A wood (also called a driver) is a type of club used in the sport of golf. Woods are used to hit the ball farther (greater distances) than any other type of golf club.
Woods are so called because, traditionally, they had a club head that was made from hardwood, generally persimmon but modern clubs have heads made from metal, for example titanium, or composite materials, such as carbon fiber. Some golf enthusiasts refer to these as "metals" or "metal woods" but this change in terminology is not strictly necessary, because while the material has changed, the style and intended use has not. The change to stronger materials has allowed the design of the modern woods to incorporate significantly larger heads than in the past. Because of the increase in club head size, in 2004 the USGA created a new stipulation for the size of the club head. The legal maximum (by the rules of golf) of a wood is 460 cubic centimeters.
Woods are numbered in ascending order with the driver, or 1-wood, which is designed to hit the ball the greatest distance, having the longest length and lowest loft, typically between 7 and 13 degrees. However there is no industry standard and some overlap occurs. With the typical loft of a 2-wood being 12-13° a 1-wood and 2-wood could have the same loft. Other differences in club design, such as head size, face roll, weight distribution, lie angle, or club length, could also differentiate a 12° 1-wood intended for tee shots and a 12° 2-wood intended for fairway shots. Most club manufacturers’ matched sets include 1-3-5 numbered woods. Even numbers are less common with modern clubs. The number of the club is mainly a reference for the player to easily identify the clubs. Other identifiers have been utilized such as strong and plus to differentiate various lofts within a line of clubs.
Woods generally fall into two classes, drivers and fairway woods, with a traditional set of 14 clubs comprising a driver, two fairway woods (3 and 5), ten irons and a putter. Many modern sets tend to include hybrid clubs, which combine some of the characteristics of a wood and an iron, to replace the 5 wood and longer (3 and 4) irons.
