How many of your 14 clubs do you use during a typical round? After a month of playing, are there still a few that never made it out of the bag? Sometimes, these extras are better left at home but, more often, they’re missed opportunities—clubs you could use to improve your game but don’t. Here are three clubs in your bag that you’re likely overlooking and why ignoring them is hurting your scores.
Gap wedge
The gap wedge is one of the most overlooked clubs. You know you need that filler between the pitching and sand wedge yet it’s hard to find the right time and place to use the gap. For most golfers, the gap wedge is an 80- to 120-yard shot but its most important benefits may be around the greens.
For controlled chip shots or when you need a stock half shot into a green with a club that still offers a good amount of spin, the gap wedge is a strong choice. Another great place for the gap wedge is the longer bunker shot. If you need to lean on a sand wedge to get to your target, try hitting a more controlled gap wedge to get you there.
How to incorporate the gap wedge into your game
One of the best ways to use your gap wedge more is to head to the range with your distance-measuring device and work on quarter, half, three-quarter and full-swing gap wedges. Determine which yardage you hit each one and then have some confidence the next time you take the gap wedge out on the course.
3-wood
Some golfers consider their 3-wood a backup should their driver fail them. Since the 3-wood is good off the tee but a little harder to hit off the deck, it’s often overlooked. It’s also not typically a club players reach for when heading to the range to hit a few shots.
However, when used correctly, the 3-wood can be a very helpful golf club. Most importantly, it is more accurate than the driver and after a year of testing hundreds of golf clubs, we can tell you accuracy matters more for saving shots than distance.
The 3-wood can make it easier to control your ball flight than the driver. For a tee shot into the wind, the 3-wood could give you more distance if you know how to knock it down. The 3-wood also gives you a chance to potentially hit more par-5s in two. If you are laying up, afraid to take the 3-wood out of the bag and hit it closer to the green, look at these stats from Shot Scope about why that could be a mistake.
How to incorporate the 3-wood into your game
Golfers’ biggest issue with the 3-wood is their lack of experience hitting it from the short grass. The next time you head to the range, leave your driver in the bag and force yourself to work on the 3-wood.
Most of the time, golfers make the mistake of not setting the ball position right from the start when using the 3-wood from the fairway. Experiment with the ball position (forward of center) and make sure the swing feels shallow and more extended, very similar to a driver swing.
6-iron
As hybrids have become more popular, more players have removed the 5-iron from the bag. This leaves the 6-iron looking more like a long iron than a mid-iron which is enough to scare some players away from using it.
Sure, the 7-iron has more loft and is a bit easier to hit but the 6-iron is a valuable club that could save you some shots. One of the best ways to use your 6-iron is to get out of trouble.
A 6-iron punch shot is relatively easy and can give you quite a bit of roll even from a poor lie. Hitting a 6-iron into the wind and controlling the ball’s flight is another great way to use it..
Most importantly, you’ll find that the more you use the 6-iron for these punch and recovery shots, the less scared you’ll be to use it for full-swing approach shots. If you truly can’t hit the 6-iron, it’s time for it to go and you’ll want to put a 6-hybrid into the mix.
How to incorporate the 6-iron into your game
Learn to hit punch shots with your 6-iron. These shots are not difficult and help you learn to hit the center of the face.
Final thoughts
If you are not capitalizing on your gap wedge, 3-wood or 6-iron, incorporate them into your next round of golf. Having 14 clubs that you trust will help your game and make scoring easier.
pineneedlespro
1 month ago
A lot depends on the golf course you are playing. #3 fwy., #6 iron and gap wedge. If you play the same golf course all time there might be 2 or 3 clubs in the bag a golfer never uses. But if a golfer plays different golf courses in the same general area, different clubs will be used. Todays #6 irons loft is so strong that it does not give a golfer much confidence looking down at the head. I’m old school and like to see some loft on the face of every iron in my bag. Some of todays #6 irons look like a #4 iron to me now days.