who needs 14 clubs anyway??

[Harp]

As i usually do, i played some golf after work today. however, today was much different. i was putting my shoes on and getting the clubs out of the bag, and realized i had my sunday bag in the car with some clubs i was hitting at the range yesterday. i'm not sure what it was, but something told me to go play 18 holes with just the 5 clubs i had in my bag. these clubs included: driver, 3 hybrid, 7 iron, sand wedge, and putter.

i'm not exactly sure what made me do it, but i'm glad i did. the stats were as follows:

Strokes: 80 (+8)
Putts: 33 (2 Three Putts)
Fairways: 10/14
GIR: 9

They had just aerated the greens so considering nothing was falling in the hole...i played pretty well. i felt like i putt nice and smooth, but the ball was bouncing all over the place. I've been averaging 28 putts/round and only around 4-5 GIR. i say with nice greens i had a great chance of putting up a low number.

LESSON LEARNED: What does all this mean? from now on do i only play with 5 clubs? Maybe...but what i really learned today is that ball striking is king. i was hitting my 7 iron from 100 yards out, but i was taking such a nice smooth swing, hitting it square and in the center of the clubface everytime that it was finding the target. it doesn't matter if i can hit my 9 iron 160 yards every other shot. from now on its all about making a nice swing and letting the club do the work. for instance, the 17th hole is a 504 yard par 5 with woods on the left and water running down the right side. i poked a drive with the wind at my back and had 185 yards to the pin. normally i would take my 6 iron take a rip at it and hope for the best. today i choked down on my 3h, took a nice easy swing and found myself 12 feet for eagle.

all in all i noticed my great shots weren't as great, i had just as many if not more good shots, and only 2 shots that were really bad (both off the tee trying to kill it). tomorrow morning the experiment will continue.

[Shanks A Million]

Very few people realize that ballstriking is what makes up most of the handicap. A lot of people claim they hit the ball well, but can't putt or chip. Of course, that's usually totally untrue. When I strike the ball well, my scores show it. Chipping and putting become more crucial the closer you get to scratch. Since I've always been good at chipping and putting, my ballstriking is the most important goal for me. When I strike it well, it's much easier to score, because I have the confidence and ability to chip and putt well. When I strike it poorly, I can't chip or putt to save my life.

The reason should be simple, hit it well, and miss smaller. People who claim they're bad putters, but strike it like a tour pro, are bad putters because they can't hit it close enough to the hole, or they leave it behind a bunker, and have to flop it. No one will seem to have a good short game in those situations. Pros are pros because they miss in the right spots.

[tm22721]

I agree, the key is GIR and that means hitting the ball consistently straight, not long. A year ago, the only way I could get down to low 80s was scoring par on all of the 3's and 5's with a 7i, laying up on par 4s due to distance limitation (my 7i only went 150-160 yds). Learn your limitations. Then leave the rest of your clubs in the garage...

[gildea909]

I saw during the masters Tom Watson carried thirteen or twelve i forget

[Fourputt]

I only have 13 in the bag... and I don't plan on changing that. I had 12 until I put the 3W back in a couple of weeks ago. Seems like plenty to me.

[pittpanther]

LESSON LEARNED: i poked a drive with the wind at my back and had 185 yards to the pin. normally i would take my 6 iron take a rip at it and hope for the best. today i choked down on my 3h, took a nice easy swing and found myself 12 feet for eagle.

I have no problem with your experience, but you realize it goes against what everyone says we should be doing?

- Go to the range and learn your club distances. - Practice your shots. So if your 180-yard club is the 6I, are you suggesting to NOT use 6I, and instead try to hit a longer club (3H), but with less effort? How do you know exactly how much to "choke down" on that 3H, to go 185 yards (instead of 170, or 205)? Have you practiced that shot, or did you just get lucky that day? Is your experience repeateable? What's wrong with just hitting your 6I 185 yards?

[Fourputt]

I have no problem with your experience, but you realize it goes against what everyone says we should be doing?

Have you never had to play from under the trees, where you needed a lower trajectory than you could get with a 6I? Good players all have good imaginations. Using your imagination to invent shots on the run will sometimes work, but more often you will just get into more trouble unless you have played that shot before and know that you can do it. By playing an occasional round with a half bag or less, it forces you to learn those shots. Not to mention that it's fun. I've used a driver for a 40 foot chip out from inside of a blue spruce tree. It worked. I've hit a 5I from 100 yards out in the woods to within 15 feet of the hole. I have those shots in my bag because I've made a point of learning how the ball reacts to other than full shots.

You have a 23 handicap. The best way to help lower it is to learn what actually happens when you play different shots with the same club. There is nothing like practical experience for a teacher.

[jamo]

What's wrong with just hitting your 6I 185 yards?

Because when someone is going bad, the number one advice is "take more club, and swing a little slower." That's some real, solid advice there, and that is what the OP says he was doing here. He was saying that he can hit his 6 iron 185, but he was hitting the ball straighter with his 3H.

[golfaddiction]

I'm going to play a par 64, 4,600 yard course on Saturday. The longest hole is about 420. I was thinking about leaving the driver home. Maybe instead I'll replace it with the 3 iron I took out a few weeks ago to make room for my new hybrid.

[Harp]

I have no problem with your experience, but you realize it goes against what everyone says we should be doing?

what i was trying to say is just because a club can go 185 yards with a full swing doesn't mean its the only club to hit from 185 yards. i feel its far more important to feel comfortable from all attainable yardages with one club then it is to have set distances dialed in. this really opens up your options on the course.

what i'm suggesting is that you don't have a 180-yard club. instead use a club that will go 180-yards based on the conditions at that time. if you watch the pros, sure they'll have their "go to" yardages, but they're hitting irons in a 30-40 yard window. i remember a couple weeks back hefty lefty hit a 205 yard 8 iron into a par 4 and on the same day used that 8 iron on a 155 yard par 3.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Every year my men's club has a 3-club+putter day, and every year I shoot roughly the same score as I do with 14 clubs. No kidding. Hmmmm....

I take a 19-degree hybrid, a 7-iron, a 54-degree wedge, and my putter. This year I shot a 40. Only used the wedge once.

[ffemtp]

When I walk I take clubs out of the bag to make it lighter. Most times I only carry a 3 wood, 3 hybrid, 5, 7, 9 irons, pw, sw, putter. My scores are usually only a couple of strokes off from when I have all 14 clubs.

[nuck81]

I'm thinking of dropping a few hybrids and adding a few more wedges.

Do I really need an 18, 21, and 24* hybrid? I drive well enough that except for Par 5's or long par 4's I need nothing longer than a 6 or 7 iron to get greenside.....

Big decisions...

[chef35ca]

I think i'm carrying 10 right now. It's lighter & i don't use the other clubs much anyways.

Driver, 3 or 5wd(i don't like having more than one wood in there at any time. it confuses situations), 5i-PW, LW & putter.

Don't need long irons, don't like hybrids, & never use my SW.

[martytilma]

Every year my men's club has a 3-club+putter day, and every year I shoot roughly the same score as I do with 14 clubs. No kidding. Hmmmm....

In my league we have a fun night where we can take 1 club plus the putter. I usually take my 8 iron. I usually shoot right around a 40 and have shot a 39. It makes you realize how little you use some of your clubs!!

[billysandy]

Every year my men's club has a 3-club+putter day, and every year I shoot roughly the same score as I do with 14 clubs. No kidding. Hmmmm....

I shot 34 points in a stableford last summer with hybrid, 7 iron, 54* and putter. It is great fun pulling off shots with a club that sooooo shouldn't be used. I have never actually carried 14 clubs. Always has been 13, but i can lower that to about 8 or 9 and still shoot my handicap. There's is also less pressure mentally - you can just blame bad shots on the fact you don't have the right club!

[Thwak-Thwak-Ting]

Probably noone - but if you were allowed 15, people would still be looking for the 16th club.

[golfaddiction]

Ironically, pros probably have dozens of clubs but would only need 2 or 3 to beat most of us.