I Have 15 Clubs. Which One Do I Take Out?

[onthehunt526]

@WUTiger would be happy to know that my “Sweet Sixteen” has become my “Fantastic Fifteen”. For those of you who wonder why the hell I always have this dilemma, well it’s a kind of Shane thing as it’s known.

Now for those who can’t see my signature this is what I currently have:

 Z785 Driver (9.5°), ZF85 3-wood (15°), ZU85 2-iron (18°), Z585 3-iron (20°), Z785 4-PW, AW (22°, 25°, 28°, 32°, 36°, 41°, 46°, 51°)

 RTX-4 Black Satin 54°/10° Mid, 58°/9° Full. Huntington Beach Soft #1 Putter 37"

Now the whole thing is I don’t want to get on the whole internet distance inflation deal. I was fitted for all of these clubs. I originally was going to get the H85 3-hybrid or F85 5-wood when I went into the fitting, however the U85 was a better fit.
 

So I have three ideas of which club to drop for the 14-club rule: 

1) The 51° I can play a really good 10-2 PW that goes almost the same distance as my 51° wedge. So that’s a possibility. the con is I like to chip with my AW.

2) The 3-iron. I can shorten up on my 2-iron and hit it the same distance as my stock 3-iron. The con is: I can work the 3-iron both ways.

3) 3-wood. I haven’t hit a 3-wood in years (mostly a 4-wood guy). I can hit this club a long way. Don’t really need it for par-5 second shots, but off the tee I do.

[dennyjones]

Do you play the same course all of the time?   How many times per round do you hit your 3W off of the tee?

I believe you'll find more control hitting a partial PW over a full 51º.   

Is your 3 iron the only club you can work both ways?

I don't have any answers, just questions.   Good luck

[phillyk]

  On 4/7/2020 at 2:56 AM, onthehunt526 said:

@WUTiger would be happy to know that my “Sweet Sixteen” has become my “Fantastic Fifteen”. For those of you who wonder why the hell I always have this dilemma, well it’s a kind of Shane thing as it’s known.

Now for those who can’t see my signature this is what I currently have:

 Z785 Driver (9.5°), ZF85 3-wood (15°), ZU85 2-iron (18°), Z585 3-iron (20°), Z785 4-PW, AW (22°, 25°, 28°, 32°, 36°, 41°, 46°, 51°)

 RTX-4 Black Satin 54°/10° Mid, 58°/9° Full. Huntington Beach Soft #1 Putter 37"

Now the whole thing is I don’t want to get on the whole internet distance inflation deal. I was fitted for all of these clubs. I originally was going to get the H85 3-hybrid or F85 5-wood when I went into the fitting, however the U85 was a better fit.
 

So I have three ideas of which club to drop for the 14-club rule: 

1) The 51° I can play a really good 10-2 PW that goes almost the same distance as my 51° wedge. So that’s a possibility. the con is I like to chip with my AW.

2) The 3-iron. I can shorten up on my 2-iron and hit it the same distance as my stock 3-iron. The con is: I can work the 3-iron both ways.

3) 3-wood. I haven’t hit a 3-wood in years (mostly a 4-wood guy). I can hit this club a long way. Don’t really need it for par-5 second shots, but off the tee I do.

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I am in the exact same spot you are with nearly the same clubs. I have the srixon/cleveland bag driver, 3w, 2i and 3-9pw, 52,56,60. The way I decide on the 14 is based on what course I am playing and I substitute out the 3W, 2iron, or 3iron. Keep the 15 where ever you go and decide from there. 

[onthehunt526]

  On 4/7/2020 at 3:01 AM, dennyjones said:

Do you play the same course all of the time?   How many times per round do you hit your 3W off of the tee?

I believe you'll find more control hitting a partial PW over a full 51º.   

Is your 3 iron the only club you can work both ways?

I don't have any answers, just questions.   Good luck

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Question 1: I usually do. 90% of the time.

Yeah, the 51° usually is around 120 yards but I tended to pull full wedges from inside 120 I don’t so much since I’ve shortened my swing.

Question 2: No. But off the tee. I fade the 2 iron and I can work the 3-iron both ways off the tee. I struggle with the draw with the 2-iron.

The 3-wood I hit off the tee on about 4 holes a round, the 1st, the 6th, the 13th and 15th.

[David in FL]

What does the 2-iron do for you?

I finally dumped mine years ago from a bag that looked a lot like yours...

[onthehunt526]

  On 4/7/2020 at 3:36 AM, David in FL said:

What does the 2-iron do for you?

I finally dumped mine years ago from a bag that looked a lot like yours...

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A lot. Great back-up club off the tee. 

[David in FL]

  On 4/7/2020 at 3:39 AM, onthehunt526 said:

A lot. Great back-up club off the tee. 

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I thought your 3-wood covered that.

Good golfers love to show off their 2-irons.  I know I did.  Until I realized that it didn’t really pay its way in the end...  

Just a thought...   

[onthehunt526]

  On 4/7/2020 at 3:42 AM, David in FL said:

I thought your 3-wood covered that.

Good golfers love to show off their 2-irons.  I know I did.  Until I realized that it didn’t really pay its way in the end...  

Just a thought...   

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I haven’t really had a utility iron before and this thing is as forgiving a hybrid.

[David in FL]

  On 4/7/2020 at 3:53 AM, onthehunt526 said:

I haven’t really had a utility iron before and this thing is as forgiving a hybrid.

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Assuming your iron gaps are fairly normal and consistent, your realistic choices are the 3-wood or the 2-iron.  Pick whichever one you get the least use out of.

[Bonvivant]

Im going to go the opposite way of everyone on this. If you really love all of those clubs at the top of your bag (there are too many there), then ditch the 58 degree. 54 degrees is plenty to get out of bunkers and flop shots are silly for the average bloke anyway. 

[David in FL]

  On 4/7/2020 at 12:01 PM, Bonvivant said:

Im going to go the opposite way of everyone on this. If you really love all of those clubs at the top of your bag (there are too many there), then ditch the 58 degree. 54 degrees is plenty to get out of bunkers and flop shots are silly for the average bloke anyway. 

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It’s worth noting that the OP isn’t “average”.  He’s a 4 hcp, and likely puts that 58° wedge to good use when need be...

[klineka]

  On 4/7/2020 at 2:56 AM, onthehunt526 said:

2) The 3-iron. I can shorten up on my 2-iron and hit it the same distance as my stock 3-iron. The con is: I can work the 3-iron both ways.

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I'd drop the 3 iron and focusing on hitting one shot shape and work towards mastering that.

Do you honestly play that many courses which absolutely force you to hit the ball a certain way off the tee and without hitting said shot shape, you're in a hazard? Even if you are, what is that, maybe one shot a round? There is probably another option you can take off the tee, and you will probably be more accurate just hitting your stock shot anyway instead of trying to work it both ways. Plus, let's say you are going to play a course and there are 5 super sharp dog leg lefts that absolutely require you to hit that 3 iron or else you will run out of fairway or something, then just pop the 3 iron in the bag for that round and take out the 3 wood for that round.

If you hit your 3 wood 4 times per round and you use the 51 degree for chipping, removing the 3 iron seems like it would be the one that would impact your game the least. You'd still have 3 long clubs you can hit off the tee, and you still have the club you like to chip with, and you'd still be covered when facing a long par 5 because you said you can shorten up the 2 iron and make it go just like your stock 3 iron.

From a different topic:

  On 8/14/2012 at 6:04 PM, iacas said:

A Quick Word on Shaping the Ball

95% of the shots a pro plays (Tiger Woods may be one of a group of very small exceptions, and even he isn't as different as many think) are their stock shot. They don't curve much, but if a player is a drawer of the golf ball, 95% of their shots draw. It's the most reliable, dependable way to play - with a pattern.

Kenny Perry (a pronounced drawer) was playing at Doral a few years ago and someone asked him what he does with a pin on the right side of the green. He said he aimed at the flag and if his ball didn't draw, he got lucky, but otherwise he was content to have a 25-footer for birdie.

Then the person asked him what he did when the pin was on the left side of the green. "I make birdie" he said. 🙂

You'll get better, faster if you develop a pattern. Shaping the ball is over-rated - not even the pros do it all that often. Shaping the ball can get you out of trouble. It can be a good shot when the ball needs to be worked around an obstacle (reaching a par five in two, the tee shot on a dogleg, etc.). But if you've got a look at the flag, take the Kenny Perry approach: aim for your shot cone and play your pattern.

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[Bonvivant]

  On 4/7/2020 at 12:54 PM, David in FL said:

It’s worth noting that the OP isn’t “average”.  He’s a 4 hcp, and likely puts that 58° wedge to good use when need be...

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Not a 4 handicap if he's been using 15/16 clubs to get that number. 

[onthehunt526]

  On 4/7/2020 at 1:18 PM, Bonvivant said:

Not a 4 handicap if he's been using 15/16 clubs to get that number. 

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Don’t use 15 or 16 clubs when I post rounds, the usual 14 clubs. The top end is usually where I drop a club.

[rehmwa]

if you don't compete, or carry a handicap, and don't mind the heavy bag, keep them all - add a few more

  On 4/7/2020 at 1:23 PM, onthehunt526 said:

Don’t use 15 or 16 clubs when I post rounds, the usual 14 clubs. The top end is usually where I drop a club.

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whoops, then you already have it solved - carry the 14 that make the most sense for whatever course you are 'officially' playing on.  like you are already doing

[Bonvivant]

  On 4/7/2020 at 1:23 PM, onthehunt526 said:

Don’t use 15 or 16 clubs when I post rounds, the usual 14 clubs. The top end is usually where I drop a club.

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Gotcha. I figured that was the case, but it wasn't explicitly said. I think that the bag is top heavy and that you should have 15 with you when you get to the course and ditch one in the trunk (probably 2 or 3 iron) depending on how you are feeling. Just curious, do you use the 58 lots? 

[billchao]

I say drop either the 2i or the 3i. If you like your 2i and can use it to make up for the 3i, drop the 3i.

The fairway wood is one of those clubs that you may not need often, but when a shot calls for it, there’s no substitute for it in the bag. It’s unlikely that you’re going to choke down on your driver and hit if off the deck in lieu of a 3w. If you don’t like it and prefer a 4w, just swap that out when you get the chance.

[onthehunt526]

  On 4/7/2020 at 1:27 PM, Bonvivant said:

Gotcha. I figured that was the case, but it wasn't explicitly said. I think that the bag is top heavy and that you should have 15 with you when you get to the course and ditch one in the trunk (probably 2 or 3 iron) depending on how you are feeling. Just curious, do you use the 58 lots? 

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Typically my 58° is my bunker, pitch shot club. I don’t hit flops I’m not Phil Mickelson. I hit just a standard pitch most of the time.