The 1-wood is the longest club in the golf bag, both in terms of real length (from the top of the shaft to the bottom of the clubhead) and distance played. As a result, it is almost solely used for hitting the golf ball off the tee from the teeing area at the beginning of golf courses. It is the only wood that can be used as an open club (i.e., without the striking face covered by a clubhead). The 1-wood's large head allows the player to get the ball out of tight lies or rough with just one swing. Because there is very little loft on this club, it is used primarily for straight shots. However, some players use the extra length provided by the 1-wood to hit more hook or slice shots than they could with a shorter club. Some courses require you to carry an additional club when playing. If this is the case at your course, then you should carry a 2-wood instead of a 1-wood because it has greater reach than the standard wood. If there are no restrictions at your course, then you can use any number of 1-woods you want to play 18 holes. Carrying multiple woods is optional but recommended. Using several different clubs of equal length will give you more options on how to reach the ball and shoot it farther.