An Eight Club Golf Bag

MountainGoat · February 11, 2018

I'm an SL guy who walks and carries. I'm most comfortable with a 10 club bag - D, 5w or 4i, 5-GW, SW, P. The best thing I did was buy a Sun Mountain Zero-g bag. It puts most of the weight on your hips, not your back. Fully loaded with clubs and 3 balls, it's 18 lbs. I can't seem to get any lighter than that.

kiwihacker · February 11, 2018

I'm an SL guy who walks and carries. I'm most comfortable with a 10 club bag - D, 5w or 4i, 5-GW, SW, P. The best thing I did was buy a Sun Mountain Zero-g bag. It puts most of the weight on your hips, not your back. Fully loaded with clubs and 3 balls, it's 18 lbs. I can't seem to get any lighter than that.

Sorry to nit pick but isn't that 11 clubs?

MountainGoat · February 11, 2018

I'm an SL guy who walks and carries. I'm most comfortable with a 10 club bag - D, 5w or 4i, 5-GW, SW, P. The best thing I did was buy a Sun Mountain Zero-g bag. It puts most of the weight on your hips, not your back. Fully loaded with clubs and 3 balls, it's 18 lbs. I can't seem to get any lighter than that.

Sorry to nit pick but isn't that 11 clubs?

Yes, I guess it is. Apparently, I can't count.

Double Dutch · February 12, 2018

Playing with 8 or 9 clubs doesn't require any more creativity than a full set and it's no surprise that scores are the same, assuming that you take your regular driving club, and the club that you can hit the furthest of the deck, and the wegdes that you always use for the short game. Then all you're missing are a few irons or hybrids, and the only 'problem' is 20 yard gaps instead of 10 for full shots from 3i-PW distances.

First: In a normal round, we hit fewer full iron shots onto a green than most people assume: short hitters don't reach many greens in regulation anyway and hit their as fas as possible all the time; long hitters can reach many greens in regulation with a wedge. Say, max 10 full iron/hybrid shots per round. Of those 10, a good portion will miss the green so you need a wedge anyway. Say 6 full shots that hit the green.

Second: Solving 20-yd gaps for full shots requires no thought or creativity: Say you need to carry 160. So you pick the iron that carries 160. 50% chance that you'll have that club with you, so only 3 shots where the half set matters.

For those three shots: in the worst case, the irons in your half set go exactly 150 and 170. So pick the one that goes 170. AT WORST, you'll end up 30ft past the hole. Considering most amateurs rarely miss the green long but often short, your actual extra distance from the hole will be much less than that.

Third: From those 3 holes where you are on the green but between 0 and 30ft past the hole, you're almost always going to make 2 putts anyway.

So the only real disadvantage to your score of a half set is in those rare occasions that you would have hit a full long club within 1-putt distance with a full set, which is between 0 and 1 times per round anyway.
I'm not sure I understand your logic. Are you saying that having fewer clubs just increases the size of the target zone? Not for me it doesn't. I still aim for front left portion of the green, but I just have to be more creative on how I get there.

If being "in between clubs" requires creativity, then surely being "in between clubs" more often - requires more creativity regarding controlling distance?

As you say, golfers very rarely have "stock" shot to the part of the green they are aiming at. The lie, wind, topography all influence the decisions ... then I have to factor in which clubs I have that can achieve the result. If you have fewer clubs, then the choices are less obvious.

Having less clubs means you need to take a bit off / cut-up / roll-over / knock-down / sting your shots into the green more often across bigger yardage gaps. ie be more creative.

You also seem to be confusing results of the shot with shot selection? Just because you miss the green doesn't really mean anything in the discussion of whether you had to be creative to execute the shot to the target.

Off the tee is different, as I'm usually looking for a shape of shot and a larger target area that will be at worst "ok".

Around the green I have one sand wedge at 54' ... same applies as above. I need to hit a wider variety of shots with my single club than someone with 56 / 60 / 64 would with a single club of theirs - they have more options that require less manipulation. Maybe they could open up the 56 and hit the flop from the rough ... but they never do, because they never have to. I have to either create the shot or do something else (creative) that best suits my game.

BTW, I'm not trying to make the game harder for myself through these choices as some sort of challenge. I play better this way. It's my optimal setup. It suits my mental approach and my strengths.

I'm not saying fewer clubs increases the size of your target zone. Regardless of the number of clubs, you're still aiming at the same zone -or better: at the same spot, in my example a spot on the green exactly 160 yards away- where you want the ball to land.

I am saying that being between clubs from medium range doesn't require much, if any, creativity to get a normal score. Instead if being creative trying to hit your 170-club 160, just hit your 170-club like you would for a 170 shot. It will not hurt your score.

The size of your landing zone (front-back dispersion of where the ball wil actually land) is dictated by your swing quality and consistency. A brilliant iron player may hit his 170-club between 169-171 consistently; assuming 10-yard gaps with a full set, this brilliant player will be 'between clubs' 80% of the time.

But for an average player the landing zone of the 170-club is between 150-175. For us mortals, a 160 shot to a 160 target just will not end up within 1 yard with any consistency; our landing zone is much bigger because we are mortals. So for us, there's little to gain from trying to 'take off' a couple yards when the quality of our swing takes of 6-10 at random. Just club up, hit a normal and we will shoot no worse. Be happy with a good shot that ends on the green a couple yards past the flag.

I don't think i'm confusing shot selection with results either. I meant that when you miss the green left or right, it makes even less difference if you missed it with you 170-club or your 160-club.

baldandbroke · February 12, 2018

I'm not saying fewer clubs increases the size of your target zone. Regardless of the number of clubs, you're still aiming at the same zone -or better: at the same spot, in my example a spot on the green exactly 160 yards away- where you want the ball to land.
I am saying that being between clubs from medium range doesn't require much, if any, creativity to get a normal score. Instead if being creative trying to hit your 170-club 160, just hit your 170-club like you would for a 170 shot. It will not hurt your score.

The size of your landing zone (front-back dispersion of where the ball wil actually land) is dictated by your swing quality and consistency. A brilliant iron player may hit his 170-club between 169-171 consistently; assuming 10-yard gaps with a full set, this brilliant player will be 'between clubs' 80% of the time.
But for an average player the landing zone of the 170-club is between 150-175. For us mortals, a 160 shot to a 160 target just will not end up within 1 yard with any consistency; our landing zone is much bigger because we are mortals. So for us, there's little to gain from trying to 'take off' a couple yards when the quality of our swing takes of 6-10 at random. Just club up, hit a normal and we will shoot no worse. Be happy with a good shot that ends on the green a couple yards past the flag.

I don't think i'm confusing shot selection with results either. I meant that when you miss the green left or right, it makes even less difference if you missed it with you 170-club or your 160-club.

But the argument was that having fewer clubs did not require more creative shot making than a full set ... wasn't it?

Of course if you are just going to hit ALL shots as full shots with a half set or a full set and then do your best from there ... then it makes no difference.

But for me, it makes me be more creative.

For example, our 18th hole is a 130m down wind par 3.

I hit my 8-iron 130m, but long is dead.

I hit my PW 110m, but the chance of par is tough from short as the front runs away back down the hill

... so I punch in the 8-iron to take a bit of down-wind distance off it.

Why do I think this a good thing beyond that single shot? Because now I have the punch 8 iron in the bag, and feel pretty confident with it. If I am facing a shot into the wind, or a shot I need to keep low under over-hanging branches ... I have that shot as a choice. Same as I have lots of variations with all of my clubs to fit into other situations. If I just hit full-shots all the time, I would be less creative with my shot-making less of the time..

I don't think this applies to everyone. If each club has a 25 yard natural variation in distance (as you describe above), then the game is ridiculously tough! That would mean your stock yardages for clubs in a standard set over-lap 2 or 3 clubs up AND down ... talk about confusing. Maybe fewer clubs makes more sense if that is your game, but as you say, for entirely different reasons.

Personally, I like carrying fewer clubs because it makes me a more creative and complete golfer and forces me to constantly improvise.

scomac2002 · February 12, 2018

If you go back to the turn of the previous century it wasn't unusual to have a wide gap between clubs because the hickory golfer often only carried a few clubs which might have 7 or 8 degrees of loft separation. I recall reading somewhere that Harry Vardon won the Open Championship with only 7 clubs in the bag!

Did that make the game ridiculously tough or just different? I sometimes think that the modern methods with a specific club to hit specific distances to allow for the maximum number of full swings isn't really all that helpful as it makes the game mechanical rather than developing a sense of touch. I wouldn't be much of a curler if I threw every shot at take-out weight just using different rocks that traveled different distances. The same thought process can be applied to golf and all of a sudden the game isn't ridiculously tough with less clubs. I find a very useful drill is to take my 8 iron and practice hitting targets of various distances anywhere from 80 to 120 yards out.

baldandbroke · February 12, 2018

If you go back to the turn of the previous century it wasn't unusual to have a wide gap between clubs because the hickory golfer often only carried a few clubs which might have 7 or 8 degrees of loft separation. I recall reading somewhere that Harry Vardon won the Open Championship with only 7 clubs in the bag!

Did that make the game ridiculously tough or just different? I sometimes think that the modern methods with a specific club to hit specific distances to allow for the maximum number of full swings isn't really all that helpful as it makes the game mechanical rather than developing a sense of touch. I wouldn't be much of a curler if I threw every shot at take-out weight just using different rocks that traveled different distances. The same thought process can be applied to golf and all of a sudden the game isn't ridiculously tough with less clubs. I find a very useful drill is to take my 8 iron and practice hitting targets of various distances anywhere from 80 to 120 yards out.

Actually, players often had way more than 14 clubs ... that rule only came into play in 1938. Before that some caddies had to bring two bags !! I remember reading that one of the US Opens the average was about 18 clubs.

They set the limit because they were worried that:

- you'd just have a club for every shot

- caddies would struggle

- rich golfers would have a massive advantage

I'd love to see a minimalist view taken for modern Professional Tournaments. 7 club + putter limit. Hell I'd go as far as a standardised set for pros - very tight tolerances so everyone had the same clubs to compete with ... only weight / lie of the heads can be changed. Of course that makes it hard to release a "new" driver every 6 months and irons that are XX% more accurate than last year's model. :no2:

theothertwo · February 12, 2018

Driver

4 Wood

21* Hybrid

5 Iron

7 Iron

9 Iron

SW

Putter

We had a 4 club tourney and I shot one of my best rounds with a driver, 21* hybrid, SW and a putter.

Double Dutch · February 12, 2018

I'm not saying fewer clubs increases the size of your target zone. Regardless of the number of clubs, you're still aiming at the same zone -or better: at the same spot, in my example a spot on the green exactly 160 yards away- where you want the ball to land.
I am saying that being between clubs from medium range doesn't require much, if any, creativity to get a normal score. Instead if being creative trying to hit your 170-club 160, just hit your 170-club like you would for a 170 shot. It will not hurt your score.

The size of your landing zone (front-back dispersion of where the ball wil actually land) is dictated by your swing quality and consistency. A brilliant iron player may hit his 170-club between 169-171 consistently; assuming 10-yard gaps with a full set, this brilliant player will be 'between clubs' 80% of the time.
But for an average player the landing zone of the 170-club is between 150-175. For us mortals, a 160 shot to a 160 target just will not end up within 1 yard with any consistency; our landing zone is much bigger because we are mortals. So for us, there's little to gain from trying to 'take off' a couple yards when the quality of our swing takes of 6-10 at random. Just club up, hit a normal and we will shoot no worse. Be happy with a good shot that ends on the green a couple yards past the flag.

I don't think i'm confusing shot selection with results either. I meant that when you miss the green left or right, it makes even less difference if you missed it with you 170-club or your 160-club.

But the argument was that having fewer clubs did not require more creative shot making than a full set ... wasn't it?

Of course if you are just going to hit ALL shots as full shots with a half set or a full set and then do your best from there ... then it makes no difference.

But for me, it makes me be more creative.

For example, our 18th hole is a 130m down wind par 3.
I hit my 8-iron 130m, but long is dead.
I hit my PW 110m, but the chance of par is tough from short as the front runs away back down the hill
... so I punch in the 8-iron to take a bit of down-wind distance off it.

Why do I think this a good thing beyond that single shot? Because now I have the punch 8 iron in the bag, and feel pretty confident with it. If I am facing a shot into the wind, or a shot I need to keep low under over-hanging branches ... I have that shot as a choice. Same as I have lots of variations with all of my clubs to fit into other situations. If I just hit full-shots all the time, I would be less creative with my shot-making less of the time..

I don't think this applies to everyone. If each club has a 25 yard natural variation in distance (as you describe above), then the game is ridiculously tough! That would mean your stock yardages for clubs in a standard set over-lap 2 or 3 clubs up AND down ... talk about confusing. Maybe fewer clubs makes more sense if that is your game, but as you say, for entirely different reasons.

Personally, I like carrying fewer clubs because it makes me a more creative and complete golfer and forces me to constantly improvise.

Great post! Don’t get me wrong, i’m all for creative shotmaking and it’s definitely more fun than just hitting the same shot all the time.

I learned to play on a windy course and I still use anything from a sand wedge to a 7 iron for an 80m shot, and you can hit little cuts and punches just as often when you’re carrying 14 clubs. I’m just saying in the medium range (90-190m) it makes little difference to your scorecard to take a longer iron. Most courses don’t have more than 1 or 2 holes like the hole you just described where landing 10 yards past the hole will make a par all but impossible. I expect you’re more likely to get away with an accidentally-well-struck 8 iron that goes 135 or even 140. Unless you’re so good, that you’re realistically expecting to consistently hit a 9 iron or a punchy 8i to 1-putt distance.

jslane57 · February 12, 2018

If you go back to the turn of the previous century it wasn't unusual to have a wide gap between clubs because the hickory golfer often only carried a few clubs which might have 7 or 8 degrees of loft separation. I recall reading somewhere that Harry Vardon won the Open Championship with only 7 clubs in the bag!

Did that make the game ridiculously tough or just different? I sometimes think that the modern methods with a specific club to hit specific distances to allow for the maximum number of full swings isn't really all that helpful as it makes the game mechanical rather than developing a sense of touch. I wouldn't be much of a curler if I threw every shot at take-out weight just using different rocks that traveled different distances. The same thought process can be applied to golf and all of a sudden the game isn't ridiculously tough with less clubs. I find a very useful drill is to take my 8 iron and practice hitting targets of various distances anywhere from 80 to 120 yards out.
Actually, players often had way more than 14 clubs ... that rule only came into play in 1938. Before that some caddies had to bring two bags !! I remember reading that one of the US Opens the average was about 18 clubs.

They set the limit because they were worried that:
- you'd just have a club for every shot
- caddies would struggle
- rich golfers would have a massive advantage

I'd love to see a minimalist view taken for modern Professional Tournaments. 7 club + putter limit. Hell I'd go as far as a standardised set for pros - very tight tolerances so everyone had the same clubs to compete with ... only weight / lie of the heads can be changed. Of course that makes it hard to release a "new" driver every 6 months and irons that are XX% more accurate than last year's model. :no2:

I agree. Wouldn't it be fun to see a professional division (maybe 40 of the 150 players in a tournament) using max 7 clubs and carrying their own bag. Every now and again one of them would certainly contend for the tournament proper. I love a minimalist set. It does require more creativity, not just from the fairway, but also from the tee box when deciding what distance to leave the approach shot.

gvogel · February 12, 2018

Harry Vardon played with 9 clubs. Chick Evans won a US Open with 7.

Bobby Jones was using 16 in 1930. All hickories, all clubs that were hand selected by him.

When steel shafts came on the scene in the late 1920’s, it became easier to find clubs that were playable. Some players started carrying a left handed club for the odd shot that demanded it. The number of clubs mushroomed with the advent of steel.

Lawson Little’s bag had 34 clubs in 1935.

The story that I read was that Bobby Jones and a Brit, and former Walker Cup competitor, were talking in the parking lot after a Walker Cup match in 1936. They both thought that the players were carrying too many clubs. As Jones used to carry 16, and his former competitor used 12, they agreed that 14 was probably a workable number. They had influence on the USGA and the R&A, and 14 became the number soon after.

True story.

gvogel · February 12, 2018

Here is an argument for only using 8, 9 or maybe 10 clubs.

How many of us have a few favorite clubs in a set, and maybe one or two clubs that we just can't hit consistently? It happens. Shaft head combinations can play a big part in a club that works, or doesn't work. I had a set of Lynx irons back in 1978. I could never hit the 2-iron; but the 3-iron was the most consistent club in the bag. 4-iron, not so much. I could have played 3, 5, 7-iron in that set very easily, because I was very consistent with those particular irons.

That is just an example. In my present set, I have a 7-iron and an 8-iron that work really well. I can go 5-iron, 7-iron pretty easily, since the 6-iron doesn't work so well.

So, going to 8 or 9 clubs is not about gaps, or mathematics; it is about choosing the clubs that work, and leaving the others out of the bag.

baldandbroke · February 12, 2018

Here is an argument for only using 8, 9 or maybe 10 clubs.

How many of us have a few favorite clubs in a set, and maybe one or two clubs that we just can't hit consistently? It happens. Shaft head combinations can play a big part in a club that works, or doesn't work. I had a set of Lynx irons back in 1978. I could never hit the 2-iron; but the 3-iron was the most consistent club in the bag. 4-iron, not so much. I could have played 3, 5, 7-iron in that set very easily, because I was very consistent with those particular irons.

That is just an example. In my present set, I have a 7-iron and an 8-iron that work really well. I can go 5-iron, 7-iron pretty easily, since the 6-iron doesn't work so well.

So, going to 8 or 9 clubs is not about gaps, or mathematics; it is about choosing the clubs that work, and leaving the others out of the bag.

Sounds like you should try one of the modern single length sets around at the moment - that's their whole schtick !!

baldandbroke · February 12, 2018

Great post! Don't get me wrong, i'm all for creative shotmaking and it's definitely more fun than just hitting the same shot all the time.
I learned to play on a windy course and I still use anything from a sand wedge to a 7 iron for an 80m shot, and you can hit little cuts and punches just as often when you're carrying 14 clubs. I'm just saying in the medium range (90-190m) it makes little difference to your scorecard to take a longer iron. Most courses don't have more than 1 or 2 holes like the hole you just described where landing 10 yards past the hole will make a par all but impossible. I expect you're more likely to get away with an accidentally-well-struck 8 iron that goes 135 or even 140. Unless you're so good, that you're realistically expecting to consistently hit a 9 iron or a punchy 8i to 1-putt distance.

Again I think we are talking about different things.

The result of what you are trying to do should be seperate from the plan of what you are trying to do.

The idea that I would take the option of hitting the full 8-iron in the expectation that I'm gonna mishit it, is not a good process in my mind. I'm trying to minimise the impact of my mistakes during a round. Very different from playing for the mistake and dealing the problems produced by executing properly!!

In most cases I am aiming to hit the ball to 1-putt distance from 130m (sometimes I'd play for the easy 2-putt), that is completely different to the plan I undertake to do that OR the execution of that plan and the result.

Process vs Result.

If you spend your game thinking about the result, my experience is that you end up with worse results.

(1) Look at the problem

(2) Come up with a plan that best solves the problem

(3) Execute that plan

(4) Look at the result and head back to (1) util the hole is over.

I believe in the list above ... you should never judge your performance on the end result, it should be on points (2) and (3)

It's like judging your putting by whether the ball went in or not, instead of how well you executed your plan on where to putt and how hard. Sometimes bad putts go in, and great putts miss !

aiyyer · February 12, 2018

Driver
4 Wood
21* Hybrid
5 Iron
7 Iron
9 Iron
SW
Putter

We had a 4 club tourney and I shot one of my best rounds with a driver, 21* hybrid, SW and a putter.

Exactly my setup except I usually throw in a gap wedge and replace the sand wedge with a lob wedge. 9 clubs total and represents all club types - Driver, fairway, hybrid , iron, wedge and putter.

Even with a minimal bag, I still feel(for my game) I need to stay in touch with all club types. Usually I push cart my full bag on the weekends.

mpm1960 · February 12, 2018

Driver
4 Wood
21* Hybrid
5 Iron
7 Iron
9 Iron
SW
Putter

We had a 4 club tourney and I shot one of my best rounds with a driver, 21* hybrid, SW and a putter.

After reading through this thread, I think I'm going to give my 8-club bag a good workout this Spring ... here's what I'm going to carry:

Driver

5 Wood

4 Hybrid

6 Iron

8 Iron

Pitching Wedge

Sand Wedge

Putter

Mike

MPM1960

gvogel · February 13, 2018

Here is an argument for only using 8, 9 or maybe 10 clubs.

How many of us have a few favorite clubs in a set, and maybe one or two clubs that we just can't hit consistently? It happens. Shaft head combinations can play a big part in a club that works, or doesn't work. I had a set of Lynx irons back in 1978. I could never hit the 2-iron; but the 3-iron was the most consistent club in the bag. 4-iron, not so much. I could have played 3, 5, 7-iron in that set very easily, because I was very consistent with those particular irons.

That is just an example. In my present set, I have a 7-iron and an 8-iron that work really well. I can go 5-iron, 7-iron pretty easily, since the 6-iron doesn't work so well.

So, going to 8 or 9 clubs is not about gaps, or mathematics; it is about choosing the clubs that work, and leaving the others out of the bag.

Sounds like you should try one of the modern single length sets around at the moment - that's their whole schtick !!

Not necessary. I will simply keep buying 6-irons until I find a really good one.

Mr. Nilsson · February 19, 2018

Hello.

I was thinking about this setup for 2018:

- Driver 12* Callaway Big Bertha w 3w shaft, Stiff. 240yd.

- Hybrid 27* Callaway Razr X, Reg. 185yd.

- 6 Iron 33* Mizuno TP-9 Tour, True Temper Dynamic Gold R400. 160yd.

- 8 Iron 41* Mizuno TP-9 Tour, True Temper Dynamic Gold R400. 140yd

- PW 50* Mizuno TP-9 Tour, True Temper Dynamic Gold R400. 110yd

- 60* Cleveland Tour Action, True Temper Wedge Flex. 60yd.

- Putter Wilson Staff 8882.

- Bridgestone B330 RXS.

- Ping Moonlite Pencil Bag.

1970.gpp · February 19, 2018

Next season I am thinking of going with an eight club bag. I like to walk, but 14 clubs is a bit much at my advanced age.

Does anyone else do this?

I decided to give this a go and just bought a 4 Series bag for this experiment. My set up is in my sig...

Sean2 · February 19, 2018

Next season I am thinking of going with an eight club bag. I like to walk, but 14 clubs is a bit much at my advanced age.

Does anyone else do this?
I decided to give this a go and just bought a 4 Series bag for this experiment. My set up is in my sig...

Very nice! :-)

jslane57 · February 19, 2018

My favorite half set:

Ping G5 13*

Wilson staff Pi5 4,6,8,pw

Cleveland CG14 56*

Ping Anser 3

MacKenzie Walker

If I feel the need for a full set I've got a big bag, a push cart, and plenty of other clubs, but I've played the minimalist set enough that I typically choose the clubs I'm used to regardless...

baldandbroke · February 19, 2018

After all the chat in this thread about the different setups ... and playing my first comp at my new club (first proper 18 holes for about 14 months) - I realised that my game was a little changed since the last time I played.

My putting was good, short game decisions pretty ordinary, iron control terrible, driving lacked commitment.

So I revisited my set, to see if maybe some tweaks in where my clubs are strong would change any of that in the shorter term.

I had an old set of Tommy Armour 845s, so I used that as my base ... and filled in the gaps with other clubs from the garage :-)

Here's what I came up with:

---------------------

Titleist 975D 8.5' Driver, S300 @ 43.5 inches

Titleist 975F 18.5' fairway, S300 @ 42.5 inches

Tommy Armour 845s S300

5i 160m

6i 150m

7i 140m

8i 130m

9i 120m

Callaway X Series 50' - 105m

Callaway X Series Jaws 54' - 85m

Cleveland Putter

---------------------

It's a very 90's set of 9 clubs + putter and uses the other setup style that was talked about earlier ... of covering a spread of yardages closely rather than making equal gaps between clubs.

I played one practice round and it feels pretty good so far. Kind of strange to have a club that fits approach shot distances closely with less manipulation required ... but at my current skill level and available practice it seems to be more effective.

It also forced me to hit Driver more often, which was good as I had to take responsibility for it ... instead of hiding behind an easier club off the tee until I really needed to hit driver (then the big dog would feel quite foreign).

It means from +160m I am playing for a bigger target area. The other glaring change is that I no longer have much to cover the really long shot into the green ... anything over 180m into the wind I'm contemplating laying it up - especially if there is big trouble for a mistake.

Goes to show that getting out of our comfort zone can be enlightening. Only a week or so ago I was stating this type of setup would not suit my playing style ... but actually it feels pretty good so far and still requires creativity with each shot. I mean, it's still golf - and it's still difficult!

The journey continues :-)

p3ga · February 19, 2018

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I am looking to build a half set for this season. I want to get all the clubs fitted. Just curious if anyone has been fitted for a half set? Wondering what your experience was like.

I understand this may be a silly inquiry as I know they try and get your set with perfect gaps etc. but I figure if you went to get fitted and told them what you were looking for they would be accommodating? I guess it would mainly be shaft, length & lie I am looking for.

I'd be tempted to get fit fo the full set so that you could switch between even & odd iron set ups to cover whatever course you are playing. Working with your clubfitter, you may be able to get the lofts tweaked to suit your home course.

There's no steadfast rules - many of us started down this road by just pulling clubs that didn't see much use or couldn't hit consistently.

aiyyer · February 20, 2018

My 9 club version in a Swift X.

15.8 pounds but can get it down to 13 pounds with no headcovers, 6 instead of 15 balls, no jacket etc.

sterilized · February 20, 2018

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I am looking to build a half set for this season. I want to get all the clubs fitted. Just curious if anyone has been fitted for a half set? Wondering what your experience was like.

I understand this may be a silly inquiry as I know they try and get your set with perfect gaps etc. but I figure if you went to get fitted and told them what you were looking for they would be accommodating? I guess it would mainly be shaft, length & lie I am looking for.

I doubt that the fitting would be the issue. I think it’s more a matter of finding a shop that will sell you individual irons since that’s basically what you’d be doing.

I would say sort out your wedges and the top end of your bag first so you have a idea which holes you’ll have to plug with irons, then go from there.

In my experience, most iron fittings focus more on your physical dimensions (lie angle, shaft length) than falling out your distances.

Porker · February 21, 2018

If I had to pick 8 clubs it would be my driver, driving iron, 5,7,9,PW,SW and putter

scruffynick · February 21, 2018

I think this year I'm going to go:

Driver

7 wood

4 Iron which is basically a hybrid

6,8 irons

Pw sw

Putter

I've got about 3 sets which aren't full sets. Tried to sell 2 sets but they don't be sell so stuff it, I'm keeping them and play around with different combos

It's fun!

The Next Fairway · February 27, 2018

So I've posted in a couple of other threads the 8 clubs I had planned to game this year but it's been a slow day at work and the tinkerer in me has got me thinking of an alternative 8 club set up.

So original idea was along the lines of

D,18 hybrid,4,6,8,PW,SW,putter. Irons are mizuno MP 57s with firm flex shafts.

Now thinking of this set up

Driver set at 11.5 playing at 43 inch

4/5 wood (big Bertha 815 set to 17/18*)

Ping i15s irons

4 iron 24*

7 iron 33*

9 iron 41*

Mizuno MP t11 50* wedge

SW 56*

Putter

Couple of reasons for this thinking are the longer irons are my weakness, they always come up short. To me ping i15s 4 iron is the easiest to hit 4 iron I've come across and I feel more confident hitting that than other types of 5 irons etc. Think it could work as the gap isn't that big to my next iron (7) thanks to daft modern lofts and my 7 iron has always been my most reliable.

The second reason I'm going to give this setup a try ( bare with me this is going to sound crazy but I'm interested to see if this is a thought anyone else has had) the ping irons and my gap wedge are all reg flex shafts and for some reason I feel more comfortable making 1/2 and 3/4 swings with reg flex. I'll be interested to see which setup comes out on top (probably something completely different).

Ivyguy · February 27, 2018

I would have to agree and I am debating this idea too.

The gap with the four iron (for me) would be easier to cover with a knockdown four than other shots. The extra wedge and strong grouping in the scoring area is a major plus.

Thought might be:

D

16 UDI

4i

7i

9i

48 or 50 wedge

58 wedge

Putter

The Next Fairway · February 27, 2018

That was my thinking with the 4 iron. Once I had worked out that it was only a 9 degree gap because the modern strong lofts it started to make more sense to me. For me it's a close call between the 4/5 wood and a 18 degree hybrid. I know the fairway wood will get me more distance but the hybrid never lets me down. I suppose it will all depend on the course I play. I also thought about moving to a 58 wedge as well but I am really enjoying the frozen rope 56, if the setup I listed works and the honeymoon stage with the SW wears off I might look at a 58/60 wedge.

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