Starting a new adventure . . . Minimalist Golf

[AdotWu]

Posted my 9-club bag in the WITB section: http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1024853-9-club-minimalist-bag/

Would love to see more minimalist setups!

[9woodfan]

I need to take some pics of mine….

I've been back and forth between the full bag and my minimalist set-up. I'd like to pick up a 54-58 wedge combo and a SLDR Mini to complete the 2nd bag.

I've been using my driver, 7 wood, a 6 hybrid, a few irons and a 56 wedge. Scores have been pretty good with that. Played some pretty fun shots with the 6 hybrid!

[student of the game]

Like any true wrxer I am now considering how to "improve" my minimalist set up.

Heres what I am thinking. I want to go with 10 clubs so I am going to go with

Titleist 913 D3 7.5 Driver
Titleist 913 FD 15 3 wood
Titleist 712U 21 degree
Titleist 714 MB 5,7,9
SM5 48, 54,60
Newport 2.6 putter

This should allow me to play any length course and have my distances covered

[watch4sharx]

I was suffering from the grind earlier this month. Golf wasn't as much fun as it once was. I decided to try a minimalist setup. It consists of:

Burner Superfast 2.0 3 wood
712 AP2 4,6,8,pw
Vokey 56°
Ping Zing 2 putter
All carried in a collapsible carry bag.

At first I was nervous to go out and play with 7 clubs. But after the first round I got over that. I have shot either normal or lower than normal scores on all of the rounds I have played with just 7 clubs. There are holes where it is obvious I'm missing my driver but other than that I've been loving it. I'm going on a golf trip this weekend and I've brought my whole set home from my club but I'm worried the whole set is going to complicate things now.

My full bag feels like it weighs a hundred pounds now too.

[minimal45]

That for me is the only bad part if you try to add clubs back you have to retrain your brain again. If your shooting lower with 7 clubs my advice is ride the hot hand you have going with the smaller bag.

[ezmorningrebel]

I shot my best 9 so far last weekend with 10 clubs in the bag. Played rbz 3 wood off the tee along with 5-PW, 54*, 60* and putter.

[ezmorningrebel]

[quote name='ezmorningrebel' timestamp='1403924925' post='9594693']
I shot my best 9 so far last weekend with 10 clubs in the bag. Played rbz 3 wood off the tee along with 5-PW, 54*, 60* and putter.
[/quote]

just bested this round last night. shot 40 with 5 pars. the rbz 3 wood is much more versatile than i first though off the deck. i hit greens from 200 and 215 yards last night just by joking down varying amounts.

[9woodfan]

As the season wears on I've been slowly pulling clubs out of the bag… I don't miss them at all.

I still have all the irons and wedges in my sig but starting Monday after my camping trip I go full-on minimalist with a 10 club set-up.

Ping G25 Driver, K15 7 wood, and G25 6 hybrid stay… Ping G20 irons 8 thru UW and then Eye2 XG SW and LW with my Shea H TR putter.

Can't wait to game this set-up… and carry it!

[Hat Trick]

[quote name='erikro' timestamp='1384725791' post='8163272']
The US Open was once won by someone using 7 clubs. I never use more than 12 clubs with my "full" bag.
[/quote]
Chick Evans and it was the US Amateur

[student of the game]

So I played some minimalist rounds earlier in the year then I got hooked up with some Callaway SWWWAG (See my sig)

So I just bought a new sunday bag for doing playing lessons and figured now is as good a time as any to update my minimalist kit. So in my Tourtrek (cheap and easy sunday bag) I am carrying:

X2 Hot 3 Deep
5,7,9 apex pro
52,58 Mack Daddy 2 Slate wedges
PT 82 Putter

Haven't had a chance to take it out yet but will deffinately update with results when I do.

[student of the game]

played 11 holes after work on Sunday and shot +2 with my 7 club set up . . . Not too bad if I do say so myself

[student of the game]

played the front nine yesterday in brutal wind and had to focus more than ever on my shotmaking. I ended up 1 under with 1 birdie and 8 pars.

I think I will be sticking with my 7 club bag for awhile. May add a few clubs if I go to play a longer track probably driver and 2 iron

[gvogel]

I have a hickory minimalist set up.
Driver, brassie (2-wood), spoon (3-wood), 3-iron, 5-iron, 7-iron, niblick, putter. 8 clubs.

My brassie is probably closer in loft to a modern 3-wood, and my spoon is more lofted still, and probably plays like a 4-5 wood. Hickory irons are two clubs different than moderns, so my 3-iron has the same loft as a modern 5-iron, etc. So, yes, my set-up is closer to driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, 5-iron, 7-iron, 9-iron, wedge, putter.

The extra weight of the hickory shafts makes it easier to play more shots, such as 3/4 shots, with the hickories.

[minimal45]

I play nothing but minimalist golf now. Sold most of my clubs. Now for the last 2 years I have played with just 5 clubs. I play better now than I ever did with a full bag.

[gvogel]

[quote name='Hat Trick' timestamp='1406606509' post='9807139']
[quote name='erikro' timestamp='1384725791' post='8163272']
The US Open was once won by someone using 7 clubs. I never use more than 12 clubs with my "full" bag.
[/quote]
Chick Evans and it was the US Amateur
[/quote]

You are right. Chick Evans won both a US Open and a US Amateur with 7 clubs.

[Wriggles]

[quote name='Hat Trick' timestamp='1398187030' post='9144677']
[quote name='Wriggles' timestamp='1394636874' post='8855283']
I commented on this topic some time ago, but I'll update. I read some years ago an article by an English fellow stating that us Yanks play too many clubs. He suggested a 3W, 5I, 8I, PW and putter. That is the way I started playing Minimalist.

Yesterday, I went out with exactly that setup without any substitution. The conditions of the course were deplorable, wet, soggy, muddy, but nice to be out for the second time this year. (The weather calls for freezing rain and snow later today, but 60 degrees Friday. What a horrible winter!) Anyhow, 3W drives carried from 170-200 or so, no OBs, everything in play. Played many fairway 3Ws. Score wise, I scored 42 and 44, with 2 birdies.

Also, walked the 18. Will continue the 5 club setup as the fellow suggests, until I do something stupid like put a driver back into the bag.
[/quote]Is that article still out there somewhere in cyber space - I would love to read it!

I read this one a few years back:

[url="http://christophersmithgolf.com/let%e2%80%99s-play-nine-from-golf-week/"]http://christophersm...from-golf-week/[/url]
[/quote]

I couldn't find the 5 club article I referred to, but the nine club article really says it all. Nine clubs will probably work well for a more "serious" golfer than I am. However, I play well with just the five, or six, maximum. Carrying 5 or 6 is a breeze, especially for an older guy like me. As far as speed golf, I usually play nine on an empty course in less than an hour. For 18 holes in 44 minutes, that guy was really moving.

Sometimes, I play with just a 3W and an adjustable iron. Two clubs, no bag, 4 balls in a pocket is a total joy. Almost like having a caddy. Putting is a problem with the adjustable iron. Yesterday, my buddy was commenting how my 2 clubs was not enough. He really seemed agitated. (I play better than he does, he plays 9 or 10 clubs). On the last hole, a par 3, a four iron setting brought me 3 foot from the hole. Of course, I missed the birdie putt, as I said, really hard to putt with the putter setting.

It took me almost 50 years of golf to really not care about score, and consider golf walking briskly a cardio exercise. Surprisingly, I've been playing the best golf of my life, breaking 80 regularly, and averaging somewhere in the higher 80's.

Play well!

[ChunkyChips]

Took my son out for 9 holes (par 36) today. First time doing this, 2 clubs, 6 iron and 60* wedge. Shot 42, 6 over par. I was a bit surprised, that was just 2-3 strokes off my average.

[student of the game]

played 3 holes last night at 8:50 safe to say I was essentially playing in the dark played 2 par 4s and a par 3 went birdie, par, bogey. The bogey on the last hole I lipped out a birdie chip that went about 10 feet by lipped out that putt

[PaperArmyTank]

I gave up a full bag in favor of a minimalist set up. In high school I played a minimalist bag, so I decided to get back to my roots.

I play D - 5w - 4h - 5i - 7i - 9i - Pw - Sw - Putter.

I walk exclusively, so I'm able to zip around the course pretty quickly. I've found that having some larger gaps between clubs forces me to play more conservatively, which has lowered my scores. I'm also a lot less tired and sweaty than my buddies at the end of a round.

[ChaosTheory]

deleted

[gvogel]

[quote name='scomac2002' timestamp='1401279181' post='9380645']
[quote name='Alexchristensen85' timestamp='1400552395' post='9328399']
I like the sound of this whole minimalist thing and read through this whole thread and have a question. Has any one changed there lofts on there irons so there is not such a big gap in between clubs? My thoughts are 6* between clubs. Has any body tried this before?
[/quote]

I currently play 6° loft gaps between my wedges and have thought of extending that philosophy through to the irons. I would bend my 6i 1° strong and my 7i and 8i 1° and 2° weak respectively thus eliminating carrying the 9i and 5h. That would give me 3 wedges, 3 irons, 3 woods (D, 7W, 4h) and a putter for a 10 club Sunday bag. I know that all my yardage gaps would be covered without adversely affecting club performance due to altering bounce too greatly.
[/quote]

My advice would be to maybe bend the 6-iron 1*, but leave the 7 and 8-iron alone. You can choke up on the 8-iron to hit a 9-iron shot, or you can open the face of the 8-iron and hit a cut shot if you need height. Lots of options there.

I think that one of the concepts of minimalist golf is to take what you have and learn to play around what you think that you might be missing. Unless your 7-iron or 8-iron needs to be bent to perform better on regular full shots, leave them alone.

[mnmlistgolfr]

[quote name='scomac2002' timestamp='1401279181' post='9380645']
[quote name='Alexchristensen85' timestamp='1400552395' post='9328399']
I like the sound of this whole minimalist thing and read through this whole thread and have a question. Has any one changed there lofts on there irons so there is not such a big gap in between clubs? My thoughts are 6* between clubs. Has any body tried this before?
[/quote]

I currently play 6° loft gaps between my wedges and have thought of extending that philosophy through to the irons. I would bend my 6i 1° strong and my 7i and 8i 1° and 2° weak respectively thus eliminating carrying the 9i and 5h. That would give me 3 wedges, 3 irons, 3 woods (D, 7W, 4h) and a putter for a 10 club Sunday bag. I know that all my yardage gaps would be covered without adversely affecting club performance due to altering bounce too greatly.
[/quote]

I play five clubs with twelve degree gaps (14º 3-wood, 26º 5-iron, 38º 8-iron, 50º wedge + putter). I could easily have six degree gaps by choking down an inch and half or two inches on each club, so those four clubs effectively become eight clubs.

[mannyfest92]

This older gentleman once bet me that he could beat me using only a 7iron (no putter) he shot his age (73) and won by a stroke

[WhoaNellie]

[quote name='student of the game' timestamp='1385245815' post='8196794']
Here is the new bag all completed

[attachment=1961092:minimalist.jpg]

Lets see some pictures of your bags guys I wanna see what kind of set ups people have
[/quote]

[minimal45]

Really enjoying how many minimalists that are popping up. I played my club championship this year with my five club set. I shot an honest 90 even tho it should have been better since I went out in 39. The guys in my flight were surprised when they saw me having success this way. Wonder if any of them will try it. Hope so, me and a fellow minimalist played 18 in 3 hours walking. Now that is fun. Shot 45-47 and was just a great time playing at that pace.

[boska]

I started playing with 9 clubs early this year: driver 12* hybrid 22* irons 30*, 35*, 40*, 45* and 50 & 56 wedges. And a putter off course. Better average scores than before!

[drn92]

Gave it a try today on a quick 9 with my son. I played 3 and 7 woods, 4, 6, 8, W, 56, and a putter. Course was realtively short at 3100 yds, with a 34.3/128 rating. Shot a 39 which is slightly better than my season average 9 hole score. It was interesting and fun hitting some knockdowns and layups. I think I will stick with this plan the rest of the year (with the exception of one tournament) and if the results continue I may start out next season the same way.

drn92

[9woodfan]

Played today with my mini SLDR, 7 wood, 6 hybrid, and then some irons and wedges. Played really well... No trouble... Lots of fun. The 7 wood can do so much!

[Gladan]

Played as good, or bad, as usual with 4w, 5i, 7i, 9i, sw (56) and putter. Very nice to carry around in a ping moonlite.

[slide13]

Anybody else starting the season minimalist?

I just got my Mackenzie ballistic walker yesterday and went out with 7 clubs (3w, 4/6/8/P, 58, Putter) and had the best time. First time out for the year so swing had its ups and downs, but overall it went well and I loved the light bag and easy decisions of a minimal setup. I plan to keep it going with a couple tweaks.

I'm ditching the 58, never got along with that one, and going to a 54 or 56 instead, can't decide which one. Also will be adding driver, just didn't want to deal with it on the first day. It was a good decision as I was struggling with just my 3w at first. Thankfully my 4 iron is always a winner for me.

I've always loved my 52 GW and was really afraid I'd miss it, but I chipped great with my PW, only thing I need to work on is taking a little off of I fo short par 3s, flew a 116y by a wide margin which was really the only bad shot I could attribute to a lack of clubs and in a couple weeks I don't think it'll ne a problem onc the swing and my control is back on track.

(I still have my other clubs of course, not getting rid of them yet, but plan to play with some sort of minimal setup for most, if not all rounds)