drive the ball for long distances. The heaviest of these is sometimes called the driver. Then there are the putters which are used to sink the ball into the cup with a delicate touch whenever it ends up on the green. In between, of course, are the irons.
Irons are used after one initially drives the ball, in order to get the ball off the fairway and onto the green, at which point a putter would be utilized. However, their functionality is so broad that you can use irons in other circumstances as well, such as getting out of traps, or even for “trick shots”, such as balls that lie in difficult areas like on the fringe of the green.
In order to cover such a broad range of functions, irons obviously have to come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and weights. Generally speaking, there are nine types of irons that are numbered between 1 and 9, and then another few on top of that which are called “wedges”. The 1 to 9 irons are used for shooting the ball from the fairway onto the green, for covering the distance remaining after an initial drive, and for other shots that require more control than power. The wedges, on the other hand, are uniquely shaped to allow them to be most useful for getting the ball out of tight spots such as sand traps and shooting from the rough.
A typical set of irons has clubs ranging from 3 to 9, along with a sand wedge. As such, it is by far the largest of the three classes of clubs and therefore the most expensive. If you hope to get the most of your set of clubs, then, you need to be very careful to ensure that your irons are suited to your individual playing style.
Like with the driver, irons tend to come with a variety of different head weights and different club-head angles. Pay attention to these factors when selecting your irons to ensure that your clubs are playing to your strengths and not against them. Balance power and control by going for less weight if you have a powerful swing and a less sharply angled club-head if you tend to get excess height off your drives. With a properly assembled set of irons, your golfing will improve by leaps and bounds, guaranteed.