The Golf Slice

This week I’ve launched a brand new golf newsletter.

It’s free to join and new subscribers get a free report with tips on improving your short game.

Each week I’ll be sending out a short golf article as well as more tips and resources for beginning and advanced golfers.

None of the content in the newsletter will be appearing on this blog so if you want even more golf coverage from The Golf Slice you’ll want to subscribe today.

You can sign up at The Golf Slice Newsletter site and have your free report in minutes.

This is a true story.

For a long time I could never hit a driver very well. I struggled making contact with every type and brand of driver I could find. There have only been two clubs in my whole life that I was good with.

My first driver and I had a tumultuous relationship. We never really got along with each other until one magical day at the driving range. My roommate and I went out to hit a bucket of balls at the local range and, for whatever reason, I was smoking them with my driver. It was insanity. I was hitting the straightest shots of the tee that I’d ever seen. Everything was finally coming together for me.

I took a break and my roommate asked if he could give it a try. On his very first swing I watched as his ball flopped into the air while a dark object sailed right by it. That dark object turned out to be the head of my driver.

My roommate had killed my club.

This was years ago and it wasn’t until last summer that I found a new driver I could get along with. I still have the broken shaft of that first driver that I keep as a memento of what could have been.

I’m going to occasionally write posts with very basic tips for beginner golfers. I’ve received some feedback from visitors asking for more entry-level stuff so I thought I’d oblige and write more about golf basics.

Today I want to talk about club selection. I think a lot of beginners probably struggle with choosing which club to use for any particular shot. There are a few things to remember when trying to pick the right club to use.

The basics of club selection are that higher numbered golf clubs (like your irons and wedges) give you more loft and less distance than lower number irons and your woods. Generally speaking the closer you are to reaching the green the higher club you want to use. If you’re far away from the flag then use a low numbered iron or fairway wood to get more distance on your shot.

As you play more you’ll eventually learn how far you can hit certain clubs and how much backswing you need to get certain distances. It really is about practice making perfect when picking the right club.