Club with a possibly lofty purpose (4)
I believe the answer is:
iron
'club' is the definition.
(type of golf club)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for iron that I've seen before include "Club to smooth the cloth" , "Press clothes" , "uncompromising" , "Main component of steel" , "Fe - golf club" .)