Golf Tutorials

What Is Each Golf Club Used For?

By Spencer Lanoue
July 24, 2025

Stepping onto the first tee with a bag full of oddly shaped sticks can feel a little overwhelming. Why are there so many? What does this bent one do? That's what this guide is for. We're going to break down your golf bag club by club, giving you a clear and simple explanation of what each one does and, most importantly, when you should use it. By the end, you’ll have the confidence to grab the right tool for the job every single time.

The Two-Second Club Lesson: Loft and Length

Before we get into specific clubs, let's cover the two big ideas that separate them: loft and shaft length. Understanding this will make everything else click into place. Think of it as the DNA of your golf set.

Loft is simply the angle of the clubface. A club with very little loft (like a driver) has a face that’s nearly vertical. It’s designed to hit the ball a long way with a low, penetrating flight. A club with a lot of loft (like a sand wedge) has a face that’s angled way back, almost looking up at the sky. It’s designed to pop the ball up high so it travels a shorter distance and lands softly with minimal roll.

  • Lower Loft = Lower &, Longer Ball Flight (more roll)
  • Higher Loft = Higher &, Shorter Ball Flight (less roll)

Shaft Length is the other a major part of the distance equation. A longer shaft allows you to create more clubhead speed in your swing, which translates into more distance. That’s why your driver is the longest club in the bag and your wedges are the shortest. As you go down through your set from driver to wedge, the shafts get progressively shorter and the clubfaces get more lofted. This is what creates consistent distance gaps between your clubs.

The Power Section: Your Woods

These are the clubs designed for one thing: hitting the ball a long, long way. They have the biggest clubheads and the longest shafts, letting you generate maximum speed and distance off the tee or on long fairway shots.

The Driver (1-Wood)

This is the big dog. The captain of the team. Your driver has the lowest loft and the longest shaft in your bag, making it your ultimate distance weapon. The oversized head gives it a giant sweet spot, which makes it far more forgiving than it might look.

  • What it's for: Hitting the ball as far as possible from the tee.
  • When to use it: On the tee box of most Par 4s and Par 5s. If you have a wide-open fairway and need to cover a lot of ground, the driver is your best friend.
  • A friendly tip: Don’t feel like you have to hit the driver on every long hole! If a fairway is narrow or has trouble (like water or bunkers) at the distance your driver normally flies, a fairway wood or hybrid can be a much smarter and safer play. Course management is all about putting yourself in a good position for your next shot.

The Fairway Woods (e.g., 3-Wood, 5-Wood)

Think of fairway woods as the driver’s smaller, more versatile siblings. They are fantastic all-around clubs that can handle several different jobs on the course. While not quite as long as the driver, they offer a great combination of distance and control that many golfers rely on.

  • What they're for: Long shots from the fairway grass, or an alternative to the driver off the tee when accuracy is more important than pure distance.
  • When to use them:
    • On your second shot of a Par 5 to try and reach the green or get close to it.
    • Off the tee on a shorter or tighter Par 4 where hitting the fairway is everything.
    • From a perfect lie in the fairway when you’re a long way from the hole.
  • About the numbers: The system is simple - the lower the number, the longer the distance. A 3-wood has less loft and a slightly longer shaft than a 5-wood, so it will fly farther. A 5-wood is easier to get up in the air and is a fantastic, reliable option for many players.

The Workhorses of the Bag: Irons and Hybrids

These are the clubs you’ll be using for the majority of your shots, especially those approaching the green. They are all about precision. The goal with an iron is not just to hit it far, but to hit it a specific, repeatable distance.

The Hybrids (or Rescue Clubs)

Hybrids have been a game-changer for so many golfers. They are designed to do the job of the harder-to-hit long irons (like a 3, 4, or even 5-iron) but are far more forgiving and easier to launch high into the air. They combine the small, versatile head of an iron with the hollow, weight-distributed design of a wood, making them fantastic from almost any lie.

  • What they're for: Replacing your long irons. They excel at hitting long approach shots, getting you out of tricky lies in the rough, and are even useful for tee shots on short holes.
  • When to use them: Whenever you would have pulled out a long iron in the past! If your ball is sitting down in the rough, a hybrid’s smooth sole can glide through the grass much easier than the sharp leading edge of an iron. They are your "get out of jail free" card.

The Irons (4-iron through 9-iron)

This is the core of your golf set, designed for approach shots into the green. Each iron - from 4 to 9 - has a progressively shorter shaft and more loft. This is how you create that staircase of distance, where your 7-iron goes about 10-15 yards shorter than your 6-iron, which goes 10-15 yards shorter than your 5-iron, and so on.

  • What they're for: Hitting the green from specific distances. These are your scoring tools.
  • Breaking them down:
    • Long Irons (4, 5-iron): These cover a lot of ground but can be tougher to hit cleanly for new or slower-swing-speed players. They have less loft, so they fly lower and require more speed to get airborne. This is why many players swap them out for more forgiving hybrids.
    • Mid Irons (6, 7-iron): For many people, these are the favorite clubs in the bag. They offer a wonderful balance of distance and control, and are used for countless shots from the fairway during a round. If you're going to practice, the 7-iron is a fantastic place to start.
    • Short Irons (8, 9-iron): As you get closer to the green, you switch to the short irons. They have more loft and shorter shafts, which makes them easier to control. The ball will fly higher, travel a shorter distance, and land more softly on the green, with less rollout.

The Scoring Zone: Your Wedges and Putter

These are the clubs you use around the green. Finesse, feel, and touch are more important than power here. Great wedge play and solid putting are the fastest ways to lower your scores and honestly, have more fun.

The Wedge Family

Wedges are your highest-lofted clubs and are specialists at precision shots from about 120 yards and in. Most golfers carry three or four wedges to cover different types of shots.

  • Pitching Wedge (PW): This usually comes with your iron set and is the next club after the 9-iron. It's the least lofted of the wedges, used for full shots from the fairway and for lower, running chip shots around the green where you have some putting surface to work with.
  • Gap Wedge (GW) or Approach Wedge (AW): This wedge, as the name suggests, fills the "gap" in distance between your Pitching Wedge and your Sand Wedge. It’s perfect for those in-between shots where a full PW is too much, and a soft SW isn't enough.
  • Sand Wedge (SW): Your secret weapon from bunkers! The sand wedge is specifically designed with a feature called "bounce" - a wide, rounded sole - that helps it glide through the sand rather than dig into it. It’s also incredibly useful for high, soft pitch and chip shots from the grass around the green.
  • Lob Wedge (LW): This is your highest-lofted club, typically around 58 to 62 degrees. It's built for creating maximum height on very short shots. You'd use a lob wedge when you need to pop the ball up quickly over a bunker or another obstacle and make it stop almost immediately on the green.

The Putter

The saying goes, "Drive for show, putt for dough." It's true. Almost half of your strokes in a given round راح happen on the putting green. No other club is used more frequently, and no other club requires more feel.

  • What it's for: Simply, to roll the ball across the green and into the hole.
  • When to use it: On the putting green. In some cases, if you’re just off the green on the very short grass (the "fringe"), a putter can be a safer, more reliable choice than chipping.
  • A friendly tip: There are two main styles of putters: "blades" (smaller, classic look) and "mallets" (larger, more modern shapes). There is no "right" answer. The best putter for you is the one that feels balanced in your hands and gives you confidence when you stand over the ball. Try a few out and see what feels natural.

Final Thoughts

Getting to know the role of each club in your bag is a huge step in playing smarter, more confident golf. It transforms that big bag of fourteen sticks from a source of confusion into a toolbox, where every tool has a clear purpose meant to help you solve the a unique problem of your next ahot.

As you get comfortable with what each club can do, there will still be those moments of doubt on the course. That’s precisely why we made Caddie AI. It acts as your personal golf coach, giving you instant, on-demand advice when you’re standing over a shot and really need it. The next time you're stuck between a 7-iron and an 8-iron or facing a wild lie in the trees, you can get a simple, strategic recommendation right in your pocket. It’s all about removing the guesswork so you can step up to every shot and swing with complete commitment and confidence.

Spencer has been playing golf since he was a kid and has spent a lifetime chasing improvement. With over a decade of experience building successful tech products, he combined his love for golf and startups to create Caddie AI - the world's best AI golf app. Giving everyone an expert level coach in your pocket, available 24/7. His mission is simple: make world-class golf advice accessible to everyone, anytime.

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