Some people will try to tell you that your short game is all about mastering the techniques of a series of specific shots but the truth is that it has much more to do with your level of comfort and confidence.

With this in mind, one of the biggest mistakes that most novice golfers make is to watch some training video and conclude that the only route to success is to make sure that you choose specific clubs for specific shots. The result is that, nine times out of ten, you end up selecting the wrong club. So, what is the right club?

The answer is quite simply which ever club works best for you.

If you find that a particular club works best for you in certain circumstances then use it regardless of what the 'experts' say. The 'book' may well say that in a particular circumstance and at a certain distance you should use a 7 iron but if you feel more comfortable and get better results with a different club then who cares what the book says - use the club which you are most comfortable with and which gives you the greatest confidence that you will make the shot.

To this end it is also very important that you get to know your clubs and that means plenty of practice with all of the clubs in your bag. When you are out on the practice ground try working on a specific shot and then try that same shot with several different clubs to see which works best for you. You will be surprised how often the same club keeps appearing at the top of your list and becomes your favorite for a range of different shots simply because you feel comfortable with it and because it works for you.

Allied to this is another common problem for many novice golfers - that of over-analyzing everything you do.

Golf is a little bit like driving a car. When you first learn to drive and take the car out on your own for the first time you consciously think about everything - check your speed, check your mirror, indicate, break gently, pull over to the centre of the road etc. However, once you have been driving for a short time these things start to disappear into your subconscious rather than your conscious mind and you find yourself turning right across traffic without even thinking about it. The same should be true of golf and, once you have learnt the mechanics of the game, much of your play should be second nature and something which you do without thinking about it.

So, the next time you are out on the course and faced with making a shot, pick a club with which you feel comfortable and which you are confident will give you the result you want and then simply take your swing. You'll be amazed at the results you get if you just stop worrying about all the details and let things take their natural course.