Fishing and golfing are two outdoor sports activities with striking similarities, both allow the participants to enjoy the quietness and beauty of the nature and the exciting moment of hitting the goal. Also, both are activities that require patience and concentration. As a good fishing line can help an angler to catch fishes, a golf club with the right material can help a golfer to win the game. If you are new to golfing, here is an introductory guide for you to find the right gear.
Aluminum
Primarily used for beginner or junior sets, golf clubs with aluminum heads are more affordable than those with stainless steel heads. Aluminum is a lighter material than stainless steel and is less resistant to scratching and denting. Aluminum alloy and HST aluminum are more commonly used today because of the improved rigidity. Both of them are light and inexpensive, making them generally welcomed by entry-level golfers.
Zinc
Zinc is the least expensive material for golf club heads. It is not very durable and so is more suitable for beginners or juniors, just like aluminum.
Stainless steel
As the most common golf club material, stainless steel is durable and relatively inexpensive. Various types of stainless steel are available for making golf club heads, but 431 and 17-4 are the most widely used in professional golf clubs.
431 stainless steel is soft steel comprising of 0.2% carbon, 15-17% chromium, 1.25-2.5% nickel, iron and a few microelements. It is generally used for irons and putters, but not strong enough for fairway woods.
17-4 stainless steel is hard steel comprising of 0.07% carbon, 15-17% chromium, 4% nickel, 2.75% copper, 75% iron and microelements. It is a common material used to make fairway woods. The harder nature of 17-4 allows the club to generate more compression and distance, which is much desired by professional players.
Carbon steel
Similar to 304 steel, carbon steel belongs to the category of soft steel. It provides excellent feel for woods and irons, but lack the ability to produce good compression and distance, so is seldom the choice of professional golfers.
Maraging steel
As one of the members in the steel family, this new edition of material is considered to be the hardest metal in golf. After going through a special treatment, a maraging steel is made harder than 431 or 17-4 stainless steel. However, the cost of production is also higher, making it less popular among the golfers.
Titanium
This aerospace metal made its way into the golf clubs during the early 1990’s. As a lighter material than stainless steel, titanium can be used to make a larger club head which meet the weight specifications of a normal driver. Another outstanding quality of titanium is excellent strength.
Titanium is generally used to make golf drivers. The most common form is 6-4 titanium, which comprises of 90% titanium, 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. There are many grades of titanium, and when higher grade is used it typically covers only the face material instead of the entire head.
As a much more expensive and lighter material than stainless steel, titanium is seldom used to make fairway woods, hybrids and irons, because a larger head size is needed to achieve the same weight, which will in turn affect usage and performance.
