An appropriate set of golf clubs allows you to hit the golf ball different distances and heights. You would not use the same club to hit off the tee, from the fairway, and on the green. Your clubs all have different lofts, which translate to different heights and distances on your shots. More loft equals more height, thus less distance. Remember that you can only carry 14 clubs in your bag at one time, so choose wisely.
Woods
Golfers use woods to hit the ball longer distances. The standard clubs are a driver, a 3-wood, and a 5-wood. The driver should hit the ball farthest, and is typically used from the tee box. The 3- and 5-woods, also known as fairway woods, are used when facing longer distances; you typically hit them from the fairway, but they can also be hit from the tee box. If you prefer hitting fairway woods to longer irons, consider substituting higher-lofted woods — 7- and 9-woods, for example — for a 2-, 3-, or 4-iron.
Irons
Irons are used to hit the ball from shorter distances than woods, and generally have higher lofts. Irons in a typical bag range from a 3-iron to a 9-iron; the lower number on the club, the greater distance you should get when hitting it, due to a lower degree of loft. Wedges, used to hit the ball around the green, and short distances on the green, are also considered irons. The pitching wedge has the least loft among wedges; the sand wedge, used to hit out of sand traps and similar hazards, has more; the lob wedge, used to hit very high, short shots, has the highest loft, at 60 degrees.
Putter
The putter is used to roll the ball into the hole. It is typically used on the green, but can also be used when your ball is just off the green, depending on the lie and distance to the hole. There are different types of putter heads, such as a blade and mallet.
Hybrids
Hybrid clubs are a relatively new class of club, and are a mix between a fairway wood and a long iron. These have a larger head like a wood, but a shorter shaft and higher loft like an iron, which increases accuracy over a traditional fairway wood. Many golfers have, for example, exchanged their 3- and 4-irons for hybrid clubs.
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