Club distance selection

[mpeterson]

Up here in the Northeast, we've got relatively small greens - It's rare that the exact distance to the pin is spot on for a club. So if we're talking full, stock swings, I'm usually looking at where the "bad" miss is. is it long or short? If it's short, I'll play the shot that I think will get there on a well struck ball. If it's long, I'll take another club.

 

[ntanygd760]

I think suggesting playing to average is something that is not something that should be taken literally 100%. That average imo cannot include bad and poor screwups and misfits.

I feel that average has to mean ones average of their well enough hit shots. Not the rarer best ones but the good ones in general.

I mean our goal as we hit each ball is basically to execute the shot. That's the plan. And so you can only average in the shots thare hit efficiently enough and not the bad or poorest ones.

We don't make club distance choices based on our poor play, we make that based on how far we hit when we make good enough contact.

The higher the caps, the more chops, flops, blades, chunks, all kinds of poor misfits we make. One shouldn't be using a 5i for 9i distance because he averages all that in. You still need to it use the9 based on your average decent to well struck 9 iron.

I know for game golf it isn't a true average they basically use the median. That makes it so 20 yards short and a chunk 100 yards short are the same. I assume Arccos caddie feature is the same.

 

[Jaymo37]

Unless I have a 54 or 58 degree wedge in my hand I'm playing for the center of the green. I know I hit my PW 125-130ish 130-140 I'm playing 9, 140-150 hitting 8, etc. I'm picking a club that I hit further than the front, and not as far as the back. For example, if the front is 133 and the back is 155, I'm going to hit 8 iron every time.

 

[Mwinte86]

I look at what would be the better miss. Would long or short be better then hit the club that would give me the miss that is preferable. I know I’m not going to hit it perfectly every time so if I have the choice between a 5 and 6 and short isn’t going to be a killer I’ll take the shorter club knowing that if I miss it it won’t be that bad, but if I’m long it will be bad.

 

[WMac19]

Basing selection upon your longest shots with a particular club is basically banking upon the perfect swing and contact for a given shot, relative to one's ability.

I prefer to play the averages and in doing so, I play to my average distance with a particular club.

Edited to add:

To guard against catastrophe and increase my odds for a good approach, I never play to the lasered distance to a back pin placement. If I laser say, 165 to a back pin, I'll play it at least 5 or up to 10 yards shorter and take what I get.

A bit long on a front or middle pin placement is fine. While landing an approach pin high or a bit longer to a back pin can often result in major trouble.

 

[Smiter]

I'm as apt to long as I am short, cleanly struck balls anyways. Mishits are obviously short, unless I skull a wedge of course than that will be long and gnarly.

Most of my non-mishit balls that go short or long are because I misjudge the conditions. I hit the ball HIGH so wind is a huge factor in what distance I get. Most people I play with are rarely long of the green though. Generally if I'm between clubs I'll take the shorter one because being short usually isn't as penal as being long.

The one caveat that may be in here that I haven't seen that I think should be mentioned, you should take your average of well struck shots as the yardage you use. If you get a 25+ HC that struggles to strike the ball, they may hit their 7i say 150, but only average 125 due to poor strikes happening every few shots. Otherwise you'll never be rewarded for a well struck shot, and they might hit the 7i an average of 125 over 20 shots, but not a single one of them might go that distance.

 

[Dave G]

Last night I updated my yardage book to include averages. Then today I played 9. I overshot 3 of 9 holes but for the most part it worked out great. Of the 9 holes I got 4 GIR which is a really big improvement in my game. 41 on a par 36.

 

[Dave G]

I'm as apt to long as I am short, cleanly struck balls anyways. Mishits are obviously short, unless I skull a wedge of course than that will be long and gnarly. ...

Yes, my "average" column is based on well struk balls.

 

[leftshot]

So, based on the opening statement for this thread, Dave doesn't have a 3/4 or 1/2 swing. He doesn't have a knockdown shot. He also doesn't appear to be able to change shot shape or height on demand. He's got a full swing with variable results. There is nothing wrong with that. We are where we are. It just bares pointing out that some golfers answering will have more options, some fewer.

For me, the answer is very situational. Where is the pin? Where is the pin relative to bunkers, water, and the rough? How penal is the rough? What's the slope of the green? What about the wind? How strong? How predictable in terms of direction and strength? What do the angles look like into the green? What shots can I hit well (or hit well today)?

So for example, a front pin right behind a water hazard, you put a premium on clearing the water. You CAN'T be short. Unpredictable wind means you need a greater margin for error. If the green has a backstop behind the front pin, you can be more aggressive at hitting it beyond the pin. The backstop will prevent the ball from going way past the hole. You might even be able to spin it back toward the hole. If the green is hard and falling away from you have to be careful going behind the pin. If you can take one more club, move the ball forward and hit a high feathery (slight fade) shot that can be a good option. If you have really repeatable center face contact when hitting a club with a little extra speed, then going with the minimum carry club is a good play, because the extra spin created will prevent the ball from bounding forward after it lands. Some can hit a low spinner with precise carry distance, so that's another option for some. Hitting a low draw is NOT what you'd want in this situation. Even if the carry is right, the ball will bound away toward the back of the green.

 

[Tadashi70]

Anytime i feel like my swing is way off or if i am coming up short I will club down and just swing easy, making sure i get it to at least pin high. For me a stock 7 iron avg is 175'ish. If i'm not feeling any confidence in the game at that time I will take a 6 iron and choke down on it about an inch and just swing easy, helping make sure good contact is made. I've done it full rounds and played well as well in the middle of the rounds. Maybe try taking an extra club, choke down on it a bit and just swing easier/smoother and see what results you get.

This is me! Always grab one more club and smooth it out when swing is wonky.

 

[asw7576]

I am not a long hitter, so I have to manage the hole course into three sections based on my longest and straighest shot I can make with comfortable feelings.

In my case, I can make 200m shot with driver and 160m shot with hybrid . For the remaining distance , I use either with hybrid again or irons .

For examples :

520 meter long par 5, I use driver , hybrid, hybrid ( 200, 160, 160 ), and 2 putts . I still make par :smile:

430 meter long par 4 , I use driver, hybrid, pitching ( 200, 160, 70 ) and 2 putts .... for par 4 I have to accept bogey.

This is how I play golf :smile: .... Pardon my english grammar is not very good :smile:

 

[Dave G]

So far I have a full, half and putt stroke that I use with all Irons. My driver is 220 max, 180 avg. 5 wood is 200 max 175 avg. 3 and 5 hybrid average 160 & 150. 6i 140, 7 125, 8 110, 9 100, P 90, G depending on ball placement 45-75, S 45, L 30. My 1/2 strokes range 80 and down and my putt strokes all have a 8-10 yd carry with roll out depending on club.

Yesterday I started using averages for selection. I played 9 holes and got 4 GIR which is a big improvement for me. I did overshot two holes but both were because of 5wood shots that were 30 yds beyond my average.

 

[Otis32]

Usually play an overlapping 15 yard window for 8 iron through wedges. Example would be A wedge from 110-125 with pitching wedge 120-135. All about feel, elevation change, wind, ball striking that day etc. when selecting clubs within the windows. Heavy wind and large elevation changes can definitely dictate going outside the norm.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Daddio]

Looks like you're getting a very good grasp on your numbers Dave, IMO it's impossible for anyone to play near their potential without that. Kudos on the 44% GIR last outing, averages on decent strikes is the way to go IMO and it looks to be working well for you. I probably use that same approach shot strategy 90+% of the time, adjusting for conditions, the most penal misses, my game that day, etc...

Knowing your own tendencies and flaws makes a big difference on when it might make sense to deviate too IMO. I'll try to explain better by referencing a hole we played together and also my own issues. If you don't remember this one I put up a pic. The green for the par 3 6th at Rivercut sits up on kind of a cliff above the river. Anything that doesn't carry the green is at great risk to roll back into the hazard off a pretty severe false front and bank. The carry gets longer quickly the more left you hit it. Logic would suggest clubbing up and going smooth to insure a safe carry. That works for a lot of players and IIRC you said you were taking one more club and then you hit the green and made a nice 3.

Unfortunately, when I try that I have a tendency to not always fully finish my down swing, or to maybe steer it, or worse possibly even decelerate. This leads to chunks, pulls, thins, flippy little hooks and all are death. Then even if I do hit it decent I'm just as likely to end up on that steep bank behind the center of the green with a downhill lie to a green running away from me in a hurry.

So on this hole I've personally had much greater success choosing a club I have to hit a little better than average to get to the center of the green. I also line up a little left and play for a slight fade rather than my typical draw. Doing so focuses me more on fully completing my back swing and my more importantly my down swing. Setting up open helps with this too. A slightly short miss with fade spin usually rolls down to the safe miss area off the front right, unlike short draws which ALWAYS curl back into the hazard unless they catch the left pot bunker. If I do happen to hit it dead straight and a bit longer from that setup I'll usually end in that little collection bowl on the back left. That's not nearly as bad as the bank behind the green because your chip is rolling toward the safe miss area if it fails to stop.

 

[Dave G]

Yeah, I still have no ability to draw or fade but I've gotten a lot better at placement
Now that I'm playing averages rather than maximums, ive gone from 9+ chips to 4-6 (playing 9 holes) and I'm still not 3 putting. Last 3 rounds resulted in a 2 to 3 stroke improvement.

 

[PatsFan]

I am playing for the center of the green. I will take whatever club I feel I don't have to swing out of my shoes to get there.
I'd rather choke down and swing easy than try to pure one which I am only going to do 10%.