Why do players hate these golf clubs?

A golfer can carry up to 14 golf clubs in their bag, as stated by the R&A and USGA, giving players plenty of choices.

But all players will admit several clubs are rarely touched.

Some players claim they don’t need these golf clubs, and that other clubs in the bag are more suitable depending on the situation.

This is true. But sometimes the truth is that players simply aren’t confident using certain golf clubs. They’re either notoriously difficult clubs to use, or players have a mental block against the golf clubs in question.

Some clubs are naturally harder to use than others. Their design guarantees it. But that doesn’t mean they should be avoided.

If anything, these clubs are the ones we should use more, so we can improve our game and our chances of getting out of a tough spot with more variety.

Here are some of the most avoided golf clubs, the potential reasons why they’re so unpopular, and why players should consider using them more.

Long irons

Long irons – 2, 3 and 4 irons – are considered more difficult to use than other irons. So if you’re one of the golfers who enjoy using them, consider yourself blessed.

As golf clubs get longer, they put more distance between you and your target. Making long irons some of the most difficult clubs in your bag to master due to their shaft length.

Add the fact they’re a lot heavier than wedges and shorter golf irons and it can be easy to lose accuracy mid-swing.

A lot of players overexert themselves when using long irons. Yes, they’re designed to hit the ball further than other clubs, but that doesn’t mean you should treat them like a driver.

You’ll often see players putting everything they’ve got into their long iron shots – this isn’t necessary and could cause problems.

Strike them right and the distance will come. Treat them like any other iron and focus on making contact with the ball correctly, not with more power, and the good shots should start flowing.

The difficulty long irons present could be the key reason they’re rarely picked up. However, it could simply be a case that they’re not required as much on the course.

For example, most average male players should be able to hit the 3-iron around 200-225 yards. But a lot of golfers would opt to hit their fairway woods in this situation if that’s the distance to the pin.

Hybrids

Hybrid golf clubs are in an unpleasant position where they have a specific purpose but are often overlooked in favour of other clubs.

Designed for distance and playability, hybrids are essentially a gap filler between irons and fairway woods. Even though they share traits of each.

But a lot of golfers prefer to use their middle to long irons, or a fairway wood when a hybrid would likely do the same job.

Not only are hybrids rarely used, sometimes they don’t even make it into a player’s bag. Less than 40% of PGA professionals carried hybrid golf clubs in their bags in 2022.

Lob wedge

Around a quarter of golfers say the lob wedge is the least used golf club in their bag.

You might find this strange, considering the lob wedge can get the golf ball out of a lot of sticky situations.

The loft angle can lift you out of the rough and onto the green as intended. But great loft also throws unpredictability into the mix.

Many players find themselves scooping the golf ball and dropping it short. Others put some extra spice into the shot (to compensate for the loft) and launch the ball way over the green.

Lots of junior golfers struggle with wedges early on, as do older beginners.

The only way to solve this problem is the same way you solve any problem in sport: Practice. The more time you spend with clubs like the lob wedge, the better you’ll be using them.

Lob wedges also deal with a similar issue as hybrid golf clubs – a lot of players automatically reach for other golf wedges in the bag, like the sand wedge.

As we can see, golfers tend to avoid certain golf clubs for one of three reasons:

• They’re not confident using the club
• They prefer using a different club
• The club has a reputation for being difficult to use

But no golfer can call themselves truly dedicated to the sport if they never even attempt to use the clubs they’d rather not use.

Avoiding the problem is no way to deal with the problem – it should be faced head-on.

Do players need to reach for these clubs every time the opportunity pops up? No. But letting these clubs gather dust in their golf bag does nothing for their game. If anything, it harms it.

So the next time you ask yourself whether or not you should pick up a difficult club on the golf course – do it. Give yourself the opportunity to get better.