The Niggle: Which is your favourite club in the bag?

We all have our favourite club don’t we? But what would you say is your “go-to” club? The one that can always get you out of trouble or the one which simply fills you with the most confidence.

Jamie Donaldson claims it was the “perfect yardage” at 146-yards from the fairway of the 15th at Gleneagles which allowed him to play “the shot of his life” with his pitching wedge and seal the Ryder Cup for Europe.

Members of the team at National Club Golfer give their favourite ‘go-to’ clubs.

James Savage (JS) – I’d love to say it was my driver but the club I feel most confident with is my 7-iron. If I’m having a ropey spell and I’ve got about 180 yards to the green I’ll often pull out the 7 just to make sure I hit is straight and leave myself a simple chip from short of the green. Or if it’s a 140-150-yard par-3, I’d back myself to hit the green more often than not.

Tom Lenton (TL) – That is terrible JS. Why not repeat the same swing with a 6/5 iron and leave yourself a birdie putt?
 
JS – Why don’t I just put the ball in the hole TL? That would make things a lot easier wouldn’t it? The point is I don’t feel as confident with the 5/6 and am more likely to duff, shank, slice, top it into the trees/bunker.

TL – Ok then, laying up in some situations yes, but if there’s little trouble around the green then you just have to take it on. Given a good drive for me is missing the fairway by 5-10 yards, I would love to say my 3-wood however the occasional top puts that out of the running. 

The sand wedge is a contender as pitching and chipping this year have turned some very bad rounds into good ones. But it has to be the putter. It constantly saves me as it allows me to knock in a  6 footer for par after not seeing any part of the hole the way it’s supposed to be played.
The lofted hybrid is surely the club that requires the least ability to use proficiently and works for all techniques" Christian Maiden (CM) – Mine is my 5-wood, steel shaft, which in the bag since about 2004 as a hand-me-down.  It’s my go-to club for anything that needs a 200-yard carry and I won’t be fretting with it. Plus its a club I can play a variety of shots with and feel comfortable doing so from a low rasper to even a chip! I love that 5 wood!!

Dan Murphy (DM): The lofted hybrid has to be the ultimate go-to club. It’s impossible not to get it in the air, you can’t hit it too widely off line because it doesn’t go far enough and it’s impossible to shank. It’s surely the club that requires the least ability to use proficiently. And it works for all techniques – whether you chop down on the ball or pick it off the top of the turf.

Karl Hansell (KH) – My 6-iron is my rock. Stood at the 150-yard marker, I know that no matter what perils the hole offered from the tee, I’m home and dry with that club in my hand. It’s even got to the point that I’ve started subconsciously shanking longer shots, seemingly just so the ball comes to rest beside the 150-yard mark.

Other clubs have their day – sometimes my putter is on fire, my hybrid is a beauty when it wants to be, but as a top hacker the confidence I get from my 6-iron is unrivalled.

WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO CLUB?

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