Here are some basic golf terms that all golfers should know. We separated them by category to make things easier.

And, don’t worry. Remember, golf is never finished. You have plenty of time to learn them all.

Equipment

Let’s start with the gear. Every golfer should be familiar with this is a list of equipment terms:

• Club: The primary tool used to hit the golf ball. Clubs come in various types and sizes, including woods (Yep, we still call them woods), irons, wedges, and putters. Each club is designed for different purposes.
• Ball: This is the object of the game. You hit the golf ball into the hole. Golf balls are designed to provide distance and control. They come in various colors too.
• Tee: A small peg, usually made of wood or plastic, used to elevate the ball for the first shot on each hole.
• Golf bag: A bag designed to hold and organize a golfer's clubs and other accessories, such as balls, tees, and gloves. We like to carry our bag and walk the course when we play. So, we try to keep our bags small with just the right amount of stuff in them.
• Putter: The most important club in your bag, because you use it the most. It has the flat-faced clubhead and used to roll the ball on the green.
• Irons: A set of clubs with flat, angled faces used for all types of shots. They are numbered. The higher the number, the higher the loft angle. The higher the loft angle, the higher the ball will go in the air and shorter distance it will fly.
• Woods: A set of clubs with a rounded head used for long-distance shots. They’re traditionally called “woods” because they were originally made of wood. They’re made of all types of material now, from titanium to carbon fiber. We call them woods to keep things simple. The most common woods are the driver (1-wood) and fairway woods (3-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood).
• Hybrids: Clubs that combine the characteristics of both woods and irons are called hybrids. Sometimes called rescue clubs, they are more forgiving than woods and offer more options than irons on long shots.
• Wedges: Are irons with the highest lofts. They are also specifically designed for short-range shots and special situations, like being in a bunker or deep rough.
• Driver: The longest club in the bag, with the largest head, used primarily for long-distance tee shots. The driver is typically the most difficult club to hit properly.
• Fairway wood: A club similar to the driver but with a smaller, more lofted head. The extra loft helps hit the ball on the fairway. The extra loft also offers more control and accuracy than a driver. That is why many golfers use a fairway wood for tee shots instead of driver.
• Pitching wedge: A wedge used for short, high-trajectory shots approaching the green.