When we get started in the game of golf, there’s a lot to get our head around in terms of technique, ball setup, and how we swing the club. The only thing necessary is what golf club we need. In golf we have to quickly learn how far we hit the ball, and how far we can hit the ball with each club. This is difficult when we have up to 14 putters in our bag, but gaining an understanding of our distance control will allow us to choose the right putter for any given shot. This will help to improve our games quickly.
First, let’s make sure we know exactly what each club is in the bag. This is the first step to knowing which golf club we need in what situation.
driver: Big dog! The largest club in our golf bags that sends the ball farthest. We usually use this off every tee on a four- or five-hole hole and sometimes on a very long triple. Because the club face on the driver is so straight, we need to rise from the ball position up to get our shot off the ground. Occasionally on a long hole and from a good position on the fairway we could also use a driver. But be warned, this is a very tricky shot to get right.
Fairway Woods and Hybrid Clubs: These aren’t really woods anymore, due to their metal heads, but can be anything from two to nine woods. Hybrids are a cross between a salkwood and a long iron and are more forgiving for the golfer. For these clubs, we’re looking to hit 150+ yards and make it through the air.
Two irons to nine irons: The main purpose of our iron clubs is to hit approach shots towards the green. This usually means between 100 and 190 yards for the average golfer. To determine the correct club, the lower the number, the farther the ball will move. These are the clubs we generally use from the rough or rough fairway, while we usually need an iron from the tee on most of the three holes.
wedges: The right clubs to use when we have shots from about 90 yards and under that we want to be high in the air. The thrower’s wedge will go farthest, while the goal of the wedge is to lift the ball high into the air as fast as possible so that it lands softly. The sand wedge is true to its name – it’s the right stick for hitting the sand in the cellar.
hang around: on the green! The short stick is the correct stick to get the ball into the hole on the green, hopefully in one or two shots. We can also use a paddle on some shots from the green, but make sure the ground is not rough.
These are the correct clubs and the situations they should be used in, but then we need to know how far each club will go. There’s clearly a big difference between a scratch golfer and someone just starting out, so here’s a guide to expected lengths for different players.
club |
low handicap (m) |
Low handicap (F) |
driver |
250 yards |
200 yards |
3-wood |
230 yards |
180 yards |
5-wood |
215 yards |
170 yards |
hybrid |
215 yards |
170 yards |
3-iron |
205 yards |
160 yards |
4-Iron |
195 yards |
150 yards |
5- Iron |
185 yards |
140 yards |
6- Iron |
175 yards |
130 yards |
7- Iron |
165 yards |
120 yards |
8-iron |
155 yards |
110 yards |
9-Iron |
135 yards |
100 yards |
erecting a wedge; |
125 yards |
90 yards |
sand wedge |
105 yards |
70 yards |
gap wedge |
95 yards |
60 yards |
club |
Average disability (m) |
Average disability (E) |
driver |
220 yards |
180 yards |
3-wood |
205 yards |
160 yards |
5-wood |
190 yards |
150 yards |
hybrid |
190 yards |
150 yards |
3-iron |
180 yards |
140 yards |
4-Iron |
170 yards |
130 yards |
5- Iron |
160 yards |
120 yards |
6- Iron |
150 yards |
110 yards |
7- Iron |
140 yards |
100 yards |
8-iron |
130 yards |
90 yards |
9-Iron |
120 yards |
80 yards |
erecting a wedge; |
110 yards |
70 yards |
sand wedge |
95 yards |
55 yards |
gap wedge |
85 yards |
50 yards |
club |
High obstruction (m) |
High obstruction (F) |
driver |
200 yards |
180 yards |
3-wood |
185 yards |
160 yards |
5-wood |
170 yards |
150 yards |
hybrid |
170 yards |
150 yards |
3-iron |
160 yards |
140 yards |
4-Iron |
150 yards |
130 yards |
5- Iron |
140 yards |
120 yards |
6- Iron |
130 yards |
110 yards |
7- Iron |
120 yards |
100 yards |
8-iron |
110 yards |
90 yards |
9-Iron |
100 yards |
80 yards |
erecting a wedge; |
90 yards |
70 yards |
sand wedge |
70 yards |
55 yards |
lob wedge |
60 yards |
50 yards |
Other factors:
Of course, many things come into play when we are queuing up to decide which club is right for a particular shot.
Weather conditions are a big factor. If you play a hole in the wind, the ball won’t move very far. When we use the term “one-club wind,” it means that we think the wind will affect the ball on a single-club pitch. If we would normally hit a six-iron from that distance, we would instead choose a five-iron and so on. Alternatively, when playing a hole downwind, we choose a seven-iron instead of a six-iron. While the ‘two-club wind’ means it’s a breezy day and we have to pick two more or less teams than usual.
If we are playing on a cold day in the winter, the ball will not fly through the air in the same way as on a hot day in the summer. We have to realize that in our club selection. In terms of course conditions, if the track is wet and torrential due to rain or the time of year we have to take a paddle more often than if the track is dry and hard and the ball will run a lot more when it hits the ground.
Age also plays a big role in choosing a club. If we’re in our 20s, congratulations, we can probably hit the ball as much as we like. If we’re in our 40’s and 50’s (or older), we likely have some aches and pains and just can’t swing through the ball like we used to. So let’s not fool ourselves and admit it when deciding which club is right for us. This means taking more club than we did when we were younger.
How to calculate your club distances:
Unfortunately, the distances in the table are only a rough guide for us to follow. There is no magic formula for knowing exactly how far we reach each club and for knowing what club is right for us in any given situation.
To understand our playing style, the distances we’ve come and the right club we need takes time and effort. This means putting in some practice. It could be on the driving range, the training ground or on the track itself, but it is only by hitting a lot of shots with each different club that we begin to understand the exact distances the ball will travel from a good shot.
One tried and tested method for woods and irons is to fire 50 shots at a time. Try to hit the same shot, with the same swing, technique, grip, etc. Eliminate the five best and five worst shots. Then try to find the middle of the pack of shots we hit. This gives us a good idea of ​​the average distance between us and a particular club.
Calculation of distances in the course:
So, now we know what club is appropriate for any given situation and we have an idea of ​​how far we can go for each club. But how do we determine how far down the lane we need to go for a given shot?
On the tee it’s easy because there will be a tee marker telling us how far we are from the green. But once we’re in the fairway (or rough), we have to start using our eyes. Many courses will have a distance marker located 150 yards from the center of the green. It can be colorful fliers on the side of the aisle or a disc on the ground. Some courses will also have markings 100 or 200 yards from the green. There will usually be a note on the scorecard, or ask at the pro shop before the round what distance markers to look for on the course.
For a ball that is a few yards on either side of the distance mark, we can use an old-fashioned method. Work on the basis that one normal step in walking is equal to a yard or a little less. Take the number of steps from the marker to the ball and do the math. It’s not an exact science, but it should give us a good idea of ​​the correct club for that distance.
For the highly avid golfer who wants a more sophisticated answer, there are now a slew of golfers out there GPS golf watchesAnd Scope selectors And Portable GPS devices Which gives us the technology to know how far we are from a hole at any given moment.
But a golden rule to remember: whether we use new technology or old-fashioned methods of calculating distance, when we’re standing over the ball, we still need to hit the right shot to get the ball in the right spot. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees for that!
About the author
Adam Lanegan – Golf Writer
Adam is a freelance news and sports journalist who has written for the BBC, The Sunday Post, The Eye, The Times, The Telegraph and more. He has been writing about golf for nearly two decades and has covered 13 Open Championships and two Ryder Cups. Not only does Adam cover golf, he has been playing golf for as long as he can. He was a member of Northenden Golf Club for about 25 years until his children arrived and his last official handicap was 11, although on any given day his form fluctuated between eight and 18.