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( Iron (golf))
In the sport of golf, an iron is a class of golf club used to hit a golf ball. The situations in which irons are used vary widely, but are most often used when hitting an approach shot onto the putting green, a shot from the fairway on a long hole, and for "odd" shots such as hitting out of the rough, out from underneath trees or over the tops of trees, or out of hazards. Irons are generally classified by their shaft length (which coincides with their range). The 1 to 4 irons are usually considered 'long irons', the 5 to 7 irons 'mid irons' and the 8-iron through the various wedges 'short irons'. This classification may differ from person to person, depending on skill level and preference. Longer irons are generally used for low, straight distance shots on long holes or from the rough, while shorter irons are used for approach and chip shots and rarely even for putting. The face of an iron is a flat wedge shape, taller at the toe of the club than the heel. The design of the back of an iron varies widely, though they fall into two types, cavity-back irons and muscle-back irons. Muscle-back irons have a solid back with a thick base, while cavity back irons have a hollowed out back, a 'cavity'. Mizuno's 'cut-muscle' design lies somewhere in between, neither fully muscle- nor cavity-backed, with behavior also lying in between the two design classes. The muscle back design is the older style. These designs are also called 'blades' for their low amounts of offset and thinner edge-on profile. This nickname has become synonymous with difficult-to-hit irons, though modern blade design has made them slightly easier to hit. It is often said that "if you can hit a blade, you can hit any kind of iron". Despite this, muscle-back irons are preferred by players whose swing launches the ball on a higher trajectory, as the raised center of gravity lowers the flight path of the ball compared to other clubhead designs.
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