Choosing The Right Golf Club For An Approach Shot (Video) - by Pete Styles
Choosing The Right Golf Club For An Approach Shot (Video) - by Pete Styles

If we’re now looking at club selection when we’re playing onto a green, we’re effectively approaching the green. So we talk about this as an approach shot, we want the right club selection to approach onto a green. Now, for a lot people the consideration would simply be just on yardage, they’d look at the yardage of the hole, work out what it is, and then hit the ball up onto the green with the relevant club. But because in the short game, we generally have quite a few different options when we’re approaching a green, we might have four or five different wedges in different ions, that can all reach the relevant distance.

So we’ve got to factor in a little bit more useful information about using the right club. For a lot of golfers when we’re playing onto the green what they should really do is look where the danger is. So if we’re playing onto let’s say a 100-yard hole but there’s a pond at the back of the green, I’d like golfers to use a club that eliminates the back of the green. So even if they hit their world’s best with a certain club they won’t reach the pond. Likewise, if the pond was at the front of the green, take your club that pretty much guarantees they’re going to be able to get over that pond. So it’s looking at the danger, assessing where the hazards are, utilizing the relevant club that takes the hazard out of play as much as you possibly can. All the considerations when you’re hitting shots just onto the green, different to tee shots is assessing the lie. Generally speaking when you’re on a tee you’ve got the teeing range, you’ve got the ball teed up on a good lie, and you strike it from that, so you don’t have to worry about the lie. When you get around the green your short game wise, you might get 100 yards out and find the ball buried. Well, that’s going to require a different club compared to 100 yards out and a really good lie. So we’ve got to be careful of how the ball is sitting, assess the lie, use the appropriate club and the appropriate shot from there. One last issue particularly relevant with short gaming shots, short gaming shots they’re going to fly high in the air in a day like today, is assessing the wind. It might not really feel like it’s too strong down at your level but if you’re looking at the tops of the trees and you could see the tops of the tress blowing and bending, you’ve got to consider that this golf ball is going to spend quite a lot of time up there and could blow around. And particularly if you’ve got a tight pin position with a bunker or a hazard just at the side, you’re playing towards that flag knowing that the ball could get blown off into the hazard. So club selection is important, the lie is important, and also consider the wind. And I think those three areas will help improve your club selection with your approach shots. 2016-08-24

If we’re now looking at club selection when we’re playing onto a green, we’re effectively approaching the green. So we talk about this as an approach shot, we want the right club selection to approach onto a green. Now, for a lot people the consideration would simply be just on yardage, they’d look at the yardage of the hole, work out what it is, and then hit the ball up onto the green with the relevant club. But because in the short game, we generally have quite a few different options when we’re approaching a green, we might have four or five different wedges in different ions, that can all reach the relevant distance.

So we’ve got to factor in a little bit more useful information about using the right club. For a lot of golfers when we’re playing onto the green what they should really do is look where the danger is. So if we’re playing onto let’s say a 100-yard hole but there’s a pond at the back of the green, I’d like golfers to use a club that eliminates the back of the green. So even if they hit their world’s best with a certain club they won’t reach the pond. Likewise, if the pond was at the front of the green, take your club that pretty much guarantees they’re going to be able to get over that pond.

So it’s looking at the danger, assessing where the hazards are, utilizing the relevant club that takes the hazard out of play as much as you possibly can. All the considerations when you’re hitting shots just onto the green, different to tee shots is assessing the lie. Generally speaking when you’re on a tee you’ve got the teeing range, you’ve got the ball teed up on a good lie, and you strike it from that, so you don’t have to worry about the lie. When you get around the green your short game wise, you might get 100 yards out and find the ball buried. Well, that’s going to require a different club compared to 100 yards out and a really good lie. So we’ve got to be careful of how the ball is sitting, assess the lie, use the appropriate club and the appropriate shot from there.

One last issue particularly relevant with short gaming shots, short gaming shots they’re going to fly high in the air in a day like today, is assessing the wind. It might not really feel like it’s too strong down at your level but if you’re looking at the tops of the trees and you could see the tops of the tress blowing and bending, you’ve got to consider that this golf ball is going to spend quite a lot of time up there and could blow around. And particularly if you’ve got a tight pin position with a bunker or a hazard just at the side, you’re playing towards that flag knowing that the ball could get blown off into the hazard. So club selection is important, the lie is important, and also consider the wind. And I think those three areas will help improve your club selection with your approach shots.