How to Pick the Best Clubs for Your Game by Reading Golf Club Reviews

Getting the right equipment for your game of golf is very important. In fact, it’s probably one of the most vital. Without the right tools your game will be frustrating and your handicap poor. Finding the perfect tools will only benefit you and your game. Here at golfclubreviews.org our aim is to help you get it right first time. We’ll be giving you regular golf club reviews written by golf experts and amateurs, who know how important it is to have the right kit. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a complete novice or a seasoned veteran of the game. Reading a golf club review will ensure you find the right ones for you.
golf clubs
Whether you’re looking for putters, wedges, irons, drivers, or want to learn more about hybrids, we’re the go to place for all you need to know. We’ll be reviewing a range of clubs for all levels of player, and helping with valuable advice about the type of club to buy.

First, let’s look at some of the golfing jargon you might encounter, in order for you to better understand what you read.

Golf club terms you’ll encounter when reading our golf club reviews

Before you start reading the latest reviews of golf clubs, it’s wise to gain an understanding of some of the terms that’ll be used. So here goes, with our introduction to golf club terms.

Backspin – This is when the top of the ball rotates back towards the player. Backspin creates lift, which leads to better distance.

Backweight – This refers to any weight that might be added to the back of the clubhead. The reason for adding extra weight to a driver would be to lower the center of gravity and move it away from the face. This will help players who have problems getting the ball in the air. Adding weight to a putter will increase the moment of inertia, or the heads resistance to twisting. This helps those who have trouble hitting their putts in the center of the putter’s face.

Center of gravity – Within the head of a golf club, is a point where it is perfectly balanced. This is the head’s center of gravity. Its position can affect a shot’s trajectory. If its low, for example, and towards the back of the clubhead, a higher trajectory will be encouraged.

golf club speedClubhead speed – This is a measurement of how fast the clubhead is travelling when it impacts the ball, and is usually measured in miles per hour. Typically, an average male who plays golf for recreation, is swinging at around 85 mph, while an average female would be swinging at about 60 mph. A typical professional will be swinging upward of 100 mph. This measurement is also known as swing speed.

Face angle – This refers to the alignment of the clubface, in relation to the target line. It’s measured in degrees, and usually forms part of the manufacturer’s technical specification. A ‘square’ face angle means the clubhead is aligned directly at the target line. An ‘open’ face angle is when the clubface is aligned to the right and it is ‘closed’ when aligned to the left of the target line.

Flex – The flex rating of a club refers to the shaft’s ability to bend during the swing. All shafts exhibit flex to varying degrees. If your swing is fast a softer flex will be better, while slower swings will benefit from a shaft with greater flex. The five common ratings are Ladies, Seniors, Regular, Stiff, and Extra Stiff.

Forgiveness – Certain design and construction elements have been included in golf clubs to lessen the effects of ball swings, and when the club makes poor contact with the ball. If a club has a lot of these special features it is said to be very forgiving, and will be known as a game-improvement club.

Leading edge – This is the edge of the club that leads during the swing.

Lie angle – This is the angle between the sole and the center of the shaft, or the club’s ground line when it’s soled on flat ground. Nearly always they range from mid-50 to mid-60 degrees. Long irons have a flatter lie angle, while short irons have a more upright lie angle.

Loft – The angle at which the clubface lies, in relation to a vertical face represented by the shaft, is called ‘loft’ or ‘loft angle’. Picture a straight line running down the shaft to the ground. Picture a second line, extending down from the top of the clubface to the ground. The point where the two lines meet, creates an angle which is called the golf club loft or loft angle.

Moment of inertia – MOI, is a term usually applied in golf to clubheads, and refers to its resistance to twisting. The higher the MOI, the more resistant to twisting.

Offset – This is a design feature of golf clubs where the leading edge is set back from the neck. In other words, the shaft appears to be in front of the clubface.

Perimeter weighting – Almost always applied to irons, this term means distributing the weight in a clubhead more evenly. Rather than being concentrated behind the center of the clubface, which is usually referred to as the ‘sweet spot’. Perimeter weighting changes where the clubs center of gravity is, the moment of inertia, the flex, feel and even how the club sounds on impact. This particular type of club is also substantially more forgiving.

Time now to take a close look at the golf club, and introduce you to the most important parts.

Understanding the parts of your equipment, to better understand a golf club review

We’ll be offering up for your delectation plenty of golf club reviews. So in order to better understand the parts of a golf club that we’re referring to let’s walk you through the different parts of a golf club. We’ll start at the top, the bit you hold in your hand, and work our way down.

correct, gripGrip
This is the part right at the top of the golf club, and is the bit you hold in your hands. Made from synthetic rubber composite they are designed to suit all preferences. The most popular are wraps, but there are also corded or uncorded. Wraps are usually the cheapest form of grip. Good in the rain, or if you’ve got a tendency towards sweaty hands, they also help with correct hand placement. Corded grips have a fuzzy feel to them, but they are also durable. Their tough feel comes from the inside material of the grip being pulled through so that it’s outside. If you prefer smooth and seamless, then non-corded should be your choice. They also beautifully deaden the feel of impact, which can often be painful for the hands. Grips also come in different thicknesses, oversized, standard, and undersized. Which you choose will depend on the size of your hands and fingers.

Shaft
There are two options here, graphite or steel. The shaft serves as an extension of your arms, and gives you control of the clubhead. Steel is heavier than graphite, and also has a stiffer flex and less torque. All of which means that steel shafts usually offer more accuracy. Graphite is much lighter in weight and has additional torque. These qualities increase the speed of the clubhead and give greater height in the shots. A graphite shaft will also dampen the vibration upon impact, unlike a steel shaft which offers a lot of vibrational feedback. This particular characteristic is however, preferred by many players, particularly those who frequently mishit. Graphite is the most popular choice for high-handicappers, children, and beginners because of its user friendly characteristics. Once you’ve decided on either steel or graphite, you’ll next have to consider flex. The slower your swing speed, the softer the flex of your shaft.

Ferrule and hosel
The shaft of a club inserts into the hosel. It appears to be the neck of the club head. The ferrule is a round piece of hard black plastic and covers where the shaft and hosel meet. It serves no particular purpose, apart from adding to the aesthetics of the club. Rather than a hosel, some clubs use a bore-thru design. This means that there is a hole in the club heel that runs through the head. The shaft will be attached via this hole.

The head of the club
There are several options when it comes to choosing your club head. Tungsten, steel, titanium, or a combination are the options. The club head is the heaviest part of a golf club. Weight helps to produce speed and keep the swing on-plane. The face of the club head will have grooves or scorelines, which help to give the ball spin, and which away any moisture that may be between the ball and the face of the club.

Now you know some of the most common terminology, and we’ve taken you on a road trip, from top to bottom of the golf club, perhaps you’d be interested in a spot of history.

Where does the game of golf come from?

golf clubs reviewsThe word itself, comes from several old Scottish words. Golve, gowl, or gouf are three possibilities, but it’s also thought that the word was borrowed from a medieval Dutch game ‘spel metten colven’, which means a game played with a club. Over the years, golf became a more consistently used name for the game we now know.

It’s very difficult, in fact nigh on impossible, to know exactly where the game was first played. Theories abound, but we do know that in the Middle Ages, a number of stick and ball games were played, that were very similar to golf.

The Scottish form of these types of games was one that involved striking a ball into a hole in the ground. That certainly sounds familiar. European games such as Jeu de Mail a la Chicane or Pall Mall, had slightly different rules. These games involved aiming at a target above the ground. In Pall Mall the target was a hoop, whereas Jeu de Mail a la Chicane had a tree or door as the target.

The earliest reference to a game known as golf was in 1457. King James II of Scotland banned the game of golf, along with football, because he felt it was keeping his subjects away from archery practice. James III banned the game of golf again in 1471, and James IV in 1491, for the same reasons. Because the game was banned in 1457, it would lead us to believe that the game was being played many years earlier.

We hope that we’ve got your interest, and you’ll be joining us again for our golf club reviews.