Demystifying golf clubs

Woods have evolved from actual wood to composite materials today. Golf clubs have embraced technology to evolve into mean machines with superior power and control.

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Woods have evolved from actual wood to composite materials today

 

Special feature by Anand Datla

 

The sight of a caddie heaving a loaded bag of golf clubs and assorted accessories is a familiar joy for many a golfing fan. There isn’t a single fan who hasn’t wondered about the contents of a professional golfer’s elaborate bag.

 

In this series, Golfing Indian makes an attempt to demystify golf clubs, bringing you closer to the finer detail behind club selection and give you the ammunition to sound cool, the next time you are in a conversation about golf.

 

Let us start with the Woods.

The “Wood” collection, like the rest of them, are also clubs made of steel or titanium alloys. The clubs derived their name from the fact that they were actually made from persimmon or laminated Wood well into the late 1970s.

 

These clubs, typically, have a substantial head and a lengthy shaft. These two features combine to make the Wood one of the more difficult clubs to handle. Professional golfers spend endless hours honing their ability to gain distance without sacrificing control while using these clubs.

 

The 1-Wood is also known as the driver, most often used at the tee or to follow through to carry the golf ball from the fairway through to the green. The Wood is capable of helping the golfer clear between 200 and 350 yards, depending on the distance between tee and pin.

 

TaylorMade introduced the first metal Wood in 1979. Ever since the clubs have become far more manageable with the aid of technology. The current generation have the benefit of playing with clubs that have a feather light graphite shaft and a nearly hollow head made from composite metals.

 

The clubs have grown longer with time, with the present lot measuring as much as 45.5 inches with a variety of flex options based on the golfers swing variations. The volume of the head is around 460 cm³, which is also the maximum allowed for professional golf.

 

These clubs have a flat bottom and a marginally increasing loft that raises with the number on the Wood. The number on the Wood ought to be lowered with increasing distance.

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