Selecting the right club for the shot you want to play is a hugely important part of golf. You must understand what you want to do with your shot and the club you need to complete the shot successfully.
To do this, it is recommended you start by going to the driving range so you understand the distance you can hit the ball with each of your clubs.
This is something you probably don’t want to spend your time doing, as you would rather be on the golf course whenever you have a few hours to spare. However, even if you have just 10 minutes, you can still get a decent idea of your average distance with each club.
Simply take the 7 iron and play a few shots. Some you will hit sweetly and others you won’t, so pay attention and make a nice easy swing with the 7 iron and calculate your average distance. You can now plus or minus 10 to 15 yards and up and down the scale of clubs you have in your bag.
So, if you hit 160 years with an easy swing of the 7 iron, you can expect to 170 to 175 yards with the 6 iron and so on.
Clearly it is better if you take the time to play with every club in the driving range and make a note of each distance but as a basic guide, you can use the tip above to work out your distances.
Knowing the distance you can hit the ball with each club, you can make good, well-informed choices about what club to use when on the golf course. This will give you confidence when playing shots and allow you to use the club with a full swing, rather than guessing and taking a little off the shot because you are not sure.
There will be occasions when the wind is blowing and depending on the direction you can think about the club you need to use to compensate. If the wind is blowing towards you and the shot is 160 yards, you know in calm conditions that would mean a 7 iron. However, with the wind likely to take some distance off the shot, you could take a 6 iron instead, knowing the extra 10 to 15 yards it will give you will be crucial to land the ball on the green.
The opposite applies if the wind is blowing at your back and having calculated which club you would usually use for the distance, you can move up to the next club knowing the wind will carry the ball further.
Having a good understanding of exactly how far you can hit the ball with each club will not only see you play better, more confident golf it will also help you when playing in different conditions, such as the wind.
