The majority of the clubs in a player’s bag are metal clubs that are referred to as “Irons,” and generally come in a set of eight: 3-iron through pitching wedge. Now, the distance you get from each club varies from player to player, but generally the two main differences in each club are their individual lofts and lengths. The higher the club number, the shorter the length and higher the pitch or loft. For example, a 6-iron will be longer than a 9-iron, and will have less loft on it. This will allow the ball to travel further in distance and have a lower flight path than a shot with a 9-iron.

Basically, the longer the iron is, the less loft it will have. As a result, the ball will travel lower and further than a shorter iron typically would travel. For more information on the other clubs in your bag, check out this video on woods.