INESIS ADVICES

Composition of a golf club

Composition of a golf club

A golf club has a grip, a shaft and a club head.

Grip

There are two main grip shapes:
A REMINDER grip has an edge round the back of the grip along the whole length. This bar guides your hands so you hold the club correctly when you address the ball.
A ROUND grip doesn't have an edge and can be positioned in any way on the shaft.

Composition: Grips can be made from different materials: rubber (light and inexpensive), polymer (hard-wearing), leather (comfortable) or cord.

How to tell you have the right grip: Take one of your clubs and hold it as normal. Take away your right hand (or left, if you are lefthanded) and keep hold of the club with your other hand. Look at the hand holding the club: if the tips of your middle and ring fingers touch the palm of your hand, then the grip is the right size. If the tips of your fingers dig into your palm, the grip is too small. If the tips of your fingers don't reach your palm, the grip is too big.

Shaft

The shaft connects the grip to the head. It is what drives your swing.
It's vital to choose a shaft adapted to your use. The main criteria to consider is the flex (shaft flexibility). Golfers with a fast swing should take a stiff shaft.

Shafts are classified as follows:
For soft swings: L (Lady), A (soft), R (regular),
For fast swings: S (stiff) and X (extra stiff).

Composition:  prefer a GRAPHITE shaft (lightweight) for higher speeds and easier handling, giving more POWER and FORGIVENESS
However, a STEEL shaft (fairly heavy) is recommended if you want more control and feel (better feedback), giving more PRECISION

Club head

This is a particularly important part of the club because it characterises the club's loft, which comes from the angle the club face forms when placed upright on the ground. A moulded head is FORGIVING, a forged head PRECISE.

MOULDED/CAVITY BACK HEAD: A cavity head has peripheral weight distribution. The sweet spot, the optimum strike area for a successful shot, is thus increased.  The wider the head cavity, the easier the club will be. Weight distribution compensates for centring errors.

FORGED/FULL HEAD: better performance, but requires higher strking precision. These heads are only intended for proficient and competent golfers. Even weight distribution.
If you need even more FORGIVENESS, choose an oversize head : Gives a bigger sweet spot (Oversize or Midsize head), which increases your chances of good ball contact and flight.  As the sweet spot (best part of the club face to strike the ball) is larger, it will be easier to achieve regular successful shots.