I only need 13 clubs... is that weird?

[kiwihacker]

9 hours ago, MattMo said:

I'm sure that I'm not the only one with this scenario: went from Ping i-series 4-U (23* - 50*) to Ping G425 5-U (23.5* - 49.5*), essentially eliminating one club within the same loft span.  So I guess I'm down to 13 without a true need for anything else.  I'll see how this translates to real course results once I put the new irons in play.  Maybe add the G425 4-iron or a 22* hybrid, if needed?

What you have mentioned is one of the reasons I am interested in moving from my old 'traditional' lofts to modern 'distance' lofts. I currently play 4-PW (24°-47°) and am thinking of moving to a modern set like say a Srixon ZX5/7 combo set 5-PW (24°-46°). I currently play 47/52/58 wedges but with the new setup eliminating one club I'd play 46/50/54/58. Just a few more options around the green where I lose most shots. 

[North Butte]

1 hour ago, Mcgeeno said:

I have no doubt I could remove 3 clubs and my handicap would stay the same or improve slightly off of where it currently sits due to not trying the odd silly shot with a club I rarely use.

 

I hit my 3 wood once every 2-3 weeks at best. I much prefer to hit my driving iron off the tee. It's actually a surprise if I end up considering it on any given day. Its never been a club I liked much and it just takes up a spot in my bag because its allowed.

 

Typically I hit my GW softer instead of my SW so the 55 rarely gets a ton of work. Dropping one or the other wouldnt even register for me much at all.

 

Same goes for the mid irons. When I had game golf and arccos tabs it was funny to see how often I would prefer to use a hard six or a soft four instead of my five for whatever reason. I could pull one of those out and bend the other two a degree and never know the difference. 

 

I've never understood having clubs in the bag that you believe will hurt your scores if you use them. I see versions of that frequently posted here and never can figure it out. Guess I'm asking Why, Why, Why? 

 

I can hit an awful shot with any club in the bag (maybe less so with putter) but even if I only carry 12 or 13 I don't have any in there that aren't used for normal shots I encounter most rounds. I've played around with driving irons or low-lofted fairway woods or things like that for a round or two out of curiosity but I've never actually had them in the bag for a round where I'm keeping score.

 

But I do keep a full set of irons and a full range of wedge lofts. I'm a double-digit handicapper and can't "manufacture" a shot to save my life. If I need a shot that goes 8-iron distance it would be nuts to try and hit it with a 9-iron or 7-iron just for the heck of it. My normal, stock swing isn't great and any attempt to deliberately add or subtract 10 yards from a stock swing is just asking for trouble. Same with opening up the face of a SW to hit a shot that can be played easily with a LW. I might pull it off sometimes if I tried, but why? 

[kiwihacker]

18 minutes ago, North Butte said:

I've never understood having clubs in the bag that you believe will hurt your scores if you use them. I see versions of that frequently posted here and never can figure it out. Guess I'm asking Why, Why, Why? 

 

I can hit an awful shot with any club in the bag (maybe less so with putter) but even if I only carry 12 or 13 I don't have any in there that aren't used for normal shots I encounter most rounds. I've played around with driving irons or low-lofted fairway woods or things like that for a round or two out of curiosity but I've never actually had them in the bag for a round where I'm keeping score.

 

But I do keep a full set of irons and a full range of wedge lofts. I'm a double-digit handicapper and can't "manufacture" a shot to save my life. If I need a shot that goes 8-iron distance it would be nuts to try and hit it with a 9-iron or 7-iron just for the heck of it. My normal, stock swing isn't great and any attempt to deliberately add or subtract 10 yards from a stock swing is just asking for trouble. Same with opening up the face of a SW to hit a shot that can be played easily with a LW. I might pull it off sometimes if I tried, but why? 

I fundamentally agree with you and I'm a similar handicap but one shot I've recently struggled with is the full swing with my 50-52° gap wedge. Normally that is my 90m or less club but recently I've had more success using my 47° PW, my 100m club, and using a partial swing/pitch shot for those shorter distances. The PW seems to be the last club I'm successful with on full swings. The rest I'm haphazard/inconsistent with. 

[azgreg]

https://forums.golfwrx.com/topic/978322-starting-a-new-adventure-minimalist-golf/?tab=comments#comment-978220

[kiwihacker]

4 minutes ago, azgreg said:

https://forums.golfwrx.com/topic/978322-starting-a-new-adventure-minimalist-golf/?tab=comments#comment-978220

I think minimalist is more like 5-8/9 clubs. Don't think 13 qualifies as minimalist when it's only 1 club less than the maximum 14. 

[Mcgeeno]

1 hour ago, North Butte said:

I've never understood having clubs in the bag that you believe will hurt your scores if you use them. I see versions of that frequently posted here and never can figure it out. Guess I'm asking Why, Why, Why? 

 

I can hit an awful shot with any club in the bag (maybe less so with putter) but even if I only carry 12 or 13 I don't have any in there that aren't used for normal shots I encounter most rounds. I've played around with driving irons or low-lofted fairway woods or things like that for a round or two out of curiosity but I've never actually had them in the bag for a round where I'm keeping score.

 

But I do keep a full set of irons and a full range of wedge lofts. I'm a double-digit handicapper and can't "manufacture" a shot to save my life. If I need a shot that goes 8-iron distance it would be nuts to try and hit it with a 9-iron or 7-iron just for the heck of it. My normal, stock swing isn't great and any attempt to deliberately add or subtract 10 yards from a stock swing is just asking for trouble. Same with opening up the face of a SW to hit a shot that can be played easily with a LW. I might pull it off sometimes if I tried, but why? 

 

The whole 8 iron distance things or "stock shot" you talk about seems weird to me though @North Butte.  "It would be crazy to hit a 7 iron if its 8 iron distance". I just watched Jon Rahm hit his 8 iron 163 yards on one hole today and 203 yards a few holes later. Gotta be able to pivot, adapt and change on the fly. 

 

Even as a 1 capper I've worked hard to be able to hit certain yardages with 3 different clubs. Just how I was taught growing up. I could hit my 7 iron from 140 to 180 depending on what is necessary on a particular shot or where the flag is or trouble around the greens etc. Heck I typically say my stock 7 is 170 carry but that completely depends on my body, or quality of contact, the weather etc.

 

Taking out a few clubs aint no big deal when you have a bunch of shots in the bag. 

Edited June 5, 2021 by Mcgeeno

[hammergolf]

On 1/18/2018 at 5:30 PM, supashu said:

For quite a while now I've been content with just 13 club in the bag. I am happy with just the 52, 58 wedge setup and I hit my 4 iron long enough that I don't have a huge gap after my hybrid. But I feel like I'm missing out on something. Surely there is a place for another club in the bag. Maybe a 62 degree wedge for that once every 10 rounds shot to a super tucked pin? Or maybe a 2 or 3 iron that I could use to hit stingers and punch shots on windy days and maybe off the tee on short par 4's? Anybody else happy with just 13 clubs? Any ideas? Which end of the bag is worth having the extra club I basically never use?

A guy just won on the Japan PGA Tour with 11 clubs in his bag. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

[MelloYello]

I think you "need" about 10. 

 

I always say the other 3-4 are for certain spots. 

[evoviiiyou]

Not weird at all OP...just did a 13club set up the last two round for my two lowest of the year. I’m staying with this for the foreseeable future making my life more simple. 

[KaBoom21]

Yes. Seek help.

[kiwihacker]

5 hours ago, evoviiiyou said:

Not weird at all OP...just did a 13club set up the last two round for my two lowest of the year. I’m staying with this for the foreseeable future making my life more simple. 

This is a three and a half year old thread revitalized by MatMo so not sure the OP is still lurking. 

[phizzy30]

On 6/5/2021 at 4:54 PM, MelloYello said:

I think you "need" about 10. 

 

I always say the other 3-4 are for certain spots. 

Agree.  I call those "specialty" clubs.  For example, the 64* wedge.  For awhile there it was all the rage because Phil decided to put one in his bag.  It slowly faded out.  I tried a 64* wedge.  Nope, didn't make the cut.  It's not something any golfer actually needs but good to have maybe once, twice a round.  For me, I only carry 13 clubs.  It's  nice though having that one open spot in case I ever need it.  I don't have a gap wedge.  I've had one in the bag and it was barely used out on the course.  Logic dictates I should have one because there's a 20-25 yard gap between my PW and 54*, but I can get away with it because I can play a variety of shots with my PW. 

Edited June 7, 2021 by phizzy30

[North Butte]

55 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

Agree.  I call those "specialty" clubs.  For example, the 64* wedge.  For awhile there it was the rage because Phil decided to put one in his bag.  It slowly faded out.  I tried a 64* wedge.  Nope, didn't make the cut.  It's not something any golfer actually needs but good to have maybe once, twice a round.  For me, I only carry 13 clubs.  It's  nice though having that one open spot in case I ever need it.  I don't have a gap wedge.  I've had one in the bag and it was barely used out on the course.  Logic dictates I should have one because there's a 20-25 yard gap between my PW and 54*, but I can get away with it because I can play a variety of shots with my PW. 

A friend of mine has had a Callaway Sure Out 64 in his set since they first came out. I finally broke down and bought one myself and as "specialty" clubs go it's a good one. The sole is just super, super wide and with all that loft there's never a need to open the face either for more loft or for more bounce. Just square it up and swing.

 

Because the sole is so wide and cambered it's extremely forgiving off stuff like pine straw or matted down rough or even bare dirt. Little 30-40 yard recovery shots off funky lies are very doable, alternative for me with a conventional wedge in a lot of those situations is the old "mini explosion shot" which I find tricky to execute. 

 

It's a little awkward to try and use as a full-swing wedge, I'd rather just take the smaller swing with my normal 58 degree if I'm, say, 50-60 yards out. So that puts it definitely in the specialty or gimmick club range. 

 

That's my 12th club. At the moment I've got a driver (210), fairway (190), hybrid (175) then just five irons that range from 27-46 degrees (about 160 down to 105 yards). Inside 100 yards I cover with two regular wedges and the specialty 64. Nice thing about being a short hitter is I don't need to worry about "gaps" too much.

 

And nice thing about being a hacker is I don't need any driving irons or 14 degree fairway woods or alternatives to drivers off the tee. I only drive it about 210 or so and I'm never reaching Par 5's with a second shot. So that's one or two spots in the bag that I don't need to cover. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by North Butte

[Lemonde]

I have no need for 14.  The gaps at the top end are fine. 5 iron 215. Hybrid 240+.  And it’s a slightly choke hybrid if I need to take something off.  Now have I continued to ponder a mini? Yes.  Chipper? Definitely.  Especially for those downhill tight lies in the rough just off the fringe.  A left handed chip out club?  For sure as I tend to be wild at times .  

[North Butte]

1 minute ago, Lemonde said:

I have no need for 14.  The gaps at the top end are fine. 5 iron 215. Hybrid 240+.  And it’s a slightly choke hybrid if I need to take something off.  Now have I continued to ponder a mini? Yes.  Chipper? Definitely.  Especially for those downhill tight lies in the rough just off the fringe.  A left handed chip out club?  For sure as I tend to be wild at times .  

I think if you have spots open the lefty chip-out club may be worth carrying. If you are up against the wrong side of a tree it could be the difference between a dinky little tap-out that barely gets the ball back in play versus being able to go ahead and advance the ball 60-70 yards. Even if that happens once every couple rounds it would be a nice option.

[BallerNate]

14 hours ago, kiwihacker said:

I fundamentally agree with you and I'm a similar handicap but one shot I've recently struggled with is the full swing with my 50-52° gap wedge. Normally that is my 90m or less club but recently I've had more success using my 47° PW, my 100m club, and using a partial swing/pitch shot for those shorter distances. The PW seems to be the last club I'm successful with on full swings. The rest I'm haphazard/inconsistent with. 

 

1 hour ago, phizzy30 said:

Agree.  I call those "specialty" clubs.  For example, the 64* wedge.  For awhile there it was the rage because Phil decided to put one in his bag.  It slowly faded out.  I tried a 64* wedge.  Nope, didn't make the cut.  It's not something any golfer actually needs but good to have maybe once, twice a round.  For me, I only carry 13 clubs.  It's  nice though having that one open spot in case I ever need it.  I don't have a gap wedge.  I've had one in the bag and it was barely used out on the course.  Logic dictates I should have one because there's a 20-25 yard gap between my PW and 54*, but I can get away with it because I can play a variety of shots with my PW. 

I’m dealing with the same thing right now. Went to the 50-54-58 setup for this season, but I’m not getting along with the 50* at all. 
 

For whatever reason, I find the PW and 54* much easier to hit consistently and control distance on full and partial swings. So I’m trying to decide, do I drop the 50* and go PW-54-58, or do I buy another 52* that I’ve had success with in the past and go PW-52-58.

 

Right now I’m carrying 14 clubs, and it feels like 1 too many.

[MelloYello]

4 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

Agree.  I call those "specialty" clubs.  For example, the 64* wedge.  For awhile there it was the rage because Phil decided to put one in his bag.  It slowly faded out.  I tried a 64* wedge.  Nope, didn't make the cut.  It's not something any golfer actually needs but good to have maybe once, twice a round.  For me, I only carry 13 clubs.  It's  nice though having that one open spot in case I ever need it.  I don't have a gap wedge.  I've had one in the bag and it was barely used out on the course.  Logic dictates I should have one because there's a 20-25 yard gap between my PW and 54*, but I can get away with it because I can play a variety of shots with my PW. 

 

Yeah, golf is funny. Maybe it's something about playing the same courses over and over but I always find there are a few clubs I rarely hit. 

 

For me, those are 3w, 5i and 56^o. 

 

With driver and 7w being my primary "go" and "safe" clubs, I rarely find it useful to hit 3w off the tee. And it's virtually never getting hit off the deck. 

 

5i is just like anyone else. It's too long to be a normal approach club and yet too short to reach Par-5's or be a driving weapon. 

 

56^o is odd. It's a great warm-up club for me but I rarely find myself at that number. I hit a lot of shots from 120-ish which means Gw and if I'm inside 100-yds, I usually just grab the 60^o. I just rarely find myself at the 105-110 number where a Sw would feel good. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by MelloYello

[MelloYello]

2 hours ago, BallerNate said:

 

I’m dealing with the same thing right now. Went to the 50-54-58 setup for this season, but I’m not getting along with the 50* at all. 
 

For whatever reason, I find the PW and 54* much easier to hit consistently and control distance on full and partial swings. So I’m trying to decide, do I drop the 50* and go PW-54-58, or do I buy another 52* that I’ve had success with in the past and go PW-52-58.

 

Right now I’m carrying 14 clubs, and it feels like 1 too many.

 

Well, first things first. Don't paint by numbers (lofts). Who cares what the lofts are? It's about spacing. 

 

I struggle with a knock-down Pw personally. I normally fly it about 135 but I start to miss left/right if I try and slow that down as much as maybe 120-125. 

 

So having a Gw sitting at about 120 is a must for me. However, my 52⁰ wasn't going as far as I wanted. It liked the 115 number but really made me play aggressive to get anything out to 120. 

 

So I switched to an old 50^o and it added the 5-yds I needed to feel comfortable at 120. I can even push it to 125 without too much trouble. I was so sick of having to force the 52. 

 

So my advice would be to find the yardages you want and go after those. 50 / 56 / 60 isn't as "pretty" as 52 / 56 / 60 but who cares? 

Edited June 6, 2021 by MelloYello

[phizzy30]

59 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

Yeah, golf is funny. Maybe it's something about playing the same courses over and over but I always find there are a few clubs I rarely hit. 

 

For me, those are 3w, 5i and 56^o. 

 

With driver and 7w being my primary "go" and "safe" clubs, I rarely find it useful to hit 3w off the tee. And it's virtually never getting hit off the deck. 

 

5i is just like anyone else. It's too long to be a normal approach club and yet too short to reach Par-5's or be a driving weapon. 

 

56^o is odd. It's a great warm-up club for me but I rarely find myself at that number. I hit a lot of shots from 120-ish which means Gw and if I'm inside 100-yds, I usually just grab the 60^o. I just rarely find myself at the 105-110 number where a Sw would feel good. 

You know, for the longest time I had a 56* wedge.  For some reason I could never get used to it.  Maybe it was all in my head.  I would hit it fat 60% of the time and off the toe 20%.  I messed around with lofts and settled on the 54.  It might've been the bounce more so than the loft, but after I changed, I haven't had nearly as many mis hits.  I have my driving iron that is my go to on longer par 5's.  I love this thing.  Really forgiving, launches higher than a traditional 3 iron and stops faster too.  Oddly enough, it's very anti-left for me as well.  There's clubs that you have so much confidence in. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by phizzy30

[MelloYello]

58 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

You know, for the longest time I had a 56* wedge.  For some reason I could never get used to it.  Maybe it was all in my head.  I would hit it fat 60% of the time and off the toe 20%.  I messed around with lofts and settled on the 54.  It might've been the bounce more so than the loft, but after I changed, I haven't had nearly as many mis hits.  I have my driving iron that is my go to on longer par 5's.  I love this thing.  Really forgiving, launches higher than a traditional 3 iron and stops faster too.  Oddly enough, it's very anti-left for me as well.  There's clubs that you have so much confidence in. 

 

Yeah, I used to have a Mizuno Fli-Hi at 21^o and it seemed like one of the automatic clubs I ever had. One of those weird things that I always seemed to hit well and could always hit a little extra hard if/when I chose to. It's odd how clubs like that come and go. These days, I tend towards having a good 5w or 7w. This M6 I have is as automatic as it gets and goes shockingly far for it's loft. I generally hit it about 230, longer than any 5w I've ever had. 

 

WRT the 56^o I'm actually the opposite. I don't struggle to hit mine well which is what's so weird. You would think I would hit it more on the course, right?! 

 

I've started to notice there's this incredibly impressive wear mark on my 56^o right in the middle of the face that would make you think I'm TW or something, LOL. I think it's the result of a lot of range balls (identical swings) over the last couple years. But out on the course it's the least used of all my wedges. I'm seriously thinking my #1 issue right now is that I need to just hit more club. Why I default to my 60 when I apparently hit the 56 so well, IDK. Just a comfort knowing I can always get a little steep on the 60 and survive, I think. 

[buckI]

I am playing 12 now and only have a small gap between 5 iron and 7 wood once every 3 or 4 rounds.   Has made it simpler for me and having 52 and 58 degree wedges make my short game simpler.    Handicap has dropped from 8.5 to 6 so pleased so far.

[kiwihacker]

6 hours ago, BallerNate said:

 

I’m dealing with the same thing right now. Went to the 50-54-58 setup for this season, but I’m not getting along with the 50* at all. 
 

For whatever reason, I find the PW and 54* much easier to hit consistently and control distance on full and partial swings. So I’m trying to decide, do I drop the 50* and go PW-54-58, or do I buy another 52* that I’ve had success with in the past and go PW-52-58.

 

Right now I’m carrying 14 clubs, and it feels like 1 too many.

Is the 50° the same make and model as the 54° and the 52° you've had success with in the past? Seems odd. My struggles seem to start with the higher the loft of the club. Usually 50-52° have been fine in the past. 

[BallerNate]

5 hours ago, MelloYello said:

 

Well, first things first. Don't paint by numbers (lofts). Who cares what the lofts are? It's about spacing. 

 

I struggle with a knock-down Pw personally. I normally fly it about 135 but I start to miss left/right if I try and slow that down as much as maybe 120-125. 

 

So having a Gw sitting at about 120 is a must for me. However, my 52⁰ wasn't going as far as I wanted. It liked the 115 number but really made me play aggressive to get anything out to 120. 

 

So I switched to an old 50^o and it added the 5-yds I needed to feel comfortable at 120. I can even push it to 125 without too much trouble. I was so sick of having to force the 52. 

 

So my advice would be to find the yardages you want and go after those. 50 / 56 / 60 isn't as "pretty" as 52 / 56 / 60 but who cares? 

Yeah, I agree that it’s all about yardages and how many wedges you need to cover those yardages. That’s why I went to the 46-50-54-58, but for whatever reason the 50* just isn’t working out for me.

 

Just can’t get the consistent full yardage and flight I would hope for from a GW, and it’s terrible on partial shots as well. I’ll keep practicing with it though and it’s too soon to give up on it...but just have had better results with PW’s, 52*, and 54* wedges for some reason.

[BallerNate]

2 hours ago, kiwihacker said:

Is the 50° the same make and model as the 54° and the 52° you've had success with in the past? Seems odd. My struggles seem to start with the higher the loft of the club. Usually 50-52° have been fine in the past. 

The 50* is an RTX Zipcore like my 54*, 58*, and previously 52* were, and I’ve gotten good results with all those. The difference was that those all had DG Spinner shafts, whereas I got a DG S400 in the 50* to try and get more distance and have a more similar feel to my irons.

 

I’ll keep practicing with the 50* to try and get a better feel for it, but as of now it’s the most likely candidate in my bag to get replaced or dropped.

[sadclevelandsports]

Very few amateurs need all 14 despite what you may hear around these parts.

Edited June 6, 2021 by sadclevelandsports

[lefthack]

I carry 14 because I can. I really only NEED about 8 of them, but it's nice to have options.

[North Butte]

1 minute ago, lefthack said:

I carry 14 because I can. I really only NEED about 8 of them, but it's nice to have options.

And in my case, the bag is sitting on a Sun Mountain Speed Cart. The push cart has never complained about the weight of a 12th or 13th or 14th club.

 

I might feel differently if I were schlepping them on my shoulder for 3+ hours several times a week. 

[lefthack]

22 minutes ago, North Butte said:

And in my case, the bag is sitting on a Sun Mountain Speed Cart. The push cart has never complained about the weight of a 12th or 13th or 14th club.

 

I might feel differently if I were schlepping them on my shoulder for 3+ hours several times a week. 

 

I roll a power cart because I don't golf for exercise. My wife commented on how heavy my cart bag is. I told her "That's why it's a cart bag." 🤣

 

The first 5 years I played was with a starter set with a couple clubs added. It was 8 solid clubs and I had great distance control then. Now I'm lazy because I have less gaps.

[BallerNate]

On 6/6/2021 at 3:29 PM, kiwihacker said:

Is the 50° the same make and model as the 54° and the 52° you've had success with in the past? Seems odd. My struggles seem to start with the higher the loft of the club. Usually 50-52° have been fine in the past. 

Just circling back to let you know that I think something is off about my 50* Zipcore. I custom ordered it from Cleveland to be bent 2* upright and +1.5" long, but I think they're so busy they may have made an error. Going to bring it to the shop to get the loft, lie angle, and length checked because I think that must be the issue. I've had a 52* Zipcore and still use the 54* and 58* without any problems at all. It's bizarre.

[kiwihacker]

1 hour ago, BallerNate said:

Just circling back to let you know that I think something is off about my 50* Zipcore. I custom ordered it from Cleveland to be bent 2* upright and +1.5" long, but I think they're so busy they may have made an error. Going to bring it to the shop to get the loft, lie angle, and length checked because I think that must be the issue. I've had a 52* Zipcore and still use the 54* and 58* without any problems at all. It's bizarre.

Good luck. Yeah something must be off. It seems weird that you can hit all those other lofts fine but not the 50°. Hopefully you can get it sorted. 

 

I had a bit of an 'Aha' moment with my 52° the other day. I think when I look down at a specialty wedge I swing differently. I pick the club up too quickly and come into the ball far too steeply leading to erratic, inconsistent strikes and huge, deep divots. The other day I just told myself "Swing like it's your 9 iron" and got a much better result. Still took a huge divot but the strike was good and I got the distance and ball flight I expected.