What to consider when choosing a club to pull?

[WUTiger]

A club that will get me to where I want to be after the shot.

Years ago, I played regularly at Fort Sill Golf Club down in Lawton, OK. At the time, No. 4 was a 195-yd. par 3 with bunkers left side and front right, and trees overhanging the edges of the green. Just for fun, on most days the hole played with a gusting 30 MPH left-to-right crosswind. Going for the green with a 3i required a perfect shot, and a choke-down 5W exposed the ball to the wind.

Now, the hole had an unusually hard clay patch about 40 yards short of the green.  So, my last season there, I played a three-quarter punch shot with a 3i that would land on the clay and bounce onto the front fringe, or sometimes onto the green. If you ever got onto it, the green was flat, so I regularly got up and down for a par, or a bogie at worst.

And as JohnMA1 said, you need to calculate where your best "miss" would be.

Also, there's the confidence thing. It a shot is 170 yds. out in the rough, and I feel good about, I'll go for the green. But if the rough is shaggy, and I'm tentative about going for a tightly bunkered green, I'll hit a 7i up in front of the green and try for up and down.

If I'm driving well on a given day, I'll hit a draw with a driver on this one tight Par 5. If I'm not driving well, I'll drop a 7W just in the fairway to avoid the huge FW bunker and hazard right, or the OB left if you drive through the landing area. I've quit trying to hit shots that I don't have confidence in.

I guess it has to do with committing to a shot, and getting positive rather than negative vibes as you swing.

[turtleback]

I don't usually go for the pin unless it happens to be in the fat part of the green, but I'm certain most of my misses last season were left and right of the target. Those falling short of my target were second, but it wasn't due to pulling the wrong club (except maybe for higher elevated greens). Hitting over or through a green was rare but I'd like to think that was due to playing the right club.

If I'm trying to decide which club to pull, ego doesn't come into play but I'm also not going to take into account that I might chunk it or top it. I take into account what the long or short distances of a fairly well-struck ball will be (difference usually being around 10 - 15 yards). I'll pick a spot - whether it's a spot on the green or a spot in the fairway of a dog leg - and pull the best club for that distance. Like some have said above, that distance doesn't always call for the same club because of elevation, wind, how I feel I'm hitting that day...

At the courses I play, probably 25% - 30% of the holes have enough room behind them where going too long wouldn't hurt. For the majority of them, landing the ball short of the green is a preferred miss. And when it comes to dog legs, the last thing I want is to hit through them. So I'll pick a club that will provide the greatest distance without going too far.

Isn't that generally how most amateurs play?

Not in my experience, no.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonMA1

I don't usually go for the pin unless it happens to be in the fat part of the green, but I'm certain most of my misses last season were left and right of the target. Those falling short of my target were second, but it wasn't due to pulling the wrong club (except maybe for higher elevated greens). Hitting over or through a green was rare but I'd like to think that was due to playing the right club.

If I'm trying to decide which club to pull, ego doesn't come into play but I'm also not going to take into account that I might chunk it or top it. I take into account what the long or short distances of a fairly well-struck ball will be (difference usually being around 10 - 15 yards). I'll pick a spot - whether it's a spot on the green or a spot in the fairway of a dog leg - and pull the best club for that distance. Like some have said above, that distance doesn't always call for the same club because of elevation, wind, how I feel I'm hitting that day...

At the courses I play, probably 25% - 30% of the holes have enough room behind them where going too long wouldn't hurt. For the majority of them, landing the ball short of the green is a preferred miss. And when it comes to dog legs, the last thing I want is to hit through them. So I'll pick a club that will provide the greatest distance without going too far.

Isn't that generally how most amateurs play?

Not in my experience, no.

This had to have been one of the shortest responses from Turtleback. . .

Just to clarify, most amateurs don't have a decent strategy. I think most people just hit towards the green with the front of the green as the target rather than the center.

[DrvFrShow]

I hit toward the center of the green. It's just that my shots usually end up to the right or left of the green.

[Grave]

Just to add on the already mentioned general conditions (lie, wind, obstacles aso.), i take into consideration myself / my swing. if I have a birdie birdie run and feel comfortable I might go for a more agressive club selection. Also to add, if i am in a tournament situation i further consider possible chances to lower / raise my handicap or in a matchplay situation consider my opponents current situation and choose an appropriate strategy / club ...

[JonMA1]

Not in my experience, no.

It's easy for me to type what I do and don't do on the course, but chances are I probably make many of the same choices (mistakes) other high handicappers make and just don't realize it.

Even though decisions always seem pretty clear to me (especially since reading LSW) I'd love to have an instructor walk the course with me. I'm sure I'd learn a great deal. Still, execution seems to be my biggest downfall.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Just to clarify, most amateurs don't have a decent strategy. I think most people just hit towards the green with the front of the green as the target rather than the center.

I hit toward the center of the green.

Seems like I've read about this strategy somewhere.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by turtleback

Not in my experience, no.

It's easy for me to type what I do and don't do on the course, but chances are I probably make many of the same choices (mistakes) other high handicappers make and just don't realize it.

Even though decisions always seem pretty clear to me (especially since reading LSW) I'd love to have an instructor walk the course with me. I'm sure I'd learn a great deal. Still, execution seems to be my biggest downfall.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Just to clarify, most amateurs don't have a decent strategy. I think most people just hit towards the green with the front of the green as the target rather than the center.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrvFrShow

I hit toward the center of the green.

Seems like I've read about this strategy somewhere.

A good instructor.

[TJBam]

Best guess at yardage to middle of the green.  Is it above me or below me?  Add or subtract a club appropriately  Then decide what club I need based on what I think my averages are.  Then add 1 club.  Add 2 clubs if it's really wet.

[trickyputt]

Whenever I watch a pro tournament, they will use (for example) and 7 iron on a 175 yard shot, and then use it again on a 200 yard par 3, reaching their targets both times. My question is what do you consider when pulling a club?  I usually just go with what club I can use a full swing with, but obviously the good golfers choose high irons for mid range shots...

Here is one I deal with. I love wedges. A wedge with the right bounce for a course is a thing of beauty to me, a metal piece of art. So I have 3, gap, Sw and L., in high, medium and low loft configs. But dammit they have the 46 to choose if I wanted to pull my pw iron. Now a pw iron is a smaller head. It goes through grass a bit easier than a wedge for that slot unless you file the lip on your wedge. A pw iron having a tighter face works better for me than a 46 wedge for pitching as a result. The larger wedge faces seem challenged for accuracy in my game. I would probably pull a 46 wedge out, but dang I want one.

[dkolo]

It's something I'm going to experiment with changing, but, if I'm between clubs I almost always take less club and try to swing harder. Greens here tend to have little trouble in front of them and bad news behind, so I'd rather come up short than go over.

Otherwise, I have my distances mapped out, and I club accordingly.

[RayG]

The club that gets pulled is the club that will get the job done. While I am NO pro, or even a semi-pro, or even a "gifted amateur"... I have played long enough to have an idea about what shot is needed with what club. A few years ago, I was playing in Florida with my buddy, and we connected with a gentleman who was a decent player but kind of all over the place on approaches. On one hole I had 130 to a flag that was in the front right, tucked just over a trap with water right. The other gentleman had hit his drive and was 145 out. He took his shot and wound up just left of the trap on the front fringe with that trap ridge/hump between him and the hole. not a nice place to putt from. I made my choice of a 9 iron, 1/2" choke down with a slightly open stance. Hit a nice little cut to about 6 feet behind the flag. He asked 'what'd you hit from 130?" I told him I hit a nice and easy cut 9 iron... "you needed a 9 to go 130? I hit a pitching wedge from 140..." Yeah, and where did you end up?" "Well, I know I can hit it 145 if I really hit it..." Obviously he didn't "really hit it"... and it was like that all day. He had a yardage and stuck with the club for that distance. In my case, I have 3 general distances for each club (generally level with no wind) that depends on where the pin is, trouble and the like. Middle of the green at 150? normal 7 iron. right side at 145? that little cut 7 starting at middle. back left at 155? Try to hit a little draw 7 starting at the middle. If none of them do what they're supposed to, then I'm in the middle but on the putting surface. In windy or other type of conditions, options are assessed and a club is picked more by 'feel' than strict yardage #'s. That comes from playing for 40+ years and knowing my game, such as it is.

[natureboy]

What does temperature do to distance/ball flight? I know the ball goes farther in the warm temperatures, but thats about it...

Driver is affected the most. Maybe 3/4 yard per degree F. Irons have less variation for me.

I find it more helpful to think about the weather effects as a percentage of normal carry as the conditions obviously affect the ball the same through the bag, but more noticeably with longer clubs due to the longer flight and larger impact forces. It will depend a bit on what the conditions are when you figure your average distances.

Using about 77* as the 'standard', I figure you lose about 1.6% per 10* below 77* and gain about 1.6% per 10* over your 'standard' temp. Temperature effect on the resiliency of the ball has a diminishing returns limit of about 120*, but I sure wouldn't want to play weather that hot so the adjustment should apply through most common playing conditions.

Humidity and barometric pressure affect distance too, but much less than temp unless you go up (or down) significantly in elevation. 100% humidity may gain another .4% vs a typical summer afternoon (in NY) of 56%.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Youngbear11213

What does temperature do to distance/ball flight? I know the ball goes farther in the warm temperatures, but thats about it...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Driver is affected the most. Maybe 3/4 yard per degree F. Irons have less variation for me.

I find it more helpful to think about the weather effects as a percentage of normal carry as the conditions obviously affect the ball the same through the bag, but more noticeably with longer clubs due to the longer flight and larger impact forces. It will depend a bit on what the conditions are when you figure your average distances.

Using about 77* as the 'standard', I figure you lose about 1.6% per 10* below 77* and gain about 1.6% per 10* over your 'standard' temp. Temperature effect on the resiliency of the ball has a diminishing returns limit of about 120*, but I sure wouldn't want to play weather that hot so the adjustment should apply through most common playing conditions.

Humidity and barometric pressure affect distance too, but much less than temp unless you go up (or down) significantly in elevation. 100% humidity may gain another .4% vs a typical summer afternoon (in NY) of 56%.

Thanks for clarifying things, my number was off anyway. It's not 0.75 yards per degree, it's about 0.75 to 1 foot per degree F.

I'm playing in relatively cooler conditions and it might affect my distances a bit, but distance is not my primary concern at the moment I have way higher priorities at the moment.

[trickyputt]

I would go with 1 foot. I club up that much below 50f. At 80f I am longest.