Club selection for a particular shot?

[haplesshacker]

What thought process goes through your mind, and in what priority do these factors have in your club selection for any given shot.

Just thought that it would be interesting to see the differences between the different cats of players on here.

BTW. I'm asking what is your thought process during a game. Not what you'd ideally do sat in front of your computor.

For me.

Distance to pin. (Is it achieveable, if not, what is my route to the pin.)
Lie. (Is the ball on the fairway, sat up in the first cut, baked etc.)
Hazards. (Both if I hit it well and if I duff it.)
How many shots I've already used on the hole. (It shouldn't matter, but it does.)
How I've been playing that day. (good or bad.)
Wind.

All in that order. Well mostly.

Only then will I pick a club. It'll still screw it up, but that's golf!

How about you guys?

 

[Region3]

Assuming not in grass long/thick enough to prevent a proper shot, or behind/hampered by trees etc.

Check the distance I want to go based on hazards and where my target is.
Adjust that for wind.
Adjust again for elevation.
Adjust again if uphill/downhill lie.
Pick club.

 

[Imurg]

Distance
Lie
Wind
Elevation
Hazards
Chances of pulling the shot out of the bag.
Select.

 

[Robobum]

Check lie
Clear route to target?
Yardage to centre of green
Where is flag?
Effective yardage allowing for wind & conditions
Yardage to clear greenfront if flag towards front or...
Back yardage for run out past flag
Hazards or areas to avoid
Where do I want it to land and how do I get it there
Take outclub and smash it

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Check lie
Clear route to target?
Yardage to centre of green
Where is flag?
Effective yardage allowing for wind & conditions
Yardage to clear greenfront if flag towards front or...
Back yardage for run out past flag
Hazards or areas to avoid
Where do I want it to land and how do I get it there

All of the above although in my case it is then a case of avoiding the fat or thin. I don't have a set club for any particular shot espcially from 50 yards and in and try and pick the best club for the shot. It's just in the execution the problems begin

 

[upsidedown]

Distance to pin
Lie
Shape of shot for the % shot
Wind

Nearer the green

Distance to pin
Check overhanging branches
Lie of ground between ball and pin, high or low
Safe landing area on green

 

[JT77]

I try to keep it simple

How far is it, what club will get it there, pull the club, off wee go.

 

[kid2]

For me its usually the lie first..That would determine what club ill be using.
Then distance to the centre of the green generally.
Funnily enough the hazards at my place determine what way you come into the greens as there are a few of the par 4's that have shallow greens that are accessible from there side but are protected back and front by bunkers so club choice is very important.
How many shots has a big factor for me sometimes..Especially on the holes that i have no shot on.
Wind is also a major factor at our place because its situated in a valley and its rarely calm there.

 

[CrapHacker]

I think about

Lie
Distance
Hazards
Elevation
Wind

Or

I decide on 4w or 3h then just beat the absolute shine out of it until I get within 70 -80 yards then I switch to a wedge.

 

[RGDave]

Distance to pin. (Is it achieveable, if not, what is my route to the pin.) YES.
Lie. (Is the ball on the fairway, sat up in the first cut, baked etc.) NOT REALLY, UNLESS IT'S BAD
Hazards. (Both if I hit it well and if I duff it.) RARELY
How many shots I've already used on the hole. (It shouldn't matter, but it does.) NEVER
How I've been playing that day. (good or bad.) YES!
Wind. NOT UNLESS IT'S REALLY WINDY.

 

[EZprophet]

I work out/visualise what kind of shot I want to hit and where I want it to land based on the lie/slope/wind, usually picking the option with the biggest margin for error.

I then work out the distance to my landing spot (more often than not the middle of the green) by adding/subtracting yards from my rangefinder reading to the pin for wind/elevation.

I then pick the best club for the job, aim and fire!

 

[Tiger]

Distance to the pin is my first thought, supported by what's the wind doing, then whats the lie like, followed by how am I swinging today and if I hit a bad shot where is the trouble.

More often than not I will err on the side of caution.

 

[bobmac]

Don't think anyone has mentioned the state of the game.
Surely that would influence the club selection?

Dormie 3 up v dormie 3 down ?
3 under your h/cap on the 18th v 10 over ? etc etc

 

[MashieNiblick]

I work out/visualise what kind of shot I want to hit and where I want it to land based on the lie/slope/wind, usually picking the option with the biggest margin for error.

With the greens being very firm at the moment and quite a few of ours sloping front to back with trouble behind this is quite important at our club. Often I'm looking to land short and let the ball release onto the green.

Otherwise pretty much as above. Distance, slope, wind, lie, where the trouble is, how I'm hitting it.

 

[HRC99]

1: Check lie
2: Pick Landing Area - assessing hazards, green etc
3: Distance to Landing Area
4: Wind Speed & Direction
5: Select Club

 

[USER1999]

Check the lie, and then see what club I can use to get back on the fairway.

 

[CrapHacker]

Don't think anyone has mentioned the state of the game.
Surely that would influence the club selection?

Dormie 3 up v dormie 3 down ?
3 under your h/cap on the 18th v 10 over ? etc etc

What a stupid thought...

As if that is important.

Look, on a par 5, after the drive the green is, let's say, 250 yards away.

Now I know I can hit a 4h 170 yards, to leave a GW in.

But on the other hand, a perfect 3W goes about 210 yards. So if I get that out, and hit it a little bit harder, and get it to roll out a tad more, then I'll be putting for an eagle.

Jesus, Bob. Don't you know anything about course management?

 

[jammydodger]

Distance to centre
If lie is good then wheres the flag and can I get after it (adjust yardage if necessary)
Do I need to shape the shot
Wind or elevation factors that would affect the shot
Is there somewhere i'd definitely not like to finish (bunker short side or heavy rough encroaching etc)
Pick club for shot selected
Draw on positive shots already played and swing

 

[Region3]

Don't think anyone has mentioned the state of the game.
Surely that would influence the club selection?

Dormie 3 up v dormie 3 down ?
3 under your h/cap on the 18th v 10 over ? etc etc

The state of the game or my round 'might' have a say in the shot I choose to play, but once that's decided it has nothing to do with which club I pull.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Distances (front,middle,back)
Wind (direction & strength)
Review hazards (location & distance)
Check lie
Where do I want the ball to go?
What will happen on landing?

Then once all is decided - HIT IT


I do take into account the dangerous and safe misses and what the state of the game is. But I never base anything on how my game has been going up to that point, as I assume I will hit a decent shot, even if it doesn't always happen that way.