In between clubs

[chrisd]

One of the great coaches, Harvey Pennick, was in favour of using the shorter club as it made you more committed.

For me it very much depends on where the flag is located. Where I play on virtually every hole the most amount of trouble is going beyond the green.

Mine too, almost every hole rises from front to back and going over the back of most greens gets the most trouble and if it's a flatter green there is often a back bunker

 

[RichA]

Am I the only one who doesn't have "in between clubs" situations?
Even on a good ball striking day with minimal wind, the tolerances of a well struck iron shot are +-6 yards before even taking elevation changes into account. I'd need to be playing with less than half a set for it to be an issue.

 

[Newtonuti]

Indeed. As mentioned above I usually go for the longer one anyway, but given the stats on how often amateur players don't hit enough club - 50% of the time when we think we're 'in between clubs' we're probably not at all - it's the longer one all day.

Even on the rare occasion I have got too much and go through the back, I don't mind it at all, at least I know I struck it well. Similar concept to putting, you'd much rather be long than leave it short because at least it had a chance and you know you've hit it. Short is always disappointing whichever way you look at it.

 

[bobmac]

Whilst we have bunkers left and right the question was about length.

Yes I know, that's why I said in post no.8.....''You don't have any bunkers short left or right?''

We do have a couple of holes where a bunker near the front of the green can influence club choice but with one in particular given a choice of going in the bunker or going beyond the green put me in the bunker every time and on the other going beyond the green can leave a shot which for me is harder than being in the bunker (downhill chip out of very long grass to a green that slopes towards the bunker).

Who mentioned going through the back of the green?
Please read post no.13 again.

 

[TigerBear]

Or...you could take the extra club, grip down an inch or two and swing easy.
5 yards passed the flag is better than coming up 5 yards short where most of the trouble is.

When people used to ask me what club I hit, my answer always started with....''an easy.........''

Dependent on the green you're hitting into.

If I'm playing a course I'm not familiar with and the slope of the green isn't immediately obvious, I prefer to end up short of the flag. Rather have an uphill putt and greens generally tend to slope from back to front.

 

[evemccc]

Another reason to hit the longer club if ‘between clubs’ is spin rate…putting more into a shorter club (rationale being for a front pin, for example) could see the ball stalling in any wind and also spinning off the front of the green, if there’s a slight slope at the front

 

[TigerBear]

If you stand at the 150 yard marker and the green is 30 yards front to back, you're 165 to the back edge.
If your average golfer added 10 yards to their yardage, they'd hit a lot more greens.
The next time you see a 150, think 160 and take the front bunkers out of play.

In this situation absolutely. Greenside bunkers front left and right, you're taking them out of play all day long

 

[Jason.H]

Must admit I played yesterday and because the ground is soft I nearly always hit one club more than normal and was pin high most the time. The only ones short were miss hit.

 

[jim8flog]

Who mentioned going through the back of the green?
Please read post no.13 again.

I did post #3

I know all about using yardages to the back of the green. One of the troubles that is not being taken in to consideration is hard bounces and ones ability to stop a ball within a relatively short distance of where it lands, a skill which has considerably diminished for me with age.

 

[Jason.H]

I did post #3

I know all about using yardages to the back of the green. One of the troubles that is not being taken in to consideration is hard bounces and ones ability to stop a ball within a relatively short distance of where it lands, a skill which has considerably diminished for me with age.

One reason and a big one for me working in a little fade . Stops on a dime.

 

[bobmac]

I did post #3

I know all about using yardages to the back of the green. One of the troubles that is not being taken in to consideration is hard bounces and ones ability to stop a ball within a relatively short distance of where it lands, a skill which has considerably diminished for me with age.

My advice was not to club yourself to the back of the green but simply add 10 yards to the 150.
If the green is 20 yards front to back, aim for the middle

 

[3offTheTee]

Or...you could take the extra club, grip down an inch or two and swing easy.
5 yards passed the flag is better than coming up 5 yards short where most of the trouble is.

When people used to ask me what club I hit, my answer always started with....''an easy.........''

Especially a VEASY! I still have mine and when I had a problem last month I brought it out again and it worked..

Wise words yet again Bob

 

[woofers]

It is a bit of a dilemma for the Pro’s sometimes, given the number of times the Sky commentators say he was “half a club out”.

 

[YandaB]

Just to go off at a tangent ('cos that's what threads do around here ), does anyone else keep hearing The Cure each they see this thread title?

 

[Orikoru]

It is a bit of a dilemma for the Pro’s sometimes, given the number of times the Sky commentators say he was “half a club out”.

Makes me laugh when they say that. I'd expect most tour pros could hit any one of three different clubs to most yardages. i.e. a hard draw with a 9, standard 8 or soft cut with a 7 etc.

 

[Hobbit]

I take the longer club but go an inch down the grip and swing as per normal. Not done my yardages for a number of years but an inch down the grip used to be around 7 yards.

But on any given day the yardages might be out by 5 yards. For example, if the nominal yardage for my 7 iron was 155 yards, one day it might be closer to 150 and another day it might be closer to 160. It might be air temperature or it might just be your swing that day.

 

[jim8flog]

My advice was not to club yourself to the back of the green but simply add 10 yards to the 150.
If the green is 20 yards front to back, aim for the middle

Back of the green advice follows a similar principle.

If your aim is to simply be on the green know the yardage to the back of the green and take the club that with your very best shot would get you to the back of the green. The vast majority of golfers rarely hit their very best shot so the majority of the times they would fall short of the back of the green.

 

[timd77]

Glad this thread popped up. I always forget about gripping down, and instead just try to take some off my swing. This often results in a fat for some reason, guess because my natural rhythm is interrupted.

Extra club and grip down for me tomorrow

 

[Buckles01]

My strategy when I’m between clubs is to take the shorter of the two and give it the beans. This frequently leads to a catastrophic bladed iron that as we know goes dead straight in the intended direction. Job done you might say but no, through the back of the green too long. So when the situation arises again naturally take a club less. By the end of the round I firmly believe it’s possible to get on the last in two, driver, followed by a bladed 58 covering the remaining 150 yards . So in summary I’m rubbish between club distances

 

[Voyager EMH]

I never entertain the notion of being in between clubs.
My task is to hit the ball as close to the hole as I can.
I have a variety of clubs and a variety of shot/swing choices to achieve that task.
Its up to me to make the best choice of what type of shot with which club.