Tips on Golf Club Selection for your Next Shot

I recently published a golf article, Use Dominant Eye to Make More Putts. I have had a lot of generous and positive feedback from golfers who claim that this article truly helped their putting.

Now, let me pass along some more personal knowledge that I have collected over a lot of years of playing this sport I love, the selection of a golf club from tee to green.

Selecting a club does not simply come from knowing the distance that you want to hit your next shot. The range finder may tell you that the pin is 150 yards away. Your 150 club is maybe a six iron for this example. However, there are variables such as wind speed, direction of wind, elevation of the green and placement of the pin on this green.

Let us start with the wind. For every 10 mph of wind in your face, add one more club. For every 10mph of wind behind you, move down one club. Even if the wind is going across your path it will affect your distance.

Next, look at the green. Is it elevated? Allow one more club for the elevation because your ball will touch down on the green earlier than if the green were flat, or not elevated above the fairway.

Where is the pin located? If it is in the front of the green, add one club to get the ball to the center of the green. If you hit it thin, or fat the ball would probably land on the front of the green. If you hit a good shot, it will land in the middle of the green. If you hit a flier, it may land on the back of the green. In every scenario, you have a putt for birdie.

Then, there is always the significantly higher elevation of a green. In this case, when the green is twice as high as most, you will need to add another club.

Okay, let us assume your shot is 150 yards to the pin. That is a six iron drawing on the conclusion that you normally hit the ball 150 yards with a six iron. The pin is located on the front of the green, so let us go up to your five iron to carry the ball to the center of the green. However, there is a 20mph wind in your face. One club for each 10mph means you will add two more clubs and now you are taking a three iron out of your bag.

But, wait; the green is elevated. You need to move up to the two iron, or hybrid, or whatever you hit 190 yards.

I know it sounds very difficult and you are imagining that it would take forever to do all the math and maybe you are not any good at math. That is something I can not help you with. However, if you can do the things mentioned above with some degree of authority, you will find yourself putting for a lot more birdies.

Hit 'em long & straight