What Club Would Most Golfers Likely Hit from 100 Yards?

The 100-yard shot is one of the most important distances in golf, and knowing the right club is your first step to making more birdies and pars. While there's no single correct club for every golfer, this article will walk you through which clubs amateurs typically use, the factors that influence your choice, and a simple process to find your personal 100-yard club with confidence.

The General Answer (And Why It's Complicated)

If you're looking for a quick and simple answer, here it is: most amateur male golfers will hit a Sand Wedge or a Pitching Wedge from 100 yards. For female amateurs, it is commonly a 9-iron or Pitching Wedge. But a good golf shot is rarely that simple. The truth is, the "correct" club for you is deeply personal.

Two golfers standing side-by-side at the 100-yard marker could hit completely different clubs and get the same result. One might hit a smooth, full Sand Wedge, while the other might hit a soft, controlled 9-iron. Neither is wrong. The difference comes down to individual factors like swing speed, equipment, the day's conditions, and the specific shot required.

Thinking you a need to hit a certain club because someone else does is a common mistake. Instead, your goal should be to understand your own game so you can pull the right club for you, every single time.

What Do Tour Pros Hit from 100 Yards?

It's helpful to see what the best players in the world do, mostly as a benchmark to manage our own expectations. When a PGA Tour pro faces a 100-yard shot from a perfect fairway lie, they are typically hitting a very high-lofted wedge. For many, this is a full-swing with a 56-degree Sand Wedge or even a 60-degree Lob Wedge.

Why such a high-lofted club? It boils down to two things: swing speed and control. Tour pros generate incredible clubhead speed, which allows them to hit these high-lofted clubs much farther than amateurs. This combination of speed and loft creates extremely high spin rates, allowing them to stop the ball on a dime, even on the firmest greens. Trying to copy a pro's club selection in this situation without having their speed would result in a shot that comes up 20 or 30 yards short.

Common Clubs for Amateurs at Different Skill Levels

Your club selection from 100 yards will likely evolve as your game improves. Here’s a general guide for where you might fall on the spectrum.

The Beginner or High-Handicap Golfer (20+ Handicap)

If you're newer to the game or still working on consistency, your 100-yard club is likely to be a Pitching Wedge or even a 9-iron. At this stage, the primary goal isn't creating massive spin, it's making solid contact and getting the ball on the green.

Using a club with a little less loft, like a 9-iron, offers a larger margin for error. The swing can be smoother and less forced, which often leads to a better strike and more predictable results. Don't feel pressured to use a "wedge" just because it's a "wedge distance." The best club is the one you can hit cleanly and consistently to the target.

The Mid-Handicap Golfer (10-18 Handicap)

As your swing becomes more consistent and your speed increases, your club distances get longer. The mid-handicapper's 100-yard club is very often a full swing with a Gap Wedge (often marked 'A' or 'AW' for Approach Wedge) or a controlled Pitching Wedge.

This is the point where fine-tuning your "wedge gapping" becomes important. A Gap Wedge is designed to fit perfectly in the distance gap between a full Pitching Wedge (which might go 110-120 yards) and a full Sand Wedge (which might go 80-90 yards). Hitting a full Gap Wedge from 100 yards is a classic shot for this type of player.

The Low-Handicap Golfer (Single-Digit Handicap)

The skilled amateur has developed a powerful and repeatable swing. From 100 yards, a low-handicapper is often choosing between a full swing with a Sand Wedge (54-56 degrees) or a partial, "knock-down" swing with a Gap Wedge.

The choice here is less about just reaching the distance and more about controlling trajectory and spin. Hitting a full Sand Wedge will create a higher ball flight with more backspin, which is ideal for stopping the ball next to a tough pin location. A less-than-full Gap Wedge produces a lower, more piercing flight that can be useful in windy conditions.

4 Factors That Change Your Club Selection

Your "stock" 100-yard club is just a starting point. On the course, you always need to adjust for the situation. Here are the four biggest variables to consider.

1. The Lie

Where your ball is sitting has a huge impact on club selection. The 100-yard shot you practice on a perfect driving range mat is very different from real-world scenarios.

• Thick Rough: Grass between the clubface and ball will reduce spin and distance. You often need to "club up" (e.g., use a Pitching Wedge instead of a Gap Wedge) and make a steeper swing to ensure you get the ball out cleanly. The ball will also come out with less spin and run out more on the green.
• Firm Hardpan or Divot: Here, you want to use a club with less "bounce" (the curved angle on the bottom of a wedge). A Pitching or Gap Wedge is often easier to hit than a high-bounce Sand Wedge, which might skipped off the firm ground and cause a thin shot.
• Uphill Lie: An uphill lie adds effective loft to the club, making the ball fly higher and shorter. You must "club up" to compensate. A shot that normally calls for a Gap Wedge might now require a Pitching Wedge.
• Downhill Lie: This de-lofts the clubface, causing the ball to fly lower and longer. "Club down" (e.g., use a Sand Wedge instead of a Gap Wedge) to prevent flying over the green.

2. Weather Conditions

Wind is the most obvious factor, but temperature matters, too.

• Into the Wind: This requires more club. A 10-mph headwind can easily turn a 100-yard Sand Wedge shot into a 100-yard Gap Wedge or Pitching Wedge shot. It's often better to take more club and swing smoother to keep the ball flight down and under the wind.
• Downwind: The wind will help your ball fly farther. You will need less club than usual.
• Cold Air: Golf balls don't compress as well in the cold, and the denser air creates more drag. Expect to lose carry distance. On a cold day, your 100-yard club might be the club you normally hit 105 or 110 yards.

3. Pin Location

Where is the pin on the green? This determines the kind of shot you want to hit.

• Tucked Pin: If the hole is cut right behind a bunker or water, you need a high-flying shot that lands softly with a lot of spin. This calls for a higher-lofted club, like your Sand Wedge, to maximize height and stopping power.
• Middle of the Green Pin: When you have plenty of green to work with, you don’t need a hero shot. A lower-risk shot using a less-lofted club (like a PW or GW) is often the smart play. It will come in a little lower and run out a bit more, which is perfectly fine.

4. Your "Feel" for the Day

This is often overlooked. Are you swinging well and feeling aggressive? Or are you feeling a little off and just trying to make solid contact? Be honest with yourself. If you're not feeling 100%, taking an extra club and making a smoother, 80% swing is always a better bet than trying to force your normal club to get there.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Find Your 100-Yard Club

Knowing your numbers is the key to confidence. Guessing is a recipe for missed greens. Follow this simple process at the driving range to figure out your exact yardages.

1. Get an Accurate Distance. Go to a driving range with marked targets. Better yet, use a laser rangefinder to find a target that is exactly 100 yards away.
2. Warm-Up Properly. Don't start cold. Hit some short shots and work your way up through the bag until your body is loose and your swing feels comfortable.
3. Start with Your Pitching Wedge. Take a small basket of about 15-20 balls. Your goal is to hit every shot with your smooth, repeatable, 80% effort "stock" swing. Don't worry about the big mishits, focus on where the well-struck balls are landing. This average distance is your stock yardage for that club.
4. Continue with Your Other Wedges. Repeat the exact same process with your Gap Wedge (AW) and Sand Wedge (SW). Hit a good number of balls with each and pay attention to what your average "stock" distance is.
5. Record Your Numbers. Write these distances down. A notes app on your phone or a small notebook in your bag works perfectly. Your yardage chart might look something like this:
   • 9-Iron: 120 yards
   • Pitching Wedge: 110 yards
   • Gap Wedge: 98 yards
   • Sand Wedge: 85 yards
   In this example, the Gap Wedge is the perfect 100-yard club. You now *know* instead of *guess*.
6. Practice Partial Swings. Once you know your full-swing numbers, start experimenting. See how far your Sand Wedge goes with a half swing, or how far your Pitching Wedge goes with a three-quarter swing. This builds feel and gives you even more options on the course.

Final Thoughts

Mastering that 100-yard shot all comes down to knowing yourself and your game. Rather than just grabbing the club another golfer uses, take the time to find your personal stock yardages. This fundamental knowledge removes doubt and allows you to commit to your shots with full confidence, knowing you have the right tool for the job.

As you play more, you start to build a mental database of how different lies and conditions affect your distances. At Caddie AI, We built our app to speed up that learning curve. When you're standing over a shot, you can get an instant club recommendation based on your own skills and real-time factors like wind and elevation. Tools like Caddie AI help take the guesswork out of these crucial scoring shots so you can focus on making a great swing.