IN A traditional set of golf clubs you will find irons with numbers 3-9 along with a pitching wedge (PW) and a sand wedge (SW).

Each of these irons differs in length by half an inch per club and in loft (angle of the face) by around four degrees per club.

The combination of the change in length of the club and change in loft of the club should equate to around 10 yards per club.

Most golfers will find this to be the case for most iron shots down to around a 6 iron. From here the loft starts to become quite low for the average golfer to help them get the ball airborne comfortably.

Many golfers hit the ball the same distance through the air with their 3, 4 and 5 irons.

If this sounds like you then you should consider trying a hybrid club.

A hybrid is a combination of the familiar club design of an iron with the more forgiving nature and better distance of a wood.

These clubs are also known as a ‘rescue’ club or a ‘recovery wood’.

Due to their design these clubs are much easier to use, as they have a lower centre of gravity which can help the ball launch higher and are invariably sold with a graphite shaft which, being lighter, can help you gain clubhead speed.

They are usually numbered 1-5 and should be substituted for the equivalent iron number and distance, although try them to get the distance you are looking for.

  • Give Golf A Go sessions with Simon started at Bowood this month. Clubs provided. Email s.shanks@bowood.org or call 01249 823881