I’m seeking assistance with club selection for my next comp this Saturday. It’s a stableford event with 4 club max. I’ve worked out that I need the putter and would like to take the driver, but what else would be good? My handicap is now 40 and the greatest distance I seem to get is 150m.

Given your handicap and typical distance I would actually leave the driver at home, and tee off with a 5 iron or a hybrid if you have one – you probably won’t lose a lot of distance, improve your accuracy and get to use that club in more situations (tee shots on par 3s, and off the fairway.)

Then you can add an 8 iron for shorter approaches and a wedge for chipping and bunker shots.

Sounds like it should be a fun day.

Thanks Muntz. But the driver makes a lovely ‘ping’ when I connect properly and feels good too. I do tee off with the 4 or 5 hybrids on par 3’s and usually get pretty close, but it’s the par 5 that really scares me. I can’t understand why women use their drivers to tee off on every hole, it just don’t add up!

What you’re saying does make sense though. I’ll give it a go and report back next week.

I would tend to agree with Muntz. The thing to realise with a driver is that it takes all kinds of freaky skill to hit it off the ground. A handicap of 40 gives you 112 shots to get around. And say there are 4 par’3s that you won’t use it that means that you will use up 25% of you club selection for 14/108 shots. I won’t do the maths but its around 12%. Now consider the amount of shots you will get within wedge range (say 40m) I don’t know your game but I am pretty confident in saying that you will take more than 14 shots in getting to the green from inside 40m in the round. So already theres 2 clubs (putter and wedge) I would take ahead of the driver. I would then take 2 irons or an iron and a hybrid (as you can use both of them again after teeing off). But most importantly, make sure they are clubs you are the most confident with. Remember that 3 straight 9 irons to the green is the same as a wayward driver, chip out then 9 iron in.

If I were playing it, I would take putter, SW or LW, 9i and 6i. Sounds like you will have a ball either way. Good luck and have fun!

Worth trying once in a while, just to see if you can manufacture shots to get around the course rather than hitting the “right” club.

I wonder how many golfers would score better if you confiscated their drivers on the way to the first tee…? I used 3 wood all day on Sunday and hit 8/13 fairways, normally I hit about 5. Distance wasn’t much different but I spent a lot less time in the pines.

Funny how none of us are named Bruce, but thought I would chip in anyways. As you are off 40, I doubt you are ready to use your hybrid as a putter. If you are only hitting your driver 150m, I would assume then that you find the fairway a good deal of the time, so to me a hybrid is a must even if it only gives you 110/120m it will come in handy during the round a whole lot more than the driver, even it it doesn’t ‘ping’. For the remainder, putter, PW, (lay the face well open if in the sand) and a 7i for everything else from 90m. As for the Par 5’s – 3 hits of the Hybrid, 1of the 7/PW, 2 putts = 6 a 3 (maybe 4) laughin.

Chip in – I only just got that – clever.

Obviously you all know what you’re talking about, so I will take heed. Interesting idea trying to use the hybrid as a putter. The way I put it probably wouldn’t make that much difference!

I also like my 7 hybrid iron a little more than my 8 standard iron, but as a girlie I can always change my mind before we start.

So you’ve all convinced me – no driver – scary, and that was the good club. Oh well, I may just learn something from the exercise.

The lesson you may learn will be valuable too! Too many amateur golfers (me included) would be better served using other clubs off the tee and keeping the ball in play.

Cheetah….you hit your driver 150m off the tee as a max? – if that is the case then I would chuck it in the bag, especially if you are comfortable with it..maybe before you do go somewhere and hit some balls off the deck with it just to see if you can do it, you may find you can hit them well (or modify your swing to punch the ball with driver off the deck)...if you are comfortable with it and can hit it then why get rid of it? – at a stretch you can even choke down and use it to putt…but use it because 150m with your longest club means you are at least 3 or 4 shots to get to the green on most par 4’s without it and then you have to negotiate the green.

So maybe Driver, 5 iron, PW, putter? – or Driver (use to putt) low hybrid, 5/6 iron, wedge

Lol I thought you would suggest she took 4 Scotty Camerons :-) (With headcovers of course!)

hahahaha nice one. I would but it would be a disgrace to use one off the tee :)

Live4 – Not a bad suggestion but I doubt that at Cheetahs experience level she would know how to punch an iron, let alone driver. Besides, time she got used to using and liking some of the other clubs in the bag.

live4golf- I still occasionally hit the deck before the ball with the driver even off the tee…. maybe a few more years experience necessary. Also, most of the clubs I can hit around the 100m+. I still haven’t found the power button yet!

I recently played this type of event & a few people gave up the putter & just used their driver. Can’t say that I’d do this but it does give you more variation with your irons.

Well Gents, I played with only 4 clubs (4 Hyb, 7 Hyb iron, PW and Putt) and it was a surprisingly successful day, despite being given the hurry up by the Vice Capt before every shot we played. I ended up with 116 and my best score has been 109, so not too bad at all. It was quite enjoyable to see the ball going straigh down the fairway most of the time, only hit a couple of trees, but I swear they ran out in front of me. The par 5 5th is still a par 10 for me. Just can’t seem to break it’s back. Anyway I’ll keep trying and thanks all for your support.

Good to hear it went well for ya :-)