The woods can be the most difficult items in the golf bag to master. Due to their longer lengths and the distance from which they are utilized, the woods can be very inaccurate if you are unsure of what clubs fit which situation. By understanding what woods are made out of and the distance to expect from each of these clubs, you should have the knowledge to go forth and find lower golf scores.

The typical golfer will have the following numbered woods: #1, #3, and #5. Seniors and women might include a #7, #9, or #11 wood to replace some of the longer irons that are more difficult to make solid contact with. There are also complete golf sets that are made up entirely of woods due to a belief that woods just make contact better and easier than irons ever could.

Golf woods usually are manufactured out of steel or titanium alloy. The introduction of the titanium driver approximately 20 years ago signaled the end of the longstanding wood sets that were made with actual wood. Now, it is extremely difficult to find a set of golf woods that are not made of some kind of metal.

The driver is going to be much harder to control than the fairway woods, or “metals” as they are sometimes now referred to, due to the length of the club being approximately 45 inches. Steel drivers are going to be a little bit easier to control, but titanium drivers are going to provide increased distance over steel-derived drivers. Depending on the player, the typical driver can provide golfers with distance off the tee ranging from 200 yards to 275 yards. Professional golfers usually can get 300 yards out of some their drivers, but this is very rare yardage for amateur golfers.

The #3 and #5 wood are also going to be made of steel or titanium (just like the drivers) and are going to give a golfer increased distance over their long irons (#3-#5 irons). It is a widely held belief that the fairway woods are going to be easier to make solid contact with than long irons, although it has yet to be scientifically proven. The average player can expect to hit their #3 wood anywhere from 150-200 yards, while their #5 wood should provide them with yardages of 125-150 yards.

Golfers are a finicky bunch when it comes to their driver and fairway woods. The amount of distance and the accuracy of the clubs make them very enjoyable to hit but very frustrating at the same time. Mastery of the golf woods will most assuredly remove strokes from your game and make the game of golf more enjoyable.