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how to choose the right golf club for each shot

by Estefania Hammes V Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Here's how:

  • Start with your shortest club (sand wedge or pitching wedge) and aim at the nearest target.
  • When you hit a shot solidly and fairly straight, estimate how far it landed in front of or behind the closest target – for instance, 5 yards past the 100-yard ...
  • Move to the next club and continue through the bag.

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As a general rule, most golfers will find 10-15 yards of difference from one club to the next. For example, if their 8-iron flies 140 yards on average, they'll hit a 7-iron between 150 – 155 yards. Write down your average yardage for each club on a small sheet of paper for reference on the course.

Full Answer

How to choose the right golf clubs for You?

The proper grip should let you hold the club using your middle and ring fingers of your left hand with very little touching the pad with the thumb. If your finger doesn’t touch your thumb, it’s a sign that the grip is too big. Although obvious, getting the correct length of shaft is a fundamental consideration when buying golf clubs.

How do you determine the club for a specific shot?

There are two primary inputs in determining the club for a specific shot: Your distance to the target, and how far you normally hit each club. There are several different ways to figure out your yardage to the green or another target.

How important is picking the right club for the shot at hand?

These attributes, along with your golf swing itself, will come together to determine the scores you are capable of shooting. One often-overlooked aspect of the mental game is picking the right club for the shot at hand.

Should Club selection be a factor when playing golf?

The only time on the golf course when club selection isn't a factor is when you are on the putting green – as you better be reaching for your putter at that time. Anywhere else on the course, however, you will need to think critically and decide which club is going to give you the best chance at success.

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How do I choose the right golf clubs for my shots?

To figure out which golf club to use for a specific shot, you need to know the average distance you hit a ball with each golf club in your set. Then, you simply choose the golf club that fits the distance you need to hit. The best way to find out is to hit about 50 balls with each club.

What golf clubs should every golfer have?

The two must-have golf clubs for a golfer are a driver and a putter. Of course, it's up to the golfer to have those clubs catered to their needs and specifications, but every common golfer needs a driver and a putter.

How far should you hit a 7 iron?

Average 7 Iron Distances are following: Beginning golfers- 100 yards (men) or 60 yards (women) Intermediate golfers- 135 yards (men) and 75 yards (women) Advanced golfers- 165 yards (men) or 140 yards (women)

When should I use 3 wood or 3 hybrid?

The main difference between the 3 wood and 3 hybrid is that the 3 wood is used for longer distances, where as the 3 hybrid is better for more precise shots. Fairway woods are generally referred to as woods in common terminology, and they are used for shooting from the fairway.

Should I use hybrids or long irons?

Interestingly, from over 200 yards a hybrid is almost twice as effective compared to a long iron. It is still more effective between 180-200 yards, but that gap closes within 180 yards. This proves that most golfers should not be carrying irons which they can hit over 180 yards – instead, swap them for a hybrid.

What is the most important club in golf?

the putterWhat Are The Most Important Golf Clubs To Own? In total, 54 percent of golfers agreed that the putter is the most important club to have in the bag in order to lower scores. 20 percent of golfers said the driver was their most important club while 14 percent said their wedges.

How far does Tiger Woods hit a 9-iron?

His long irons (2- to 4-iron) range from 250 to 200 yards. His middle irons (5, 6, 7) range from 208 to 172 yards. His 8-iron travels 158 yards, and 9-iron flies 142.

Are old golf balls still good?

You can usually get about 10 years out of an unused golf ball, again, provided that it is stored properly. The best temperature for golf ball storage is around 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Is 250 yards a good drive?

The average driving distance for a golfer with a 5 handicap or less is 250 yards. You might think that's kind of low for a good golfer but it's pretty realistic for someone who isn't a professional. If you hit the ball the average distance you're really not that far away from the average distance of a scratch golfer.

Do you swing a 3 wood like a driver?

Many golfers use a 3-wood when they have a long shot from the fairway, and some players also use the club on the tee box in place of a driver. A good swing with a 3-wood can create greater accuracy off the tee than a driver.

Do you hit a hybrid like an iron?

The key to hitting a hybrid well is to swing it like an iron, not a fairway wood. If you hit down on the ball with a hybrid and take a little divot (above, right), it can be just as easy to maneuver as a middle iron. I'll show you my keys to the most important hybrid shots.

What goes further 5 wood or 3 hybrid?

0:5611:10SHOULD YOU PUT A 5 WOOD OR 3 HYBRID IN THE BAG? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWe can see the five wood much longer from front to back than the hybrid. So that's where the centerMoreWe can see the five wood much longer from front to back than the hybrid. So that's where the center of gravity is gonna be a little bit further back in the head.

What to consider when selecting a short game club?

Aside from the shot that you are facing, the other element to consider in your short game club selection is your personal preference and confidence level. There is plenty of room for creativity and personality in the short game, so don't be afraid to favor one particular club that seems to treat you well. For instance, if you love hitting pitch shots with your sand wedge, feel free to do so even if others would play that same shot on a lower trajectory.

How far can you drive a golf club?

Knowing your own club distances takes time and experience, but you can start on the driving range; most ranges have markers set at specific distances, such as 50, 100, 150 and 250 yards. Here's how: Start with your shortest club (sand wedge or pitching wedge) and aim at the nearest target.

How to attack the green in golf?

Once you have successfully navigated the tee shot and you find your ball in the fairway ( or in the rough), it will be time to pick the perfect club to attack the green. Most of the time, you will be picking a club that can get the ball close to the hole, but not always. For example, if the hole is located dangerously close to a hazard, you may decide to use a different club to play away from the trouble. Remember, you don't have to fire at the flag on every hole to play good golf - you just need to play the hole in as few strokes as possible.

What is a tee shot?

Tee shots are set up shots. With the exception of the par threes, or maybe a short par four, you aren't trying to hit the ball on the green with your tee shot. Instead, you are trying to position your ball to make it easier to hit the green with your next shot. Always keep that in mind when selecting a club on the tee.

Why is club selection important in short game golf?

As mentioned earlier, club selection in the short game is just as important as it is in the long game. Picking the right club to hit a pitch or chip shot from around the green will make it far easier to put the ball closer to the hole. In this case, you aren't worried so much about the overall distance that the club can hit the ball – rather, you are wanting to find the right loft to create an appropriate trajectory.

What happens when you get off the tee?

Once you are off the tee, you can move on to playing your way into the hole. Picking the right club off the tee is a skill that most golfers never develop. Instead of thinking their way around the course, using strategy to conquer each hole, most players choose to simply reach for the driver and swing away.

How to avoid wind when hitting golf ball?

The wind can have a major impact on the flight of your iron shots, so look for signs of a breeze and respond accordingly. Hitting the ball into the wind will obviously shorten the overall distance of the flight, but hitting across the wind can also cost you distance. When playing downwind, resist the temptation to hit the ball high in the air and instead keep it down near the ground to avoid the wind as much as possible. Any time the wind affects your golf ball, you lose control over the shot - so the best method you can use is to pick shots that minimize the influence of the breeze.

How to Choose Golf Club for a Shot?

Every avid golfer knows that selecting the right club is one of the most important decisions to make before every shot.

What is the whole distance achieved by a golf club?

The whole distance achieved by a golf club is the range of the golf clubs and it relies on various factors such as the achieved loft and carry distance, the speed of the swing and the weather conditions.

Do you know if a golf ball is lying?

Although bad lies are part of golf, one should know the lie of their golf ball. The ball may hit your tee shot into the rough or may have landed in a divot.

Why is it important to use the right golf clubs?

Using the right clubs can change the way you play on the golf course and help you reduce your handicap dramatically.

How to grip a golf club?

The proper grip should let you hold the club using your middle and ring fingers of your left hand with very little touching the pad with the thumb. If your finger doesn’t touch your thumb, it’s a sign that the grip is too big.

How far can a 3 iron hit?

With the lowest loft (around 20 degrees), the 3 irons achieve a low and long hit with approximately 200 yards. In contrast, a Pitching Wedge (50 degrees loft) or Sand Wedge (56 degrees loft) produce a high flight but a low distance of approximately 100 yards.

What is loft angle?

Loft. A vital measurement, the loft, or loft angle, refers to the angle formed by a line running down the centre of the shaft and the face of the club. Measured in degrees, a golf club with a relatively low loft, such as 3 iron sitting at 21–23 degrees, will make the ball go further than one with a higher loft.

How to tell if a golf club has a high loft?

You can judge the loft by how much of the face of a club is angled upward or how much the top of the face is angled away from the shaft.

How does a thick grip affect golf swing?

The thickness of the grip can have a massive effect on your swing. A grip that is too thin can lead to golfers having large hand actions leading into the swing. However, too thick a grip will restrict your hands and have an equally devastating impact.

What happens if a golf shaft is too stiff?

Selecting a shaft too stiff will cause lower ball flight and a loss of distance, whereas a shaft too soft can result in ballooning and, again, loss in distance.

Tee Shot

For the most part, golfers will use a driver from the tee when possible on the par-four and par five golf holes. The driver gets the most amount of distance and, when hit well, will give you the greatest advantage when it comes to an approach shot.

Approach Shot

The approach shot on the golf course is going to vary depending on your yardage into the hole. The golf clubs you pull out of the bag should take into consideration the total distance to the hole, the pin location, and the ball flight or launch angle of the club you are hitting.

Fairway Bunker

The fairway bunker typically means that your golf ball is a long way from the hole but still in a bunker-type lie. The key here is to not take much sand and pick it clean. Luckily with a fairway bunker that has a lower lip, you can even hit a hybrid out of the bunker.

Greenside Bunker

Most greenside bunker shots are going to be best suited for a sand wedge. With the greenside bunkers that are very close to the pin with almost no green to work with, the lob wedge is a great choice to consider. Professional golfers are very good at evaluating a greenside bunker lie and determining which club to use.

Chip From Fringe

From the firing, you can take a look at how far away the pin is and decide on which club to use. If you don’t have much room to work with, sometimes you can putt the ball. If you are going over quite a bit of grass, but the pin is still on the front of the green, use a club like a lob that will have more loft.

Ball Buried In The Rough

Experienced golfers will tell you that hitting a driver into the rough is like getting a 1/2 stroke penalty. The average golfer will not hit a great shot out of the rough and have it land close to the pin. The rough makes the interaction between ball and club less effective, and it affects the distance and direction of the shot.

Punch-Out From Under Tree

Sometimes your golf ball will not have room to go up. If you have a tree branch that is causing you to punch the ball out, look for something like a five iron or four iron to help you punch the ball out. Long irons can get a lot of spin and forward roll when they are hit correctly.

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