Grip (long & short game)
- Left hand — approach the grip like a handshake. The club runs across the hand and ends at the side by the small finger; the thumb rests on top of the grip.
- Right hand — sits in front of, and below, the left hand.
- Interlock — the right-hand small finger and the left-hand index finger interlock.
- Checkpoints (looking down) — you should see the first two knuckles of the left hand, and the thumb-and-index “V” of the right hand points toward your right arm.
⚠️ Watch-out: two-knuckle check before every shot — looking down you must see the first two knuckles of the left hand. If you can’t, the grip has rotated; reset it.
Putting uses a different grip — see Putting.
Setup & stance
Base setup (long game):
- Feet about shoulder-width apart.
- Right foot straight; left foot turned out slightly toward the target.
- Ball slightly forward, toward the left foot.
- Slight knee bend; club about four fingers from the waistline.
- Hinge forward from the hips to get into posture.
- Stance widens with the club: wider for lower-numbered (longer) clubs, narrower for shorter ones. (See Long Game → Setup by club.)
⚠️ Watch-out: don’t sink too much into the knees. Tilt forward from the hips — over-bending the knees messes up the swing.
Stance by area:
| Long game | Short game | Putting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feet | Shoulder-width | Closer together | Shoulder-width or a bit less |
| Left foot | Slightly open | Set back behind the hips | Square |
| Ball | Forward | Centred | Centred, eyes over the ball |
Your set & how to practice
You’ve got a full set — irons through both wedges, plus a driver, fairway wood and putter. Learn feel with a few key clubs instead of obsessing over every yardage. Carry distances below are rough beginner ballparks in metres — yours will differ.
| Club | Rough carry | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | ~150–190 m | Max distance off the tee — least forgiving |
| Fairway wood | ~130–160 m | Easier long club — tee shots and long approaches |
| 4–6 iron | ~110–130 m | Longer approaches (the 4-iron is the hardest to hit) |
| 7-iron | ~100 m | Mid approaches + your main swing-learning club |
| 8–9 iron | ~80–90 m | Shorter, higher, softer approaches |
| Pitching wedge (46°) | ~70 m | Full wedge shots and chip-and-run |
| Sand wedge (55°) | ~60 m and in | Pitching, chipping, bunkers |
| Putter | — | On the green (your most-used club) |
No real gaps: you’ve got the full irons plus both a pitching wedge (46°) and a sand wedge (55°). The only small gap is between those two wedges — bridge it with feel for now (a fuller or softer swing), or add a ~50–52° gap wedge later. The 4-iron is the toughest club in the bag to hit; many players eventually swap it for a hybrid.
Keep the grooves clean: on a used set this is the quickest free win. Scrub the iron faces with warm water, a little dish soap and a soft brush until the grooves are clear, then wipe them dry. Clean grooves grip the ball for better contact and spin — do it before you play, and give them a quick wipe between shots on the course.
Where to spend practice time:
| Where | What | Rough share |
|---|---|---|
| Range | Full swings, mostly 7-iron; then fairway wood, 9-iron, driver last | ~40% |
| Short-game area | Chips & pitches with the sand wedge to targets | ~25% |
| Green | Putting — short putts + lag | ~25% |
| Bunker | Splash shots with the sand wedge | ~10% |
Most of your shots happen from 100 m and in — give short game and putting at least as much time as the range.