Top of the bag gapping - what do people play

[adamnbomb]

Driver - 10.5* - 265-275 carry

3 wd - 15* - 240 carry

5 wd - 19* - 225 carry

3 iron - 22* - 210 carry

 

Carry distances based on 80-85% swing

 

Dropped a 50* I had in the bag to put in the 5 wd. Now only playing 47*/56*/60* 

[evoviiiyou]

Ive been tracking the use of my 3 wood in my Driver, 3 wood, 3 DI set up and realized no matter what, its probably better to have the option of having/pulling the 3 wood when needed vs not having it and being forced into a layup with out her in the bag. If the lie is great and stance perfect, it sucks not having it...thats for sure.  

 

In the last three rounds of golf I have only pulled the 3 wood once off the deck, but it was a great weapon on that shot to be green side on a par 5, that particular day. I have concluded the benefits out weigh the "simplifying" thought process of "less is more" thinking, with only the Driver/3 Di set up I have played most of the year with.  

 

Having the 3 wood in the bag also makes range time more fun I have found working on shots with her.  So my top of bag is this...

Driver 275+

3 wood 250

3 DI 225

[Juice1121]

Driver 9.5* - 260 Carry

3 Wood 15* - 245 Carry

5 Wood 18* -  225 Carry

DI 21* - 205-210 Carry

 

Sometimes when I walk or don't feel like bringing everything I will drop the two woods for a 3HL at 16.5 that carries right in the middle at 235 and lower my DI a degree or two to close the gap there at 215 yards. I also have a 18* hybrid that goes about the same as my 5 wood but I am preferring the flight of the 5 wood as of now. 

[drumdude96]

Driver 10.5*

4 Wood 16.5*

7 Wood 21* lofted down to 20*

???? from here.  Currently have a 23* PING G25 hybrid in the bag, but I want a 23* that is flatter.  Thinking about getting a Callaway Super Hybrid to go in this spot.  It's 2 degrees flatter, so hopefully not as likely to turn the ball over too much.  And it has a weight port so I can cut it down to a shorter length if I want and still keep it at a swingweight I like.  After the 23* hybrid I have 5-UW PING G25 irons.  I want a set of i210's so much it hurts, but I really don't want to wait 2 1/2 months to get them once ordered.

[RCGA]

Driver - 10.5* - 290y

3w - 15.5* - 265y

UDI - 18* - 240y

 

The UDI is my default off the tee. I play a shorter course and the landing areas are set up for retirees who drive it 225-250y. After that the course tightens up considerably. 

 

[joostin]

If there's a more FuNkY top end setup I'd love to see it:

 

Driver1 (fade) 9° 45", 275+ carry

Driver2 (draw) 9.5° 44.5", 275

5W 18°, 234

3 Iron 20° set iron shaft, 220

4 Hybrid 23° set iron shaft, 211

6 Iron 184

 

My gaps? 👎 Choke down and cutoff swings 👍.  I kind of like creating different distance "golf shots".  Minimalists would appreciate that.

 

2nd driver = more fun than 3W that's not much more accurate nor used off turf + good excuse to experiment.  If I played tournament golf I might drop Driver2 for 5i, but I don't!

[ChipNRun]

On 2/10/2021 at 2:40 PM, Pepperturbo said:

What's curious about that if stagnant index is any indication, 4-5 wedges are not helping people to score mostly due to the BIGGEST fact, they've added clubs but are NOT practicing ENOUGH with those clubs, so they are a waste.

 

I went from four down to three wedges the last time I refitted. It's easier to practice three wedges than four; the shortfall of no full PW (48* is PW-AW combo) can be handled by choke-down and 3/4 swing 9i.

[bomberman]

I've been messing around with the top of my bag mostly because the courses I play require specific shots into the par 5s and some long par 4s.  The courses I mainly play are about 7000 yards with par 5s with water guarding front on nearly all, leaving me 200-250 yards into the par 5s.

 

 

So I've switched to 

 

Driver 285-290 carry

5/4 wood 250 carry

3 hybrid 20* 230

4 hybrid 23*215

5-pw (205-135)

52/56/60

 

The only issues I have is I'd like a driving iron because for whatever reason I dislike hybrids off the tee and would love to have a "money" club when I need a 220 yard shot on a tight hole.

 

I switch out to a 4 iron when I play a shorter course or one where I know I need to hit iron off the tee alot.

[TLUBulldogGolf]

On 2/12/2021 at 12:41 PM, TLUBulldogGolf said:

Driver

3 Wood

19* Hybrid (adjusted to 18*)

3 Iron

 

I have a driving iron but the hybrid just seems more reliable for me. 

 

I've thought about going this route for a while but I'm finally pulling the trigger as I just don't have the time to work my wedge yardages to have the distance control needed from my current setup. 

 

I'm playing the above for now, but have a 52/56/60 wedge setup on order. Thinking of going to the following:

 

Driver - 285 carry

3 Wood (contemplating a switch to a 4 wood) - 260

3 hybrid or 3 Utility - 235 seems to be the ideal target

4 iron (potentially bent slightly strong, current is 24*) - 215, ideally I would be able to hit this up to 220 but I don't consistently

 

I found that the gap between my PW and 54 (previous setup) left me feeling like I was in no man's land from 115-130, I could hit PW but didn't feel confident in controlling the distance, and I don't like pressing the 54 if I don't have to. I'm hoping to have a 140/125/110/95 gapping or thereabouts, which should also make the partial shots a bit simpler. 

 

 

 

 

[Pepperturbo]

14 hours ago, ChipNRun said:

 

I went from four down to three wedges the last time I refitted. It's easier to practice three wedges than four; the shortfall of no full PW (48* is PW-AW combo) can be handled by choke-down and 3/4 swing 9i.

My point.  No matter how many wedges a player carries, if he's not practicing with each of them, he's doing his game an injustice.  Fewer wedges mean less time needed to practice. 

[mo_golf_ser]

I've had 13 clubs in the bag for a while now. I never seem to be struggling at the top end of the bag as far as gapping. I will say, however, playing a 52/58 split on the wedges has been rough, especially considering my 58 is lower bounce, which has hurt me out of bunkers for sure. I'm going to transition to 52/56/60, so I can keep the utility of the lower bounce on my lw, while still having something with more bounce for bunkers and partial approaches.

[MattC555]

I find having a low bounce 60° and a high bounce 56° key.  I use both far more than I would a 5w or driving iron. 

[rsballer10]

On 2/9/2021 at 11:28 PM, lordemsworth said:

I was watching the most recent Mark Crossfield video (Srixon ZX4 review) and as he tested the new irons he made a comment about top of the bag gapping and how many golfers have lots of wedges at the bottom of the bag to the detriment of gapping at the top of the bag.

 

I think MC is a decent enough person, but I have never seen somebody embody the definition of a strawman quite like him. If anything, wedge fitting is quite the opposite. Very few people do it, very few have them gapped properly, and if anything just as many golfers have redundancy at the top of the bag as they do the bottom. Anyway...

 

Driver - 260-275 carry

3 Wood - 235-240 carry

3 Hybrid - 220-230 carry

4 iron - 210-215 carry

7 iron - 170-175 carry

PW - 115-125 carry

AW - 100-110 carry

SW - 80-100 carry

 

 

 

[1puttTUT]

10.5° Driver - 270-275 carry

14.5° 3 wood - 245-250 carry

17° 5 wood - 230-235 carry

23° hollow bodied 4 iron - 215-220 carry

 

The loft gapping looks a little weird but the yardage gapping is great. I could loft up the 5-wood a little bit, but the 17° helps with my hook miss and it's also my "need to hit a fairway" club so I like to get some extra distance out of it (runs out nicely to 250 if the fairways are dry).

 

I recently picked up an 11.5° mini driver and might try using that in place of the 3-wood this year (with the obvious option of swapping based on course setup).

[ShortGolfer]

21 hours ago, mo_golf_ser said:

I've had 13 clubs in the bag for a while now. I never seem to be struggling at the top end of the bag as far as gapping. I will say, however, playing a 52/58 split on the wedges has been rough, especially considering my 58 is lower bounce, which has hurt me out of bunkers for sure. I'm going to transition to 52/56/60, so I can keep the utility of the lower bounce on my lw, while still having something with more bounce for bunkers and partial approaches.

Yes, that is rough.  52 isn't enough to get out of bunkers.  58 is enough loft but the low bounce requires precision to work.  

I'd suggest adding a 14th club just for getting out of bunkers.  I find that two 58s work well for me.  A 58/6 TS for no sand and a 58/10Z for everything else.

I also carry a Vokey 56/10S just for typical sand shots.

Edited November 22, 2023 by ShortGolfer

[North Butte]

For those of us who only drive the ball 200 yards, give or take, with 14 clubs in the bag there's not a problem with gapping anywhere unless we deliberately carry clubs that go about the same distance. How finely do we need to split the difference between a 60-yard lob wedge shot and a 200-yard drive? That's only a 140 yard range  and we've got 11 clubs to cover it. 

[MattC555]

Here is my gapping for what its worth:

 

	Max Carry	Min Carry
	Yards	Yards
G410 D	280	260
3W	257	240
7W	235	215
4	225	210
5	210	195
6	190	180
7	180	170
8	165	155
9	155	145
p	140	125
g	120	110
s	100	90
l	85	80

[ChipNRun]

I had a hip injury in spring past and lost most of season on crutches. So, my top end estimates are largely from 2022.

 

Driver: 220-230 carry, runout varies by course.

4W: 210 carry

7W: 195 carry

4H: 185 carry

5i: 170 carry

 

Getting home in two on par 5 hole is weather dependent. Memorial Day to Labor Day when ground is hard, I have chance to get it up close to green, expecially if I hit a high draw with 4W. I normally choke down a half-inch on 4W to prevent closed face, but if hole is fairly wide open can hold shaft at end and try for high draw.

 

And, there's course manicuring. If the greens are surrounded by a fluffy rough, I have better chance for par 5 birdie from 20 yards in front, off fairway, than a pin-high cut shot out of greenside salad bowl.

 

Normal par 5 strategy: get close to green with second shot. I can get an extra 50 yards of 4W  bouncy-bouncy in hot weather on occasion, but it's not something  count on.

 

For 7W and 4H, the two almost bump into each other in carry yardage, but offer different shot dynamics. 7W is great for blasting out of summer rough, and for high shots that don't run out much. 4H is a little hotter, and is preferred club for stinger tee shots where I want it low with runout (assuming landing area can handle runout).

 

As for longish shots with trouble in front of green: I normally take and extra club and try to swing smoothly. If it's a little long, a chip shot off the back fringe is preferable to moon-crater lie from between the front bunkers.

 

My general take:

• From 200 yards out, it's better to avoid bad shots than to rely on heroic shots.
• From 200 yards out, don't overthink it! 

[tgrabowske]

On 2/9/2021 at 10:28 PM, lordemsworth said:

I was watching the most recent Mark Crossfield video (Srixon ZX4 review) and as he tested the new irons he made a comment about top of the bag gapping and how many golfers have lots of wedges at the bottom of the bag to the detriment of gapping at the top of the bag.

 

it caused me to re-think what I have done - and wanted to get views from the Board.

i use a driver for 260 yards.(total)

I play a 4 wood for 230 (carry)

i play 3h for 210 (carry)

4 iron is 195 (carry)

5 iron 180 (carry)

6 iron 170 (carry)

7 iron 158 (carry)

8 iron 147 (carry)

9 iron 135 (carry)

PW 125  (carry)

GW 115 (carry)

54 105 (carry)

58 90 (carry)

 

When i need to hit a target 200 yards over a hazard (water/bunker) I will hit the 3h.   To be honest, I probably hit 25% of greens from this distance, but don’t really expect to.  If I hit, great, otherwise play to hit it close on my third shot.

I feel comfortable hitting the 5 iron into a green at 180 over hazrd(water/bunker).

On most par 5s, if i have to hit 230 or more, I turn it into a 3 shot hole.

I am more focused on making sure I hit greens from 140 in.

 

On three of the courses I play, I almost never hit a 9 iron or 54 degree wedge.  I use the 58 for most partial wedge shots under 90 yards, and the for all pitches and chips.  I probably need to refine that.

 

Based in this info, I wouldn’t adjust the top of the bag because of how I approach shots from that end.

 

How do you guys feel about the top of your bags?

 

On 2/9/2021 at 10:28 PM, lordemsworth said:

I was watching the most recent Mark Crossfield video (Srixon ZX4 review) and as he tested the new irons he made a comment about top of the bag gapping and how many golfers have lots of wedges at the bottom of the bag to the detriment of gapping at the top of the bag.

 

it caused me to re-think what I have done - and wanted to get views from the Board.

i use a driver for 260 yards.(total)

I play a 4 wood for 230 (carry)

i play 3h for 210 (carry)

4 iron is 195 (carry)

5 iron 180 (carry)

6 iron 170 (carry)

7 iron 158 (carry)

8 iron 147 (carry)

9 iron 135 (carry)

PW 125  (carry)

GW 115 (carry)

54 105 (carry)

58 90 (carry)

 

When i need to hit a target 200 yards over a hazard (water/bunker) I will hit the 3h.   To be honest, I probably hit 25% of greens from this distance, but don’t really expect to.  If I hit, great, otherwise play to hit it close on my third shot.

I feel comfortable hitting the 5 iron into a green at 180 over hazrd(water/bunker).

On most par 5s, if i have to hit 230 or more, I turn it into a 3 shot hole.

I am more focused on making sure I hit greens from 140 in.

 

On three of the courses I play, I almost never hit a 9 iron or 54 degree wedge.  I use the 58 for most partial wedge shots under 90 yards, and the for all pitches and chips.  I probably need to refine that.

 

Based in this info, I wouldn’t adjust the top of the bag because of how I approach shots from that end.

 

How do you guys feel about the top of your bags?

 

Driver 9*

2 Hybrid 15.5*

3 Iron at 19* used to have 2 iron but was too close in distance to hybrid and height was same so I changed to 3 iron for more versatility. 2/3 iron is an awkward spot for me as an extremely long hitter. anything with woods I cant control how high it goes no matter what head or shaft thats why my "3 wood" is a hybrid and its fantastic.

4-PW

50-54-60

Putter

[Potch]

Driver 10.5* - 270

4 Wood 16.5* 240

Hybrid 21* - 220

Hybrid 25* - 200

6 iron 28* - 185

 

I'm still trying to figure things out a bit since I moved into the T100S irons with their stronger lofts. At first I carried the 5 iron, but that went more or less the same distance as my 25* hybrid and dropped it. With the 44* PW, went to 48-53-58 with specialty wedges. When I dropped the 5 iron, added a 60* with a different grind to have some more greenside options. Going to a proper wedge fitting at TPI in February and will have an open mind about whether I carry 3 or 4 wedges beyond the 44* PW. If they think 3 is enough, can rethink the top end of my bag - either a DI to give another option off the tee or swap the 4W for 3-5 combo. That said, I think the top end works pretty well right now and likely go with the extra wedge. Also have a 17* Apex UW I'm going to test out against the current 4W and see how that goes.

[rondoroyal]

Driver 8* 270

3 Wood 14.5* 240

3 Hybrid 19.5* 220

4 Iron 21* 200

 

Thinking of dumping the hybrid for a 5 wood

[Dustdevil]

The top of the bag is underrated. If you play the blue tees, it seems like every par 3 is set at 200 yards. You need a consistent 200 yard club you can carry off the tee. For me it's a 4H (22 deg). I could carry a 3i, but 3i's these days are really 2i's and the hybrid launches higher. 

Everyone talks about wedges, but that 200 yard club is more important than most people think.

[Birdman03]

On 11/22/2023 at 9:12 AM, North Butte said:

For those of us who only drive the ball 200 yards, give or take, with 14 clubs in the bag there's not a problem with gapping anywhere unless we deliberately carry clubs that go about the same distance. How finely do we need to split the difference between a 60-yard lob wedge shot and a 200-yard drive? That's only a 140 yard range  and we've got 11 clubs to cover it. 

I am in this same situation and like the idea of carrying fewer than 14 clubs. I have a lot of launch monitor data that shows 4i, 7w, and 5w all produce about the same ball speeds and carry distances.  7w is easier to hit than the other 2 clubs.  I no longer carry a 3 wood due to frequent thin hits and big hooks. 

For me the main reason to hit a longer iron or 5w is just to get the 2nd shot on a Par 5 as close to the green as possible. I could do that in most situations with a 5i and score about the same.

[bodhi555]

I dropped my Lob Wedge last season, as to be frank, there's no need for it on the courses I usually play - and I find it easier to just open up my 56 degree if I have to go high.

 

As a result I've gone:

 

Driver - 10.5 Degree - (280 ish)

3 Wood - 15 Degree -  (250)

3 Hybrid - 19 Degree -  (230)

3 Iron - 21 Degree - (215)

4 Iron - 24 Degree - (205)

 

Yardages are quite close but the above has given me more options on ball flight - so if I want to land a ball short of the green and have it run on, the 3 iron is perfect. If it's all carry then the Hybrid gets used.

 

I've noticed an improvement in my short game as well, with only having 47/52/56. Much easier decision making round the greens.

[Thrummyfox]

On 6/23/2021 at 5:00 PM, bomberman said:

I've been messing around with the top of my bag mostly because the courses I play require specific shots into the par 5s and some long par 4s.  The courses I mainly play are about 7000 yards with par 5s with water guarding front on nearly all, leaving me 200-250 yards into the par 5s.

 

 

So I've switched to 

 

Driver 285-290 carry

5/4 wood 250 carry

3 hybrid 20* 230

4 hybrid 23*215

5-pw (205-135)

52/56/60

 

The only issues I have is I'd like a driving iron because for whatever reason I dislike hybrids off the tee and would love to have a "money" club when I need a 220 yard shot on a tight hole.

 

I switch out to a 4 iron when I play a shorter course or one where I know I need to hit iron off the tee alot.

I have been having similar issues so almost always carried at least one crossover but not played much due to injury lately so figure hybrids will be more forgiving and carry further in wet uk winter 

[Thrummyfox]

8 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

The top of the bag is underrated. If you play the blue tees, it seems like every par 3 is set at 200 yards. You need a consistent 200 yard club you can carry off the tee. For me it's a 4H (22 deg). I could carry a 3i, but 3i's these days are really 2i's and the hybrid launches higher. 

Everyone talks about wedges, but that 200 yard club is more important than most people think.

Don’t agree with everything Mark Crossfield says but love his view that hybrids and fairways are scoring clubs simply because of the amount of 180-200 yard shots amateurs face

[Thrummyfox]

8 hours ago, rondoroyal said:

Driver 8* 270

3 Wood 14.5* 240

3 Hybrid 19.5* 220

4 Iron 21* 200

 

Thinking of dumping the hybrid for a 5 wood

Most of the time I do apart from summer cos play dry running causes so suits my Rocketblz 3 wood, probably doesn’t carry as far as 5 wood but runs 30-40 yards extra. 
 

Oftem carry just 17.5degree. G400 5 wood which is literally a 4 wood and carries 220-230 off tee and easier to use off the deck 

[North Butte]

10 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

The top of the bag is underrated. If you play the blue tees, it seems like every par 3 is set at 200 yards. You need a consistent 200 yard club you can carry off the tee. For me it's a 4H (22 deg). I could carry a 3i, but 3i's these days are really 2i's and the hybrid launches higher. 

Everyone talks about wedges, but that 200 yard club is more important than most people think.

I've spent a lot of time shopping for a driver I can consistently carry 200 yards off the tee. Haven't found it yet, it would save me some strokes for sure.

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

10 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

The top of the bag is underrated. If you play the blue tees, it seems like every par 3 is set at 200 yards. You need a consistent 200 yard club you can carry off the tee. For me it's a 4H (22 deg). I could carry a 3i, but 3i's these days are really 2i's and the hybrid launches higher. 

Everyone talks about wedges, but that 200 yard club is more important than most people think.

 

All of this.  And it's so nice to find one that can get out there and, more importantly, get up with spin.  My 20-21° hybrid was doing that today.  Frankly shocked me.  145 ball speed, height reminiscent of a medium iron, and the ball took a couple of hops and stopped, like I was using some sort of Sumo-Wedge (TM).  Ballpark 215-220 carry, within 2° of where I was aiming, and to stop like it did... 

 

Yeah, I'm a fan of this Titleist TSR2.

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

But to play along with the spirit of the OP...

 

1) Driver 10.5, was 265, now 285 carry evidently...

2) 3W 14.5 (once it gets put back together.  So embarrassing to see the club head sailing down range.)  A 245-255 carry club then.

2.5) Until then, I'm trying to get along with a Ping 2H that goes 240-ish.  Low.  And I mean low.  Still a bit of a hook-fest. I've tried a more rearward ball position.  WIP.

3) Aforementioned 21° hybrid. 215-220

4) 4-iron 205-210

 

The 3-iron "should" go 215-220 too, but too inconsistent in my inept hands and much lower flight anyway.

 

Likely doing some form of 1W/3W/20° hybrid unless I'm playing somewhere linksy where i need the low 2H and 3I flights.  4-9I then three or four wedges and putter.

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by Jayjay_theweim_guy