set make-up of golfers 60 years and above??

[Chris122]

A chum of mine who is a high handicapper has a decent long game,hits a lot of good iron shots but in sand does an Adolf Hitler impression (two shots in a bunker).

I told him I would supply the remedy and gave him a 'Sure Out' which I had picked up at a local car boot sale for £1 and regripped,his eyes and mouth made three perfect circles when he saw that massive rounded,flanged sole!

I have a theory that sand irons and putters and maybe wedges too are all better in vintage form than current models.

There's all the talk about input from Tour players,technobabble,computer designs etc. none of which has any real relevance to the sort of greens,bunkers and courses in general that we as amateur golfers play on a normal and regular basis,

I'm awaiting a report from Tricky Ricky on his progress with the Hogan.

[jmvargas]

as the OP i find the answers very interesting and am amazed at the variety of set make-ups for us seniors.

 

as one who has played this game for almost 60 years now allow me to come up with some conclusions:

 

1. there are basically 2 types of over 60 golfers..those who have retained much of their flexibility and those who who have not.

unfortunately i am in the latter group.

 

2. no matter what group we will have to deal sooner or later with our diminishing powers and will just have to go to softer and lighter shafts and also fairway woods or hybrids....and the appropriate golf ball.

 

3.we will all have to try to improve our game from 150yds in to be able to score reasonably well.

 

once we accept those realities we can all continue to enjoy this game as long as we can still walk...and swing a club!

 

more power and good luck to us all!!

[crazygolfnut]

My signature tells it all but I have a driver, 3w, 5w, 4h, 5h, 6,7,8,9,PW, GW, SW, LW.

Graphite in woods and hybrids. Steel in irons and wedges. All with regular flex.

[Chris122]

I mentioned that for fast and light I carry only 5 clubs,for normal or competitive play I carry 905R driver,old school TM Tour Cleek,3,5,7,9,irons (today Mizuno TP-9's),JPII sand wedge and Hagen Lucky Lefty putter.

Every other senior golfer in the club turns out with a tour bag filled with clubs and spare balls which necessitates the use of either buggy or motorised trolley and I've developed an interest in trying to spot how many of the 14 clubs they actually use during the course of play.

Many have older sets made up with 3 and 4 irons which never see the ball.

Many have newer sets with multiple wedges which they avoid because they hit them all the same distance.

What I'm getting at is this;when did you last rationalise your bag and given serious consideration could you reduce the number of clubs you take out to play?

The advantage and reward for playing with fewer clubs is that by reducing the number you are playing the remainder more frequently and developing a greater familiarity and confidence with them as well as making club selection a lot simpler and more positive,rather than taking a more lofted club and trying to rip it the half set encourages taking more club and making a more controlled swing.

Rather than taking out a bag full try picking your favourite clubs that will cover the yardages you expect to meet and experience the 'less is more' concept.

[raggal62]

I mentioned that for fast and light I carry only 5 clubs,for normal or competitive play I carry 905R driver,old school TM Tour Cleek,3,5,7,9,irons (today Mizuno TP-9's),JPII sand wedge and Hagen Lucky Lefty putter.

Every other senior golfer in the club turns out with a tour bag filled with clubs and spare balls which necessitates the use of either buggy or motorised trolley and I've developed an interest in trying to spot how many of the 14 clubs they actually use during the course of play.

Many have older sets made up with 3 and 4 irons which never see the ball.

Many have newer sets with multiple wedges which they avoid because they hit them all the same distance.

What I'm getting at is this;when did you last rationalise your bag and given serious consideration could you reduce the number of clubs you take out to play?

The advantage and reward for playing with fewer clubs is that by reducing the number you are playing the remainder more frequently and developing a greater familiarity and confidence with them as well as making club selection a lot simpler and more positive,rather than taking a more lofted club and trying to rip it the half set encourages taking more club and making a more controlled swing.

Rather than taking out a bag full try picking your favourite clubs that will cover the yardages you expect to meet and experience the 'less is more' concept.

The men's association at my course holds a 3 Club tourney every year. Surprising that the majority of scores posted aren't all that much off the players handicap. Really a fun event and forces you to be inventive.

[jmvargas]

I mentioned that for fast and light I carry only 5 clubs,for normal or competitive play I carry 905R driver,old school TM Tour Cleek,3,5,7,9,irons (today Mizuno TP-9's),JPII sand wedge and Hagen Lucky Lefty putter.

Every other senior golfer in the club turns out with a tour bag filled with clubs and spare balls which necessitates the use of either buggy or motorised trolley and I've developed an interest in trying to spot how many of the 14 clubs they actually use during the course of play.

Many have older sets made up with 3 and 4 irons which never see the ball.

Many have newer sets with multiple wedges which they avoid because they hit them all the same distance.

What I'm getting at is this;when did you last rationalise your bag and given serious consideration could you reduce the number of clubs you take out to play?

The advantage and reward for playing with fewer clubs is that by reducing the number you are playing the remainder more frequently and developing a greater familiarity and confidence with them as well as making club selection a lot simpler and more positive,rather than taking a more lofted club and trying to rip it the half set encourages taking more club and making a more controlled swing.

Rather than taking out a bag full try picking your favourite clubs that will cover the yardages you expect to meet and experience the 'less is more' concept.

 

 

i really like this "less is more" concept as we play less competitive rounds and more recreational and social ones..

 

i also believe,however, that if you can be reasonably consistent in hitting and knowing the distance of each club it is still an advantage to have the maximum allowed number of clubs(14) in your bag....specially for those competitive rounds.

 

i would rather hit a full shot with my 100-yd club vs adjusting my swing/tempo with my 90-110 yd club..

[Blade Junkie]

for normal or competitive play I carry 905R driver,old school TM Tour Cleek,3,5,7,9,irons (today Mizuno TP-9's),JPII sand wedge and Hagen Lucky Lefty putter.

 

My wife is going to kill me once she finds out I now have 120 sets of golf clubs instead of 60 ! :)

[teevons]

Pictures of 120 sets for fun??

[golfmj228]

+1 to Teevons request ^ !!

[Chris122]

Geoff,I expected more empathy considering you are a hickory player!

How many sets of hickories run to 14 clubs?

My 'less is more' is based on early golf where fewer than half-a-dozen clubs were tucked under the arm,no massive tour bags,no motorised trolley and no 4 1/2 hour rounds!

What Vardon said was right but the way people play now they couldn't fit two rounds in to a day.

 

'Celer et levis'.

 

ps did you buy the Hogan driver?

[scomac2002]

I've been playing a short bag this season. I had decided that I wanted to go back to carrying for my men's group play and based the set up on that course. D, 7W, 5h, 6, 8, PW, 51°, 56° & P. It has worked like a charm and I'm scoring exactly the same as with a full set. Played 18 on Sunday on another course with the exact same set up and didn't feel that I was missing out on anything. Scored within a stroke of what I expected. If I play a course with a bunch of long par 3's then I would probably sub in my 3W for the driver.

 

I'm not hitting the ball as far as I once did. That allows me to maintain a 15 yard gap with every other wood. The irons are closer to 20 yard gaps with every other one, but choke down an inch and you're there on the in between. Hickory golf may have been the inspiration to lighten the load; Father Time seems to have taken care of the rest.

[Chris122]

One of the great things for me is that I play smarter golf.

Rather than just reaching for a club and 'going for it' especially on long par 4's and par 5's I now try to play for position and use the handicap strokes that I receive on the more difficult holes,frequently a good pitch and putt will result in par where previously a forced long-iron or fairway resulted in a poor shot either ending in the crap or still leaving a lot of yardage to make and I think we're all agreed on the necessity of playing off the short stuff when arthritic joints mean thrashing a ball out of thick grass just isn't an option!

[rgk5]

New changes, see below.

 

Driver, irons, putter.

[rwc356]

While I have been playing mostly hickories the past 8 years, I decided to patch together a vintage set of 60's-80's clubs for a "modern" set of clubs. So far, I have Tommy Armour McGregor AT2W woods (2 and 4). A set of 1978 Hogan Medallions with senior flex pared down to 3-5-7-9 and a Wilson JP II sand wedge. Several putters but a Bullseye LaFemme is the current favorite. Finish up with Sirxon Soft Feel.

 

Turn 65 in a few months and my arthritis combined with Chicago weather has kept me from trying out the set. Hope to get the modern clubs on the course soon. 15 HCP with the hickories and will be interesting to compare. Prefer to walk and like to keep length in the 5,500 - 6,000 range.

[HoganApexBlades]

While I have been playing mostly hickories the past 8 years, I decided to patch together a vintage set of 60's-80's clubs for a "modern" set of clubs. So far, I have Tommy Armour McGregor AT2W woods (2 and 4). A set of 1978 Hogan Medallions with senior flex pared down to 3-5-7-9 and a Wilson JP II sand wedge. Several putters but a Bullseye LaFemme is the current favorite. Finish up with Sirxon Soft Feel.

 

Turn 65 in a few months and my arthritis combined with Chicago weather has kept me from trying out the set. Hope to get the modern clubs on the course soon. 15 HCP with the hickories and will be interesting to compare. Prefer to walk and like to keep length in the 5,500 - 6,000 range.

 

RWC - I have some '61 Mac TA AT1W 3 & 4 woods that you might enjoy. I live in the NW burbs and work in the city. Let me know...

[rwc356]

Thanks for the info, I'll keep those in mind. Im in the Old Town area.

[crazygolfnut]

Thinking about a new set of irons with graphite shafts. 6 to GW. Not sure which to go after. Titleist 716 AP1, Mizuno Hot Metal or Callaway Steelhead? Too many options out there.