For years, I have talked about understanding how far we hit our clubs in order to shoot lower golf scores. There are many different reasons for having this knowledge and I am sure you can deduce them without too much trouble. The one aspect we did not discuss is how to use this information. It is not a pure binary equation because of the simple variables we need to apply in order to maximize the effectiveness of our club distances. The variables are not difficult, but should be considered when hitting an approach shot to the green or setting up your next shot from your favourite distance.
There are three things I want to discuss today relating to club distances. First is the over/under yardages for each club. The longer the club, the great chance of hitting the ball farther or shorter at any given time. For example, but over/under for my 4 hybrid is 10 yards. For my PW it is 5 yards. What this means is that on any given shot I could be plus or minus the distances mentioned. Any more or less and I would consider the shot a mishit. Knowing these yardages, I select the club needed to (as a minimum) reach a specific distance. In many cases I have to hit an extra club because the yardage indicates that it is the best distance for success. It is a shot to my ego, but that is the reality of my game.
The second is the distance we are hitting in order to be successful. Approach shots seem to garner the majority of missed shots due to hitting the ball short. If the pin is on the front third of the green, we amateurs have a tendency to under play our shot hoping to hit our all to our max distance. Well, this strategy has failed me more often than I can remember. The smart play is to aim for the middle of green and let our putter do its magic. It is hard to not go pin hunting, but we have a greater chance of success when putting our next shot vice chipping again.
Lastly, it is important to carry the proper clubs to cover the entire distances. For example, it makes no sense to carry a 5 wood and 3 hybrid if they go the same distance. My current gap wedge (52°) is right on the cusp of having to be changed I would likely need a 50° gap wedge, but I have not taken the time to ensure a change is warranted. Regardless of my challenges, using the over/under yardages of each club is needed to cover every distance. The last thing you want is to have a gap in your yardages for no reason.
Understanding your club distances is important. Is a fundamental skill that all amateurs should develop in order to maximize their golf game. It makes life on the links so much easier if you can confidently hit your ball to a distance without any guesswork.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
Good post as always. There was a recent study put out by somebody or other about distances for your handicap. The key point is exactly what you said – amateurs expect max distance out of every club. Yet because they are amateurs, they rarely get max distance. Your approach with the +/- is a great way to think about things and then see where trouble is and use extra distance to avoid a front bunker or stay short of a potential hazard.
The game of golf requires one to think but so many golfers grab a club and whack away – even pretty good golfers.
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Linley
Thanks for the positive words. Yes, we need to focus more on the max and min club distances in order to properly select our club. Most amateurs are short and do not understand why. I guess we just explained it to them.
Cheers Jim
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The fewer guesses we have to make the fewer mistakes we will make. In a perfect world we would know carry distance for every club from every point on the clock face from 7 to 11 or 12 (if you can turn that far).
But with 13 clubs to keep track of, that means it’s too much to keep in your head. It’s hard just to do two swings, say waist high and just above shoulder height and remember all 26.
It will be in a pro’s book in his back pocket to insure they don’t have to wonder if they’re remembering it right. And they will add things like an entry for one distance with the face open and one with the face closed. Do that for just two swing lengths and it’s 52 numbers you have to remember.
But when you find yourself stuck well back under a tree 160 yards from the hole and need a shot to get on the green you’ll be happy you spent the time and you’ll know that a waist high swing with your three wood will both stay under the tree branches and get you to the front of the green. The shot will be easier to execute because you won’t have tons of different doubts floating around getting in the way. And you should also have a bit better feel for how much swing to add or take away when you have a number that’s not on your list which should get you closer more often.
A day on the range is all it takes.
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Kevin
Sounds about right to me. Club selection to achieve a shot needs to be based in knowledge. As you said, knowing how far a waist high swing with a 3 wood goes is something that amateurs need to know. It takes time to develop this skillset, however it is worth it in the end.
Cheers Jim
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