UNDERSTANDING GOLF TERMS

Golf Club Iron Terms:

2-Piece Construction   An iron head made of two pieces of cast stainless steel that are welded together to form a head with hollow head or one with a defined groove or chamber in the cavity.

303 Stainless Steel     Stainless Steel used in iron and wedge heads. This alloy contains a minimum of 17% Chromium, 15% Sulphur and 8% Nickel with the balance being Iron. A more malleable stainless steel alloy used in iron and wedge heads allowing for more custom bending of the head than the standard 431 Stainless Steel.  More malleable than 304 Stainless Steel but not quite as corrosion resistant.  Grade 303 represents the optimum in machinability among the austenitic stainless steels. It is primarily used when production involves extensive machining (CNC milling of grooves or cavity features).

Hardness Elongation(%)
26 HRC  35


304 Stainless steel    Stainless Steel used in iron and wedge heads. This alloy contains a minimum of 18% Chromium, 8% Nickel with the balance being Iron.  A more malleable stainless steel alloy used in iron and wedge heads allowing for more custom bending of the head than the standard 431 Stainless Steel.   More corrosion resistant malleable than 304 Stainless Steel but not quite as malleable.

Hardness Elongation(%)
22 HRC 40 


431 Stainless steel    Stainless Steel used in iron and wedge heads. This alloy contains a minimum of 15% Chromium, 1.25% Nickel with the balance being Iron.  This heat treatable martensitic, nickel-bearing grade has the best corrosion resistance properties of all the martensitic grades. It has excellent tensile and torque strength, and good toughness, making it ideally suited to iron heads. It can be hardened to approximately 40HRC. Because of its high yield strength, this grade is not readily cold worked and is therefore not recommended for bending more than a couple of degrees.

Hardness Elongation(%)
40 HRC 20


432 Stainless steel     Stainless Steel used in iron and wedge heads. This alloy contains a minimum of 16% Chromium with the balance being Iron.  This Stainless Steel is very similar to 431 Grade only slightly more bendable.

Hardness Elongation(%)
32 HRC 28

Approach Wedge   (Attack Wedge, Dual Wedge, Gap Wedge) 52° to 54° wedge used for shots that are in between Pitching Wedge and Sand Wedge distance.

Attack Wedge    (Approach Wedge, Dual Wedge, Gap Wedge) 52° to 54° wedge used for shots that are in between Pitching Wedge and Sand Wedge distance.

Beryllium Copper (BeCu)  An alloy used to produce heads for some irons. More dense than stainless and some players claim it has a softer feel. Beryllium heads are easily identified by their copper coloration.

 

Blade Style Head   (Blades) Also known as muscle-back irons due to a possible concentration of weight directly behind the center of the club face. Predominately used by very experienced golfers as they are very unforgiving, but allow a very experienced player to work or shape his shot.

Bore-through   Method of shaft insertion where shaft is inserted all of the way through the club head so that the tip of the shaft is visible on the sole of the club.

Bounce   Usually referred to when discussing wedge specifications, bounce is the description of one type of sole angle where the back edge of the sole is lower than the front edge. A bounce angle on the sole is what keeps wedges from digging too deep in the sand or getting stopped by tall grass. Measured in degrees, typical bounce angles range from 6 to 15.

Bounce Angle   When looking at the sole of a wedge you will notice the trailing edge hangs beneath the leading edge. This angle in relation to the ground plane is called bounce angle.
 

 

 

 

Cambered Sole  (Camber) The radius measurement of the sole of a club. A sole can be cambered (rounded) from toe to heel, or from front to back, or both.

 

Cast  (Cast Irons, Investment Cast) A process of manufacturing clubheads where stainless steel (containing varying amounts of nickel) is poured into a mold in molten state and removed as one piece.

 

Cavity Back   (Perimeter Weighted)  An iron head with the weight is distributed toward the perimeter of the head. Cavity back irons are easily identified by their recessed area on the back of the head. 

Cavity Undercut   (Undercut Cavity)  A cavity in a cavity back iron where the cavity has been extended down into the sole of the iron, there by moving the center of gravity farther behind the face of the iron producing a more forgiving club head.

Center of Gravity (CG)  The point in a club head where all of the points of balance intersect. The lower the CG, the higher the ball flight. Higher CG clubs produce lower ball flight.

Chipper   (Chipping Iron) An iron used to chip the ball onto the green.  Usually with the loft of 28° to 43°, the length of a standard putter and with a non-putter grip. 

Club Head   The most massive part of the club at the bottom end (opposite the grip or handle) of the shaft.

Club Loft The angle of the club face. It affects the launch angle which determines the flight and distance of the ball when struck.

D-Wedge or Dual Wedge   (Approach Wedge, Attack Wedge, Gap Wedge) 52° to 54° wedge used for shots that are in between Pitching Wedge and Sand Wedge distance.

Die Cast   Injection of material into a pre-formed die to form club heads. This process is generally used on lower-priced heads such as zinc alloy irons and aluminum alloy woods. It is also commonly used on putters made from brass and zinc.

Driving Iron   A golf club with low loft and a muscle or hollow body similar to a wood. The driving iron is a utility club most commonly used by golfers who have difficulty hitting their long irons.

Face (Club Face) That part of the club head which comes into direct contact with the ball.

Face Height  The distance from the Sole to the Crown at mid face (Hitting Area)

Face Length  (Face Width, Hitting Area) The distance from the heel to the toe on the club face which comes into direct contact with the ball.

Ferrule  The decorative trim ring, usually black (It may have additional trim colors.), that is found directly on top of the hosel on many woods and irons.

Forging   Producing a golf club head from a series of forging dies stamping the head to final shape. Forged heads are made of softer metals than cast heads and require hand finishing and chrome plating.

Flow Weighting   Head design where weight positioning shifts from one club to the next. For example, a #1 iron may have more weight concentrated on its toe, a #2 iron slightly less, and so on. Also called Progressive Weighting.

Flat   (Flat Lie)   A relatively shallow or more horizontal lie angle.  Shorter players or players with relatively long arms usually need flatter irons.  Their is no industry standard on lie angles so a standard lie for one company might be the same as a 2° Flat from another or 2° Upright from another.  

Groove The indentations cut into the club face which cause the ball to spin.

G-Wedge or Gap Wedge  (Approach Wedge, Attack Wedge, Dual Wedge) A lofted wedge that is usually designed to fill in the distance between the pitching wedge and Sand Wedge.

Gunmetal  Dark, almost black, finish applied to the surface of iron heads for cosmetic reasons or to prevent rusting of a carbon steel head.

Heel Where the club head is attached to the shaft.

Heel-Toe Weighting   (Perimeter Weighting)   A type of club head design with weight positioned toward the heel and toe of the clubhead, resulting in stabilizing the clubhead (and produce straighter shots) on off-center impacts.

Hosel  The entry point of the shaft into the head on any golf club.

Hosel I. D.   (Hosel Bore Diameter)  The inside diameter of the hosel.  Measured in thousandths of an inch. (0.335", 0.350", 0.410", 0.370").

Hosel O. D.  The outside diameter of the hosel.  Measured in millimeters. (32mm)

Hosel Depth    (Hosel Bore Depth)  The distance from the Hosel top to the bottom of the Hosel Bore.  Measured in millimeters. (12.5mm) 

Hybrid Club   (Hybrid Iron, Hybrid Wood)  A club that combines playing characteristics of both woods and irons; one valid method for differentiating between hybrid irons and hybrid woods is whether the face is flat (like irons) or has horizontal bulge and vertical roll (a curved face, like woods).  These clubs take the place of the long irons, they are much easier to play and give a player added control on long approach shots.  Hybrid Woods will give a higher shot than the Hybrid Irons but not as much control.

Injection Molded   (Investment Cast) The casting of metal club heads from wax moulds.

Investment Cast (Injection Molded ) The casting of metal club heads from wax moulds.

Iron A golf club with a head made of steel or iron and a relatively narrow sole (usually somewhere between 16° and 65° loft and numbered 1 through a variety of "wedges"). 

Leading Edge   The front edge of the clubface where it meets the sole.


Lie
  (Lie angle) The angle, measured in degrees, of the club's shaft when the club is set in the address position as measured from the shaft to the sole of the clubhead.  Iron sets typically range from 57° to 64° with the long irons having a more shallow or lower angle.

 

Loft  The angle, measured in degrees, of the clubhead's face when the club is soled properly. Irons range from 18° to 65° with the long irons having the lest loft and a variety of wedges having the most.

 

Lob Wedge  (LW)  A very highly lofted wedge, usually 59° or 60° (more sometimes), designed for playing high, soft shots from short distances.

Long Irons   The least lofted irons in a set of golf clubs, numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4.  Usually with less than 25° loft.

 

Mid Irons   These irons make up the middle of a set, numbered 5, 6, and 7.  These iron usually range in loft from 25° to 38° and are designed for distance and accuracy on your approach shot onto the green. 

Muscle Back   A style of iron head with a thick amount of metal on the lower half or two-thirds of its back side (thicker than a traditional blade iron and almost the opposite of "cavity-back" or "perimeter-weighted" designs).

Neck (Hosel) The part of the club into which the shaft is inserted.

Offset The distance from the forward most point of the hosel to the leading edge of the blade. Offset will help a player to align the club face with the target, reducing a slice, and may produce higher ball flight.

 

Oversize Iron Head    Any iron head with a Face Height greater than 43mm and a Blade Length greater than 75 mm.

Perimeter Weighting   The Center of Gravity of the club head is centered in the middle although the weight is positioned around the perimeter of the head, thus increasing the sweet spot (an area of the club that when hit gives you the most distance).

Pitching Wedge (PW) An iron with a Loft of 48° to 50°. Used to hit a high shot onto the green.

Progressive Offset   Iron sets with longer irons having more offset and shorter irons having less.

Sand Wedge (Sand Iron, SW) A lofted club with a flange specifically designed (Large Bounce) for (but not limited to) use in the sand.  Standard Lofts of a Sand Wedge range from 55° to 56°.

Satin Finish    Type of finish applied to stainless steel iron heads and metal wood soles through a series of finishing belts or wheels

Short Irons  These irons make up the highest lofted irons in a set, numbered 8, 9, and Wedges.  These iron usually have a loft of 39° or higher and are designed for maximum accuracy on your approach shot onto the green.

Sole  The bottom or underside of any type of golf club. It is where the club rests on the ground in playing position.

Sole Camber    The curvature from the leading edge to the trailing edge.

Sole Weighted Iron    An iron head with the majority of its weight concentrated near the sole of the club, producing a lower center of gravity and therefore a higher shot.

Sole Width  The measure of a sole from the leading edge to the trailing edge. A narrow sole is better from firmer ground where as wider soles are helpful in getting the ball airborne from softer ground.

Square (Box, "U") Grooves     Face lines or grooves pressed, cut, or cast into a rectangular or U shape.  This geometry gives the ball more spin when struck if there is no material (grass, dirt....) between the ball and club face and the ball is struck with a precise down stroke.  All Cast club heads produced by the investment or injection mold process have, to one degree or another, U shaped grooves.

Stainless Steel   Stainless steel used in iron and putter head construction, not more than 20% carbon, 15-20% chromium, and 1.25-2.5% nickel, with the remainder being iron and a few trace elements.

Third Wedge    (Utility Wedge) Manufacturer-dependent and varied, a lofted wedge that differs from a pitching wedge or a Sand Wedge in loft and/or sole characteristics.  Could be Approach, Attack, Dual, Lob or other named Wedge.

Toe   The far end of the clubhead (farthest from the hosel/neck/shaft).

Toe Height  The distance from the Sole to the Crown at toe.

U (Box, Square) Grooves     Face lines or grooves pressed, cut, or cast into a rectangular or U shape.  This geometry gives the ball more spin when struck if there is no material (grass, dirt....) between the ball and club face and the ball is struck with a precise down stroke.  All Cast club heads produced by the investment or injection mold process have, to one degree or another, U shaped grooves.
 

Up-right Lie   (Up-right)  A relatively steep or more vertical lie angle.  Taller players or players with relatively short arms usually need irons with a more up-right lie.  Their is no industry standard on lie angles so a standard lie for one company might be the same as a 2° Flat from another or 2° Up-right from another.

Utility Wedge  (Third Wedge)   Manufacturer-dependent and varied, a lofted wedge that differs from a pitching wedge or a Sand Wedge in loft and/or sole characteristics.  Could be Approach, Attack, Dual, Lob or other named Wedge.

 

V Grooves    Face grooves pressed, cut, or cast into a "V" shape during club manufacture.

Weight     The dead weight or mass of the club head measured in grams

Wedge    (Pitching Wedge, Sand Wedge, Lob Wedge, Third Wedge, Utility Wedge, and so on) A short iron with significant loft mainly for playing shorter, more lofted shots (the amount of loft can vary widely, from a pitching wedge that ranges somewhere between 47° and 52° to a lob wedge that can range from 58° up to 65°).  Wedges come in a huge variety of styles, shapes and names, depending on their purpose and manufacturer.

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