Miscellaneous - Club Selection

During an everyday game of golf, one should always focus on which club is the most appropriate given the specific situation. There are seldom two identical shots during a golfer's career, however, a golfer is permitted to carry only fourteen clubs his/her golf bag.

First of all, you as a golfer must learn which clubs go what distances and which clubs will react differently given the location of the ball on the course. Sometimes the ball will be in the rough, sometimes not. Sand comes into play often as does uneven turf.

Perhaps the most important aspect in club selection is to choose the club which will go the appropriate distance. This begs the question, "which club goes what distance". To answer this question is simple, although seldom is the answer what the inquirer expected or even hoped for.

I answer my students when they ask this question as follows:

"I can give 100 golfers the exact same golf club and have them hit a ball. The result will be 100 different distances, some drastically different some very similar. The single most important factor in determining a given club's distance is the player swinging it. Therefore, a golfer must take time to learn what clubs go what distances for them. As well, it is important to learn how far each club causes the ball to fly in the air and how far it will role after returning to terra firma. Only then will a golfer know what club is capable of what distance and then apply that knowledge when placed out on the golf course."

The only way you can learn the things that you need to about how far the ball will travel (total distance, flight, roll, etc.) when struck by any particular club is (unfortunately) to practice, practice practice.

TheGolfExpert