An iron is a type of club used in the sport of golf to propel the ball towards the hole. They are so-called because historically the clubhead was generally made from iron. Whilst the vast majority of modern irons are still made from iron, it is almost always its stronger and more durable alloy, steel. There are three main components to an iron, the club head, the shaft and the grip. The face of the clubhead, used to strike the ball, is scored with grooves designed to impart spin, enabling the skilled player to more easily control the ball. A standard set of 14 golf clubs will contain many irons, which are customarily differentiated by the angle of loft on the clubface, although they will also vary in clubhead size, shaft length, and hence lie angle. Irons are usually numbered, with the 1 iron having the lowest loft, smallest clubhead and longest shaft, through to the 9 iron and wedges, which have the greatest loft, largest heads and shortest shafts. These different characteristics allow different irons to be used from a variety of situations, from the teeing ground, fairway, rough, or from within hazards, such as bunkers.