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

[onthehunt526]

I see: "The Rules allow Fourteen Clubs: so why not use all 14?" argument and it is a valid one. Golfers who play on a regular basis, who are serious about the game should probably carry and use 14 clubs. All of those have rebutted that you should always carry 14 clubs. 

My situation is different than what is normal. So I guess I'll have to tell this as a story. Growing up as a 10 and 11 year old starting golf, I never had 14 clubs. When I first started I had a 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 iron and a wedge (I assume it was a PW because it just said wedge) My mom paid $1.00 a piece for them at the Thrift Store. I didn't even have a putter until later on. (Because well the store didn't have one). The clubs were mismatched were heavy and I could barely get the ball off the ground. I learned how to get around the course with a 6-iron, 8-iron, 9-iron, wedge, and putter. My first driver was a Wilson Sam Snead Blue Ridge model (which was also $1.00 at Goodwill). My first matched set was a set of ladies Northwestern Pro-Bilt Plus clubs. That was the closest I got to 14 clubs as a kid. I later got a Sand wedge when I got my next "boxed set". We didn't have the kind of money, to get me custom fit clubs. My first set of 14 clubs that we're actually fit for me were my Tour Edge EXI irons and EX9 woods and hybrids. 

In so many words, I'm glad that greens fees were $6 or $7 for 9 holes when I was 12 or 13 years old. otherwise this now 32 year old would have never taken up the game.

[billchao]

3 hours ago, ncates00 said:

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.

This is how I feel. I'd love to stick a 64° wedge in the bag for those occasions it might be useful, but I don't have the room for it.

25 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

My situation is different than what is normal. So I guess I'll have to tell this as a story. Growing up as a 10 and 11 year old starting golf, I never had 14 clubs. When I first started I had a 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 iron and a wedge (I assume it was a PW because it just said wedge) My mom paid $1.00 a piece for them at the Thrift Store. I didn't even have a putter until later on. (Because well the store didn't have one). The clubs were mismatched were heavy and I could barely get the ball off the ground. I learned how to get around the course with a 6-iron, 8-iron, 9-iron, wedge, and putter. My first driver was a Wilson Sam Snead Blue Ridge model (which was also $1.00 at Goodwill). My first matched set was a set of ladies Northwestern Pro-Bilt Plus clubs. That was the closest I got to 14 clubs as a kid. I later got a Sand wedge when I got my next "boxed set". We didn't have the kind of money, to get me custom fit clubs. My first set of 14 clubs that we're actually fit for me were my Tour Edge EXI irons and EX9 woods and hybrids. 

In so many words, I'm glad that greens fees were $6 or $7 for 9 holes when I was 12 or 13 years old. otherwise this now 32 year old would have never taken up the game.

It's a great story, but how does it relate to playing your best golf? It's not like you don't have 14 clubs to fill a bag with, you're choosing not to.

By your OP, I get the impression that you're just using your 56° around the greens and feeling your way around them, which you're probably pretty good at given your index, but you're still limiting your options by simply not carrying a 60°. Or on the other end of the bag, you won't have a 3w to hit when the opportunity for one arises.

[onthehunt526]

3 minutes ago, billchao said:

This is how I feel. I'd love to stick a 64° wedge in the bag for those occasions it might be useful, but I don't have the room for it.

It's a great story, but how does it relate to playing your best golf? It's not like you don't have 14 clubs to fill a bag with, you're choosing not to.

By your OP, I get the impression that you're just using your 56° around the greens and feeling your way around them, which you're probably pretty good at given your index, but you're still limiting your options by simply not carrying a 60°. Or on the other end of the bag, you won't have a 3w to hit when the opportunity for one arises.

I actually have never had a use for a 60° @billchao. I don't just "chip" with one club though. I chip with different clubs depending on lie. As for the 3-wood it's more or less, meh. I more or less play used a 4-wood when I played 14 clubs. I can crank my current 5-wood down to 4-wood loft if need be. I've always been a Driver, single fairway wood guy for the most part.

[billchao]

3 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

I actually have never had a use for a 60° @billchao. I don't just "chip" with one club though. I chip with different clubs depending on lie. As for the 3-wood it's more or less, meh. I more or less play used a 4-wood when I played 14 clubs. I can crank my current 5-wood down to 4-wood loft if need be. I've always been a Driver, single fairway wood guy for the most part.

I'm sure it works for you. All I was saying was, you're limiting your options by choice. Whether or not you would have exercised them had the opportunity arisen and you had the clubs in your bag is an entirely different story.

[onthehunt526]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

I'm sure it works for you. All I was saying was, you're limiting your options by choice. Whether or not you would have exercised them had the opportunity arisen and you had the clubs in your bag is an entirely different story.

I'm mostly doing it for two reasons: 1) I'm walking more this year, so carrying the bag is easier and, 2) I wanted to test my imagination a little bit. 

I'm like some of the 76-82 golfers at my home course, I'm trying to find the way to eliminate 3 or 4 strokes to get down to around par. 2 of those strokes are usually topped 4W second shots on the 2 par-5s I'll try to reach in two, and the other 2 are at the long par-three 16th (I finally have a 2 clubs, I'm comfortable hitting into, it's actually a stock 5-iron, I haven't hit a 5-iron 200 yards in years (It does have the loft of my blade 3-iron from last year). 

Not a lot of long par-4s at Newman, just in reality the 18th which is 450 yards (I hit Driver, 7-iron in there yesterday, I hit Driver, hybrid or Driver, 4-iron most of last year)

Basically I don"t need 14 clubs at my home course, I'm never in dire need of a 3-wood to reach a par-five in two, If I can't get on I just hit the 5-wood up by the green and try to make 4 with my short game. (Except on the 10th where I've stopped hitting driver of the tee all together, because even after piping one 260 or so, the darker shade of the penalty area crossing at 60 yards short of the front of the green is just too dark to hit even a 3-wood if I had it in the bag, so I hit 4-iron off the tee instead). 

I, at some point want to do a 3-club tournament. You're correct, @billchao 12 clubs is just a choice for me right now. As stated above I will visit adding a wedge or maybe swapping for a 54° and 58°, and adding a hybrid on the other end. I shot 38 yesterday without really struggling to make pars, I missed a couple greens on the wrong side, but made sure I had a par putt on every hole.

[NZ Golfer]

On 4/25/2019 at 11:39 AM, onthehunt526 said:

I actually have never had a use for a 60° @billchao. I don't just "chip" with one club though. I chip with different clubs depending on lie. As for the 3-wood it's more or less, meh. I more or less play used a 4-wood when I played 14 clubs. I can crank my current 5-wood down to 4-wood loft if need be. I've always been a Driver, single fairway wood guy for the most part.

I love my 60 deg + 3w couldn't live without them ... for times when I need the extra spin downhill chip or bunker couldn't live without the 60 ..... and 3w so many times on doglegs it's great to just go 230-260yards and set up an easy pitch or chip to the green rather than try and hit the driver light or smash a 4 iron or Hybrid

Edited April 26, 2019 by NZ Golfer