When your "go-to" club goes wrong ...

[rudebhoy]

My 4 and 5 hybrids are my go-to clubs. I hit them far more consistently than any other club in the bag, I'd say 70% of shots with them do what I intend - go long (in relative terms) and go straight.

That's been the case for at least the last 6 months, which would probably equate to 70 or 80 rounds.

Played on Sunday, and both deserted me. I think I hit one good shot with them, the rest were terrible, the ones which went long went miles left, and the ones which went straight had no power and went about 100 yards.

I have no idea what went wrong. As far as I could tell, my technique was exactly the same as when I hit them well.

Ironically on Sunday my driving was the best it has been in a long time, but my card was wrecked by the number of bad second shots I hit with the hybrids.

I've also managed to pull some muscles in my neck, so won't get back out until at least Sunday, possibly longer, but am desperate to see if it was just a one-off or something more serious.

 

[Pancho Villa]

My 5 wood always used to be my go to club when the driver was bad.now it's very hit and miss

 

[patricks148]

look at it this way, If those clubs were a lady you were dating she would say " its not me its You":rofl:

 

[Orikoru]

I don't quite get the concept of 'go to clubs'. I just try and use whatever is the appropriate club for the hole and where I want the ball to go.

 

[shortgame]

I don't quite get the concept of 'go to clubs'. I just try and use whatever is the appropriate club for the hole and where I want the ball to go.

Don't you feel more confident with some clubs than others?

I do for sure and when in doubt I give the 5i or 6i a good wallop as I'm 99% sure I'll hit them well, particularly when there's trouble in the wrong place and I'm not swinging well

 

[Orikoru]

Don't you feel more confident with some clubs than others?

I do for sure and when in doubt I give the 5i or 6i a good wallop as I'm 99% sure I'll hit them well, particularly when there's trouble in the wrong place and I'm not swinging well

Obviously, but that doesn't mean I'm going to use my iron on a 190 yard par 3, or tee off with a hybrid on a 450 yard par 4. If you avoid using your poorer clubs how are you going to improve with them? As I say, I just pick the club I need for the hole. My worst club is probably the 5 iron, but if I've got 180 yard par 3 I'm still going to use it because it's the right club I need for the hole.

 

[shortgame]

Obviously, but that doesn't mean I'm going to use my iron on a 190 yard par 3, or tee off with a hybrid on a 450 yard par 4

If it's a 450 yard par 4 I think it's safe to say you'd get a shot on the hole (maybe 2)
If on the day your driver is misbehaving but you have a go to club of a 4h why wouldn't you play the percentages?

. If you avoid using your poorer clubs how are you going to improve with them?

By practising on the range!

Sometimes you just have to find a way to get it round the course

 

[rudebhoy]

Obviously, but that doesn't mean I'm going to use my iron on a 190 yard par 3, or tee off with a hybrid on a 450 yard par 4. If you avoid using your poorer clubs how are you going to improve with them? As I say, I just pick the club I need for the hole. My worst club is probably the 5 iron, but if I've got 180 yard par 3 I'm still going to use it because it's the right club I need for the hole.

ok, instead of "go-to" maybe I should have said "most reliable". But they are my go-to clubs for my 2nd shot if it's more than 150 yards (which it generally is on 12 out of 18 holes), for 4 out of 5 of our par 3s (ranging from 160-200), and also off the tee on 2 of our par 4s which are very tight and demand an accurate shot.

 

[shortgame]

My worst club is probably the 5 iron, but if I've got 180 yard par 3 I'm still going to use it because it's the right club I need for the hole.

If say that hole had trouble short (say a big Oak tree and a ditch) and played into the wind and you really can't hit your 5i well, I guarantee you you'd do better playing it differently, even if you had to go wedge, wedge (assuming you have a reasonable short game)

Obviously the long term solution is to learn to hit your 5i well but if you simply can't then I'm baffled as to why you'd try (in a comp)

 

[Orikoru]

If say that hole had trouble short (say a big Oak tree and a ditch) and played into the wind and you really can't hit your 5i well, I guarantee you you'd do better playing it differently, even if you had to go wedge, wedge (assuming you have a reasonable short game)

Obviously the long term solution is to learn to hit your 5i well but if you simply can't then I'm baffled as to why you'd try (in a comp)

Ok, different attitudes I suppose. I tend to believe I have the ability to hit any club properly (and I do, just with varying consistency of course). So I just choose the appropriate club for each hole as best I can - to change to a less appropriate club feels like doubting myself in my mind, that's all. I try not to have doubts, I look to pick the club for the hole and know that I can hit it well if I put my mind to it. If it goes wrong, it goes wrong, so be it. I don't feel like laying up with two shots to a par 3 is ever the way I want to go.

 

[PJ87]

Ok, different attitudes I suppose. I tend to believe I have the ability to hit any club properly (and I do, just with varying consistency of course). So I just choose the appropriate club for each hole as best I can - to change to a less appropriate club feels like doubting myself in my mind, that's all. I try not to have doubts, I look to pick the club for the hole and know that I can hit it well if I put my mind to it. If it goes wrong, it goes wrong, so be it. I don't feel like laying up with two shots to a par 3 is ever the way I want to go.

With a handicap of 23 (not a dig, I'm only off 26) you can't expect to hit every club well or we would be off 15 or something!

I have a go to club my 5 wood

If my irons are letting me down (which they are right now) my second shot on most holes will be the 5 wood to leave only 20 yards to green instead of 80-60 yards .. then I'll just play a small lob wedge

If I'm feeling the irons that day I'll lay up to a 50 yard pitch if possible

Know your numbers as the coaches say.. what's your favourite approach to have. Always play to leave that.

Same with chipping if my wedges are poor that day I'll go to my 8 iron and bump n run it to the green from within 20 yards...


Have to adapt to what's happening that day

 

[garyinderry]

I fall back to a "go to swing".

I go to an intentinal slice. I club up, hit it easier and slice it round.

Finding a fade much more manageable these days which is world away from my big slinging hook days.

Put a gun to my head and tell me to hit hook or slice i would move it left to right. If i have to find a tight fairway i will clip little cut driver.

I cant really say any clubs are my go to club. I still want to make the green in reg if possible and dont want to be leaving myself a 200yard approach so dropping to a 5 iron off the tee is a non starter.

 

[bobmac]

Ok, different attitudes I suppose. I tend to believe I have the ability to hit any club properly (and I do, just with varying consistency of course). So I just choose the appropriate club for each hole as best I can - to change to a less appropriate club feels like doubting myself in my mind, that's all. I try not to have doubts, I look to pick the club for the hole and know that I can hit it well if I put my mind to it. If it goes wrong, it goes wrong, so be it. I don't feel like laying up with two shots to a par 3 is ever the way I want to go.

Maybe you need to learn how to hit your clubs different distances

 

[Orikoru]

Maybe you need to learn how to hit your clubs different distances

Why would I need that?? I have different clubs for different distances. That's why you have a set of irons instead of just one or two isn't it??

 

[Orikoru]

With a handicap of 23 (not a dig, I'm only off 26) you can't expect to hit every club well or we would be off 15 or something!

I have a go to club my 5 wood

If my irons are letting me down (which they are right now) my second shot on most holes will be the 5 wood to leave only 20 yards to green instead of 80-60 yards .. then I'll just play a small lob wedge

If I'm feeling the irons that day I'll lay up to a 50 yard pitch if possible

Know your numbers as the coaches say.. what's your favourite approach to have. Always play to leave that.

Same with chipping if my wedges are poor that day I'll go to my 8 iron and bump n run it to the green from within 20 yards...


Have to adapt to what's happening that day

Well I literally said I don't expect to hit them all well. I just meant that I try and have a positive outlook and know that I'm capable of hitting it well, that's all.

If I'd hit nothing but crud with a particular club all day then I'd probably not use it, sure. But that isn't having a "go-to club", that's avoiding a club. Slight difference I think.

No slight on anyone meant by this, but I sometimes feel like people use the phrase "go-to club" as a positive spin on the fact they can't hit their driver so they use a 5 wood instead, or other similar examples.

 

[shortgame]

You need to have options

Off 23, even if your course is long you don't have to hit driver all the time if on a particular day it isn't working (we all have them) but you have a hybrid you KNOW you're going to hit well

Same if say all your par 3's are 5 iron length (with hazards in play) and you simply cannot hit it well enough then stategise better. I have PP's off similar handicap to you who simply don't do this and find the same trouble on the same holes week in week out
They must stand on the tee just hoping they can for once hit (for example) that perfect 5 iron but 9/10 times they'd be better off playing it differently

So much more to this game than saying '180 that's a 5 iron'

Need to find ways of getting it round the course even on bad days

 

[Orikoru]

You need to have options

Off 23, even if your course is long you don't have to hit driver all the time if on a particular day it isn't working (we all have them) but you have a hybrid you KNOW you're going to hit well

Same if say all your par 3's are 5 iron length (with hazards in play) and you simply cannot hit it well enough then stategise better. I have PP's off similar handicap to you who simply don't do this and find the same trouble on the same holes week in week out
They must stand on the tee just hoping they can for once hit (for example) that perfect 5 iron but 9/10 times they'd be better off playing it differently

So much more to this game than saying '180 that's a 5 iron'

Need to find ways of getting it round the course even on bad days

Fair enough, I guess that all makes sense. Maybe I'm just stubborn, haha. Don't want to concede defeat on a club - if I've hit it bad twice in a row then surely the third one is the charm since I'm due a good one!

 

[PJ87]

Well I literally said I don't expect to hit them all well. I just meant that I try and have a positive outlook and know that I'm capable of hitting it well, that's all.

If I'd hit nothing but crud with a particular club all day then I'd probably not use it, sure. But that isn't having a "go-to club", that's avoiding a club. Slight difference I think.

No slight on anyone meant by this, but I sometimes feel like people use the phrase "go-to club" as a positive spin on the fact they can't hit their driver so they use a 5 wood instead, or other similar examples.

Even if my drivers off I continue with it most of time it's when my irons are off I'll take 5 wood from the deck

Choke down on it to reduce distance if ness

 

[xcore]

Short 350 par 4s il drop down to a 5 iron if it's all going tits up, 5 wood for anything longer

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I don't have a go to or most reliable club. I think I can use each of them equally well and trust my swing to function on each swing and with the right club for that shot. Of course it doesn't always (rarely) pans out but I prefer that mindset than one not liking a particular club or having reliance on one