I’ve had a poll in the sidebar for a while now asking what club you have the most confidence in. OK, so technically that might not be your “favorite” club, but let’s pretend it is, because I’m tapped out on catchy titles right now.

Anyway, as of this writing, there are 241 responses that break down as follows:

• 8i (14%, 34 Votes)
• 7i (13%, 32 Votes)
• Driver (12%, 28 Votes)
• Pitching Wedge (11%, 26 Votes)
• Putter (10%, 24 Votes)
• Hybrid (8%, 19 Votes)
• Sand Wedge (7%, 17 Votes)
• 5i (6%, 15 Votes)
• Fairway Wood (5%, 12 Votes)
• 6i (4%, 10 Votes)
• 9i (4%, 10 Votes)
• Lob Wedge (4%, 9 Votes)
• 3i (1%, 2 Votes)
• 2i (0%, 1 Votes)
• 4i (0%, 1 Votes)
• Other (0%, 1 Votes)

Once again, I find the poll results to be completely fascinating. Some things really surprised me, while other things were completely expected.

In the no surprise category, the two clubs inspiring the most confidence are the 7-iron and the 8-iron.

When I was learning the game, I was taught by an old-school pro that I should warm up and hit a lot of full shots on the range with a 7-iron. I’m not sure if there are many other people that do that (I don’t anymore), but it would certainly explain the high level of confidence. If you hit it a lot, you’re going to be comfortable with it.

Another factor involved is that the 7-iron and 8-iron are short irons with lower centers of gravity that are easier to hit than long or mid irons. Mis-hits are usually more forgiving and getting the ball up in the air is no problem.

Many players have problems with the finesse game, so wedges and half 9-irons are tough shots. With the 7 and 8-irons, the players are most likely going to swing away and hit a full shot. The shorter, friendlier clubs, coupled with the more repeatable full swing, tend to give players more confidence because they get more consistent results.

Also coming at no surprise is that the long irons do not give players confidence. That’s one of the big reasons that fairway woods and hybrids are so popular. They make it easier to get the ball in the air and are more forgiving. Players have been having trouble with long irons forever.

Maybe I’m a mutant, but the 2-iron was my second choice. I have a lot of confidence in that club. I hit it long and straight, around 240-245 yards if I catch it well. I also find it’s good for shaping shots. I can turn it left and right with more reliability than I can with other clubs. If I’m on a tight hole or if my driver is off on a particular day, then the 2-iron is a no-brainer for me. If my 2-iron is off - well, then I’m in trouble.

I think the biggest surprise in the results is that the driver is so high. It finished at a solid third place, only a few votes back.

It surprises me because many players have trouble hitting the driver. Many pros recommend that high-handicappers leave it in the car, rather than risk getting into big trouble during a round. Some players tend to try for the 300 yard drive too much and end up playing out of everything but fairway. I’ve played approach shots from the adjacent fairway a few times in my day.

Maybe players are just practicing with the driver a lot. I do tend to see people hitting a lot of drivers at the range. Or, maybe Life in the Rough readers are top-notch players (well, we already know that’s true ) and the driver is simply no problem.

One thing is clear, players aren’t going to have confidence in clubs that they don’t practice with, or at least hit a lot on the course. Could it be that the list of clubs that players have the most confidence in directly corresponds to the list of clubs that players practice with the most? There could be some correlation, but that was the previous poll question and driving finished way down on the list (check the poll archive here for previous polls).

It’s possible that perception and reality are differing. In other words, some players may not realize how much time they actually spend bombing drives on the range and naturally have more confidence driving. It’s the driving range, after all.

Confidence comes from reliability. I’ve seen players that hit 200 yard drives that slice about 40 yards, who hit the fairway just about every time. You don’t have to have a sound swing, as long as it’s consistent. That could also explain the confidence in the driver. The 40 yard slicer that’s in the fairway every time would probably like to hit 300 yard laser beams, but there’s something to be said for being in the fairway all the time.

One thing I’d like to see is more confidence in clubs with a higher relative importance. The putter should inspire the most confidence. After that, wedges. Then short irons. Then probably the driver, followed by everything else. The reason being, to get the most out of your game, those clubs should get the most work and if they get the most work they should be the most consistent and if they’re the most consistent, then they should spark the most confidence.

Of course, reality doesn’t work that way. My own list doesn’t follow that trend. Incidentally, my vote in the poll was the 9-iron. I don’t know why, but when I pick up my 9-iron, I rarely mis-hit it, and my yardage is dialed in to about 140 yards. I feel like I can work it left or right whenever I need, and I can usually dig out a few extra yards when I need them.

How about your own bag? Which club gives you the most confidence? Why do you think that is?

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