What Golf Clubs Are Used for What Shots?

Walking up to your ball with 14 clubs in the bag can feel like being asked to solve a math problem in the middle of a beautiful walk. But choosing the right club for the right shot is far simpler than it seems, and it's the first step to playing with real confidence. This guide will take you on a tour through your bag, explaining what each club is designed to do, so you can stop guessing and start committing to your shots.

Breaking Down Your Golf Bag: A Club-by-Club Guide

Think of your golf clubs not as 14 different options, but as a family of specialized tools. Each club has a specific loft - the angle of the clubface - that determines how high and how far the ball will go. A lower loft (like on a driver) sends the ball low and far. A higher loft (like on a wedge) sends the ball high and short. Let's look at each family of clubs.

The Driver & Fairway Woods: Your Distance Machines

These are the longest clubs in your bag, built with one primary goal: to hit the ball as far as possible. You'll turn to these clubs on long holes where you want to cover a lot of ground.

The Driver (1-Wood)

The driver is the big dog. It has the lowest loft (typically between 8-12 degrees) and the longest shaft, a combination designed to produce maximum distance from the tee box. This is your go-to club on most par 4s and par 5s to get you as far down the fairway as you can.

• When to Use It: Exclusively from the tee on long holes where distance is the priority.
• A Simple Tip: Because you use a tee, the goal with a driver isn't to hit down on the ball like with an iron. Instead, you want to sweep the ball off the tee with a slight upward angle of attack at impact. This creates a high launch with low spin - the perfect recipe for a long, powerful drive.

Fairway Woods (3-Wood, 5-Wood, etc.)

Fairway woods are your next longest clubs. They have more loft than a driver (a 3-wood is around 15 degrees, a 5-wood around 18 degrees) and slightly shorter shafts, making them more versatile. They act as your long-range specialists.

• When to Use Them (Off the Tee): A fairway wood is a fantastic alternative to the driver when you need control more than raw distance. On a narrow par 4, for example, a 3-wood might be the smarter play to ensure you find the fairway.
• When to Use Them (From the Fairway): This is their primary job. On a long par 5, after a good drive, a 3-wood or 5-wood is often the club you'll use for your second shot to get within reach of the green. They are easier to get airborne off the turf than a driver.

Hybrids: The Best of Both Worlds

If you find long irons (like a 3- or 4-iron) difficult to hit consistently, a hybrid is about to become your favorite club. As the name suggests, a hybrid combines the best features of a fairway wood and an iron. It has the forgiving, easy-to-launch head shape of a wood, but the shorter, more controllable shaft length of an iron.

• When to Use Them: Hybrids are perfect for shots where you'd typically use a long iron (think 170-210 yards for most men). They are incredibly versatile and are often a lifesaver from tricky situations.
• Actionable Advice: Their wide sole helps them glide through the grass instead of digging in. This makes them a much better option than a long iron for hitting long shots out of the rough. Seeing a hybrid in your bag instead of a terrifying 3-iron brings a huge sense of relief to many golfers.

The Irons: Your Versatile Workhorses

The irons are the core of your golf bag and will be used for mostof your approach shots into the green. They are designed for precision and control over sheer distance. The basic rule is simple: the lower the number on the iron, the less loft it has, and the farther and lower the ball will go. The higher the number, the more loft, and the shorter and higher the ball will fly. Most golfers have a consistent yardage "gap" of about 10-15 yards between each iron.

Long Irons (3, 4, 5-iron)

These clubs are for your longer approach shots, generally from 170 yards and out. Because of their lower loft, they require a more precise strike to get the ball airborne, which is why many players replace them with easier-to-hit hybrids. When you do connect with one, it produces a piercing ball flight that is great in windy conditions.

• When to Use Them: On long par 3s or for second shots on par 4s when you're still a good distance from the hole.

Mid-Irons (6, 7-iron)

This is the heart of your iron set. Your 6 and 7-irons are the clubs you’ll likely use most for medium-length approach shots (around 140-170 yards). They offer a great balance of distance and control, producing a ball flight that is high enough to stop on the green but strong enough to hold its line in a light breeze. The 7-iron is often the first club golfers use to establish their "stock" yardage.

• When to Use Them: Your go-to for most mid-range approach shots into the green and a very common club selection on par 3s.

Short Irons (8, 9-iron)

When you're closer to the green, the short irons come into play. With more loft, they are designed to send the ball high into the air so it lands softly with minimal roll. This accuracy is what you need when attacking a pin tucked behind a bunker or water hazard. They are forgiving and much easier for all skill levels to hit well.

• When to Use Them: For approach shots from about ~120-140 yards. Essentially, any time you need precision and want the ball to stop quickly on the green.

Wedges: Your Scoring and Short-Game Tools

Most of your shots happen within 100 yards of the green, and this is where an effective wedge game can save you a ton of strokes. Wedges have the most loft of any club, designed for short-distance precision, getting out of trouble, and delicate shots around the green.

Pitching Wedge (PW)

Your pitching wedge is the starter wedge and is effectively a "10-iron." It has the least loft of the wedges and is a dual-purpose tool. You'll hit it on full-swing shots from the fairway (from about 100-125 yards) and also for longer chip shots around the green where you want the ball to roll out a bit after landing.

Gap Wedge (GW) or Approach Wedge (AW)

As the name suggests, this wedge fills the distance "gap" between your pitching wedge and your sand wedge. If your PW goes 120 yards and your SW goes 95 yards, a GW will fit perfectly in the middle for your 105-110 yard shots. Having one prevents you from having to make awkward, less-than-full swings with your other wedges.

Sand Wedge (SW)

While an obvious choice for greenside bunkers, the sand wedge is far more versatile than its name implies. It's built with a feature called "bounce" - a wide, curved sole that allows it to glide through sand instead of digging in. This same feature also makes it excellent for short pitches from fluffy grass around the green when you want a high, soft-landing shot.

Lob Wedge (LW)

The lob wedge has the most loft in the bag (usually 58-62 degrees) and is built for one job: hitting the ball very high, over a very short distance, and making it stop dead. Think of those epic Phil Mickelson flop shots where the ball pops straight up over a bunker and stops next to the hole. It's a high-skill club, but a powerful weapon for tricky situations near the green.

The Putter: The Money Maker

Finally, we have the putter. It's the most specialized club in the bag, designed for one thing only: rolling the ball into the cup once you are on the putting green. While it's used for the shortest shots, it's arguably the most important club. For most golfers, the putter accounts for nearly 40% of all their strokes in a round. A solid day with this club can turn an average round into a great one. Don't be fooled by its simple appearance, mastering the putter is the fast track to lower scores.

Final Thoughts

Learning what each club in your bag is designed to do removes all the indecision and second-guessing on the course. It turns a confusing choice into a simple process of matching the right tool to the distance and shot in front of you, giving you the clarity to step up and swing with conviction.

Of course, knowing your club's general purpose is the first step, factoring in wind, elevation changes, and what to do from an awkward lie in the rough is where solid on-course strategy really comes in. That's exactly why we built Caddie AI. When you're standing on the fairway stuck between two clubs, or looking at a precarious lie and have no idea what the play is, you can get an instant, expert recommendation. Just describe the situation - or even snap a photo of your ball's lie - and we’ll give you clear, smart advice so you can commit to your swing with true confidence.