12 clubs!? Am I crazy or on to something?

[onthehunt526]

As a lot of you may or may not know I sometimes switch clubs a little too often. (My blades were really heavy got almost no distance like 140 yards with a 7i :P)

I still have my Exotics set but I have went to something a little more user-friendly.

I picked up a set made up of the following:

Ping G Driver with Alta Stiff shaft 10.5 degree

Ping G 5-wood with same shaft 17.5 degree (set at 18.5)

Taylormade M6 irons (4-PW, AW)

Cleveland CBX 56 degree wedge

Odyssey Strokelab V-line 35"

I am not sure if this is the right forum for this, however, I'll put it here and it can be moved if need be. My thought is I'm getting in my own head too much, especially when it comes to hitting shots around the green. Previously, when I got inside the 30-yard zone and have to hit a pitch shot, I'd be like "Oh, crap, what club do I use?" Now I feel it is more like "Okay, 56-degree to what feels like here, and accelerate to here." On the other end of the spectrum, it makes par-5s much simpler. I have one club that meets the distance gradient (5-wood) that I feel that I can always advance the ball safely with.

Have I completely lost my mind? Or is simplifying my game, at least equipment-wise sound like a good idea?

[chicub15]

8 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

Taylormade M6 irons (4-PW, AW)

Cleveland CBX 56 degree wedge

Are you a "feel" player on those shots in the full swing gap from your AW to 56°? I go PW, AW, 51°, 55°, 59.5°. I can't imagine playing with just the AW and 55°.  -but hey if it works for you I won't knock it.

[onthehunt526]

4 minutes ago, chicub15 said:

Are you a "feel" player on those shots in the full swing gap from your AW to 56°? I go PW, AW, 51°, 55°, 59.5°. I can't imagine playing with just the AW and 55°.  -but hey if it works for you I won't knock it.

It's one of those deals where the yardage doesn't effect which wedge I use. So yes you could call me an old-school feel player. For instance from 100 yards for some that might just be a smooth full-swing 56° SW right. Some players with slower speeds might hit PW, or 9i. On any given day it really would depend. I don't usually try to "force" a sand wedge. 75% of the time believe it or not I hit like an 8:30-9 PW. 20% I'll hit a GW, the other 5% could mean it's really windy. If I have nothing in front of me (i.e bunkers, penalty area, trees, etc.) I may even chip a 7 or 8 iron (actually if its rock hard I usually go that route due to the sooner I get it on the ground the better.)

[G-off]

I've been playing with 8 since the first of the year and am seeing the hc starting to dip, minimalist from here on out for me

[pganapathy]

I currently have 11 clubs in my bag and am planning to add a 4/5W as a 12th club and leave it at that.  I do believe that 14 clubs gives you more options, but you need to be able to execute those shots before you load up with extra clubs for no reason.

For example, from about 120 yards in, my normal club of choice is a PW, unless I am forced to hit another club.  For a low runner I will go with a 7/8 iron, and when I need to throw the ball up in the air to carry a bunker/hazard and need to get the ball to stop, will go with my SW/LW.  Otherwise, I never miss a GW.

Also, at the top of the range, I currently have a driver and then a 4H.  I want a Wood to bridge the distance gap, particularly on par 5's.  It is rare that I will hit a Wood on a par 4.

For me, lesser clubs is bringing simplicity to my game, helping improve it.  Before I used to try too many things because I had the clubs, when it wasn't really necessary.

[G-off]

I played 7 over then weekend with 10* gaps and found that was a bit too much, I have found 7-8* between irons works best for me.  as far as feel player or not I have always played a gap wedge that I have used from 110-20 yards.  I guess the best advantage is working on half and 3/4 shots hitting shots instead of trying to hit numbers.  And to confuse the minimalist thing even more I'm also playing single length irons

[arturo28mx]

I only play with 11 clubs. I took out the long irons. I can still shoot 90 and I'm happy with that.

 

[Patch]

I carry 14 clubs, but in reality, I only use 7 or 8 them during a round of golf.....most of the time.

Heck, I can break 90 pretty easily when playing in 3 club tournaments.

Every armature's playing skills are different, and that skill level relates to one's bag make up. What ever works.

 

 

[colin007]

I carry 13, took out the lob wedge. I hit the PW on everything from 130 to 70 or so. SW for inside that

[David in FL]

I don’t know that you’ve really “simplified”...

You’ve pretty much just removed a club from both ends of what is otherwise a pretty average bag.  No 3-wood or lob wedge.

If you don’t think they add any value to your game.  Leave them out.  But at your handicap, you’re good enough to put them in the bag even if they only get used once in a blue moon for a unique situation that doesn’t come up for you very often.

I’d rather have and not need, than to need and not have....

Edited April 24, 2019 by David in FL

[Piz]

I carry 13 and one of them is off-handed.  It doesn't matter what you have...it's what you do with what you have.  If there was a place for another club in my bag it would be there.  Not saying the occasional guest star doesn't make an appearance...just that they either go back to the bench or earn a spot in the starting rotation.  And it is not easy to find a spot in the bag.

[onthehunt526]

In short, more or less I'm trying to say, I'm playing with clubs I feel comfortable hitting 80% of the time.  Could I play with 14 clubs? Absolutely. But would I feel comfortable with say a 60° wedge and a 3-wood or hybrid? Probably not.

Follow-up question: Do you guys think those who are struggling to break 100 or 90 could benefit from playing with less clubs?

The reason I bring this up is: it seems mid- to high-handicappers seem to have clubs in their bags that they are uncomfortable hitting.

I see some of the thinking is you have to hit these uncomfortable shots to get better. (Which isn't true)

[billchao]

14 hours ago, David in FL said:

I don’t know that you’ve really “simplified”...

You’ve pretty much just removed a club from both ends of what is otherwise a pretty average bag.  No 3-wood or lob wedge.

And made room for a chipper! C'mon I know you're thinking it 😜

29 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

Follow-up question: Do you guys think those who are struggling to break 100 or 90 could benefit from playing with less clubs?

Depends on the player and how you're defining the benefit. A lot of high handicap players hit some of their clubs basically the same distance, say their 5i and 6i, so carrying both is a bit redundant. Having less clubs makes the bag lighter and easier to walk with.

Do I think carrying 14 clubs is holding someone back from being a better player? Absolutely not.

32 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

I see some of the thinking is you have to hit these uncomfortable shots to get better. (Which isn't true)

I disagree with this. At some point the player just needs to learn to hit these shots and that happens from actually hitting them.

I stopped hitting my 3w off the deck because I sucked at it. @iacas made me hit it, and one of the things we figured out was my ball position was too far back. You can't figure out what you're doing wrong if you avoid it completely. 

[p1n9183]

I would carry 15 clubs if permited. So always 14 clubs in my bag. 

Maybe off-topic, but golf would be more challenging and skillfull if only played with.. let say.. 5 clubs.

Driver, long iron, mid iron, 50° wedge and putter. It will force you to fill the gaps with skill.  

[David in FL]

2 hours ago, p1n9183 said:

I would carry 15 clubs if permited. 

Yep

I have never regretted having a club I didn’t need that day.  I’ve occasionally regretted not having a club that I needed... 

[JGus]

Agree about the 15 clubs, that's what my bag has, but one comes out depending on the course i'm playing.

[ncates00]

If you know your distances and they don't bunch up (like your 4i going the same distance as your 5i for instance), then you want more clubs, not less.  Having less clubs really only helps in 2 ways- 1) if your yardages bunch up, it leaves no choice in your hands as to which club to hit.  2) forces you to practice hitting different kinds of shots (knock-downs, high ball, spinny shot, power shot, etc) due to less clubs. 

Nonetheless, I've already rebutted #1; and, with #2, you should practice those shots any way.  Use all the tools you're afforded by the rules.

[Angry Peggy]

I carry 14. If I regularly wasn’t hitting a club I’d replace it with something I would. I have a mate who carries two different PWs, simply because he prefers one for full shots and one for chipping.

It makes sense to give yourself as many options as possible, imho. Better players have better distance control on less than full swings, whereas the less talented such as myself benefit from the extra options to hit full shots.

On the other hand, I might be talking rubbish. It has been known...