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While some golf club selection might seem obvious, in other cases it is not so clear-cut. You can select 14 golf clubs from a golf bag, to make a shot on course. The right club, should give you the best position.

In truth, club selection is most relevant to distance. If you want maximum distance, off the tee, then the longest club you have in the bag would be most appropriate. A 1,2,3 wood is really what should be used.

While these clubs give the most distance generally, they can also be less accurate and are not so easy to swing. As such, you could find you miss-hit with them, if you are not careful. Go for a three, four, or even seven wood, if there are trees or bushes that the ball could end up in on the left or right.

Shorter tee shots on par 3 holes might not require the longest shots to make it to the green. As such, your irons could come in to play if shooting for anything around 150 yards or less. While distances can be variable from golfer to golfer, an iron shot will be most applicable for these short of holes, anything from a 6,7,8,9 iron, depending on your average shot distance.

After you make the tee shot on a longer hole you will most like have to make a fairway shot. Either using fairway woods, or irons for these. The woods will be best for longer shots towards the green, while if you are not too far off on a par 4 then shorter iron clubs like the 9,8,7 will do.

For short play, chipping and pitching offer greater flexibility still. If pitching, you will need to make use of one of the more lofted clubs in your bag like a pitching or sand wedge. This is most important, for the loft that is needed.

When chipping, you can use sand or pitching wedges for shorter distance chips around the green with less roll required. For longer chip shots, you can use progressively longer irons depending on how far you are seeking to chip the ball. A seven iron is a good club to use, which should allow for at least a 25-yard chip onto the green with some roll.

The sand wedge is used for bunker play as well as chip shots. While it might be possible to use a pitching wedge for a bunker shots the sand wedge, as the name suggests, is best for sand shots.

On the green, only the putter will be required. However, it should be noted that you might not have to limit your use of the putter just for the green. If you are close to it, on the fairway, then a longer putt towards the flag can actually be better than a chip, just so long as the grass is smooth and the distance not overly great.

If, you happen to find yourself in longer grass (the rough) then there are a few clubs you might consider selecting. A pitch shot, with sand or pitching wedge will be enough to cut through the grass. Alternatively, if you want to try shooting out with a fairway wood make it a lofted one like a seven.

At the end of the day, choosing the right clubs on the course can make a difference. Some players can hit longer than other golfers - so it can be variable depending on that. Select your clubs, according to the max distance they might offer.

Learn more about this author, Matthew Adams.
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