When in-between clubs, don't let the wrong decision lead to extra strokes on a hole.
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As part of a pre-shot routine, most golfers stand behind their ball and construct a gameplan for what they want to do. They’ll look for trouble or hazards, they’ll take into account any weather, and they’ll visualize how they want to execute the shot in front of them.
The final recipe? Choosing the right club to make it all happen.
Believe it or not, though, that can actually be the most difficult decision to make — especially for mid-to-high handicappers who often don’t know their carry or total distances.
When you’re stuck between clubs, it can cause all sorts of pre-shot jitters, which can lead to indecision and a lack of confidence. If this happens, all the work you’ve done in your pre-shot routine gets thrown out the window. Instead of believing in yourself, you start wondering if you have enough club or if you’re using too little.
So how can you make the right choice? GOLF Top 100 Teacher Brian Mogg shares an easy tip in the video below.
Instead of addressing your ball with some indecision looming, Mogg says to make it easy on yourself by using a simple adjustment at setup.
“In golf, you often find yourself with an in-between shot, meaning is it a 6-iron or a 7-iron,” he says. “One of the things to do is not change your swing, but change your setup.”
Mogg then goes onto explain how he’s going to hit a 6-iron instead of his 7-iron — which will give him less loft and more of an opportunity to hit it farther. But this is where the change in setup is important, as it helps you control the yardage before you go into performance mode.
“I’m just going to choke down on [the grip] a little bit,” he says. “I’m going to narrow my stance a little bit, and keep my tempo smoother. You want to do all the controlling of the yardage before you hit the ball, rather than trying to guess how hard to accelerate or decelerate.”
So rather than wonder if you have enough club, speed up your swing sequence, and swing harder than you might be comfortable with, Mogg says that using these new setup tips will give you a better chance for a positive result.
“That’s how you can regulate [the shot] and take a little yardage off when in-between clubs,” Mogg adds.
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