Changing Clubs for Different Courses?

[Sandy Lie]

When Playing your home course I would guess your bag setup mostly remains the same. What Would cause you to make changes to your bag setup?  For instance, when you travel to another course or courses do you evaluate the courses before you go?  For example the type of bunkers, placement of bunkers to include fairway bunkers. Type of greens? Different grass type.  Water, forced carries over water, water parallel to fairways. Do these course characteristics make you swap out your wedge setup? What other clubs do you add or delete? Does weather make you changes out clubs. Type of rough?

Many times I make changes when I play for the examples mentioned above. Especially if it’s a trip I bring a few extra clubs I think I might need.  Deep bunkers would have me change out a fairway wood and add a 58 or 60 degree wedge.

What have you done? Or is the bag set?

[saevel25]

The only clubs that use to change for me would be taking out a hybrid for a driving iron or a 5-wood. Besides that, everything else stays in the bag. Now that I don't have a driving iron or 5-wood anymore, nothing changes 😉

I would bet majority of golfers don't change out clubs for a perceived strategic advantage. 

[David in FL]

I have one golf bag. That’s it.  
 

I’m nowhere near good enough to worry about switching out various clubs based on specific courses…

[Double Mocha Man]

If I play a course with lots of hilly/sloped areas around the green I might drop my 5 iron and add the 64 degree wedge.

[FlyingAce]

My setup remains the same regardless of where I play. So does all the junk in my bag - I just looked through my bag yesterday and found a Poipu Bay Golf Course scorecard still in my bag. I played there in 2016, so I guess I have not gone thru the bag since then!

[Hardspoon]

I only own 14 clubs...and I don't think I'm good enough to benefit from changing them out.  I would guess that the only justifiable change for a golfer at my level MIGHT be a switch from a hybrid to an iron in really windy weather...but I only have a 3-hybrid and there's no way I'm hitting a 3-iron.

[Piz]

I'll swap out my sand wedge, once in a while, but I suspect that has more to do with my feelings regarding a recently treasonous implement than it does course conditions.

[David in FL]

1 hour ago, Piz said:

I'll swap out my sand wedge, once in a while, but I suspect that has more to do with my feelings regarding a recently treasonous implement than it does course conditions.

Even the best of clubs need a time out every now and then!   

[Darkfrog]

2 hours ago, Sandy Lie said:

What have you done? Or is the bag set?

I always carry my driver, 4-9i, PW / GW from the iron set, and then 55 and 60 degree wedges. I have two fairway woods (3W / 5W) and two hybrids (3h / 4h). Normal bag is 5W / 4h because my home course doesn’t have any holes where I need more than a 5W for an approach shot, and there are two holes where I like the 4h off the tee. If I play a different course I usually look at length of the par-5s to see what I might need, and I’ll mix it up with 3W / 5W, or 3W / 3h.

[Yukari]

20 hours ago, David in FL said:

I’m nowhere near good enough to worry about switching out various clubs based on specific courses…

This.

[dagolfer18]

I don’t really switch clubs for particular courses, but I do have two different wedges, a 54 and 58, that I’ll switch out every once in a while. Here’s why. My bag right now (WITB coming soon!) consists of a driver, 3 and 5 woods, 4 and 5 hybrids, 5-PW, GW, either the 54 or 58 degree and putter. If I carry both wedges, that’s 15 clubs, so I switch them out every so often to stay at 14 clubs.

Edited May 29, 2020 by dagolfer18

[billchao]

Not anymore, no.

I used to swap out my 3w for my mini driver when I know there is a course that calls for it, but my 3w and I are on speaking terms again so I haven’t done that in a while.

I also have a 4h I used to play instead of my 4i, but my 4h tends to hook and I have no problem with the launch angle on my new 4i.

[shanksalot]

The only time I would change if it were a executive course with a lot of par 3's. Otherwise the bag stays the same. 

[Bonvivant]

37 minutes ago, shanksalot said:

The only time I would change if it were a executive course with a lot of par 3's. Otherwise the bag stays the same. 

Curious what you would change. Ditching driver/3W for 2 degree iron gaps on the short side?

[RamblinRoyce]

If the course is more difficult with fast, contoured greens... Wedges change from 52 56 60 to 52 58 64.

If the course is real narrow and demands "target" golf, a 2 iron will go in and the driver may even be taken out. Losing balls in trees or hazards adds up quick! As I'm sure all of you know. 

If it's a wide open links course, pull a Philly Mick and pop in 2 drivers and 5 wedges. 

But like most others, my golf game isn't good enough to switch around clubs regularly but I like to think about the strategy, even if I can't really execute it. I also imagine hitting high bombing draws & power fades 300+ yards around dog legs. Can give you advice on that too.

[Buckeyebowman]

On 5/28/2020 at 8:09 PM, David in FL said:

I have one golf bag. That’s it.  
 

I’m nowhere near good enough to worry about switching out various clubs based on specific courses…

Yep! This sounds like a PGA Tour player problem! 

[shanksalot]

On 5/31/2020 at 10:29 PM, Bonvivant said:

Curious what you would change. Ditching driver/3W for 2 degree iron gaps on the short side?

The exec courses I have played are mostly par 3 and 4 par 4s. The par 4s are not long and either are the par 3s. I would take out my woods except the 5 wood, keep one hybrid and all my 7-sw irons. 

[Grass Destruction]

The only thing I change is the 3w or 4w based on how windy the day is. My standard bag is D, 4W, 3-4H, 5-PW, GW, 54, 58, putter. I've been known to swap out the putter too but that's usually because the current one isn't cooperating and needs to sit in the corner for a spell!