LONG GAME
Whether you are new to golf or are looking to sharpen the skills that you've been developing for a lifetime, chances are good that you could benefit from focusing on your long game.
From hitting it off the tee to setting up the perfect putt, your long game is something that can make or break your score.
Let's take a look at the clubs that you use for drives and fairway shots. Then, sign up for Orlando golf lessons to get pointers to improve your game.
WOODS
When you need to hit a long bomb, reach for your woods every time. Imagine that you're standing at the tee for a hole that's 450 yards long. You want to get the longest possible shot off the tee, and a hollow-bodied, big-headed golf club is your best possible option.
In fact, most golfers will choose a wood if they are 175 yards or farther away from the hole.
The driver also may be referred to as the one wood. When compared to all other golf clubs, this is the one with the lowest loft. "Loft" refers to the club face's angle, which is critical for controlling trajectory and affecting the distance of your shot. Most drivers have a loft of between seven and 12 degrees. Players with plenty of years of experience under their belts used to prefer drivers that had fewer than 10 degrees of loft. These clubs require more skill to use successfully when compared to drivers with higher lofts.
However, a movement in recent years has had even seasoned golfers reaching for drivers with lofts of ten or eleven degrees. Most of them say that they are able to achieve less spin and a higher launch angle thanks to the higher loft of the club face.
If a driver with higher loft helps golf pros to lengthen their drives, why not give it a try yourself? Consider opting for a driver with a higher loft the next time you step up to the tee.
It's common for golfers to also carry three woods and five woods too. The three wood typically has a loft of 15 to 18 degrees while the five woods' loft is between 20 to 22 degrees. The thing to remember here is that the higher the golf club's number is, the higher its loft is.
Higher club numbers additionally indicate a shorter shaft length. Golfers tend to refer to the three wood and the five wood as "fairway woods." This is because they are most frequently used on the second shot after hitting off the tee.
A few decades ago, golfers habitually carried two and four woods, but these clubs have fallen out of favor as technology has improved. Golfers today are more likely to carry seven and nine woods in their bags as opposed to a two or four wood. Sometimes, players will choose woods with higher numbers while foregoing irons with lower numbers.
Despite their name, these clubs are not made of wood, though they used to be. Molded metal club heads provide a lower center of gravity and perimeter weighting, two things that cannot be achieved with club heads made of wood.
HYBRIDS
If you haven't played golf in a couple of decades and are trying to get back into the game, chances are good that you aren't familiar with hybrid clubs. Both pros and amateurs are really starting to see the benefits of using these clubs that have the shaft length of an iron and the head design of a fairway wood.
Traditionally, golfers have found the long irons to be among the most difficult clubs to hit. Famed pro Lee Trevino once remarked: "If you are ever caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron, not even God can hit a 1-iron."
Hybrid clubs provide a more forgiving alternative to the long irons. That's why so many players are choosing to replace their three and four irons with hybrids. Even five woods and seven woods may be replaced with a two or three hybrid.
If you're thinking of adding hybrids to your bag, it's important to know that their numbering doesn't always match iron numbering. The loft of the hybrid will be the best indicator of which iron that club should replace.
ONE THROUGH SIX IRONS
We've already established that the one iron is notoriously difficult to hit. However, it's worth introducing the other irons and their uses.
Generally, golfers reach for irons as they get closer to the green. You'll use a higher numbered iron the closer you are to the hole. Accordingly, the one through six irons are known as the long irons.
The one through four irons are considered difficult to hit by most players, especially those who aren't competitive pros. This is why so many players, especially novices and those with high handicaps, are making a move toward seven and nine woods instead of the three and four irons.
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY
Are you struggling with your long game? Perhaps you're considering a move to a hybrid club or want to ditch your three iron for a seven wood. When you sign up for golf lessons in Orlando, these are all things that can be explored.
Contact me today to schedule your first lesson. You'll be surprised by how much you can lower your score.
