Starting a new adventure . . . Minimalist Golf

[just plain bill]

i think, with the 11 clubs i bag right now, i'm pretty set, and would hesitate to delete any of those 11. i would like to add 12 draw driver, and am looking. always looking. for something. :)

[rwc356]

Watching the snow coming down in Chicago and dreaming of dusting off the clubs. I bounced between hickories, vintage and somewhat modern bags last year -all minimalist setups. Looking at my stats - the somewhat modern clubs were about 3 shots better per round than the hickory or vintage. (which gave me basically the same scores)

 

I plan to start out 2019 with TM 360 12 deg. driver, 19 and 23 deg TM hybrids. Pig G20 7, 9, GW, Ping Glide 56 SW and Ping Kushin putter.

 

Yep I'm pretty much a TM and Ping Ho!!

 

With a blazing 75-80 mph swing speed I am considering replacing the TM360 with a Ping G400 10.5 deg senior shaft driver in hopes of finding another 5-10 yards of carry distance to help me on the 6,000 yd track I normally play.

[just plain bill]

80 IS blazing, lol!!! sorry about the weather up there. i play online chess with a guy from up there, and we let each other know when the weather's bad...and we talk baseball...

[Pack7483]

Thinking of going all in on playing 8 clubs this year. Last year I bounced around from 8-12. I also play one length so thinking of ordering cobra black forged tec in 6 iron, 8iron and pw. Add in a driver, putter, OL black 4 (set around 22*ish) utility, and cobra black OL 56* wedge. The 8th and final club is where I am stuck. Do I add a 2i or fairway wood. I am thinking either a p790 udi 17* or just keep my 18* rogue SZ FW.

[Tommy56]

Either the 2i or the FW would fit the gap and work just fine ... really depends on which you feel most confident with and gives you the desired flight. For me (and my slower swing speed) the 5 wood works best.

[Ivyguy]

I would also consider versatility

 

Maybe a strong hybrid?

[p3ga]

I started out 47 years ago playing minimalist golf with a set of Spalding Johnny Palmers, 1W, 3W, 3,5,7,9Is and putter, I guess.

 

I'm sure many of us started that way too, and found the game fun - [i know for me that] after taking this golf stuff far too seriously, the move to a minimalist bag was to help recapture the simple joy / magic of being out on the course. And it did.

[Ryan3773]

My minimalist winter bag set up currently:

2 iron

6,8,W

54

Putter

 

Having a lot of fun hitting different shots with the 2!

[acemandrake]

Watching the snow coming down in Chicago and dreaming of dusting off the clubs. I bounced between hickories, vintage and somewhat modern bags last year -all minimalist setups. Looking at my stats - the somewhat modern clubs were about 3 shots better per round than the hickory or vintage. (which gave me basically the same scores)

 

I plan to start out 2019 with TM 360 12 deg. driver, 19 and 23 deg TM hybrids. Pig G20 7, 9, GW, Ping Glide 56 SW and Ping Kushin putter.

 

Yep I'm pretty much a TM and Ping Ho!!

 

With a blazing 75-80 mph swing speed I am considering replacing the TM360 with a Ping G400 10.5 deg senior shaft driver in hopes of finding another 5-10 yards of carry distance to help me on the 6,000 yd track I normally play.

 

My bag setup is similar to yours except I have one hybrid (25°), not two, and no gap wedge: 6 total.

 

The gap wedge may become necessary. We'll see.

[garflys]

It's just more fun to play and carry a Sunday bag. I don't keep score don't care but I know if I'm playing well or not. I go driver, 2 and 4 hybrid 6,8,pw, 52 and putter. Could leave out driver if I wanted to get too 7.

[9woodfan]

What Sunday Bag does everyone prefer? I have a Moonlite, Jones Original, and a Hoofer for when I carry 12+.

 

Looking hard at the Stitch SL1. Waterproof, a stand, and nothing else I don't need.

[garflys]

Moonlite for me.

[Ivyguy]

Yeah, I have an old SM 2.5... does the job... I want something masters themed.

 

So, instead of a lesson or two, I'll buy a bag...

 

 

 

 

Priorities?

 

 

What are those?

[acemandrake]

What Sunday Bag does everyone prefer? I have a Moonlite, Jones Original, and a Hoofer for when I carry 12+.

 

Looking hard at the Stitch SL1. Waterproof, a stand, and nothing else I don't need.

 

Front 9 by Sun Mountain...Not a "Sunday bag" by definition but still smallish & very easy to carry. New, lightweight materials allow for more size (i.e. more pocket space) without being weighed down.

 

In the 70's I had a Miller carry bag from the college team. It was very small but heavy for its size due to the vinyl material it was made from.

 

I still have a small Jones stand bag from the '90's that does the trick albeit without a lot of pocket space. This thing is as close to a "quiver" for my clubs as anything I've ever used. Single strap, grab and go!

[9woodfan]

Yeah, I have an old SM 2.5... does the job... I want something masters themed.

 

So, instead of a lesson or two, I'll buy a bag...

 

 

 

 

Priorities?

 

 

What are those?

Amen brother! Haha

 

A Master's themed bag would be slick.

[Tommy56]

Jones original here.

[lefty_forever]

Moonlight here. 8 or 9 clubs max.

 

[aiyyer]

Jones Rover. Works on a cart too when required

[rwc356]

I have a Mackenzie Walker that I love for walking - works ok for the times I have to ride.

[jslane57]

I've got a 23 year old MacKenzie Walker canvas Jacobsen model that I've been trying to replace for years. Recently I've tried the Jones Players model and a few lightweight carry bags (Callaway, TaylorMade) but can't find anything better...

[Hertsjoatmon]

Do you gents with a thin pencil bag just lay it on the ground during shots? The grass is often wet here in the UK which puts me off this kind of bag.

 

I have a few different bags depending on what im playing. 3 slot pencil stand bag for pitch and putt. 6 slot stand bag for par 3 courses. and a 10 slot stand bag for when I play 9 clubs (umbrella in the 10th slot)

[Ivyguy]

Do you gents with a thin pencil bag just lay it on the ground during shots? The grass is often wet here in the UK which puts me off this kind of bag.

 

I have a few different bags depending on what im playing. 3 slot pencil stand bag for pitch and putt. 6 slot stand bag for par 3 courses. and a 10 slot stand bag for when I play 9 clubs (umbrella in the 10th slot)

 

Yeah, most of the bags no have a waterproof bottom/side (part that's on the ground)...others will have tiny legs (2 inches to 8 or so)...

 

Moonlite

Mizuno

Cally

Taylormade

Titleist tour premium

[jslane57]

Do you gents with a thin pencil bag just lay it on the ground during shots? The grass is often wet here in the UK which puts me off this kind of bag.

 

I have a few different bags depending on what im playing. 3 slot pencil stand bag for pitch and putt. 6 slot stand bag for par 3 courses. and a 10 slot stand bag for when I play 9 clubs (umbrella in the 10th slot)

When the ground is wet I wouldn't use a bag that will just lead to wet grips. The MacKenzie has never let water through, but it is not a realistic choice for most golfers. I'd go with a small stand bag. Or the quiver with the short legs. As a kid (before stand bags) some folks made a simple "X" stand out of a couple of pieces of wood. I never had one, but thought the idea super clever...

[OakRockHacker]

I just got a Callaway Hyper Lite 1+ (stock photo below) and am impressed with it so far, although being January in Minnesota it's only seen a couple laps around the basement. It has short little legs that are manually activated that seem like they will keep it pretty dry on wet grass/early morning dew. I started by loading it up with all 14 clubs and it was a little tight, but certainly would be doable. Seems like it will be perfect for the 8-10 clubs I am planning to experiment with for the majority of this year. Very lightweight at 2.5 lbs and the single strap seems comfortable, although as noted I have a couple (few?) months until I can actually test it on course. There is also a dual-strap version available, but I found a smoking deal on the single strap and like the simplicity so figured I'd give it a shot. Has plenty of pockets, including a full length apparel pocket, which is somewhat rare for a Sunday bag. Don't see any issues fitting everything needed for a typical walking round. Also came with a rain hood which was a nice surprise considering the low cost.

 

 

Planning to give the minimalist bag a real shot this year, but still in the process of deciding on a set-up to start with. Right now I'm at 11 clubs with D, 17*H, 21*H, 5i-9i, 50, 56, P, but trying to whittle it down by a few more once I figure out what gaps I think I could open up a bit more and what gaps I might still struggle with. Can't decide if being a little more crowded at the top or bottom of the bag will be beneficial. I tend to play a lot of different courses throughout the year as well, so trying to keep the set-up as versatile as possible. Unfortunately I have too much time to think about it and no chance to do any real testing at the moment. Spring can't come soon enough!

[Hertsjoatmon]

Oak Rock - Try a round with every other club in the bag and then decide what ones you missed and want to put back rather than what you want to take out. Can probably find a reason to keep them all and not remove any, but a round or 2 with a reduced bag will really highlight what is essential or not. Especially if you tend to play the same course.

[OakRockHacker]

Oak Rock - Try a round with every other club in the bag and then decide what ones you missed and want to put back rather than what you want to take out. Can probably find a reason to keep them all and not remove any, but a round or 2 with a reduced bag will really highlight what is essential or not. Especially if you tend to play the same course.

Yeah, I think that will be the best plan once I can get out on the course again. Try a few different combinations and see what I can live with and what I can't live without. It's easy on paper to lay out all the perfect gaps, but getting out and playing is the only way to really identify the best set up.

[Ivyguy]

Howdy yall!

 

This year, I am replacing my driver, 2 iron and wedge.

 

I typically go: driver, 2i, 4i, 6i, 8i, pw (48), 56 and putter.

 

I think I know my direction with the wedge.

 

Driver and 2i are a different story...

 

2 options.

 

13 degree driver, stiffer shaft than normal (105 ss, I would go x-stiff to control trajectory) and keep my trusty 2i... I love that club, but in FL (left Vegas this year) I just dont have the ability to scare par 5s with it off the deck. 13 degree driver would be interesting as a "big or go home" option.

 

OR

 

Standard driver, either Udi, 4 wood or a hybrid.

 

I like to keep the ability to work the ball in all 6 directions, it's my primary "long game" strength. I'm kinda a scrappy up and down guy.

 

What do u guys think?

 

 

[slide13]

What about a strong 3 wood? I played a TEE EX10 Beta strong three last season and it was as long as my driver off the tee and fairly easy to hit off the deck as well. Found it to be an amazingly versatile club that sacrificed very little to a two club setup of driver and 3wood.

[Hertsjoatmon]

Got it down to 10 clubs in my casual / carry bag, but cant seem to let go of any more...

 

56 Cleveand CB RTX 2.0, 12 bounce. Thinking of grinding the heel down a little to make it more versatile.

A,P,9,8,6 Nike Vapor Fly Pro - I could may be take the 9 out but I like having options for my approach. The 7 & 5 stay in my car boot for the driving range

4 hybrid Nike Vapor Flex Hybrid

5wd Nike Vapor Fly

Mini Driver Callaway Bertha Mini 1.5 (14 degree)

[Ivyguy]

What about a strong 3 wood? I played a TEE EX10 Beta strong three last season and it was as long as my driver off the tee and fairly easy to hit off the deck as well. Found it to be an amazingly versatile club that sacrificed very little to a two club setup of driver and 3wood.

 

I've got a 13 degree Tee XCG I believe. The problem I had was I couldn't elevate it off the deck. It has a motore shaft in it... maybe a shaft problem OR it could be me. I'm a bit of a sweeper.

 

Good idea though, maybe I'll look into trying a lighter shaft (the thing is heavy).

 

Any other thoughts?