No teaching. No scrolling.
Just the answer.
The pocket version
Lie first. Middle of the green. One more club, swing easier. Get it rolling. One swing thought.
Lie first. A bad lie vetoes your club choice before distance matters.
Middle of the green. Never aim at a tucked pin.
One more club, swing easier. You come up short more than you fly it long.
Get it rolling. Around the green, least loft that works.
One swing thought. Decide behind the ball, not over it.
Club distances
Generic beginner ranges. Fill in your own numbers and they'll replace these automatically.
| Club | Carry | The job |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | 150–190y | Max distance. Tee only. |
| 3-wood | 140–170y | Safer driver. Tee or fairway. |
| Hybrid | 120–155y | Long, forgiving. Your friend. |
| 5-iron | 110–140y | Longest realistic iron. |
| 6-iron | 100–130y | Gap filler. |
| 7-iron | 90–120y | The reference club. |
| 8-iron | 80–110y | Friendly. |
| 9-iron | 70–100y | Short approach. |
| Pitching wedge | 55–90y | Everything inside 100. |
| Sand wedge | 30–65y | Bunkers, high and soft. |
| Putter | rolls | Green only. |
The 3 stance rules
Ball forward for long clubs, back for short
Driver: off your lead heel. 7-iron: centered. Chip: off your trail instep. Everything else is a step along that line.
Weight forward as clubs get shorter
Driver: slightly favoring your trail foot. Irons: even. Wedges and chips: hard on your lead foot, and it stays there.
Hit DOWN on irons
The loft does the lifting, not you. Ball first, ground second. Your divot goes in front of where the ball was.
The lie filter
Check this before you think about distance. A bad lie takes clubs off the table.
| Lie | Clubs that work | Clubs that don't |
|---|---|---|
| On a tee | Anything. Only place a driver works. | Nothing. Free pick. |
| Clean fairway | Woods, hybrids, irons, wedges. | Driver. |
| Light rough | Hybrids, irons, wedges. Expect ~10% less distance. | Driver, 3-wood. |
| Thick rough | Wedge or 9-iron. Just get back to the fairway. Steep swing, grip firmer. | Everything long. Grass grabs the hosel and shuts the face. |
| Bunker | Sand wedge. Hit the sand 2" behind the ball. | Basically everything else. |
| Hardpan / dirt | Irons, ball back, hit crisp and ball-first. | High-bounce sand wedge. It skips into the ball's middle. |
| Divot | One club more, ball back, steep, punch it out. | Anything you'd sweep. |
| Pine straw / leaves | Irons, clean pick. Don't rest the club down behind it, you'll move the ball. | Anything you'd sweep. |
| Fringe / collar | Putter. | A lob wedge. |
From a bad lie, your only job is to get to a good lie. A wedge back to the fairway is the shot that prevents the triple bogey. Take your medicine. Get out. Move on.
Off the tee
| The hole | Club | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Long par 4 or 5, wide open | Driver | This is what it's for. Send it. |
| Long but tight, trouble both sides | Hybrid or 5-wood | 30 shorter in the fairway beats 30 longer in the trees. |
| Short par 4 (under ~300) | Hybrid or 5-iron | Put it in play, wedge it on. |
| Par 3, ~150 | Your ~150 club | Tee it low. Still an iron swing. |
| Par 3, 200+ | Hybrid or wood | No shame. These are hard for everyone. |
| 3 straight slices with driver | Anything else | Put it away for two holes. Really. |
| Forced carry over water | One MORE than the carry needs | Nobody regrets flying it 15 long over water. |
Approach shots
Aim at the middle of the green. Every time. No matter where the pin is. This one habit lowers scores more than any swing change.
| Distance | Club | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 200+ yards | Hybrid / wood | Or lay up to 100 and wedge it on. Two easy shots beat one hero shot. |
| 150 to 180 | 5 or 6-iron, or hybrid | Middle of the green. |
| 120 to 150 | 7 or 8-iron | Your bread and butter zone. |
| 90 to 120 | 9-iron / PW | Full smooth swing. Don't add distance. |
| 50 to 90 | PW / SW, partial | Hardest zone in golf. Use the clock face below. |
| 20 to 50 | SW, pitch | Small swing, accelerate through. |
| Under 20, off the green | Chip | See chipping below. |
Partial wedges (clock face)
Control distance with backswing length, not swing speed. Same speed through the ball every time.
| Backswing | Lead arm points to | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30 | Just past your trail leg | ~25% of full distance |
| 9:00 | Straight out, parallel to ground | ~50% of full distance |
| 10:30 | Halfway to vertical | ~75% of full distance |
| Full | All the way | 100% |
Always accelerate through. Deceleration causes chunks and skulls. Never quit on a wedge.
Chipping: which club
Get it rolling as soon as possible. Least loft the situation allows.
| Situation | Club | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fringe, clean lie, green all the way | Putter | The Texas wedge. Your worst putt beats your worst chip. |
| A few feet of fringe, lots of green | 8 or 9-iron | Small bump, lands early, rolls like a putt. |
| Halfway: some carry, some roll | PW | The standard chip. One-third air, two-thirds roll. |
| Carry rough or a bunker, little green | SW | Higher, softer, stops faster. Riskier. |
| Short-sided, no room | SW, and accept it | Get it on the green anywhere. Take your two putts. |
Feet close together. Ball back off your trail instep. Weight 70–80% lead foot and it stays there. Hands ahead. Grip down. Rock your shoulders like a putt, no wrists. Accelerate through.
Slopes
Match your shoulders to the slope. The ball curves toward the low side.
| Slope | What happens | Adjust |
|---|---|---|
| Ball above feet | Pulls left (righty) | Grip down. Aim right. Swing smooth. |
| Ball below feet | Pushes right (righty) | More knee flex, sit into it. Aim left. Grip to the end. Don't fall forward. |
| Uphill lie | Higher and shorter | Take one more club. Shoulders match slope, weight on low foot. |
| Downhill lie | Lower and longer. Hardest of the four. | Take one less club. Shoulders match slope. Chase the club down the hill. |
Wind
| Wind | Do this |
|---|---|
| Into your face | Take two more clubs and swing easier. Hard swings add spin, spin makes it balloon. "When it's breezy, swing easy." |
| At your back | One or two less club. It'll roll more and stop less. |
| Crossing | Aim into it and let the wind bring it back. Don't try to curve against it. |
Penalties and drops
Casual-round version. Ask your group what they play on the first tee, then all do the same thing.
| Situation | Cost | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Water / penalty area | +1 | Drop where it crossed in, keeping that point between you and the hole. |
| Out of bounds (white stakes) | +2 casual | Officially stroke-and-distance (go back, hitting 3). Most casual groups drop where it left, add two, move on. |
| Lost ball | +1 casual | 3 minutes to look. Then drop nearby and go. |
| Unplayable | +1 | Drop within two club-lengths, no closer to the hole. |
| Provisional | free insurance | Might be lost or OB? Announce it, hit a second ball now, save the walk back. |
| Bunker, still in it after 3 | +1 casual | Pick up, drop outside, move on. Everyone will be relieved. |
| Hole has gotten away from you | double par | Pick up. Write the number. Walk. This is good etiquette, not quitting. |
Full stance table
The three rules above are the lesson. This is the lookup, for when you want the exact number.
Every club: ball position, stance, weight, strike
| Club | Ball position | Stance | Weight | Strike | Swing thought |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | Inside lead heel | Widest | Slightly favouring trail foot, spine tilted away | Up. No divot ever. | "Sweep it. Tall and smooth." |
| 3-wood (tee) | 1 ball back from driver | Wide | Even to slight trail | Level. Brush the tee. | "Sweep, don't hit." |
| 3/5-wood (fairway) | 2–3 balls forward of center | Shoulder width + | 50/50 | Ball first, shallow brush. | "Shallow. Sweep the grass." |
| Hybrid | 1–2 balls forward of center | Shoulder width | 50/50 | Down. Small divot. | "It's an iron. Hit down." |
| 5-iron | Center to 1 forward | Shoulder width | 50/50 | Down. Ball, then divot. | "Compress it. Ball first." |
| 6-iron | Center | Shoulder width | 50/50 | Down. Ball, then divot. | "Ball first." |
| 7-iron | Center | Shoulder width | 50/50 | Down. Ball, then divot. | "Ball first, turf after." |
| 8-iron | Center to ½ back | Just inside shoulders | 50/50 to slight lead | Down. Ball, then divot. | "Ball first." |
| 9-iron | 1 ball back of center | Narrower | Slightly favouring lead foot | Down and crisp. | "Down. Trust the loft." |
| PW (full) | 1 ball back of center | Narrow | Favouring lead foot | Down, divot after. | "Hit down. Let it fly up." |
| SW (full) | Center to 1 back | Narrow | Favouring lead foot | Down and through. | "Smooth. It's a short club." |
| Chip (any club) | Back, off trail instep | Very narrow | 70–80% lead, and it stays | Down, no scoop, hands ahead. | "Hands ahead. Rock the shoulders." |
| Bunker | Forward, off lead heel | Wide, feet dug in | Favouring lead foot | Hit SAND 2" behind ball | "Splash the sand. Never touch the ball." |
| Putter | Slightly forward of center | Shoulder width, still | Even, dead still | Level roll. No wrists. | "Eyes over the ball." |
Want to understand why?
This page is deliberately answers-only. The reasoning behind all of it, the four-question ladder, why you hit down on an iron, how to build a pre-shot routine, lives one page over.