There’s not much worse on a golf course than hitting a flush shot and watching the ball fall just short of the target because you didn’t have enough club.
Or choosing too much club and watching your ball disappear over the green along with any chance of a birdie.
Knowing how to judge yardage when you’re out on the course can save you a lot of heartache, especially when you’ve decided to make things interesting in your group and there’s a lot riding on a low score.
If you’re unsure of the best way to judge the distance to a target, there are usually plenty of indicators and tools you can use to help.
Yardage markers
The most common way to judge distances to targets on a hole is to use the yardage markers placed along the length of the hole.
Yardage markers are usually laid out from 200, 150, and 100 yards to the centre of the green and usually have the yards remaining written on them.
It’s pretty easy to identify the yardage markers. They’re usually white poles in the ground with a different colour stripe depending on the distance, typically the colours are:
- Yellow for 250 yards (this isn’t very common on the majority of courses)
- Blue for 200 yards
- White for 150 yards
- Red for 100 yards
If you’re not exactly in line with a yardage marker, you can easily estimate the yardage remaining.
For example, if you land in the middle of a white and blue marker, you’ll know you’re roughly 175 yards away.
There are other factors to consider, like the wind (and something else that we’ll mention later), but using yardage markers should give you a good idea what club to choose based on distance.
Yardage books
Yardage books are less common than they used to be, but you still might come across one.
A yardage book is simply a book with more detail about a course than you’d find on a scorecard.
For example, they might include distances to hazards or other targets so you can estimate how far away from the green you are based on where bunkers are.
Look at the slope
This won’t tell you how far away from the green you are, but it’s something to consider when judging the club to use for a certain distance.
That’s because you may need to move down or up a club depending on the slope angle.
For example, if you’re hitting 150 yards, you might typically choose a 7 iron.
But if you’re hitting 150 yards up a steep slope, you might want to go with a 6 iron instead, as you may need some extra distance to ensure your ball doesn’t come rolling back.
Similarly, if you’re hitting down a slope, you might choose to go with an 8 iron instead, relying on the downward run of the fairway to make up the extra yards.
Rangefinders
If you want to be 100% accurate on your yardage to the green, then a rangefinder is by far the best thing to use.
You can just point your range finder at the target and get instant data on the distance, as well as other information like the slope angle.
This will ultimately take the guesswork out of judging distance and ensure you have the most accurate information before choosing your club.
Get the best golf rangefinder from Clarkes Golf
If you want an accurate tool, so you make every shot based on the best available information, then get yourself a golf rangefinder from Clarkes Golf.
We supply rangefinders from all the leading golf technology brands, including Bushnell, Motocaddy and SkyCaddie.
With a mobile, lightweight rangefinder in your golf bag, you’ll never need to worry about whether you’ve made the right club selection again.
Browse our range of golf rangefinders here or visit us at our dedicated golf centre and driving range in Rainford.
