Not so long ago, filling a golf bag was a wonderfully straightforward task. You had three fundamental categories: woods (typically purchased as a neat three-piece set of a 1-wood, 3-wood, and 5-wood), irons (where wedges weren't a separate entity, but simply the highest-lofted clubs in the set), and a putter.
In time, a few sub-categories emerged - cavity backs joined blades, and mallets challenged classic blade putters - but the structure remained remarkably simple.
