Novice Golfer’s Guide to Irons

by The Golf Club Guru

Understanding the Right Irons for Your Game

In the search for a perfect golf club, players should consider different types, designs, and many other nuances of the options available. As the popularity of this game has boomed during the past few decades, the market has become saturated with an array of club manufacturers introducing a seemingly endless selection from which to choose. Thus, today, it can be quite difficult to find the perfect fit, especially if you are a beginner just embarking on your new journey from tee to green! But no worries friends as you’ve reached the right place to find the help for which you’ve been searching! In this article, we have prepared a clear introduction for beginners to help them understand one of the most important clubs in the bag – The Golf Iron.

How To Pick The Perfect Option For You?

In general, if you are a novice or high-handicap player, it is a good idea to opt for a set of high-quality game-improvement irons. For which, there are quite a few options available in the market today. Some of our favorite manufacturers of irons are Mizuno, Callaway, Wilson, and TaylorMade. However, for those golfers who are looking for the most distance and extra forgiveness, we recommend checking out our review of the Adams XTD!

Understanding Golf Irons

Let’s start with a clear definition to set you on the right track. Irons received their name centuries ago for the simple reason that originally, they were made from iron. Just as the driver and other “woods” were once actually made from wood; irons, although now made from a variety, and often composite, of various metals were once made of iron. “Woods” are often now called “Metal Woods” but irons are still just “Irons”!

The design of an iron’s club head is usually fairly thin and grooved to impart spin on the golf ball. The loft of club is determined by its angle in relation to the vertical plane. More lofted clubs will send the ball higher and it will travel less distance. These clubs come in a variety of design forms, including; cavity back for novice and beginning players requiring a more forgiving club to compensate for off-hit shots and misses; and blade and muscle-back design, primarily chosen by more advanced golfers who possess the ability to shape their shots to turn right or left. An honest evaluation of where your game falls in relation to its level of talent is the first step in choosing the best type of iron for the game you play. Primary things to consider are your swing speed and the consistency with which you can return the club head to square impact when striking the ball.

What Do You Need To Know About Modern Golf Irons?

Now that you have a general idea of what is an iron; let’s look at some of their main characteristics that should be kept in mind:

• A Set of Irons – as a rule, a complete set of irons includes eight clubs in total with a 3-iron through pitching wedge. However, in the past few years we have observed the growing popularity of blended sets that consist of fewer irons with the addition of hybrid clubs.
• Categories – irons are classified by their lofts into the categories of; wedges, short-irons; mid-irons, and long-irons. Thus, there are sand wedges and pitching wedges, short-irons (8 and 9), mid-irons (5, 6, and 7), and long irons (2, 3, and 4). Although there are sets with standard length shafts, most iron sets come with varying length shafts where the length shortens as the club head’s loft increases. For that reason, many amateur and beginner golfers find the shorter shafted, higher lofted clubs easier to hit since the arc of the swing plane is shorter from the hands to where the club head impacts the ball.
• Distance – The varying lofts of the irons in a set are designed to hit the ball different distances to help golfers better attack their targets. The closer a golfer gets to the green, the less distance will need to be covered with the ball’s flight. The gaps between each loft in the club head set are designed to carry about a 10 to 15 yard difference given that the ball is struck with general consistency at impact. Obviously the lower lofted clubs, the long-irons, will hit the ball considerably farther than will the wedges, with each increase in loft throughout the set carrying less distance right up to those wedges.
• Trajectory – Ball trajectory is understandably determined by the club head’s loft, as just discussed in the previous paragraph. The longer irons with less loft will hit the ball lower and farther, while the shorter irons with more loft will hit the ball higher and shorter. The key to hitting reliable shots with all irons in your bag is to consistently strike the ball with a slightly descending blow. Hit down to make the ball go up using the loft of the appropriately chosen club to do all the heavy lifting. NEVER swing your irons with the intention of trying to “lift” the ball!!