I had a very effective (relatively speaking- see handiap) "3-club method" that I was trying to trademark but it fell through. Driver, putter, 7 iron. Hit the 7-iron soft on wedge shots or open the club face if need be. Eventually I wised up and just added a gap wedge.
I now carry a driver, 6 iron, 3 iron, gap wedge, a long distance putter, and a short range putter. My distances vary greatly with the irons so a 6 will hit 20-30 yards further or less depending on the day so it's kind of a 9 iron sometimes..