Learn about Wood

A wood is a type of club used in the sport of golf. Woods are used to hit the ball farther (greater distances) than any other type of golf club.

Woods are so called because, traditionally, they had a club head that was made from hardwood, generally persimmon[1] but modern clubs have heads made from metal, for example titanium, or composite materials, such as carbon fiber. Some golf enthusiasts refer to these as "metals" or "metal woods" but this change in terminology is not strictly necessary, because while the material has changed, the style and intended use has not. The change to stronger materials has allowed the design of the modern woods to incorporate significantly larger heads than in the past. Because of the increase in club head size, in 2004 the USGA created a new stipulation for the size of the club head. The legal maximum (by the rules of golf) of a wood is 460 cubic centimeters[2].

Woods are numbered in ascending order with the driver, or 1-wood, which is designed to hit the ball the greatest distance, having the longest length and lowest loft, typically between 7 and 13 degrees. However there is no industry standard and some overlap occurs. With the typical loft of a 2-wood being 12-13o a 1-wood and 2-wood could have the same loft. Other differences in club design, such as head size, face roll, weight distribution, lie angle, or club length, could also differentiate a 12o 1-wood intended for tee shots and a 12o 2-wood intended for fairway shots. Most club manufacturers’ matched sets include 1-3-5 numbered wood. Even numbers are less common with modern clubs. The number of the club is mainly a reference for the player to easily identify the clubs. Other identifiers have been utilized such as strong and plus to differentiate various lofts within a line of clubs.

Woods generally fall into two classes, drivers and fairway woods, with a traditional set of 14 clubs comprising a driver, two fairway woods (3 and 5), ten irons and a putter[2]. Many modern sets tend to include hybrid clubs, which combine some of the characteristics of a wood and an iron, to replace the 5 wood and longer (3 and 4) irons.

There was a time when woods were made out of...wood. In fact, these were the clubs of choice during the feathery-ball era, which lasted from the 15th Century to the middle of the 19th Century. With the introduction of the Taylor Made Pittsburgh Persimmon metal-headed driver in 1979, golf club design changed again. Although this club wasn't immediately embraced by purists because of its sound at impact and nontraditional appearance, it nonetheless allowed club designers greater latitude.
With metal (usually steel), the designer can easily make the clubhead larger or smaller, add runners to the sole, or build out the toe--all in an effort to make the club perform better. In other words, to help you hit the ball straighter and with more confidence. Steel also has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than wood, allowing the club maker to use less material without sacrificing strength. The result is a lighter, easier-to-swing clubhead. Also, to help the club perform better and be more forgiving, weight is moved to the perimeter of the clubhead to help it square at impact and be more stable on off-center hits.

adapted from learnaboutgolf.com and wikipedia

Learn about Iron

Irons are golf clubs with a flat angled face and a shorter shaft than a wood, designed for shots approaching the green or from more difficult lies such as the rough, through or over trees, or the base of hills. As with woods, "irons" get their name because they were originally made from forged iron. High-loft irons are called wedges. The higher the number gets on the scale, the lower amount of angle difference from 90 degrees. Irons are often hybrid, cavity-back or muscle-back. A hybrid is any iron that features a head very similar to a fairway wood; hollow steel or titanium with a shallow, slightly convex face. A hybrid head is usually marginally shallower and does not extend backwards from the face as far as a comparable fairway wood. A Cavity-back iron is any iron in which a small to large amount of the metal across the back of the head is removed, allowing that weight to be re-positioned on the perimeter of the head, farther away from the head's center of gravity. A muscle-back iron is any iron in which there is no cavity on the back of the head, i.e., the weight is more evenly distributed across the back of the clubhead.

Wedges are irons with a higher loft than a 9 iron, which is typically lofted at about 42 degrees. Wedges are used for a variety of short-distance, high-altitude, high-accuracy shots such as hitting the ball onto the green ("approach" shots), placing the ball accurately on the fairway for a better shot at the green ("lay-up" shots), or hitting the ball out of hazards or rough onto the green (chipping). There are usually six types of wedges with lofts ranging from 45° to 64°: pitching wedge (PW 48°), gap wedge (GW 52°), sand wedge (SW 56°), lob wedge (LW 60°), and ultra lob wedge (LW 64°)[1]. The pitching wedge is sometimes called or labeled as a 10 iron, and the gap wedge is sometimes called an approach wedge or Utility Wedge and labeled with AW or UW respectively

adapted from wikipedia

Learn About Hybrid

Hybrids are a cross between a wood and an iron, giving these clubs the wood's long distance with the iron's familiar swing. These clubs generally are used instead of high-numbered woods and/or low-numbered irons, though some manufacturers produce entire sets of hybrids or "iron replacements" that incorporate hybrid design to add distance and forgiveness to a player's entire set of irons from 1 to pitching wedge. Most hybrids take the place of an iron, but the hybrid is easier to hit than its respective iron. These clubs are often referred to as "Rescues" because the TaylorMade Rescue was one of the first clubs to utilize this design, as well as the use of the clubs to get one out of a tricky position (to be in fact rescued by the club).

Features you will find on the hybrid are:
•Flatness of the face on the hybrid wood. Woods have a curve on the face but the hybrids are flat just like an iron.
•Weighting that is distributed throughout the club like an iron or fairway wood. Most woods have the focus of the weight distributed towards the front.
•A wide sole like a fairway wood, with a club length similar to an iron rather than a wood


The main idea behind the hybrid wood is to be interchangeable and utilize the characteristics of both an iron and a wood. The resultant club is typically easier to hit with less effort than a traditional long and lower lofted iron. The term “long iron” normally describes all the clubs from a two iron through five.
There are multiple reasons why many recreational golfers struggle with long iron shots and the goal of the hybrid wood is to make it easier for you. The most common problems are:
•Not being able to make a complete shoulder turn on the backswing.

•Swinging too hard and throwing off tempo.
•Lower lofted clubs are harder to hit.

Adapted from wikipedia and learnaboutgolf.com

Singapore Golf supports Tiger Woods

Singapore Golf supports Tiger Woods and welcome his return back to the golfing scene.

Begay 'choked up' by Woods statement

Begay 'choked up' by Woods statement


One of the people Tiger Woods hugged after giving the most difficult speech of his life said he had never seen the world number one so emotional.

"It's a little bit harder than making a swing change," said fellow player Notah Begay, a close friend of Woods since his college days in California.

Begay pulled out of the US Tour event in Mexico to be present and admitted he got "choked up" listening.

The longest embrace was with his Thai mother Kultida and she agreed to speak afterwards as well, saying her son had a "good heart and good soul" but had made a mistake.

She said: "Some of media, especially tabloid, hurt my son bad. He didn't do anything illegal. He didn't kill anybody. But he try to improve himself. He will come out stronger and a better person."

Some sponsors have already dropped or distanced themselves from Woods, but club and clothing manufacturer Nike said in a statement: "Tiger has apologised and made his position clear. Nike fully supports him and his family. We look forward to him returning to golf."

Video company EA Sports president Peter Moore commented: "It was good to see Tiger address the public and we're supportive of his focus toward family and rebuilding his life."

After initial critical comments from players, most notably Ernie Els, about the timing of the statement in the middle of a big event in Arizona, there was a more supportive reaction there on Friday.

"Hopefully he will get everything sorted and I'll welcome him back with open arms," said Sergio Garcia.

Open champion Stewart Cink added: "I was moved by how difficult it seemed to be for him. It sounds like it's part of the recovery or the healing process that he has to go through."

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