There are a variety of approach shots, all of which are used in different situations depending on where your initial shot lands on the course. However, your intention with these shots is always to land on the green.

The pitch shot is an approach shot that is played from farther away than the other shots. Using a wedge, the ideal pitch shot is the perfect combination of enough swing momentum to carry your shot through, but not enough to send it sailing over the green. Trajectory will be low to average depending on how far you are from the cup and you want to make sure the ball doesn’t roll too far.

You must start off with a slightly open stance, positioning your right foot directly across from the ball. When following through on a pitch shot, always make sure to keep your backswing as short as you possibly can. Failure to keep your backswing in check will usually cause you to instinctively put the brakes on your shot while accelerating, which is a definite no-no.

You want to have enough confidence in your wedge to let the club do the work for you: don’t think you have to assist the ball through the air.

Another approach shot is known as the chip shot. You’ll need to use a chip shot once you’re within about 30 yards from the green, usually after a fairway drive or tee shot. The idea is for this shot to have a much shorter trajectory, so you will need to use a less lofted club. Proper weight distribution is paramount to getting off a decent chip shot. If you’re a right handed golfer, you want to put the majority of your weight on the left side and hold this position through the duration of your shot.

There are generally two kinds of chip shots that we want to concern ourselves with. The first one is what’s known as the bump-and-run shot, and the second is a flop shot. The Bump And Run is usually taken with an 8, 7 or 6 iron club and with the clubface hooded.

That way your shot will have have less loft. You also want to have just enough power in your backswing to follow through. The flop shot is used when you want to get over an obstacle like a rough patch or a sand trap, so you’re going to want to have a much higher trajectory in order to push the ball over. Open up your stance and follow through as far under the ball as possible to try and pop it up, and you’ll keep your ball away from the danger zones with a good position for a subsequent shot.

A beginner only needs a handful of items to get started. A few lofted golf clubs, say a nine and seven iron, and a putter. If you want, grab a metal wood, but no more than a five wood. Gather some golf balls, tees, a towel, and throw your stuff in a golf bag. You are ready to play some golf!

You are probably wondering about all the other clubs and why they were left out.

They are for the golfer who is ready to mix playing golf with practicing golf. If it makes you feel less awkward, take the full set of clubs with you, just use the ones mentioned until you are comfortable with your golfing abilities. Let me explain myself.

Golf is a sport. Like all other sports a score determines the winner. In golf the lowest score or fewest strokes win. Most people who play sports enjoy competition. Why not learn how to play golf to win from the very beginning. After all an early success will bring you back to the golf course sooner. And I don&’t know of a better place to be than on a golf course.

If you are playing with others of your same ability you need to learn how to score the lowest. This is why you are only using a few clubs for now.

If you can keep the ball moving forward towards the target (the flag) instead of sideways (the direction most beginners hit towards) you will always score lower than you opponent. The clubs that are easiest to hit are the ones with the most loft, your seven and nine iron. These will never travel as far as your opponent&’s big dog, (their driver or 1 metal) but they have a greater chance of moving the ball in the direction of your target. So it may take you six or seven shots down the fairway to reach the green, chances are your score will be less than your playing opponent when totaled.

Making solid contact with the golf ball will always win the game.

Using the higher lofted clubs will have you hitting the ball with precise contact faster than any other club in the bag, except your putter. When you can stand at address over a golf ball with a seven or nine iron and hit a good shot seven out of nine times you can expand your club selection to any other club. I use this technique when teaching beginners to play and they are my proof that it works. The confidence you gain from hitting good shots by making solid contact will show up with every other club once you master the higher lofted irons.