Has your ego every encouraged you to try and squeeze just a bit more distance from your clubs? You know, trying to eek out an extra 5 or 10 yards instead of clubbing up. I know I am guilty of this needless error for a variety of reasons, but I am starting to understand that this course of action rarely works in my favour. I know that I sometimes gain 5 or 10 extra yards from a club, but that is usually from solid contact or a perfectly in sync swing. The challenge I face is ‘trying’ to hit the ball farther; this is when the my game falls off the rails.
The club that I struggle the most with is my gap wedge. Normally, this club is a solid 100 yards 8 time out of 10. My failure with this club is when I try to hit the an additional 5 or 10 yards. What happens is I end up scooping my gap wedge and only hitting the ball 80 or 90 yards. I struggle with this entire concept because my ego says I should be able to hit my gap wedge farther, but it rarely happens on demand. I know my ego wants me to keep trying, but I need to learn how to hit my wedge better and with greater consistency.
So, my solution to club up. My challenge is that I have a 20 yard difference between the gap wedge and pitching wedge. This year, I worked a great deal on hitting a 3/4 PW in order to close this distance gap. It worked fairly well as long as I prevented my ego get in the way. Unfortunately, having to manipulate my distances with my PW was not really part my winning strategy. I understand that this all part of playing golf and I accept my limitations.
If I expand my woes out to my other clubs, I find that my challenge of trying to hit a bit farther is still there. It is not as pronounced as with my GW, but it is a challenge. This is where I fully accept the distances I normally hit with each club. The funny thing is that the longer the club, the easier it is to accept hitting to distance. I am not sure why that is, but that is my reality. Over the past 15 years or so, I have shifted my mental approach to my game and allowed my club distances drive my approach shots, regardless of what club I am hitting.
As your game starts to evolve, don’t let your ego rule your game. Accept your club distances and let them determine your club selection. You would be surprised at how well it works.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
You can always carry more wedges and drop a longer club. I don’t carry a 3 wood a lot of time depending on the course. There are so many factors when it comes to distance even when that distance is only around 100 yards. On of the biggest is good old adrenaline. If I am playing with a little more on the line I always hit it further. Being in the rough and fairway is also a big factor. Trying to hit the half or three quarter shot from a longer distance can always be a challenge. Good luck with whatever you do because it is an important part of the game.
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Vet
Thanks. I am still mulling over my way ahead, but I doubt that I would give up my 3 wood. But, one should never say never when it comes to golf.
Cheers Jim
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I like your last paragraph, “ as your game starts to evolve, don’t let your ego rule your game.” First of all, controlling your ego is always a challenge. As you get older, you are confronted with a new reality, your body has changed and you face new realities.
First of all, trying to hit a club farther usually doesn’t end well most of the time. So, if we control our ego, clubbing up is the smart play. I would also suggest that building more creativity into your play is going to improve your game. In my opinion, being able to hit a three quarter shot with just about every club is essential to successful scoring, not just in chipping. The more I play with historical clubs, the better I am able to control my trajectory and distances with any clubs I play. From 100 yards, I have at least three club options, dictated by the conditions I face. The three quarter shot is especially valuable in windy and wet conditions to name a few.
In my opinion, modern golf has become one dimensional. I am not saying that gapping clubs is not important, it is. I see guys going into a simulator session making decisions and spending thousands. Hitting outdoors with a changing wind, turf conditions and temperature is different than hitting balls off mats into a dark screen. I only play in a simulator to keep my swing going during the winter months.
So Jim, I recommend making better use of the partial shots rather than trying to hit it harder. As far as the distances you hit a club, they are going to get shorter, take it from this 67 year old. It does not mean that our play has to suffer, it means our short game needs to get better.
I was in a Nip Tuck tournament on Saturday playing a two man scramble with a 62 year old friend of mine who sports a handicap similar to yours. We were paired with a father-son combination that were both single digit handicappers and were long bombers. The pins were placed in the most ridiculous positions requiring strong focus and strategy. They are still trying to figure out how two old guys, one putting with a seventy year old putter handed them a five stroke loss. “Age and treachery wins over youth and skill every time”, well at least it did this time. 😀😀😀
Embrace the different shots possible with each club is my contribution.
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Lorne,
As always your sage advice is well received. I am turning 60 this year and I figure that I can hold on to my physical fitness as long as I can, but I know that my game will have to change moving forward. I like hitting 3/4 shots and a whole lot more! It is what makes golf fun for sure. I am not surprised that you and your friend schooled the young fellas, I have always been wary of gentlemen who let their game do all the talking.
Cheers Jim
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I agree Jim . Sometimes there is to large of a gap between wedges. I used to carry 52, 56 and 60 degree wedges. I had too large of a gap between PW and the 52. I dropped the 60 and added a 50. It really helped.
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Mitch, that is something to think about, thanks.
Cheers Jim
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Jim, why not have your pro bend your GW two degrees stronger to cover that gap? Or buy a new GW with the different loft? 110 yards is in that important scoring range. You should adjust to cover it.
Good luck!
Brian
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Brian,
That is a good point. I did find last year that swinging slower increased my distance. The funny thing is that I was able to 110 and years with my GW before, not sure what happened. Anyway, thanks for the tip. I will investigate this season.
Cheers Jim
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One consideration on Brian’s comment that I don’t know the answer to. Would bending the club change the bounce? It seems to me that it would and might then need to be grinded down a bit too. Something I’d check with the fitter before doing.
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Kevin,
That is a good question, I do not know the answer to it as well.
Cheers Jim
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