| Throughout the world there must be millions of | | | | three iron travel any further than a shot from a |
| weekend golfers who play the game they love | | | | five iron.See what I'm saying about being |
| just once in their hectic and sometimes very tiring | | | | frustrated! Next, the 6 and 7 irons - or mid irons |
| week, hoping to find out the secret of this | | | | are used if you are lucky enough to hit a half |
| magical but really frustrating pastime. One topic | | | | reasonable shot with a long iron, leaving the ball |
| inevitably crops up when we make our weekly | | | | just a bit too far for an 8 or 9 iron (which are |
| pilgrimage around the 18 shrines we call a golf | | | | used for play closer to the green) you can then |
| course.Golf clubs! Now there's a subject I | | | | hit the mid-iron in the hope that you will reach the |
| guarantee always comes up on a round of golf. If | | | | green and give yourself a reasonable chance of |
| not on the course, then certainly in the clubhouse | | | | sinking a putt.The sand wedge and pitching wedge |
| afterwards, where we are celebrating perhaps | | | | are used around the green for particularly close |
| one good shot in a round or drowning our | | | | shots that don't quite land on the green or finish |
| sorrows in a beer glass for yet another waste of | | | | up in the sand of a bunker. And finally, while on |
| a good morning.Let's examine the clubs further. | | | | the smoother surface of the green, you get to |
| Firstly, we usually have two or three woods in | | | | use the putter. You have probably seen these |
| the 14 permitted clubs we are allowed to carry in | | | | implements in all shapes and sizes. Like |
| the bag (what a strange number). A driver is the | | | | broomsticks, extra pieces stuck on the handle and |
| biggest of them all - both in head size and club | | | | all sorts of different club heads.Let's see what the |
| length - and, in theory at least, if used correctly, | | | | generalisation is then: all iron clubs vary in degree |
| can and should hit the ball the longest distance. | | | | of angle. If you imagine the one iron as being |
| Why oh why can't I hit the ball like that nice Mr | | | | almost straight, the 2, 3, 4, etc, all have increasing |
| Woods just once in my lifetime. Granted he is | | | | angle on the club head to give you more lift when |
| more talented than I and he practises about 18 | | | | you hit the ball. Therefore, the sand iron and the |
| hours a day, but it still would be nice just once to | | | | pitching wedge would have the greatest angle, |
| hear that crisp click of the ball leaving the club | | | | thus giving you the most lift from the ground.If I |
| heading in the right direction.All higher numbered | | | | sound like a text book, I am sorry. I have tried |
| clubs are supposed to do about the same thing, 1, | | | | for almost 15 years to find out the secret of |
| 2, 3, 4 and 5 irons are also supposed to be hit | | | | which club to use for which shot but I still |
| huge distances yet no matter how often I have | | | | generally finish up using a five-iron for pretty well |
| had lessons, I can't seem to make a shot from a | | | | everything. |