The Golf Slice

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.

Some of us have bodies or swings that just aren’t normal. It’s the truth. There’s nothing wrong with being different, as they say, but it does make buying golf clubs off the rack at your local sports store a bit of a challenge.

I’m a bit taller than average with long arms so I know from personal experience the difficulties in getting the right set of clubs. If you have the money and have similar trouble you might want to look into getting custom golf clubs made to fit just for you.

If you’re going to get custom golf clubs make sure you find a good fitter who knows the right club length and flex for you’re body type and swing. The shaft length is probably the more important of the two but the right flex is needed to match your normal club speed. A good fitter will test your swing speed during the fitting process.

The most important factor in deciding how quickly and how far your ball travels is the club you use. That’s common sense for most golfers but a few beginners (and veterans alike) think it takes a big and powerful swing to get your ball to go far. Unfortunately for these heavy hitters, there is more to it than that.

You need to take two things into account when deciding how fast to swing: your choice of club and the force you put into the swing itself.

It’s key to remember that not all clubs are the same. A shorter club, like your pitching wedge, has a steep angle that limits how far the ball can travel regardless of how hard you swing. If you swing too hard or too fast you’re more likely to lose control and get a bad shot. If you swing with the right speed and force you’ll take full advantage of the club you’re using and get a much better result.