What's in your bag and WHY?

[Alex1]

I can appreciate that. I've also been curious what, if any, other OEM's build their clubs in the USA.

I think only Ping irons and putters are still made in the US. No one else that I've heard of.

[mikelaw]

For me:
traditional! Old school looking and soft feel. Great sound on the driver too.

#1 though, old school....the simpler the better!

[hawkeye]

Driver: not pretty, but goes long and straight, can work it both ways, as well as high and low. Not difficult to catch off the deck either. Only downside is I have to bend it to fit it into my car boot!

3-wood: Larger head (titanium, lighter than steel) - pretty at address, easy to hit off the deck and tee alike.

Rescue: versitile - tee, fairway, rough, draw, fade, under tree - easy to hit

Irons: Not the most forgiving of irons but penetrating and great for shotmaking. Not for everyone but I don't see myself changing for a long time.

Wedges: it'll always be a personal choice, the lofts are the main thing for me. 54 and 58 give me the most versitility - distance control and greenside touch/feel.

Putter: the current one gets the ball in the hole in the easiest manner and fewest shots. This is the only reason you'd get one putter over another, i feel.

[Dub]

I can appreciate that. I've also been curious what, if any, other OEM's build their clubs in the USA.

All the Scotty Cameron putters and covers are made in USA, I believe.

[TheWarHound]

Guys, thanks for your explanations. I am on the mythical quest for figuring out what clubs work best for me. Starting next Thursday, I am meeting with a golf pro for lessons, and he and I are going to use a plethora of clubs to figure out what I hit best.

Again, thanks for your input,

Steve

[elchene]

I just have confidence in all my clubs. All of them are at least a year old, trial error brought me to them and I won't switch until I'm ready to be custom-fitted.

[ScruffyScraper]

I think that set configuration is important.

None of the OEMs, from any continent, has recently made a driver with the loft, lie angle, and face angle combination that fits me. NOT ONE. My Nak, a high quality component brand, is the first metal driver I've had that actually fits me since the Taylor Made Original One in 1981.

I've got wooden fairways because I like the weaker lofts, and I hit them well.

The modern, strong-lofted five-iron is like a four-iron to veteran players who started with classic lofts. I hit mine about 180. That realistically leaves me with only two fairway shots left in my bag--a long fairway wood good for about 210 and a lofted one good for about 195. My shot dispersion makes the idea of hitting anything from further away than 210 yards (with an imperfect fairway lie) somewhat unrealistic.


Thus, the 2-iron in my bag is used strictly as a driving iron, because teed up an eighth of an inch, I can hit it straighter than the 4-wood.

The 4-iron in my bag is a failure of truth in advertising. It's usually not there in favor of a dedicated sand iron which is useless from the turf but better than a modern wedge from the greenside bunker.

As for wedges, the irons with which I played for years had a 46° 9-iron and a 52° pitching wedge. Again, with modern lofts, now my pitching wedge is 47°. Thus, the gap wedge.

That's how I configured my bag.

[Fourputt]

I try to build my bag by what works, and that's mostly trial and error. I'm still searching for a driver, although the Mizzy I'm using now is ok, it's nothing special.

I like my Mizzy FW woods, and my TM hybrids.

I just changed my irons in the hopes that they will help me improve my swing. The Cobra GI irons that I was using seem to have encouraged my swing to become sloppy, and I needed some irons that would force me to refine my swing like it used to be, so the AP2's still have a a slight bit of forgiveness, but nothing like a GI cavity. Mishits are actually a bit painful... a good incentive for improvement.

My wedges are also the product of a lot of looking and trial and error. What I have now works for my game and style. The 52° and 58° Callaway X Tours are great around the green, and the Cleveland 56° SW I use almost exclusively for bunker shots.

My putter is the best club in my bag, and the one that it would be most painful to lose. It cured me of the yips 2 years ago, and I'm putting better than I ever have in 35 years of playing.

[Ollie56]

in my bag and why:

burner driver 9.5 stiff - Becasue Taylormade are the no.1 driver on tour (as far as i know) and i really like the feel of it.

slazenger fairway wood - to try fairway woods out basically

MX200 irons - forged head, soft feel and forgiving. Best iron forgers going.

taylormade rossa lambeau putter: bcuz it looks great and feels great, simple

[GaijinGolfer]

Im playing mostly Mizuno clubs right now because they work well for me. Before the Mizzies, I had a set of Titleist DCI 981 irons and I couldnt hit the ball worth a darn with them, but I hit my Mizunos well.
I havent gotten the chance to try out my driver or 4-wood yet, but Ive read a lot of good reviews for those clubs, so I dont expect to be disappointed.
I like my Mizuno wedges because they have great feel and I hit them well. I used to have a set of Vokeys and I think the Mizzies perform better.
In the case of my Mizzie putter, I like the feel of it and I putt well with it, so Im happy with it.

[denver_nuggs_15]

Driver - Hit it far and in play with that thing. I did it most of last year except for a few rounds. It got a little wild and high for my taste at the end of last year. However, that was due to a lack of practice.

3W - It's only in there for when the driver gets a little crazy or I'm on a shorter hole. I don't like having 70-100 yards in because I couldn't hit my SW worth crap last year.

2h - I decided to replace my 5W with this because I like the playability of hybrids. I haven't played with this club yet, but I think it will be used off the tee every once in a while, to set up my approach on par 5s, and to hit into greens from far away.

3h - Gives me a consistent 200 shot.

Irons - I hit a 4 iron about 185-190 and from there my gaps are 10 yards apart.

W and UW - My bread and butter shots. I love having 110-125 and using these clubs. I try to lay up to these distances on par 5s or on shorter par 4s.

54* and 58* - Just put them in, so I don't know what will see more use. I'm thinking the 54*.

Putter - I can't sink a putt with any of my other clubs in the bag.

Depending on how I'm hitting the ball on the range and the distance I get with my 2h, I will either drop my 3W or 58* (I think) before the round starts to get at that magic number 14.

[miller72]

All my clubs have been chosen for a reason as follows:
Driver : Ok, my driver was an interesting story. This summer, i upgraded from some random driver to a burner HT driver. I took a couple lessons from my pro, because i was in a bit of a slump. He said that the driver loft and shaft needed to be lower and stiffer. Thats how i ended up with the FT-5 by callaway. I went with the i mix because he recommended that i should, because it will save my dad a lot of money in the long run. The stupid shaft was like $300 on sale, but i got the head from an open box for like $75.

3 Wood : I am getting longer off the tee because i started to actually work out this year. I am hoping that the titleist 5 wood in my sig will help me on like dogleg holes and short par 4's. The guy at GG said it was his club, and even with the shaft in it it was only like 54.99 used but in pristine condition.

5 Wood : i know its not in my sig, but i have this old adams tight lies 5 wood, and i can hit it really well. I gives me about 235ish distance and it is fairly workable and i like the small head.

22* rescue I picked this up when i was at GG looking for a 3 wood. My set of mizzy's didnt come with a 3 iron, so i was kinda needing one for all last season. It is a solid club, and it is pretty wirkable, which is important for me. I got it for like 68.99 used in pristine condition. (notice that i am showing all of the prices.) I am a kid, who only really gets money in the summer when i can and at Christmas. That is why money is definitely a factor.

Irons Ok, the pro at my club sold me his old irons (MP-57's). Long story short: he got new clubs from his titleist contract and had these laying around. He only used them for half a season. They looked brand new, and they were like $350. My dad bought them for me. They already had rifle shafts and everything in them. That was his Christmas present to me. ( for Christmas we went on a golf trip).

Wedges : WEll, since golf is my main sport, i spend time practicing as much as possible. I go thru wedges like every year or so. I got these new for a discount thru my club. My dad and i both got them, and we have really enjoyed them. I am thinking that an alternative to getting new wedges every year will be to get a groove sharpener. This will probably increase the life span a little bit.

Putter i got a 2 ball from my friend because he didnt want it anymore. I ended up paying him like $20 for it. I am thinking about going to either a nike unitized tiempo or a Never Comromize GM2. It all depends on my cash left from Christmas at this point.
Ball : Bridgestone E5+ becasue they are great, cheap balls. The prov1's are just way too spinny for me.

That is why everything is in my bag. I chose them because they feel good, look good and i love all of them. I dont think i change any of them anytime soon except for my putter.
~Chris

[Lefty22]

in my bag and why:

Or at least that's what the marketing department at Taylormade says

[jb1982]

Driver: R7 Superquad, because I was sick of my Nike Sasquatch and wanted to try a moveable weight system. I do have a new Burner TP (custom fit) on order for this season though because I don't like the weights. It felt like I never got them how I wanted them.

5 wood: Nike Sasquatch with an X flex steel shaft. I was on a big Nike kick a few years ago and bought this club to match (dumb reason I know). But now I love it! I can't bring myself to try anything else because this is my go to club when I need to hit a fairway.

Hybrid (not in sig yet) TM Rescue 18*: I was strugling with my long irons last year and bought the demo model at my local club. Still not sure it will stay in the bag, if I start hitting my 3 iron well again.

Irons, Taylormade RAC low trajectory: It's very rare to have a day with less than 20 mph winds on my home course, and I hit the ball very high. The LTs help me control my trajectory better in the wind.

Taylormade wedges: because I haven't bought new Vokeys yet.

Titleist Vokey 60* Best wedges out there period

Cameron Studio Newport putter. because it's my favorite putter I've ever touched.

[wedge player]

All my clubs have been chosen for a reason as follows:

the unitized tiempo is a great putter i love mine. anyways my driver because in the golf galaxy simulator i was gttin at least 280 carry everytime 3 and 5 wood cause theyre stupid easy to hit off deck.irons cause i love the look/ultimate workibility of blades wedge cause it was cheap lol and putter cause its freakin awesome

[pherg]

TM Tour Burner 9.5 Reg Shaft. I chose this because I love the shape of the traditional looking TM drivers. I had an R5 but just couldn't get any consistency, I do now.

TM V-Steel 15˚ Stiff M.A.S.2. I actually bought this one because it was on sale, still the best club I've ever owned, Looks perfect at address.

TM Rescue TP 19˚ Reg shaft. I chose this one because my old hybrid was a 16˚ and was basically doing exactly the same as my V-Steel. It was on sale as a superseded model. Bargain. Of my clubs this is the one I'm not 100% convinced about.

TM Tour Burner irons 4-PW Reg Steel shafts. Was looking for forgiveness and workability, chose these as opposed to the Call X-20s because I don't like the look of the Call hosel and the TM's were much nicer at address. Great clubs.

Vokey 200 series 52˚with 8˚ bounce chrome.
Vokey Spin Milled 56˚ with 8˚ bounce chrome.
Vokey Spin Milled 60˚ with 4˚ bounce chrome.
Chose Vokey for my wedges because they're the best.

Ping Redwood Anser - chose this one because I like the anser-style shape but I was finding my Odyssey White Hot #1 a bit spongy, I also wanted a putter I could keep for 10 years +, so it came down to this or a Scotty. This one won because when I was trying them out on the practice green the Ping put more balls in the hole. Great putter and in my opinion nicer to look at than the Scotty.

[Jcp907]

I hit a demo version of each club that I purchased, with the exception of my irons. I only hit one iron from the set, however, I hit 7 brands. I started with an assortment and through the process of elimination, went with what's in my bag. I spent 4 hours at the GolfSmith with my sales guy before settling on the AP1s, putter, and driver. Then 2 hours on the 3 wood-I looked at some hybrids as well at the time and settled on the 3 wood. I have no regrets, and have confidence in each of my clubs in my bag!

[toaster83]

This is a combination of both what's in my bag, and what I'd like to be in my bag in the near future...

Driver: Cleveland Hibore XLS Driver 9.5*. After I started being able to hit my long clubs well, I was itching to get a driver and start practicing with it on the range. I tried a couple in the shop before hitting this one, and the ones I tried launched the ball at too high a trajectory and felt like swinging air. This club felt nice when I hit it and gave me a better trajectory.

5 Wood: Cobra 2008 Speed LD F. The guy who sold me my initial set of clubs was right in selling all of my other clubs with stiff shafts, but not the 5W. After practicing with my driver for awhile, my SS started to shoot up and my old 5W began flexing too much. I really liked what I heard about this club, so I tried one in-store along with a couple others. My friend (who is a scratch golfer and teaches me) said my swing was smoothest with that club. It felt a little better than the other clubs I tried, so I got this one. As soon as I started hitting it outside, though, I fell in love with it. My favorite club right now.

4 Hybrid: Zevo ZV3H 4H 23*. My first and only hybrid from when I first bought my clubs. Nothing to say except it feels like nothing when I swing it now. A definite candidate to be replaced next. I'd like to get a Cobra or Cleveland.

Irons: Zevo ZVI 3-PW. My first iron set. I need to get a new one that's better and fits me. I'm 5'10" but have arms that are a couple inches shorter than average, so I need my clubs bent a bit upright and probably with slightly longer shafts as I much prefer a more upright stance. Based on what I've read and hit, I'm considering Ping G10, Cleveland CG Gold/CG7, Cobra S9 II/SZ, Nike Slingshot, and Mizuno MX-200, but my mind is definitely open right now.

Wedge: Cleveland CG14 Black Pearl 56*. Very simply, I needed a SW, heard good things about this one, was able to get a good deal on it, and it didn't feel any worse than the other wedges I tried (since I couldn't hit any of them all that well).

Putter: Cleveland VP1. I hit at least two dozen putters before deciding on this one. I loved my friend's White Hot #1, but this one felt a little better to me and was 60% of the price. However, I've done myself the (dis?)service of hitting some milled putters more recently and am currently lusting over a Rife Cayman.

Future clubs... I mentioned potentially replacing the 4H in the very near future, and I might get a matching 3H to go with it. I'm not playing that many long holes right now where I really need to fill the gap between the 4H and 5W though. On the same note, I don't feel a huge need right now to get a 3W. At some point, I know I'll want to get those clubs (3W and 3H), but I can always get the same clubs cheaper later, and they wouldn't do much for me right now besides look good in my bag.

One gap I do need to fill is that between my PW and SW (some pun intended) as I've got a healthy 25 yard spread between those two clubs right now. I'm thinking about getting the matching 52* CG14 to fill it.

I really want to get a new iron set that fits me and performs better than my current one, but I'm hesitant to plunk down the coin for it until I'm sure I'm ready for it and will use it well.

The Rife putter would be completely unnecessary, but completely awesome at the same time.