Starting a new adventure . . . Minimalist Golf

[acemandrake]

 

7 clubs is perfect for me: Driver, hybrid, 6, 8, PW, LW, Putter

 

Driver not FW (for distance)...Hybrid for easy to hit long shots,,,6-iron for low & medium length shots...8-iron for 8 & 9 type shots...PW for short approaches & long pitches...LW for around the green...putter

[biggreddbogey]

Love the classic 2-ball, especially with the tour fill! Not to mention the Nike irons. Nice bag courcy75!

[OakRockHacker]

Agreed, 9 is a great sweet spot in my mind. Breaks down perfectly into three long clubs (for me, D, 5w, 3/4h), three middle clubs (for me - 5, 7, 9 or 6, 8, W), two short clubs (GW, LW) and a putter.

And I’ve probably said this before in this thread, but it’s worth repeating, half the fun of going minimalist is playing around with different set ups and figuring out which clubs you’re most comfortable/creative/versatile with, along with which gaps are easier/harder to manage

I think if you gave me my driver and putter and randomly picked 7 other clubs from my bag, I could get around just about any course without too much of a hassle.

[timbodtc]

Been playing and messing with my set-up for a while now. 10 Club ( Driver,4 wood, 3 hybrid,5,7,9,50,54,60, and putter) Thought this was the set-up and good for longer courses as well. Last 2 rounds I switched it up and went with 9 since I had to carry an umbrella ( trying to save weight for walking). Went Driver, 5 wood,4,6,8,PW,54,60, and putter. Loved it even more. The key for me seemed to be the PW and 5 wood change up. Seemed so much more versatile with those 2 clubs. I think this will be the set-up for the summer. 9 is the number for me.

[timbodtc]

Since this is the minimalist thread, Any minimalist ideas on carrying water? If this virus stays through summer its gonna be rough. All the courses around Dallas and FT Worth have the water fountains turned off and no water jugs. Already getting hot down here and walking in the Texas summer worrying about water is not an option. My solution so far is carry 2 bottles, one in the ball pocket and one clipped to the top of my bag to even the load. Also been trying to play courses where the parking lot is close to the turn so I can run run over for a refill before the back 9.

 

[ckay]

I’m surprised you’re not seeing any beverage carts out there.

[Hertsjoatmon]

What about a camelbak bag? Would probably throw off your ballance now that I think about it...

[animalgolfs]

I miss the whiskey barrel iced down apples. So I started putting apples in the fridge the night before. I wrap 2 of those in cool towels, carry in side pocket.

 

A cool apple works wonders in heat until I can refill after 9.

[timbodtc]

Never thought of that. Sounds like a great idea.

[biggreddbogey]

I use these Vapur water bottles

[aiyyer]

Or park closest to the 10th if possible and pickup a refill from the car. Luckily I can do this on two of the courses I play most.

[Herm33]

In agreement on 9 club count being very effective for a lightweight carry option while still allowing you to cover pretty much all the gaps with some creativity needed.

For me, a big piece of the "decision" when I go 10 or less is what iron set I'm playing and what that set's PW loft is. Older sets with a 48-49 PW lend themselves fairly easily to a 4-6-8-PW and then either 52-58 or 54-58. Add driver putter and something FW or hybrid in the 19-20* loft range and good to go.

With more modern set with a 44-46* PW, maybe then I'll opt for 5-7-9 then 50GW-58Lob. Leaves some possible room then for something like 4W or 5W along with a 21-22* hybrid up top.

Either way, as long as I have something up top that can go 190-210 for long par 3's, long par 4's, and par 5's, as well as 3 clubs in the 46-58* range, I feel like I'm pretty well suited overall.

[scruffynick]

That's the problem with modern irons... The jacked up lofts, especially in the pw area. Numbers are on the iron but really there's no point anymore, should just have lofts. But you're right about the 5-7-9 combo with modern irons, fits better..... Or get some eye2s and have a 4-6-8-pw-sw combo! Sorted

[Finaus_Umbrella]

I play with 9 clubs that fortunately have more traditional lofts (at least the V6 irons do). I go:

11.5 Driver

19 Hybrid

27 5 Iron

35 7 Iron

43 9 Iron

50 GW

56 SW

64 LW (because I'm addicted to unnecessary flop shots)

Putter

I'm pretty terrible with a full bag or a half set, but at least I don't feel it in my back as much with the half set!

[golfkrzy10]

For me 10 clubs all the way....odds bag and evens bag, trackman gap fitting 15 yard gaps up top and 25 yard gaps on bottom. See signature for set-up, in the 1x a year I play all 14 they go together like a normal set-up.

[gvogel]

the next time I play, I'm going driver (10*), 4-wood, 7-wood, 6-iron, 8-iron, PW, SW, putter. And where I play, I probably don't need a SW because the sand is very firm, and a PW does just fine for sand shots.

[chipa]

I'm going the minimalist route mostly because I want to learn the discipline to change my swing speed/length frequently as I believe it will help curb my tendency to overswing. I play putter, LW, P, 8, 6, 4, 5W or 2 iron for now and will add a strong 3 wood or driver later when I have more playing time logged.

[Finaus_Umbrella]

I think that's a very sensible thing to do. One thing I'll say about this is when I first went to fewer clubs it took me a while to remember to take the longer club and swing easy as opposed to the shorter club and going for it. Just a tip!

[chipa]

Good advice. My concept since deciding to go the minimalist route is when I am between clubs to only club up and swing easier or choke down. Years of frustration have gotten me to the point that I feel I now have the resolve to make this work. I have had my hc in the single digits from the back tees but have only shot a round in the 70's once or twice.

[azgreg]

I think I've finalized my minimalist/carry bag. D, 7w, 5i (1° strong), 6i (1° weak), 8i (1° strong), 9i (1 ° weak), 50°, 56°, P all in a TM Micro Lite 2.0 bag.

[Hertsjoatmon]

 

Got all the heads for my nike 9 set. Just need to find a local builder to help finish the work on them now (Hertfordshire, UK)

[rondre3000]

In my minimalist (Sunday) bag set-up I typically roll w/ the following...

3w (or driver)

25* hybrid

7-PW

50* or 58* wedge

Putter

This set-up in a Mizuno BR-D2 w/ 5 balls, a few tees, some snacks and water weighs around 13-14lbs. For reference, my full bag (13 clubs) with all my other crap comes in closer to 25lbs.

 

 

-Ron.

 

 

[chipa]

I just read an interesting article that Francia Ouimet won the US open with only 7 clubs. That makes me even more determined that I don't need a full set only a little bit of discipline to make it work. My current loft setup - 9.5, 16.5, 23, 26, 33, 41, 50, 55. I have a 4 and 5 iron but the 4 will be mostly for teeing off.https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/news/how-many-golf-clubs-can-you-carry/

[Deuce3]

Played my first round as a minimalist golfer today. Loved the limited number of decisions and the creativity it required. Here was my 8-club set... Driver (9), 5 Wood (18), 5 Hybrid (25), 7 Iron (31) 9 Iron (39), GW (49), SW (59), and Putter. May reconsider adding a 3w, but have trouble seeing going back to a full bag now.

[minimal45]

I have been playing with 5 clubs for about 6 years now. Love every aspect of the minimalist game. My handicap is a bit higher but not by much and my scores are way more consistent than with a more conventional bag. I play 3h, 5h, 8i, Aw, putter currently but even I change out clubs periodically. My clubs are all really forgiving and I can get

about 200 yards off the tee with my 3hy which is plenty for the courses I normally play.

[mustang]

Cobra F-9 #3-4 wood at 13 degrees

Maltby KE-4 Tour Hybrid 19 degrees

Maltby TS-2- #6 Iron

Maltby TS-1 #8 iron

Maltby TS-1- PW

Maltby TSW 54 Wedge

TP Mills- Anvil Series

 

Works really well!!

[Deuce3]

Couldn't decide between Driver and 3w, so going to try a 3+ Wood (13.5 deg) for a little while.

[badgermat]

 

Have been playing a few one-club rounds recently and discovered that I do better with my 8 iron (35*) than my 6 iron (27*).

 

Despite the lack of distance (130m v 150m) I'm wasting fewer approach shots, managing more bogeys and putting just the same. Which means getting around in ~91 rather than ~95. Hardly impressive, but not really any worse than I manage with 8 clubs.

 

Next target – consistently under 90.

 

bm

[p3ga]

Nice to see this thread still has legs after 7 years.....and that 'short set' has stuck for those of us that find spelling minimalist a bit tedious.

[erikro]

D, 5h, 7, 9, 50, 58, P