The 14th club

[frogger]

I just got some new (to me) clubs since I'm just getting back into golf. I have a Driver, 3 Wood, 5 Wood, 3 - PW & SW right now. I will be buying a putter soon. That will have me at 13 clubs. I know the standard rules allow 14 clubs so I was curious what most people use as their 14th club. Chipper? Lob Wedge? Gap Wedge? 2 Iron? 7 Wood? Rescue Wood? What is the most popular and why?

[wedge player]

I just got some new (to me) clubs since I'm just getting back into golf. I have a Driver, 3 Wood, 5 Wood, 3 - PW & SW right now. I will be buying a putter soon. That will have me at 13 clubs. I know the standard rules allow 14 clubs so I was curious what most people use as their 14th club. Chipper? Lob Wedge? Gap Wedge? 2 Iron? 7 Wood? Rescue Wood? What is the most popular and why?

i always preferred a 60* wedge over anything else.

[wrx_junki]

There isn't a rule that requires you to carry 14 clubs at all times. I think a GW will fit in nicely. If you wanted a hybrid it may replace your 5 wood and 3 iron at the same time. You could also get another hybrid to replace the 4 iron as well.

[FL Golf]

I can't imagine plaing without my 60*. I dumped the 5w in foavro fo the 3h and it allowed me to carry 4 wedges.

[MI Rob]

a gap wedge or a hybrid and replace your 3 iron and 5 wood at once.

[teamgs]

I guess I would start with a lob wedge. Then I would see what the difference in yardage is between the 5w and 3I. If it is more than 20 yards, you might look at dropping the 5W and getting a 2H. Heck, depending on how well you hit your 3I, you might even look at dropping the 5W and 3I, and simply getting 2H or 3H, and adding a gap wedge.

Gary

[PiKapp23]

Not sure why several people are recommending a lob wedge. It's a difficult club to hit and most high handicappers will play better without it - at least until they become pretty consistent with other wedges. For now a gap wedge would probably make the most sense. I'm not sure what the loft is on your PW, but I would imagine it's somewhere between 45-47*, which leaves a pretty good gap to most sand wedges (usually around 56*). I know for the last 7-8 years my 'gap' wedge has been my most used club for abouty 100 yards and in. I would also highly recommend a hybrid or 2 (or three, ...). You should definitely consider replacing your 3 and 4 irons with a hybrid or 2 (one 4H might be find for replacing both clubs since they tend to be a little longer than the iron they are made to replace). The 5W is probably a good club to keep as it can make a good alternate driver. If you drop a long iron then maybe you can consider a lob wedge, but I really do not think it's the best alternative.

[Zeph]

If you have trouble using the SW off the turf, a 56/58º wedge, perhaps put in a 52º wedge or some hybrid. Replacing longer irons with hybrids is also a good idea.

[Sandwedge74]

From the sound of your 13 clubs it sounds like you have nothing to use out of the bunkers. I would not recommend a lob wedge - they can be hard to hit unless you have good technique. You say you have a pitching wedge? HOw far do you hit it?? To me - the obvious choice for you -ASSUMING - you don't want to change anything else in your bag, is a SANDWEDGE - I would think a 56 degree sandwedge (traditional sandwedge loft) with a high bounce (13 or 14) would be a really good tool for you to have and grow with
just my 2 cents

[Zeph]

He says he's got a SW already. If that's something that came with the iron set, I might have thought of changing it with another wedge to make it easier off the turf and grassy lies. SWs in iron sets typically have a large cavity compared to dedicated wedges, making them hard to use in the rough or from hard bunkers.

[Sandwedge74]

oh whoops - sorry my bad for not reading closely enough. I really agree with the last poster - if that Sandwedge you have is one of the huge clunky ones that comes with a set- get rid of it asap - obvious reasons stated by Zeph above. the give you zero feedback on anything

[CarlSpackler]

I only carry 13 myself. I plan to add a 60* back in, but the last one I had didn't like me very much.