Definition of Underclub in Golf

Sometimes you might hear a golfer say, "I underclubbed that shot." Or an announcer during a golf broadcast say something like, "She and her caddie need to get on the same page, they've been underclubbing her last few approach shots." What does it mean to underclub?

Underclubbing means a golfer is selecting less club for a shot than the shot requires. When a golfer is facing a shot of 150 yards to the green but chooses the club he usually hits 140, that golfer is underclubbing.

To underclub, is, therefore, a mistake. It's not something a golfer intentionally does. To underclub is to mistakenly use less club than you need to reach your target: using a 6-iron when you should have used a 5-iron, using a pitching wedge when you actually needed a 9-iron to get there.

Even the best professional golfers in the world, who have the best caddies in the world, sometimes underclub. We all make mistakes. It happens. We overestimate how far we will hit a particular shot, or we make a mistake in our yardages and underestimate just how far the shot we are facing really is.

Underclubbing is very common among recreational golfers. Many of us believe we hit the ball farther than we really do, and then consistently act surprised when our approach shots keep coming up short of the green.

Overclubbing — using too much club — is the opposite of underclubbing.

More definitions:

• What is the 'dance floor' in golf?
• Explaining 'rub of the green'
• What are the 'Tiger tees' on a golf course?