SOMETIMES you can hit great shots. You see the shot you want to hit and you just know it’s going to go well.

You hit it with the intended shape and trajectory. You feel the sensation of the ball sweetly struck from the middle of the clubface. You hear the distinctive sound of sweetspot being applied to golf ball and it flies towards your target.

You twirl the club. ‘Great shot’ your playing partners comment, as the ball reaches the top of its arc. You puff your chest out and you’re almost about to tip your cap to the crowd and mouth ‘Thank you’ to the invisible gallery you imagine to have just witnessed a shot of such calibre…before your smile turns upside down as the ball lands in the front bunker.

I may have hammed the scenario just a little, but it’s not uncommon. Do you know how far you hit each iron in your bag? Do you know how far it flies through the air? And do you know how far the ball will fly when it’s less than the optimum temperature for a ball to be played in?

I’m guessing most of you might have some idea, but it might well be best case scenario. When it’s hot, the ball has been struck 100 per cent perfectly and the greens are firm so it’s total distance rather than ‘carry’ through the air.

I seldom meet golfers (especially males) who hit the ball as far as they think. Be honest with yourself. Measure your performance on Trackman (pictured) or similar radar device (or do it the old fashioned way and pace out the yardage to your average distance pitchmarks).

Even if you’re not a consistent ball striker, you can still make life easier. Once you know your yardages, play to the back portion of each green. If you hit the ball well, you’ll be on the back of the green. Strike the ball less than perfectly, you might make the front of the green.