You're Correct!

It is not unusual to find yourself on the golf course having to make a tough decision as to which club to take for the shot in hand. The yardage says that the shot it is too far for the 8 iron but not far enough for the 7 iron. What do you do? The golden rule is always to keep things simple. Swing as normally and fully as possible and change the set up of the golf swing to suit the shot. This gives the golfer consistency as it is very difficult to change a swing but very easy to change the set up.

In the situation outlined - keep it simple, always take the longer club and make a good smooth swing. Even if the set up is not modified and we still take the longer club, the shot will still work for two reasons:

Most amateur golfers overestimate how far they hit the ball.
Most amateur golfers do not strike the ball perfectly every time.

In either case, taking the extra club for more yardage will ensure the ball will travel the correct distance. Assuming however, that the ball will be struck perfectly and you have a perfect understanding of how far you hit the ball, a quick change in set up is all that is required. Hold the club a little further down the grip than normal - an approximation is that for a full swing, gripping down the golf club grip by half an inch reduces the distance that the ball is hit by five yards. This works by making the golf club shorter which reduces the arc that the club travels around the body, which reduces the speed of the club head through the ball. This all culminates in reducing the distance of the ball being hit.

Use this easy tip to remove your indecision and play great shots when you need them. Remember - keep it simple!

This can work but it is very difficult to know how hard or soft that you are hitting the ball. Can you feel that you are hitting the ball five yards less than normal? Also swinging softer can ruin the timing of the swing and cause a mis-hit shot.

This can work but is a risky strategy. When hitting the ball harder than normal, although you are committing to a full swing, the extra power can cause a breakdown in technique, balance or timing in which case a mis-hit shot can result.

Keep it simple. It takes years to build a golf swing that is repeatable enough to hit consistent shots yet the situation does not quite match the golf swing. Dont change the swing to accommodate five yards! How do you know how short a golf swing five yards less is? Also a shorter swing has a different rhythm which can drastically upset the contact with the golf ball.