The long game refers to your drives (shots off the tee) and fairway shots; everything short of the shots you make to get onto the green.
Because each hole has a different difficulty level, a different par and different hazards, advising you to use your driver every time on every tee would obviously be wrong.
This is something that you will learn over time as you learn the various shots you need to make according to the club, the placement of the ball and your personal swing.
As a rule of thumb, the lower the number of the club, the longer and lower your ball will travel through the air. For example, a 4-iron will make the ball travel on a long and low trajectory and will most likely roll when it hits the ground, whereas a 9-iron will give the ball much more loft and it will go less distance both in the air and over the ground.
Don't the professionals on the television make it look easy? They whack the ball long and straight time after time after time and never slice the ball sending it a sickly eight or nine feet or miss the ball altogether.
A very important part of the game is driving and if you spend many hours at the driving range you will see a big improvement in your distance shots. You should keep using the same club in the experiment to see what works for you if you move the ball forward or backward in your stance. And take a lesson or two from a pro, if possible to learn the proper swing from the beginning.
Mastering the long game will help you get to the green in fewer strokes, keeping your score and frustration levels down. Remember that it takes a long time to learn consistency and also remember that you're supposed to be having fun!
