Know Your Yardages

Here we are again for another season of golf. I am happy to be back again offering tips to help you improve your golf game. As we start a new season, the first tip I am going to offer is one every golfer should do at the beginning of a new season.

How often do you stand over the golf ball questioning which club you should hit? As a reminder we should never hit a golf ball if we have any doubt in our mind about club selection. To prevent this I encourage all golfers to take the time to find out approximately how far you hit every club in your bag. The best way to accomplish this is if you can find a flat place to hit several balls with each club and then walk off the distance (or use a range finder) and then document the yardage for each club. I would encourage you to use the carry distance for each club and not roll distance. If you cannot find a flat spot to hit balls, then I would encourage you to carry a small pocket notebook and every time you hit a shot on the golf course write down the distance and the club you hit. It will also be important to write down if it was uphill or downhill. As you write down these distances for several rounds you will start to see a distance pattern for your clubs.

When I was at the US Open last year with one of my students and she played a practice round with Annika Sorenstam she was amazed that Annika’s caddy wrote down every club she hit from every distance. Even the best check their yardages so they know exactly what club to hit.

If you feel that some of your clubs go the same distance, I would check with your local PGA professional to have them check the lofts on your clubs or if there would be a better club for you to fill the gap.

I want to wish everyone a great golf season this year. If you have a question or topic you would like addressed, kcomer@glenmorecountryclub.com is my email address, or visit my website at kandicomergolf.com and you can ask questions from the web site.