Using all the clubs in the bag??

I noticed on a couple of different threads some talk about using or not using all the clubs in the bag while playing, or on certain courses.

For myself I have never really thought about it much.  I just play the course.  But recently I have paid a bit more attention and pulled my 3 iron out of my bag because I only really hit it once every couple rounds at most.  I could probably pull my 4 iron also without much of a problem as it really only gets play most of the time if I have a mishit drive, or possibly on a longer par 3.

As far as playing though, I have never really thought about playing courses with the mindest of I hope that I get to hit all of my clubs.  Not saying its wrong by any stretch, I guess the thought itself never really occurred to me.

I usually play courses somewhere around 6500 yds.  Thinking about it I bet if I played around 6800 or longer it would probably bring longer second shots into play more on par 4's...

Yup, all 14.  They all get used b/c I am not dialed in on "gripping down" distances.   If I have that, I can remove one or two clubs.

I never think about wanting to hit all my clubs. Heck, I am almost ready to ditch the 3-wood it gets so little use. I might want to throw a hybrid in there. I don't really use the 3-wood off the tee anymore because I'll just hit a driver 50% if I need to lay up. I like hitting hybrids off the ground more than 3-woods.

In terms of wanting to hit each club during a round. Nah, not a goal.

I'd prefer not to have to grab a longer club unless it's on the tee.

I use whichever club I need for a given distance, but it always seems like there's one club in the bag I'll wind up not using.

Unless the hole calls for a 5W tee shot because of a dogleg, that's usually the one left out. Also I usually wind up not needing one iron between 6i and 8i just because that distance doesn't come up for whatever reason. I think my 6i is my least used iron. The 5i is for punching and I generally don't have a 170 +/- 5 yards distance to hit into a green, which is the 6i

For me, personally, I utilize all 14 clubs. I think this scenario is true for many golfers who play on a regular basis.

However, I truly believe that for many people, especially high handicappers, occasional golfers, and average female golfers, (according to sources , the average female has a handicap of 28.9), all they need to carry is a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 7i-sw, chipper and putter (10 clubs).

I remember back in the 80s, I was playing out of a club near where I was living and there were clubs in my bag that I just never hit.  They opened up a road nearby that gave me quicker access (20 minutes instead of an hour) to another club where I had a bunch of friends playing regularly.  They invited me over to play.  I went home and told my wife I was joining the other club.  She asked why.  My response..."Today, I hit every club in my bag."

Honestly during a normal round probably don't use a lot of my bag but occasionally they are needed.  I mainly use my driver, 4 hybrid, 7i, 8i, PW, GW, SW and putter. If I am on point with my driver I usually have 160 yards or less into greens which is my 7i down to LW, occasionally may play a hybrid or 3W into a shorter par 5 if its reachable otherwise have gone PW PW before to leave good distances. If my driver is off then its usually a lot of hybrids into greens LOL...  I learned a long time ago play smarter, its easier to score with shots you are comfortable with.

I think part of the allure of the club that I moved to was the fact that it had 5 par 3s and everyone of them required a different club for the tee shot.  Also, the par 4s varied in length.  A couple required less than driver off the tee because of doglegs or water coming into play.  Longer par 4s brought different irons into play on the 2nd shots.  The club I had belonged to before, par 4s were boring in length...driver-8, driver-9, driver-wedge.  It had lots of OB that could cause you grief but the shots just did not vary that much.

10 is what my wife carries, including her favorite club, the chipper.   That chipper thingy is straight and very easy to hit.  Only pride in my short game prevents me from getting one myself .

How many clubs I use depends on how well I'm hitting the ball that day.  If I'm not hitting my longer irons and woods well then I will lay up more often to avoid using those clubs.

I totally agree.

Glad to see there are chipper advocates here. My wife has one as well.

The other club I got my wife is an Alien sand wedge. She doesn't get into many sand traps, but when she does and uses a normal sand wedge, it takes her 2, 3, 4, or more shots to get out.

Two years ago I got the Alien for her, and now she gets out in one or two shots almost every time.

Thanks for the post!  I will try to get her one.   My home course's greens are surrounded by sand traps and my wife is terrified to get in it.  And she won't take any tips from me or practice although it is a huge stress factor for her game.

Yes,I use all the clubs in the bag.

The last club I took out the bag was the 4 iron,years ago.

What I have noticed for me anyway. When I'm playing well, I may have 1 or 2 clubs in the bag that I may not use for that particular round. When I'm not playing well, every club in the bag get's used.

I do prefer a course were it is possible to use every club in the bag. That usually means around 7000 yards for me, sadly most courses have given up on the longer par 4s

I really like a course where there's some differences between the par 3's with at least one having decent distance. Seems like I use a driver for most of the par 4's and 5's on the couple of courses I play. That usually leaves enough of a variance in second shot distances meaning I'll end up using most of my clubs.