The vast majority of golfers have a nine-iron in their bag. But many may wonder what, exactly, is this club supposed to be used for?

After all, the nine-iron can’t be used if the ball is more than one hundred and thirty yards from the green. Any further back and the golfer would choose either a seven or eight-iron. And, while the nine-iron has a highly angled head, for a regular iron, it does not get the loft a golfer gets from a pitching, lofting, chipping or sand wedge, though the nine-iron does offer more distance than clubs in the wedge family.

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Is the nine-iron good for anything at all? Does a golfer really need a nine-iron in the bag? The answer to both questions is yes. This is because the nine-iron is a good short-range utility club and does provide good elevation from the fairway to the green. The nine-iron can be used to chip with as well, and works well as a sand wedge should a golfer wind up in the bunker and not have a sand wedge handy.

Then again, should a golfer find him or herself one hundred and forty yards from the hole, the nine-iron can be used in place of the seven or eight iron. However, the golfer may want to think about intentionally blading the ball for the extra distance, though he or she would have to sacrifice elevation. There are times when such a shot is necessary on the course, as a seven or eight iron would be too much club for the distance in question. This will depend on the course being played and the obstacles the golfer is facing on a particular hole.

For chipping one hundred yards out or closer, the nine-iron is a good choice in clubs. By placing the ball in back of his or her stance, a golfer can get more elevation on the ball, while cutting the distance. If the golfer keeps his or her feet close together, he or she will not be able to hit the ball as hard and, therefore, will not fly the green. (Flying the green is a term used when the golfer hits a ball that carries over the green.)

In addition, the nine-iron is a good choice in clubs if the golfer is playing a short par 3 hole. Some courses have par 3 holes as short as one hundred yards, so anything more than a nine-iron will be too much club. Again, though, stance is important as the golfer does not want to drive the ball over the green. A closed stance, in this instance will help the golfer cut the distance the ball travels, while putting the ball back in his or her stance will help the ball get in the air faster. Properly struck, the ball should fly in a perfect parabolic curve, landing gently on the green with the ball, hopefully, rolling close to, if not into the cup.

So, to answer the question, a nine-iron is a good club to have around.

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