Feeling Indecisive? How to Pick The Right Club

It’s incredibly common to feel indecisive when stepping foot onto the green. When it comes to picking the right club, many of us aren’t quite sure where to start. This guide will help take a bit of the guesswork out of the equation and prepare you to make an educated decision when you’re playing. Choosing a club and being confident in your choice is a great way to bring your best self to the course, after all.

Justin Klemballa, Director of Instruction for Paradise Valley Country Club and Forest Highland Golf Club, uses a red-yellow-green system to help teach golfers how to make the right choice every time. We’ll break down each of these three categories:

Red Clubs: 5 Hybrid – 3 Wood

When wielding these clubs, it means that our expectation should be to get the ball near the green, not necessarily on it. Since you’re likely at a longer distance, you’ll want to pay extra close attention to the obstacles that might be in your way - like bunkers or greenery. You’ll want to concentrate on what section around the green to hit towards, and manage your expectations accordingly. These clubs exist to help put you in a better position for your next swing.

Knowing that a ‘red’ club exists to help get you near the green makes it easier to feel confident and successful when you inevitably do so from such a far distance. Getting close to the green and avoiding obstacles should be celebrated! This is a red club win.

Yellow Clubs: 9 Iron – 6 Hybrid

These clubs exist to help you get that ball onto - or back onto - the green. While the pin location is irrelevant, these clubs should help you celebrate getting to a section of the green that you’ve identified as beneficial for your next swing. The goal when using them is to get onto the green. Yellow clubs are a great strategic, middle-ground club to rely on after you’ve already leveraged a red club to help you drive distance.

Green Clubs: Low Wedge – Pitching Wedge

Now it’s time to get aggressive. These clubs are used when focusing in on the pin and aiming to get as close as possible to the hole. A key aspect of choosing a club is knowing when to play conservatively and when to play more aggressively. And these green clubs are perfect for your tight, aggressive plays.

This red-yellow-green system makes it easier to set expectations for yourself - and your clubs - and approach the course confidently every time. Justin shares one additional tip and consideration when choosing a club, and that is to ask yourself if you want the ball to take a more vertical fall to land and stop on the green, or do you want the ball to take a horizontal approach and roll along the green after landing?

If you’re looking for a land-and-stop, Justin recommends a club with a bit more loft and to give it more speed. If you’re in between clubs, he recommends going with a weaker club and more force in order to help the ball get higher and land more securely on the green.

You can find tips like these - and so much more - in our 6-week Compete Confidence Signature Course, designed specifically for female recreational golfers looking to up their game and sharpen their skills.