Written by John VanDerLaan
In this article, we’ll take a look at what kinds of golf clubs have numbers, which don’t, what those numbers mean, and how to use those numbers to pick which club to use at any given time. Believe it or not, the numbering system actually makes it easier and simpler for a player on the golf course to make decisions, in the long run.
What Do The Numbers On Golf Clubs Mean?
In almost all cases, the golf club numbers are going to refer to the club’s loft, or the loft of the face angle of the club in a normal playing position. In effect, this is going to translate to how far, and how high the golf ball will travel when struck with that club.
The higher the golf club number, the higher the loft. Which means the shorter, and higher the shot will fly. The lower the number, the farther and lower the ball will be driven and potentially roll out.
This is true for irons, woods, and wedges alike.
Irons
Irons are numbered from 1 to 9, with some rarer sets actually using this system all the way into the pitching wedge by labeling it a “10 iron” or even another wedge as an “11 iron”. This designation is seen mostly amongst Japanese clubmakers.
In the vast majority of sets the numbers will stop at 9 and change to designations such as SW, PW or P and GW for a sand wedge, pitching wedge, gap wedge. These golf clubs each have successively more loft than the 9 iron but the numbering system is abandoned.
Also in modern times, long irons typically start with a 3 iron. 1 irons are almost never seen and 2 irons are rarely seen anymore.
Wedges
Alternate numbering where the loft is printed on the golf club instead of a single-digit number is reserved for wedges. Since the game of golf has evolved to where players are carrying 3 or 4 wedges these days, the labeling has had to evolve, and the most common thing you will see from different golf club brands is that clubs from 48 to 60+ loft will start to have labels that represent their exact degrees of loft, such as 50 or 54 or 56.
Woods
For the driver and fairway woods, it is the same system. The driver is technically, in older terms, a 1 wood and from there you will typically see woods in odd numbered intervals as a matter of convention. It is typically not useful for a player to have two low-lofted clubs with very close lofts, and since everyone carries a “1 wood” (driver), it is most common to see 3-woods and 5-woods although technically 2-woods and 4-woods do exist. Today you could see 9-woods and even in modern times some professional players, such as Dustin Johnson, have found success using as much as a 7-wood in their bag.
You may also see drivers with the drivers loft on them. A driver with 9.5 degrees of loft would be stamped 9.5.
When To Use Which Club In Golf
If you’re learning golf, it is important to figure out how far you hit each club in your golf bag. This can be done on a driving range, or by trial and error on the golf course. A good rangefinder can be valuable for helping you on this learning curve.
Once you have s good idea of how far you carry each club, club selection becomes very easy.
Golf Club Numbers And Carry Distance For Average Players
Keep in mind that these numbers are for an average player and your numbers may differ.
Woods
Wood | Loft(°) | Carry Distance | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
Driver | 8-12 | 200-300 yards | Shot from the tee box |
3 wood | 13-15 | 180-240 yards | Second shots on par 5s |
5 wood | 17-19 | 170-220 yards | Long shots into greens |
7 wood | 21-23 | 160-200 yards | long shots into greens |
Irons
Iron | Loft(°) | Carry Distance | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
3 iron | 19-21 | 180-200 yards | Long irons for long shots |
5 iron | 25-27 | 160-170 yards | Mid Irons for mid range approach shots |
7 iron | 33-35 | 135-150 yards | Short range approach shots |
9 iron | 40-42 | 115-130 yards | Scoring shots |
Wedges
Wedge | Loft(°) | Carry Distance | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
Pitching Wedge | 45-48 | 90-120 Yards | Scoring shots and pitch shots |
Gap Wedge | 50-52 | 80-100 yards | Scoring shots and Chipping |
Sand Wedge | 56-58 | 70-90 yards | Scoring shots and sand shots |
Lob Wedge | 60-62 | 60-80 yards | Scoring shots and flop shots |
How Many Clubs Are You Allowed To Have In Your Golf Bag?
The rules of golf state that you may carry a maximum of fourteen clubs in your bag.
As a beginner, you would be better carrying less until you have some experience playing the game.
A good beginner set of golf clubs should have a driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, a couple of hybrid clubs and 5 iron, 7 iron, 9 iron, a couple wedges and a putter.
That is 11 clubs and more than enough to get started playing golf.
Final Thoughts
Often it seems kind of “backwards” the way golf clubs are labeled, making the game more difficult for newcomers to the game. This is because the number corresponds to the loft angle of the club, not how far it goes. So 9 is more than 8, right? The distance the ball travels will be shorter for the higher numbers.
The number-labeling system is actually just an attempt to get all the technical jargon out of the way and let players quickly decide between a 7 and an 8 iron rather than trying to decide between their 31 or 35 degree iron.
Knowing exactly how far it is to your target is key to knowing how far you hit your clubs. It may be worth it to invest in a rangefinder to help determine your distances.
As you progress in the game, you will learn how far you hit each club in your bag and, as a result, your golf game will improve.
