| Many recreational golfers want only to hit the green | | | | want and be less affected by the wind. |
| from the fairway. They don't know that with a little | | | | Another example is on the tee of a par 3. You should |
| knowledge, it's not any harder to hit the ball right up | | | | automatically add seven yards to the listed yardage |
| to the pin. | | | | to make sure the ball gets on the green in case you |
| First, you have to know just how far you hit each | | | | hit a shot that is less than your best. From there, |
| iron, to the yard. Go to a vacant field with a friend | | | | you can adjust, depending on the pin placement from |
| and hit a few shots with your 9-iron, your friend | | | | front to back. |
| down-range noting where each ball lands. Then step | | | | Here's a more complicated example of what knowing |
| off the distance to resulting cluster, and now you | | | | your distances can do for you. My 6-iron goes 151 |
| truly know how far you hit your 9-iron. You can | | | | yards, the 5-iron 160, and the 4-hybrid 174. One day I |
| repeat that with each iron, or hit every other iron | | | | was 156 yards from the center of the green, |
| and interpolate. | | | | according to the sprinkler head. That meant an easy |
| What you'll determine isn't the average distance you | | | | 5-iron. But the pin was in the front of the green, not |
| hit each club, but the maximum distance. That's a | | | | the center, so I could get there with the 6. |
| critical distinction. Suppose you hit your 8-iron 132 | | | | It had been raining lately and the ground was wet, |
| yards and your 7-iron 141 yards, and you're in the | | | | which means you can't trap the ball against the |
| fairway 136 yards from the pin. Your 8-iron won't get | | | | ground at impact very well, and the ball won't fly as |
| there. Take out your 7-iron instead, grip down a bit, | | | | far. Back to the 5-iron. But there was a wind in my |
| and make a full swing. You should get a pin-high shot | | | | face. Two holes earlier I hit into the same wind and |
| out of it. | | | | the ball landed short. I ended up hitting my 4-hybrid |
| Knowing how far you hit each club gives you | | | | for a 148-yard shot, which landed eight feet to the |
| flexibility in your club selection, because we play golf | | | | right, pin high. I sank the birdie putt. |
| in Nature and conditions change. Being 145 yards from | | | | One reason the pros hit their irons so close to the |
| the green doesn't always mean you'll use your | | | | hole is they hit them straight. The other is that they |
| 145-yard club. | | | | know how far they hit each iron. While you may |
| If there's wind, you can take more club (5-iron | | | | never have a professional swing, you can have |
| instead of 6-iron, for example) and hit a shot with a | | | | professional knowledge. It will only help. |
| lower trajectory that will still cover the distance you | | | | |