Every golfer thinks they know which club is costing them the most shots. Most will point to the driver that sprays two fairways over or the 60-degree wedge that gets skulled across the green. But when we look at the numbers, the reality is a little different.

We analyzed the data to identify which clubs are statistically costing golfers the most strokes. Shot Scope gave us access to Strokes Gained data broken down by handicap and while I’d love to say the results are shocking, they’re actually pretty much what you’d expect. Still, seeing the numbers paints a clear picture of where golfers of all skill levels lose the most ground.

25 handicap

For a 25-handicap golfer, the 5-iron is the biggest stroke loser in the bag. On average, it costs –0.373 strokes per swing compared to a scratch player. That’s a steep penalty for a single shot.

Long irons demand swing speed, precise contact and tight dispersion, all things higher handicaps struggle with the most.

By comparison, the putter and gap wedge are far more efficient, costing fewer strokes per attempt and serving as reliable tools to keep scores manageable.

If your 7-iron goes 150 yards and your 8-iron goes 140, what do you do when you’ve got 145 to the pin? Jump on an 8 and risk coming up short? Smooth a 7 and hope it doesn’t fly? There are lots of ways to play golf, but being able to control iron distance is a sign of being a great player. If you want to be the one in control, here are some practical ways to take yardage off without reinventing your swing.

Step 1: Know your baseline (Carry, not total)

Before you start to dial in your ability to take distance off a golf shot, make sure you lock in your carry numbers. You’ll need these to help you determine if the changes you are making are actually helping to take distance off.

Get your baseline by:

Hitting five solid shots per club, toss outliers, and average the carry.Write them down. Carry is stable; rollout changes with turf and wind.Now you know your true carry numbers and can base everything else on this.

Step 2: Four reliable yardage trims (Without changing your swing)

1) Grip down closer to the shaft (Easy 5–8 yards off)

Gripping down on the club shortens the effective club length. It should trim a little turn and speed. When you grip the club, you’ll also have to stand a bit closer. Most golfers see five to eight yards less carry when they do this with a wedge or short iron. The effects may be harder to see in long irons because of the accuracy of the strike.

2) Add loft (Open the face a consistent amount)

If you set the face of your iron slightly open before you grip it, you will add dynamic loft and spin. This will lower ball speed at impact and create higher launch and a softer landing. Keep your swing normal.

A lot of golfers have a closet full of gadgets that promise to fix their swing. I’ve got one, too. Most of them end up collecting dust. But every once in a while, a training aid actually delivers.

While putting this list together, I found myself laughing at some of the gimmicks for sale. Trust me, if it looks ridiculous, it probably is. That’s why I’ve narrowed it down to five training aids on Amazon that are actually worth your money.

Here are the five that made the cut.

1. Mele Links Pro Swing

If you haven’t seen it yet, this Mele Links Pro Swing training aid has become quite popular thanks to Korn Ferry Tour pro Michael Johnson. Johnson missed a cut earlier this year and, instead of searching for a high-tech fix, bought a $30 training aid online.

He uses it during wedge practice to improve connectivity and wrist control, saying: “I’m just a normal person like any other golfer.”

Kapalua Golf Resort hasn't had irrigation water for a week due to water restrictions, a setback in its bid to save the Plantation course in time for the PGA Tour season opener.

As the author left Ireland after a recent visit, his course choice was applauded. Here’s why. And here’s a look at the course.

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Rory McIlroy will take on Scottie Scheffler (with teammates!) in a brand-new event. But it'll lean on ideas you've seen before.

The post New Rory McIlroy-Scottie Scheffler TV event answers golf fans’ plea appeared first on Golf.

Rory McIlroy’s opening round at the Irish Open ended on a sour note when his group was warned about its slow pace.

The post ‘Frustrated’ Rory McIlroy questions rules officials’ ‘common sense’ appeared first on Golf.

The 2025 Walker Cup kicks off this weekend at Cypress Point. Here's everything you need to know about it, including teams, format and more.

The post 10 things you need to know about the 2025 Walker Cup appeared first on Golf.

Rory McIlroy bogeyed two of his last three holes and faded to a 1-under 71 in the first round of the Irish Open. Nacho Elvira, Thorbjørn Olesen and Romain Langasque hold the early lead after each shooting 66.

With four courses and an expansive menu of non-golf offerings, Cabot Citrus Farms ranks high among Florida's ultimate stay-and-plays.

The post Inside Cabot Citrus Farms: 48 hours at the most un-Florida of Florida golf resorts appeared first on Golf.

The Nike Infinity Tour 2 'Brooks Koepka' includes some sweet tributes to Koepka's 2-year-old son, Crew. Shop the limited-edition drop here.

The post Nike’s latest Brooks Koepka golf shoe pays sweet tribute to son appeared first on Golf.

The new Toulon Small Batch Badlands limited-edition putter began as a geography problem.

Wait, that’s not totally accurate. The Toulon Badlands putter’s name originated geographically.

The Badlands’ center-shafted design originated in the current popularity of center-shafted putters on tour and with golfers in general. Most of that popularity comes from the rise of center-shafted zero-torque putters but more traditional center-shafted putters are more “en vogue” as well.

Hideki Matsuyama used a center-shafted blade to win the event at Kapalua last January. Golfers are notorious for betting the hot horse, so there are lots of center-shafted putters in play this year.

Getting back to the name. Since the putter has its shaft in the middle, Toulon named it “Badlands” since the Badlands located are in the center of the United States.

Titleist's 3D's fitting method — centered around distance, dispersion and descent — forms the foundation of every iron fitting.

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Callaway has dealt us another hand with its new Supersoft Aces golf balls, featuring the four classic card suits for golfers who, according to the company, “never fold under pressure.”

Bold claim, considering most of us fold faster than a lawn chair in a hurricane when there’s water on the right and out-of-bounds left.

All in on aces

The Supersoft Aces feature spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds in the traditional black-and-red color scheme. Each dozen comes with three balls of each suit, which means you can lose a full house worth of golf balls in a single round.

It’s like poker night, but with more sand traps and significantly worse odds of getting your money back.

And, yeah, it’s reasonable to suggest Supersoft Aces is a bit of a nod to the Strata Tour Ace.

Golf courses are renowned for their challenging layouts, and among the most iconic features are the sand traps. These strategically placed hazards can make or break a round, often leading to memorable, and sometimes frustrating, moments for golfers. Here's a look at some of the most famous sand traps in golf history:

The Road Hole Bunker - St. Andrews (Old Course)

Perhaps the most famous bunker in golf, the Road Hole Bunker at the 17th hole of the Old Course at St. Andrews is legendary. It's a deep, pot bunker that guards the front of the green on a par-4, and many a professional and amateur golfer has seen their hopes of a good score disappear within its confines. The challenge is amplified by the fact that the green is also protected by the Road itself, a tarmac road that runs along the back.

The Church Pews - Oakmont Country Club

The Church Pews at Oakmont Country Club are a unique and daunting set of bunkers located between the 3rd and 4th fairways. These long, narrow, and deep bunkers are separated by strips of grass, resembling church pews. They are a constant threat at the U.S. Open and other major championships held at Oakmont, requiring precise shot-making to avoid.

Hell Bunker - St. Andrews (Old Course)

Another notorious bunker at St. Andrews, the Hell Bunker is located on the 14th hole. It's a massive, cavernous bunker that stretches across the fairway, presenting a formidable obstacle for players attempting to reach the green in two on the par-5. Its sheer size and depth make it a true test of a golfer's recovery skills.

Postage Stamp Bunker - Royal Troon Golf Club

The 8th hole at Royal Troon, known as the "Postage Stamp," is one of the shortest holes in major championship golf. Despite its length, it's heavily defended by five deep bunkers, including one particularly small but treacherous pot bunker right at the front of the green. Its small size belies the difficulty it presents.

How to watch the 2025 Walker Cup at Cypress Point this week, including complete Walker Cup TV coverage, streaming details and match format.

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Real golfers. Real reviews. MyGolfSpy “First Take” reviews are just that. Real golfers’ experience with the latest and greatest gear in the world. This review isn’t meant to be an ultra in-depth guide; that’s reserved for our world-class Most Wanted testing. We created “First Take” reviews as a way for the everyday golfer to share their first impressions, thoughts and experiences with a new club.

I recently ditched my driver in favor of a mini driver. The one that’s found its way into my bag more often than not is the Callaway Elyte Mini. I’ve just finished playing a few rounds with it and wanted to share my thoughts on why it worked for me.

Tech specs

Loft: 11.5 DegreesShaft: Project X Denali Charcoal 60 gram (Stiff)Grip: Golf Pride CP2 Wrap

Feel and sound

What worked for me

Overall, the feel of the Callaway Elyte Mini is akin to any driver I’ve hit with a titanium face. It feels great out of the middle (when I miraculously hit it there) and less stellar on mishits.

As far as sound is concerned, it’s not as loud as my normal driver, which is a good thing. It’s more muted and less projecting, more akin to a fairway metal.

Forgiveness and dispersion

What worked for me

I need all the help I can get. The 340cc size of the Elyte Mini head might sound small on paper, but it’s pretty large overall. It doesn’t look all that small compared to my Ai Smoke Triple Diamond. I tend to miss out on the toe and, for all intents and purposes, the Elyte Mini held up well in this regard.

I was perusing YouTube earlier this week when I came across this hilarious video with Grant Horvat and Robby Berger.

In the nine-hole challenge, Horvat (a very good golfer) plays the forward tees while Berger (a mediocre golfer) gets to start on the green as far away from the hole as possible. Horvat even went to the course a few days earlier to set up hole locations that would make it harder for Berger.

I won’t spoil the video but it’s an absolute doozy. It’s already well over one million views as I’m typing this.

Aside from the entertainment value, the video delivered an interesting scenario: What if Bobby Fairways was doing this in the Masters?

Could the everyday hacker win the Masters if they got to start every hole on the green?

 After 15 years of testing, we basically see about a half yard to a yard difference year over year. So the rule of thumb is the one, three, five rule.

In one year, probably not. You’re only gonna be seeing very minimal differences in distance. What you’re paying for is just cosmetic or marketing.

In three years, you might not be getting that much distance gains, but you might get enough between distance and forgiveness across the face.

If your driver is five years old, you might wanna start thinking about it.You’re gonna get two and a half to five yards or more distance. You’re gonna be getting more accuracy, too.

Anything over five years, you’re going to see gains from buying a new driver.

We all know the full-swing myths, such as “keep your head down” or “slow it down.” Around the green, there are just as many myths that keep getting passed around year after year. If you’re ready to dig a little deeper and make sure your short-game fundamentals are sound, here are seven short-game myths to stop believing.

1) “Open your stance in the bunker and swing along your feet.”

The open stance setup in the bunker is becoming an outdated method for hitting bunker shots. If you’ve watched any PGA Tour golf this year, you’ll see that many players are moving to a more square setup.

The “open stance”, often exaggerated by amateur players, causes most players to drag the handle and de-loft the club, resulting in the ball being sent out low with little spin.

What to do instead: Stand more square and let the clubhead release toward the target. This allows the bounce to work and launches the ball higher with spin. To practice this, draw a straight line in the sand toward your target. Make swings that thump the sand on that line and finish with the clubhead pointing at the flag.

2) “For long bunker shots, square a 60-degree wedge to make it go farther.”

When you have a longer bunker approach, players may tell you to square up your higher lofted wedges. A squared 60-degree wedge exposes the leading edge which digs and kills loft. The result could be chunks and bladed shots.