Know your clubs and know your way around the course

One thing that sets Tour Pros apart is their knowledge of both the game of golf and of their own abilities on the course. For example, all Tour Pros know the yardage of every club in their bag. In an interview with Trackman, Dustin Johnson recently expressed the benefit of knowing the yardage of his clubs, saying “ I’ve been using Trackman a lot this year just strictly to get numbers. I’ve got a few different shots with each wedge so it’s really helped me with distance control.” With the season Dustin has had, it is clear to see that knowing his yardage has indeed helped!

Dustin Johnson using Trackman Launch Monitor (via TrackmanGolf.com)

While many of us can’t hit the ball like Dj, we can still be successful on the course if we know the distance to our target and can make the right club selection. The best way to find this out is to go to your local Pro who has a TrackMan or some other type of launch monitor, and request to run a combine session.

Start with the highest lofted club in your bag which is probably going to be a lob or sand wedge. Hit a minimum of five shots and take the average distance; that will give you a good idea of how far you hit each club.

Repeat this process with every club in your bag, and with each shot be sure to write down the average distance of the club. This entire process will take about an hour, but once you are done you will have a chart that looks like the one below.

On a launch monitor such as Trackman, this process will look something like this:

Now that you know how far you can hit each club, you can check the distance off of the tee and to the green. If you want to be even more precise, you can check yardage to the front, back and middle of the greens, and even the distances to the various hazards at each hole. This will help you pick the right club for each shot, and manage your game better by charting your way around the course.

So, if you know that you are 160 yards from the center of the green and you also know that you can hit a 6 iron 165 yards, you now know that all you need to do is choke up a half inch on the club and make a full swing with confidence. The result will always be better than if you were guessing.

In turn, knowing both the yardage of your clubs and the yardage of the course will keep you out of trouble and closer to your target. This will lead to lower scores and of course- more fun!

If you live in Southwest Florida and want to check all of the clubs in your bag, call us at Impact Zone Golf to book a TrackMan Combine Session so the next time you hit the links you will have the knowledge you need to shoot better scores.