Know the Distance
How far do you hit the ball with your 8 iron? with your pitching wedge? or with your lob wedge? If you know how far you typically hit a specific club, say your full wedge shot travels 100 yards, then you can calculate the distances for your other clubs. This is also an exercise in leaving your ego behind and focus on getting to the real distances you hit your clubs.We don't recommend that you focus too much on distance when you are at the driving range. First the yardage markers may not be as accurate as you think and second range balls don't fly the same as the balls you use.
If the opportunity is available, the next time you are playing alone and the course is not busy, try hitting several balls from specific distances. Remember to use a smooth swing. You will soon get a good feel for the distance a ball travels with each club.
You will probably learn that you don't hit the ball as far as you thought. But that's OK. What you will learn is what club to use when making a smooth swing and your accuracy will improve and allow you to shoot lower scores.
Here is a table with distances that might serve as a guide.
| Club | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | 200-230-260 | 150-175-200 |
| 3-wood | 180-215-235 | 125-150-180 |
| 5-wood | 170-195-210 | 105-135-170 |
| 2-iron | 170-195-210 | 105-135-170 |
| 3-iron | 160-180-200 | 100-125-160 |
| 4-iron | 150-170-185 | 90-120-150 |
| 5-iron | 140-160-170 | 80-110-140 |
| 6-iron | 130-150-160 | 70-100-130 |
| 7-iron | 120-140-150 | 65-90-120 |
| 8-iron | 110-130-140 | 60-80-110 |
| 9-iron | 95-115-130 | 55-70-95 |
| PW | 80-105-120 | 50-60-80 |
| SW | 60-80-100 | 40-50-60 |
| LW | 40-60-80 | 20-30-50 |
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