There’s always that one club in the bag that never misses. That one club that delivers a nearly perfect shot every time. It’s the club that everyone tries to get every other club in the bag to behave like. It’s the “go to” club. Whether it’s a 7 iron or a 3 iron, finding that club is one of the most important pieces in reducing scores on almost any course around. From the tee box to layup placement, knowing the exact shot that a go to club will produce is huge when the pressure is on. Eliminating that pressure with an easy shot that works every time is the key to dropping strokes and making birdies.
Above is one of my favorite images from last year. It’s the 640 yard, par 5, 18th at Gearhart Golf Links just outside Seaside, Oregon. When I was carrying my FG49 irons, my go to club, strangely enough, was the 1 iron. It’s still such a solid club for me, that I’m considering carrying it instead of the 4 wood that is in my current bag with the FG Tour 100 irons. The 1 iron in that set produced a perfect 250-260 yard ball every time. I could fade, draw, slice or even hook it almost on command. It was the holy grail of tee clubs. Of course, the issue now is that my 3 iron goes about 230 off the tee as well, so the 1 iron became a bit redundant in that regard, but I do have a tendency to miss left a bit more with the 3, so there is that to consider.
In reality though, both my 1 iron and 3 iron are great options for me off the tee. Sure, hitting 300 yard whoppers down the middle of the fairway is great, but having that one club in the bag that will guarantee you a fairway when you absolutely have to have it, that is perfection in the bag. Teeing up on a hole with water right and trees left, or OB left and bunkers right, just isn’t scary once you have “the” club in you bag. Now here’s where it gets crazy for the ‘average’ player. Let’s say your club is your 7 iron and you hit it 150 yards, dead straight every time. I pulled my my local course, The Golf Club At Echo Falls (white tees) for this demonstration here, but you can try it with your own local course.
Hole #1 – 330 yards – 7 iron, 7 iron, wedge, 2 putts (bogey)
Hole #2 – 298 yards – 7 iron, 7 iron, 2 putts (par)
Hole #3 – 258 yards – 7 iron, wedge, 2 putts (par)
Hole #4 – 429 yards – 7 iron, 7 iron, 9 iron, 2 putts (par)
Hole #5 – 171 yards – 7 iron, wedge, 2 putts (bogey)
Hole #6 – 501 yards – 7 iron, 7 iron, 7 iron, wedge, 2 putts (bogey)
Hole #7 – 166 yards – 7 iron, wedge, 2 putts (bogey)
Hole #8 – 333 yards – 7 iron, 7 iron, wedge 2 putts (bogey)
Hole #9 – 361 yards – 7 iron, 7 iron, wedge 2 putts (bogey)
So with just 4 clubs, that 150 yard 7 iron, a 9 iron, wedge and putter, it’s simple enough to put together an 85 at almost any course. If you moved up to the gold tees (Par 70 – 64.2/112) which is where someone playing with a 150 yard 7 iron should probably be anyways, that score falls to an upper 70’s number very quickly. So often we get caught up in playing the game the way the pro’s play it rather than what works for our own game. To see this in action for yourself, try it at the range, or on a simulator if you have one available. See if you are more accurate with your 5 iron than your driver. Work through your set, middle up and then back down to wedges. Find that club and learn it. Once you have that 7 iron nailed and can control it completely, try moving to the 5 iron and the 9 iron and do the same. You’ll find the 6 and 8 just fall into place after that.
If you can find your go to club, your scores will most certainly fall quickly and you game will only get stronger from tee to green.
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