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2 October 2026 · 9 min read

Which club for which shot? How to choose on the course by distance, wind and lie

When in doubt take the longer club: 40 % of approach shots land short. Plus the rules of thumb for wind, height and temperature, Rule 4.3a and a worked example for 150 metres.

Which club for which shot? How to choose on the course by distance, wind and lie — post image

You choose the club in four steps: the distance to the target, your own distance with that club, corrections for wind, height and temperature, and the question of where a miss goes. When in doubt you take the longer one. According to an analysis by Arccos of more than six million shots, 40 % of approach shots land short of the green, eight times as many as behind it. You do not measure your distance on paper but with the median of ten balls in the bay. I read the sources on 2 October 2026.

In which order do you choose the club?

The PGA of America writes in its beginner guide that before choosing you should know the distance to the middle of the green, and that before the round you should find out how far your ball flies on average (PGA of America). PGA Deutschland describes the shot to the green as a shot in which you set the distance mainly through the club (PGA Deutschland). That gives the order:

  • Distance: to the middle of the green, and the stretch you have to carry over a hazard.
  • Your distance: the median of your club, not your best shot.
  • Corrections: wind, height difference, altitude, temperature.
  • Risk: where does a miss go, and is the shot at the green worth it at all?

Which number has which loft is in Club types and numbers explained. How you measure the distance is in Club distances table.

Why do you take the longer club when in doubt?

Because many choose the club by their best shot. Arccos, a provider of shot tracking, analysed the data of its users: 40 % of approach shots land short, eight times as many as behind the green, so about 5 % (Arccos). With the 5-iron it looks like this, in yards and converted to metres:

5-ironDistance from which the club was chosen (mean)Distance actually hit (median)Difference
Scratch golfer194 yards, 177 m176 yards, 161 m18 yards, 16 m
Handicap 20187 yards, 171 m152 yards, 139 m35 yards, 32 m

Arccos co-founder Sal Syed says that in the end you decide by your best shots, and that is not smart. PGA Deutschland names the reason from the other side: poorly struck shots are usually too short and therefore mostly do not land on the green. So you choose by the median of your series. Where shots are lost on the round is shown in Strokes Gained for amateurs.

How much more club do you need in the wind?

A rule of thumb by the golf teacher Elena King, taken from TrackMan tables: add 1 % distance for every mile per hour of headwind, and in a tailwind subtract 0.5 % (Colorado AvidGolfer). 10 mph is about 16 km/h. The table shows the source's examples, read in metres because the rule works in percent:

Distance to target10 mph headwind20 mph headwind10 mph tailwind20 mph tailwind
100 m110 m120 m95 m90 m
200 m220 m240 m190 m180 m

It remains a rule of thumb. For the 7-iron of the PGA Tour TrackMan calculates 19.2 yards less carry in a 10 mph headwind, about 17.6 metres, and 14.6 yards more in a tailwind of the same strength, about 13.4 metres. That is not a ratio of two to one (Golfing Focus). And the rule that one mile per hour equals one yard is not right according to the tables of the golf teacher Lewis Clarke (Peter Field Golf). Into the wind Elena King advises more club, a smooth swing and the ball a little further back in the stance, because swinging harder creates more spin.

What do height difference, altitude and temperature change?

Less than the wind. The table sums up the numbers, converted to metres:

FactorEffect on the carry
Height difference of 10 feet, about 3 mup to 4 yards, about 3.7 m, more or less
Altitude, 5,000 feet or about 1,500 mon average 6 % further, male amateurs
Temperature, per 10 °F above 40 °F1.33 to 1.5 yards more, about 1.2 to 1.4 m
Humidity from 10 % to 90 %less than 1 yard with a 6-iron

The values for the height difference come from Lewis Clarke, who works with the calculators of TrackMan University, the others from TrackMan via Golfing Focus. For the mountains there is a calculation by the Titleist researcher Steve Aoyama: altitude in feet times 0.00116 gives the gain in percent. At 1,500 metres, that is 4,921 feet, this makes about 5.7 %. For temperature: even in extreme heat you do not expect a gain bigger than one club gap.

How do you choose with a hazard, rough and a slope?

Not every shot goes at the green. PGA Deutschland knows the transport shot: you play it when the green is out of your reach or the shot at the green is too risky. Then the flag does not count, the length at which the ball should lie does. The same applies to the tee shot: it is good when you place the ball far on the right side of the fairway or at the right length, for example short of a hazard. The when-in-doubt-longer rule does not hold when the danger lies behind the green: then you choose the length that does not go over.

What a mistake costs is shown by Shot Scope: a player with handicap 20 makes on average 3.03 penalty strokes per round, one with handicap 0 only 0.56 (Shot Scope). How the three cases lost ball, out of bounds and penalty area are counted is in Lost ball, out of bounds, penalty area. Against the longest club speaks the spread: whoever needs less lofted clubs because of a low clubhead speed often has problems with consistency and direction, according to PGA Deutschland. How the slope steers the ball is in Sloping lies in golf, and how to play a hybrid from the rough in How to hit a fairway wood and a hybrid.

What may you use for choosing the club?

The Rules of Golf allow more than many think, and bar other things (Rule 4.3a, R&A):

AllowedNot allowed
Getting distance and direction with a measuring deviceMeasuring elevation changes, or a device that recommends a club based on where your ball lies
Weather information from a forecast, including wind speed, and measuring temperature and humidity at the courseMeasuring wind speed at the course, or using powder, a handkerchief or a ribbon to judge the wind
Information gathered before the round, including club recommendations, and recording distances of the round for afterwardsProcessing data from the current round, such as club recommendations based on the distances of this round

So you may take your table from the bay with you. A committee can, however, ban distance-measuring devices by local rule. Which device answers which question is in Golf watch, laser or app.

How do you find your own distances?

In the bay, in calm air: ten balls per club, from the wedge to the driver, and the median of the carry values, not the best ball. Indoors there is no wind, and the mat is usually flat. The corrections from above come on top on the course. Why the score is different indoors is shown in Simulator score and course score.

A worked example: the target is 150 metres away. In calm air you take the club that carries 150 metres in your table. In a 10 mph headwind the shot plays like 165 metres, plus 10 %, in a 10 mph tailwind like about 143 metres, minus 5 %. Then you look in your table for the club that carries that number. If a hazard lies in front, its carry must be enough, not its total.

What this means for you

  • Choose by the median of your series, not by the best shot.
  • When in doubt take the longer club: short is the more frequent miss.
  • Add wind, height and temperature roughly, they are rules of thumb.
  • With risk, first choose the length at which the ball should lie.

Where you can measure your distances

The directory lists 126 venues, 110 of them indoor (as of 2 October 2026, own entries). The map shows them by canton, golf simulator near me the nearest one, and anyone going into a bay for the first time starts with golf simulator for beginners.

Frequently asked questions

Which club for which distance?

The one whose median carry matches the distance. For that you measure ten balls per club in the bay. According to Arccos a scratch golfer chooses the 5-iron on average from 194 yards but hits it only 176 yards in the median.

How much more club do I take in a headwind?

A rule of thumb from TrackMan tables: 1 % more distance per mile per hour of headwind, 0.5 % less in a tailwind. In a 10 mph headwind a shot of 150 metres plays like 165 metres. Take the club that carries that distance.

Should I take one club more or one less?

Usually more. Arccos analysed more than six million shots: 40 % of approach shots land short, eight times as many as behind the green. PGA Deutschland writes that poorly struck shots are usually too short.

May I use an app or a watch for club selection during the round?

Measuring distances is allowed, a device that recommends a club based on where your ball lies is not (Rule 4.3a). Measuring wind speed at the course is also not allowed, a weather forecast is. A committee can ban measuring devices altogether by local rule.

How much further does the ball fly in the mountains?

According to TrackMan male amateurs hit 6 % further on average at 5,000 feet, about 1,500 metres. A Titleist researcher calculates: altitude in feet times 0.00116 gives the gain in percent, about 5.7 % at 1,500 metres.

Sources