Golf Club Parts — (Examples of Clubheads, Grips, Shafts, Hosels)

If you’ve ever thought about investing in new golf equipment or researching what clubs fit you the best, you’ve probably come across all the different golf-specific names.

Understanding all these words can be challenging, but it is definitely a must to make intelligent decisions when buying new golf gear. In this article, we will share the parts of a golf club and its clubhead and go over the basic club technology terminology.

The Parts of a Golf Club

First, let’s start with the absolute basics. The golf club consists of three main parts: the grip, the shaft, and the clubhead. These three parts have many different versions that suit different types of golfers.

The Grip

The grip is the only part of the golf club that you actually touch and can be made of plenty of different materials. The grip’s job is to connect you with the club provide stickiness so that you can swing the club without worrying about your hands sliding and, most importantly, that you don’t drop the club.

• Wraps

Wraps are usually the cheapest of the three and are designed to be good in rain and with sweaty hands. They can also help the golfer with proper hand placement. 

• Corded Grips

Corded grips look a little fuzzy and feel the same as the inside of a golf glove. Cords have a tougher feel, and they are highly durable. Because of this tougher feel, cords have a very responsive feeling to them. One drawback with cords is that they often come in at a higher price than the other alternatives. 

• Non-corded Grips

Non-corded grips are the smoothest out of the bunch by deadening the feel at impact. At the end of the day, the grip is not so much about performance but rather personal preference. The next decision you’ll have to make is the thickness of the grip, which depends on the size of your hands. Every grip style is available in standard, oversized, and undersized versions. 

The Shaft

The shaft is essentially an extension of your arms and is either made of steel or graphite. The shaft allows you to create clubhead speed, and one of the key components to creating maximum speed is also the flex of the shaft.

• Steel Shafts

Steel shafts are usually featured on irons, and they are the choice by most male professional golfers. These shafts have a stiffer flex and less torque than graphite, which means that a good player will be more accurate and hit longer with them. 

Steel shafts also provide a lot of feedback on every strike, but they are not always suitable for golfers with slow swing speeds. 

• Graphite Shafts

Graphite shafts are much lighter and usually have more flex than steel shafts. They are not very popular in men’s irons, but drivers and woods always have them. Graphite shafts have less vibration at impact, which can be more comfortable if you hit frequent miss-hits. 

Because of the lower weight and increased flex, a golfer with a slow swing speed will generally generate more clubhead speed and distance with a graphite shaft. 

The Clubhead

The clubhead is the part of the golf club that impacts the golf ball, and there are three types of clubheads: irons, woods, and putters. There are also plenty of variations inside these three categories.

• Irons

Iron club heads are always made of steel and can be forged or cast. Forged irons are pounded into their final shape, and cast irons come out of a mold. 

• Woods

Woods are the clubs that go the furthest, and they’re called woods because that’s what they were originally made of. Today, they are made of either steel, titanium, or composite materials such as carbon.

• Putters

Putters are used on the green and come in three different club head styles: blade, mid-mallet, or mallet. The main difference between these three is the size and weight of the clubhead, which impacts the putting stroke significantly. 

The clubhead is perhaps the most interesting part of the golf club and impacts the shot heavily, so we’ll go over it in more detail now.

The Parts of a Golf Clubhead

The head of the golf club has four different parts:

• The Hosel

The hosel is where the club head connects to the shaft and is pretty much the same on all golf clubs. Between the hosel and the shaft, there’s a small piece of plastic called a ferrule. 

• The Face

The face of the golf club is where you impact the golf ball. The face is generally the same across most golf brands, with the difference being the degree of slope between the golf clubs. Some golf gear manufacturers like TaylorMade use carbon fiber in their entire club head, including the face, on their fairway woods and driver. 

• The Sole 

The sole of the golf club is virtually the same across all manufacturers but plays a big part in the golf shot. The sole’s job on an iron is to dig in evenly into the turf and take a divot. On a fairway wood, the broad sole’s job is to slide over the turf and be as forgiving as possible. 

• The Back

The back of the golf club can be very different depending on the style, manufacturer, and clubmaking procedure. There are three main design styles that impact the back and sole significantly: cavity back irons, muscle-back irons, and blade irons. The difference between these versions will be in both forgiveness and performance.

Terminology: Club Technology

As previously mentioned, golf has a lot of sport-specific jargon, which can be challenging to understand.

• Center of Gravity

Center of gravity, also known as CG, is the point of the golf club’s clubhead where all balance points intersect. A lower CG provides a higher ball flight, while a higher CG means a lower ball flight. 

• Loft

Loft is the angle of the clubface and affects the ball’s trajectory and distance. Every golf club in the bag has a different name, and the higher the number the greater degree of slope the club has. 

• Offset

An offset golf club has an increased distance between the face of the club and the hosel. This gives the player some extra time to square the clubface, and is usually used by golfers struggling with a slice. 

• Torque

Torque is a measure of the shaft’s resistance to twisting, which can be very important for high-speed players. Low torque shafts will have less twist and are therefore better suited for golfers with high swing speed. 

• MOI

MOI is the moment of inertia. This is how the clubhead avoids twisting when the ball is not struck in the center of a club, or the sweet spot. The higher the MOI, the more straight the golf ball will fly on a mishit.

FAQ Section

What are the parts called on a golf club?

The three main parts of all golf clubs are golf grips, golf shafts, and clubhead. They all play a crucial part in the golf swing, with many different versions to choose from.

What are the four parts of the golf club head?

The four parts of the club head are the hosel, the face, the sole, and the back. 

What are the parts of a golf iron?

The parts of an iron are the same as any other golf club, but there are some differences when it comes to these parts. Irons use standard grips from brands such as Superstroke, Project X, Golf Pride, and Winn. Then the club shafts are usually steel, but they can also be fitted with graphite. Irons use iron heads, which create a lot of accuracy and spin. 

What is the face of a golf club called?

The face of a golf club is called the clubface, and it will look different depending on what club you’re using.

Conclusion: Research by Tellmemoregolf.com

There are many golf club components, and they all play an essential role in the golf swing. There are also many versions of every part that suit different golfers. Hopefully, you now have a better idea of the different parts, what they’re called, and what they’re used for. Thank you for reading this article from TellMeMoreGolf.com – your favorite informational golf site.

Patrick Corley

From a golf scholarship to a Southern California University, to a private golf coaching career and an instructor position at a nonprofit organization, I’m here to help you get better at golf! With my 50+ years of golf experience; I bring you Tell Me More Golf. A golf coaching website that helps your game with instructional golfing content that’s ultimately geared toward making you a better golfer and having more fun!

Our golf instructor team brings it all to you, so enjoy!

• Learn more about Patrick Corley's Work