Tip #13: Hit the Right Club

Two decades of playing in pro-ams has convinced me that the No. 1 fault among amateurs is not in the setup or swing -- it's club selection. To put it bluntly, everyone underclubs. Nine out of 10 golfers leave their approach shots short of the green, where most of the fiercest perils lurk.

The vast majority of amateurs leave their approaches short, so it'simportant to know the average distance you hit each club.

The reason, I think, is that we're all victims of our best shots. If on one day you hit the 5-iron 185 yards, you tend to think that 185 is your 5-iron distance. But it's not; that's only the distance of your best effort with a 5-iron. Your actual distance may be closer to 165. Heck, I've hit 5-irons 250 yards on occasion, but when I'm 250 yards from a green, I normally select a 3-wood.

The only way to get an accurate idea of your distance with each club is to take an hour or so of practice time and learn the truth. Get a pencil and a sheet of paper, list the clubs in your bag down one column, and take that sheet with you off to a serious practice session.Go to a practice range or a large, flat, open area of any kind at a time when no one else is there, so you'll be able to hit shots and then pace them off. Before you go, determine the length of your average "pace" by stepping off 10 paces, measuring that distance, and then dividing it by 10. For most men, a normal pace is almost exactly a yard, but yours may be shorter or longer. If it is, I'd suggest that for the purpose of stepping off your shots you alter your stride so that it approximates a yard.

Also, be sure to do this little experiment under controlled conditions. First, you'll need a dry, windless day. Secondly, you'll need to hit your shots from a surface that closely approximates the fairways from which you normally play your approaches. Hardpan, driving-range mats or lush grass won't work. Third, you'll want to be sure that your landing area is flat.

Don't worry if it's a field of long grass -- that's better than a hard-baked area -- because what you want to measure is the carrying distance of your shots, not the carry-and-roll distance. (After all, your ball can roll 10 yards or 50 depending upon conditions.) If your practice shots hit and sit in the thick grass, that's perfect. Otherwise, you should deduct the roll yardage from whatever total distance the ball travels.

Once you've warmed up, start with the sand wedge and hit at least a dozen balls with it. Two or three dozen would be better. Then pace them off. Disregard the ridiculously fat shots and skulled shots, but include all the others, and then work out the average distance those balls flew. Write that number next to the sand-wedge line on your sheet of paper and imprint it on your mind. This, whether you like it or not, is your distance for the sand wedge.

Walk back to the tee and go through the same procedure for the pitching wedge, the 9-iron, the 8-iron, and all the rest of your clubs. This will take an hour or so, but believe me, it will be the best practice time you'll ever spend. And at the end of it you'll have some very valuable numbers.

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