The basic Golf Irons set consists of 9 clubs the #3 thru #9 plus the Pitching Wedge and the Sand Wedge.  There are also Wedges of varying lofts that some consider golf irons while others relegate them to the “Wedge” category.

Golf irons fit into 2 sub categories.  Blade Style or Cavity Back.  The beginner golfer or occasional golfer should probably choose the cavity back golf iron.  The cavity back iron is just what it implies, the back of the iron is hollowed out creating a cavity.  This causes the weight to be distributed around the edge of the iron, this is helpful for the beginner or casual golfer.  The blade style is a solid head which usually means a smaller head.  Blade style irons are a bit harder to master but once you do you will be able to work the ball much easier that with a cavity back.

The lofts on a golf iron progress up with the club numbers.  The #3 iron being around 20 degrees of loft and the Sand Wedge being around 55 degrees loft.  Also the irons get progressively shorter usually 1/2″ per club.

Golf irons are hit off the fairway and out of deep rough, you will also tee off on par 3’s or short par 4’s with an iron.

Also available is the #1 and #2 Iron which have smaller heads and lower lofts.  These irons are not widely available, but if you look you can find them.  They are also called “Driving Irons”.  These clubs are very difficult to hit, but if you master them they can be a valuable asset to your bag.

Beginner golfers and occasional golfers sometimes have a hard time hitting the long irons, the long irons being the #3 and #4.  If you find yourself having difficulty with these clubs try replacing them with a Hybrid Irons.  We will talk about Hybrid Irons in a future post.

Golf Irons are a very important part of your game and you will find yourself using 1-3 different golf irons on every hole.

For information on the other types of clone golf clubs we have that you’ll need for your bag, check out our What are the Golf Clubs in a Set article, and the Meet the Clubs #4 Hybrid Irons article.