Starting a new adventure . . . Minimalist Golf

[9woodfan]

I'm also in the driver & 7 wood camp. Thinking about a strong 3 wood so I could play it off both tee and fairway but I'm probably safer with the driver.

 

Irons at 5-7-9-G and a 58* wedge plus putter rounds out my 8 clubs. I usually only carry 12-13 anyway so with this 8 I can score the same if not better... all in a Jones Original bag.

 

The only thing different with my minimal bag is all the irons and wedges are single length. It was an experiment that's going along very well.

 

 

Did you do that as a diy, cobra or edel?

I went with the Wishon Sterlings and then extended a Ping wedge.

[jslane57]

You know you're hooked on minimalist when you only purchase 7 grips for your re gripping project.

[drn92]

Well I tried something different this weekend and went "Maximalist ..." and used a full set of clubs (13 for me).

 

Played two rounds of golf on the same course, trying a couple sets of irons that I have. Both round were sub-par, and not in a good way. Good news is I decided on a driver and fairway metal I like, and most likely a sand wedge. Bad news is that I hit my irons very poorly. I think that having the full set subconsciously led me to try to hit a perfect "full" shot on my iron swings, which led to some seriously inconsistent play. With a half set in the bag, I tended to take the higher club and swing a bit easier (3/4 swing) and make better contact. I hit some really good irons this weekend, but overall there were far too many where I hit it just slightly thin or fat. That put a lot of pressure on my short game, which did not bail me out.

 

I also discovered that Ping Eye2's with ZZ Lite's are still too stiff for me to play. I'll probably always keep a set in the basement or use them as my travel set, but not in my main bag. The search continues for my (semi) permanent set of irons.

 

I will most likely play another 36 next weekend, this time with a half set, to see if things change or stay the same.

 

drn92

[drn92]

Well, I gave the minimal bag a try today. Only played 13 holes due to weather, and I was 1 over for the thirteen holes. The course was a bit shorter at 6500 yards (vs 7000 for the other course), but not having a full bag did not impact me one bit. In fact, I was pin hunting with my short irons, with several putts for birdie inside 20'. I had three birdies on the 13 holes, the most in recent memory in a single round.

 

In the bag was ...

 

TM Driver (2008 Burner 10.5)

Callaway Big Bertha 7 wood

Ping S56 ... 5, 7, 9, W

Callaway MD 3 Tour Grind 56

Yes putter

 

8 total clubs and the best ball striking round of the past couple years. I know I will be tempted, but I am going to try to keep this set the rest of the season to see how it pans out.

 

drn92

[student of the game]

Haven't visited this post in a long time but went out the other night and played our ladies tees with a 7 iron SW and putter.I played only the front 9 but i shot 5 under it was amazing like unconscious golf 100 and in SW over 100 yards 7 iron just played everything by feel.

[Tommy56]

Completed my next big step toward a purposefully built minimalist set-up ... excited about settling in with the new kit.

My next move may be to replace the 915F playing at 17º with a 917F2 15º.

[student of the game]

Well it didn't take long from reading this thread to decide to get back into the minimalist set up. building a 4 club bag just about as simple as i can go and I feel like I did a pretty well budget wise all clubs I purchased were brand new:

 

Cleveland Classic Black Platinum Belly Putter $68 bucks

Nike Vr X3X Toe Sweep Wedge $57

Cleveland 588TT 7 Iron $57

Cleveland 588MT 3 Iron $57

 

Now these clubs have a bunch of mismatched shafts and frankly im not going to use a belly putter I am going to be doing some work on these clubs before I hit the course:

 

Putter: Switching out shaft for black PVD with Winn Excel Jumbo putter grip

Wedge: KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 Stiff Shaft white and black ferrules white and black golf pride tour wraps

7 iron: KBS Tour S+ Shaft white and black ferrules white and black golf pride tour wraps

3 iron: KBS Hybrid Steel Shaft X-Stiff white and black ferrules white and black grolf pride tour wraps

 

Stay tuned over in the clubmaking forum for the actual build. Will update with on course results once I get these built up.

[freowho]

Craig Parry shot 74 around Royal Fremantle with just a 4 iron!

 

My 3 club set up is 3w, 7i and sw. I putt really well with a 3 wood and knowing I have the sw means I can continue to fire at the pin. I play softer and harder wedges by opening and closing the face at address anyway so doing it with a 7 iron is no stretch for me. I would love to see the handicapping system allow for comps with less clubs.

[scruffynick]

Love this thread....done most of the season with 8 for comps and 7 just knocking it around 9 holes. Maybe it's in my head but I played crap and didn't enjoy the full load....and most of all I hate craming it all into my car afterwards!!!! Got myself a locker and just use spoon, 4 wood, 7 wood which is 23 degree so it's very lofted, 5,7,9,sw putter. All in a titleist lite pencil bag......perfect.

I sold the club's I don't use so there's no temptation and I won't ever go back to a full set again

[IsleOfMan]

I haven't played much minimalist since joining a club where cart is included with membership. The course has some long up-hill segments from green-to-tee that make carrying a full bag difficult and it isn't much easier with a push-cart either. The course is closed on Monday but they don't mind members walking in the afternoon after maintenance is done (they usually finish well before 2pm), but the elevation and layout just made it too difficult to do so with a full bag. Unfortunately I'd given my old 6" ultralight stand bag to a buddy to use for travel.

 

Last week I came across a Pitch & Putt Stand Bag like this one at Bargain Hunt (returns liquidator) for $10, so I thought I'd pick it up for taking to the range and maybe give minimalist another go. The bag holds 6 clubs well with relatively reasonable in-and-out... 7 clubs is do-able but it causes more binding (especially if you have a SuperStroke putter grip too). I'm trying to get down to 6 clubs, but can't quite do it without a big gap right in the middle. If I can find a 6-club layout that will let me keep my 60*, it'll make this bag work much better. Right now I'm considering:

 

4w

4h

6i

9i

Lw

Putter

 

Main issue is both par 3s on the front nine that I walk are 7i holes... I guess worst case I can just step back to the back tees on these two holes

[BogeyFore5]

I'd probably go with 3W, 4i, 7i, 50/54 and putter.

[santasquatcha]

I would base my small bag off of the following:

1. Most used clubs (Adams 5h)

2. Best club around the green (60* vokey)

 

14* TM Minidriver

25* 5h (Adams tech V4.0)

36* 8i

49* GW

60* LW Vokey SM4

Putter

 

Will try this next time I go out to play

[dciccoritti]

Tried this a couple of weeks back. Took my 6, 8 & PW irons to PAR 3 course where I like to work on my iron game alone.

 

I experimented between choking down vs 1/2 and 3/4 swings to take 10 yards off. I found choking down still gave me good trajectory and spin while 1/2 & 3/4 shots flew lower with more roll out.

 

So my question to all of you is, especially those that have 1 club for 3 or 4 different yardages is how do you approach taking 10, 20 or 30 yards off?

 

Also wondering if there is anyone that just slows the whole swing down.

[drn92]

Tried this a couple of weeks back. Took my 6, 8 & PW irons to PAR 3 course where I like to work on my iron game alone.

 

I experimented between choking down vs 1/2 and 3/4 swings to take 10 yards off. I found choking down still gave me good trajectory and spin while 1/2 & 3/4 shots flew lower with more roll out.

 

So my question to all of you is, especially those that have 1 club for 3 or 4 different yardages is how do you approach taking 10, 20 or 30 yards off?

 

Also wondering if there is anyone that just slows the whole swing down.

 

I mix it up, but unless I am inside 100 yards I rarely need to take more than 15 yards off a shot. Depending on the requirement I will either choke down or hit a 3/4 punch shot to adjust for distances.

 

It really is liberating.

 

drn92

[Gladan]

Tried this a couple of weeks back. Took my 6, 8 & PW irons to PAR 3 course where I like to work on my iron game alone.

 

I experimented between choking down vs 1/2 and 3/4 swings to take 10 yards off. I found choking down still gave me good trajectory and spin while 1/2 & 3/4 shots flew lower with more roll out.

 

So my question to all of you is, especially those that have 1 club for 3 or 4 different yardages is how do you approach taking 10, 20 or 30 yards off?

 

Also wondering if there is anyone that just slows the whole swing down.

 

Great question!

I've been playing the whole year with the setup below. I have scored on average 1 stroke more (data from 79 rounds last year and 29 rounds this year). Given my hcp, about 14, I'm not the most consistent player so don't read to much into the stats.

Driver

4W

4, 6, 8, PW

54 wedge

Putter

 

To answer your question I read this article http://www.golfwrx.com/241613/between-clubs-choking-up-is-always-the-best-strategy/ and have used this approach for the entire year with the results above. I have rarely slowed my swing down. The main benefit for me is that the bag is nice and light to carry and truth be told i haven't missed the remaining clubs that much either.

[dciccoritti]

Tried this a couple of weeks back. Took my 6, 8 & PW irons to PAR 3 course where I like to work on my iron game alone.

 

I experimented between choking down vs 1/2 and 3/4 swings to take 10 yards off. I found choking down still gave me good trajectory and spin while 1/2 & 3/4 shots flew lower with more roll out.

 

So my question to all of you is, especially those that have 1 club for 3 or 4 different yardages is how do you approach taking 10, 20 or 30 yards off?

 

Also wondering if there is anyone that just slows the whole swing down.

 

Great question!

I've been playing the whole year with the setup below. I have scored on average 1 stroke more (data from 79 rounds last year and 29 rounds this year). Given my hcp, about 14, I'm not the most consistent player so don't read to much into the stats.

Driver

4W

4, 6, 8, PW

54 wedge

Putter

 

To answer your question I read this article http://www.golfwrx.c...-best-strategy/ and have used this approach for the entire year with the results above. I have rarely slowed my swing down. The main benefit for me is that the bag is nice and light to carry and truth be told i haven't missed the remaining clubs that much either.

 

Thanks for pointing that article out. I'm seriously considering going with 4, 6, 8 & PW next year.

[Tommy56]

As a couple others have mentioned, when in between clubs, I’ll almost always take the longer club and choke up a little. I’ve found that trying to jump on a shorter club only increases the height and spin. Since going minimalist, I’ve also become a fan of hitting knock-down shots, especially into the wind.

[p3ga]

You know you're hooked on minimalist when you only purchase 7 grips for your re gripping project.

 

...And when looking to 'update' the minimalist bag you check the box marked "Single Irons" in your eBay search

[Johnny_Fairway]

I’ll sometimes carry 7 clubs when getting in a quick 9 before work.

 

Driver, 4 iron (20*), 6 iron (30*), 8 iron (40*), PW (50*), LW (60*), and Putter.

 

The gaps seem good enough for my skill level. My scores don’t seem to change.

[9woodfan]

I've been up and down in the number of clubs I've used this season but my best rounds have always been with less clubs.

 

Sooooooo...

 

Best to end the season that way, post the extras for sale, and save money on the re-grip job in the Spring!

 

D, 7wd, 5hb, 7-8-9-P-G-S-L and then putter.

 

I added the 8 because there is one hole at my home course I just couldn't knock down a 7 well enough to carry water in front... then sitting at an odd number forced me to add some wedges.

 

I think I'm going to combine the S/L clubs in the near future and get to 10.

[Nomad Golfer]

For the next 7-club game (Tropical Cyclones permitting).

TMade r7 driver 11.5*

Honma 7w 22*

Honma 7i 34*

Honma 9i 42*

Honma 11i 50*

Lovett Chipper 59*

Wilson Putter

[ForePleaseNowDriving]

Driver or no in a minimalist set? I am longer than average and I think I can get by with a 3 wood (the one I have is a strong one at that). I guess it all comes down to ones confidence in a driver vs the 3 wood as I typically don't hit this 3 wood on my second shot on par 5's.

[Tommy56]

I go with 3 wood, even though I'm not a big hitter. The 3 wood is long enough and gets me in less trouble off the tee, plus it provides greater utility as it is also used off the deck. In a true minimalist set (which I consider 7 clubs or less), clubs that can serve multiple purposes are vital.

[golfnut1964]

 

Ive been playing a 10 club bag for couple years now. 77 Staff blades with Persimmon driver

& either a 4 or 5 wood. I bent the irons to 5* gaps as follows

 

4i 25*

5i 30*

6i 35*

7i 40*

8i 45*

PW 50*

SW 55*

 

At age 53 the 5 degree gaps are fine as with slower swing speeds.

I play from blue tees usually at my home track (6300 yds).

It is never an issue. The Jones bag with 6-7 balls, a small water bottle

and a sandwich makes for a great day of exercise & enjoyable golf.

 

Shot 78 in 50 kmh wind gusts couple days ago. I stumbled on a "minimalist bag"

article a few years ago-so glad I did. My shot making has improved so has my fitness.

 

I encourage other golfers to try the same. It is very enjoyable.

[drn92]

 

Ive been playing a 10 club bag for couple years now. 77 Staff blades with Persimmon driver

& either a 4 or 5 wood. I bent the irons to 5* gaps as follows

 

4i 25*

5i 30*

6i 35*

7i 40*

8i 45*

PW 50*

SW 55*

 

At age 53 the 5 degree gaps are fine as with slower swing speeds.

I play from blue tees usually at my home track (6300 yds).

It is never an issue. The Jones bag with 6-7 balls, a small water bottle

and a sandwich makes for a great day of exercise & enjoyable golf.

 

Shot 78 in 50 kmh wind gusts couple days ago. I stumbled on a "minimalist bag"

article a few years ago-so glad I did. My shot making has improved so has my fitness.

 

I encourage other golfers to try the same. It is very enjoyable.

 

Beautiful bag!

 

I briefly strayed from a minimalist bag late summer. Scores went up a bit! I had a chance to play 9 today and decided to take the half set out (8 clubs ...). Shot my best 9 of the year with a 2 over 38 at a difficult track.

 

I think it will be full-time minimalist next year!

 

drn92

[p3ga]

Picked up on something that might be of interest as you get ready to re-grip over the winter months:

 

The Ping Glide wedges are available with the Dyla-Wedge grip, 3/4"; longer than a standard grip, with markings for hand placement & reduced taper: https://www.ping.com/clubs/wedgesdetail.aspx?id=18283

 

These are available separately, picked up a few at Edwin Watts last week. Similar concept to the Lamkin wedge grips from a few seasons ago.

 

Perfect for those - like myself - that play just a few irons, relying on choking up & down on the grip for covering various distances with just a few clubs.

 

Hope this is of some value.

[Optimus-Par]

I play in a nine-hole league on a short track (2900 yards plus or minus) so I put together a partial/minimalist bag to carry for my league:

 

13.5* Steelhead XR 3+ with a Matrix 75M4 Black Tie

18.5* Adams XTD hybrid with a Matrix HX3 White Tie

24* Adam XTD Dhy iron with a Matrix Radix 9T-HY

33* Callaway Steelhead XR Pro 7 iron with KBS Tour-V

42* Callaway Steelhead XR Pro 9 iron with KBS Tour-V

51* Callaway Steelhead XR Pro GW with KBS Tour-V

58* Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind wedge with KBS Tour-V

Odyssey White Hot RX 2-Ball V-line with Golf Pride Tour SNSR Straight grip

 

This upcoming year will be my 5th year in the league and I know the course forwards and backwards. Par is 35 and I usually shoot between 35 and 40. I don't think I will struggle with any goofy yardage gaps - I am comfortable hitting partial swing shots. As a walker, I am excited for the lighter weight experience.

[jbrunk]

My 5-club winter setup, for practice & random warm weather rounds (like today):

 

Cobra BioCell+ 5W 17.5° Rogue Max 75

Mizuno MP-15 6i 31° DG S300

Mizuno MP-15 PW 46° KBS Tour 120

Mizuno T7 56.10° DG Wedgeflex

Odyssey White Hot Pro 7CS

[badgermat]

Here's one for the minimalists ... Rick Shiels plays ST Anne's Old Links (6,326 yds off the yellows) with one club.

 

 

Does well too.

 

bm

[jslane57]

Driver or no in a minimalist set? I am longer than average and I think I can get by with a 3 wood (the one I have is a strong one at that). I guess it all comes down to ones confidence in a driver vs the 3 wood as I typically don't hit this 3 wood on my second shot on par 5's.

This is one of the things I change a lot in my minimalist set. To cut off one side of the bag, the other, or both. Like max out at 3-wood and GW, or driver and SW. Using the driver and SW that I used in my full set is what I have moved to. Using a driver, SW, and putter that I really like, as well as a few other clubs that are useful on the par 3s, and as second shots, and boom, a minimalist set that scores pretty much the same as the regular set. Of course at 9 clubs it is not as minimalist as could be, but it sure makes the bag feel perfect. TBH, too few clubs and the bag just doesn't balance well.

Today it is:

TM Rocketballz 9.5 driver

Adams Redline 4-wood

Ping ISI 4,6,8,9,PW

Cleveland CG14 56* SW

TM TPA V putter.