How many clubs do you need to play your handicap?

[Gerald]

Let's face it ....... we don't need 14 clubs ...... it not only makes the bag very heavy ....... it also gives us tooooo many options.

Most golfers I meet, carry 3 or even 4 clubs for actually the same result, maybe not on paper or at the drawing board, but IRL most golfers hit a 3W, 5W, 2H, 3H and 3I about the same distance ...... so why don't we simply kick these out and use the one we play best of these ?

Same with the wedges ..... very few golfers really benefit from a 60* -  64* wedge, the golf shop does, but that is another story.

I don't say you that if you are allowed to carry 14 clubs you should not give your self the widest possible selection to tackle any shot, but there have been times that gripping down an inch orso or punching a shot low added some fun and finesse to the game, instead of having a tool for every distance.

My personal set consists of :

Driver

4W

4i

5i

6i

7i

8i

9i

47 P

52 G

58 S/L

Putter

I sometimes add the 3i .... I can hit it great at some days, but at most days it equals the 4i

Basicly I play my hc. with 12 clubs in total and could easy leave the 47 P and 52 G at home and would probably not miss them much ...... I create gaps but I can easely fill in the gaps, by being creative.

How many clubs would you need ?

[dhanson]

i used to carry 11:

Driver

3W

4-9

PW

SW

Putter

now i play with 14, but i also play from a cart and really see no reason not to play with a full set. and if you're a walker, does a few clubs really make that much of a difference? i could probably play close to the same with a few less clubs, but why try it?

[Chrepper]

I think its fun to go out with a driver, 6 iron, and putter and see what I can shoot.

Sometimes its bad...very bad

Sometimes its surprisingly good.

I need more than that to play a 3 though, haha.

[Zwick]

I usually play with: Driver, 5 wood, 5-9 irons, pw, sw, putter = 10 clubs

If its important I'll add a 3 wood and a 4 iron, but rarely use them

[Gerald]

Yepp, fun it is .......

Originally Posted by Chrepper

I think its fun to go out with a driver, 6 iron, and putter and see what I can shoot.

Sometimes its bad...very bad

Sometimes its surprisingly good.

I need more than that to play a 3 though, haha.

....... we play such games overhere aswell, but getting out of a bunker is a bit difficult with either a 6i or a putter, not to mention a driver, but we see often midcappers to play about nothing worse than normal, with only 3 - 4 clubs, while they normally carry all 14 (to even 18...... ;-)))) )

Last year we played a game with our local teaching pro in which we were allowed only half a set, which put us in a game we actually had to think what shot to play and why ...... it was fun, and most of our team (hc. 4.5 - 12) actually played better than average.....

[Cut68]

I typically carry:

Driver

2H

4H

5-PW

54 Degree

58 Degree

64 Degree

Putter

There are certain days or courses that that I will carry a 4 iron due to weather or a specific hole, but not very often. I hit my 2H and 4H quite differently, hence the reason for 2. I actually use all 3 of my wedges quite often, with the 64 being the most frequent around the greens. The bounce on all 3 are quite different

[ochmude]

I carry a full set as follows:

Driver

3W

5W

3H

4i-PW

56*

Putter

I've long known that, at my level of play, I really don't need to carry any even-numbered irons at all.  I just don't have enough consistency with my yardages to be comfortable making a 1-club change.  As an example, if I'm a little too close for a 7i, I'd rather hit a 9i and come up a little short than hit an 8i which magically finds the sweetspot on my clubface and decides to carry 10-15 yards further than usual.  I could leave my 4i, 6i, and 8i in storage and likely never notice it.

EDIT:  The 3W has often stayed at home also.  It's completely useless from the fairway and I'm no more consistent with it off the tee than with my driver, so there's never a reason to use it.

[lumpuckeroo]

I could play:

Driver

5W

5-PW

GW

Putter

Rarely use SW but if the course has a lot of sand would carry it, but use GW a lot from sand anyway so talked myself out of it!

[goblue107501]

One of the first pieces of advice that I give anyone is to learn how to hit several different shots with each club.  Adjust your stance, grip down, take a 1/2 or 3/4 swing, or do all three at once.  Once I figured all that out, my scores dropped dramatially.  I wasn't reliant on just hitting a club all out.  I may only take a full swing about half the time if that.

However, while I could probably score just as well with fewer clubs, why would I?  Why not give myself all the options allowed by the rules.  I could problaby get rid of a LW, 9I, and a 4I and never miss them, but I'm going to carry them anyway.  Those three clubs would give me about 7-8 more options on the course.  Will I need those options?  Maybe, maybe not.  Could I get by with out them?  Probably.  But unless someone tells me I can't have them, I'm going to carry them.

I could play to my HC with 11 or 12 clubs, but I'm not going to.

[boogielicious]

I could do 3W, 4, 6, 8, PW, SW Putter and probably get the same result.  I like my 4 iron.  I had the Adams A4 hybrid, but I hit the 4 iron (CB2) better.

[BostonSully]

I just sort of went on a binge and bought all new irons and wedges and now I have 14 clubs

Driver 10*
3H

4H

5-PWi

GW

SW
LW
Putter

Used to be 10 clubs

Driver 10*
3 Wood

4-PW

LW

Putter

[saevel25]

i could go with 11, most holes i don't need anything more than a 6 iron. So i can go with

Driver

3-wood

6,7,8,9,PW,AW,SW,LW

Putter

Yea the weight matters, my umbrella makes my golf bag feel like its twice as heavy.. Strange i know

[dbuck]

One of my goals this year is to establish an official handicap and I am a few rounds on the way to that. At least 50% of my rounds will be walking with the 7 club set listed in my sig, so by definition, whatever my handicap is will be set with those. I have always considered myself to be a little better than bogey, maybe 12-14, and after adjusting to walking, my "new" clubs, and playing by the rules, my scores are starting to turn that way. I do have a gap in that the very best I can get from the 5 iron is about 170, and the shortest I can control the 16* Raylor (choking down, 3/4 swing cut) is about 185, so I may add something or other that is around 19-20*. I am also going to have to tweek the putter a bit (can't be me, right?).

Funny thing I started this as kind of an experiment in response to a thread started by xxsoultonesxx, but after using these clubs a good bit I am getting really comfortable with them.

So to answer the original question, I think 7 or 8 clubs might do it, at least on my home course.

[1par2win]

Judging by the replies here it only goes to show solid contact with whatever club is the most important aspect from tee to green as opposed to hitting "x" yardage 1:3 times. And of course putting well is the great equalizer. Seen many striped shots into greens only to see a 2 footer missed for a 3 putt.

For me I could remove every other club and probably would shoot the same scores.

[Kieran123]

14 clubs is good for me.

I need a 3 wood and 3H still. I miss them.

I dunno....I use all 14. Why take any less?

[rebby]

I spent a great many years carrying on 12 clubs; - Driver - 2-9, PW, SW - Putter When I was a junior in HS, I added a LW (13 total clubs); - Driver - 2-9, PW, SW, LW - Putter Several years later, I added a GW to close the gap, go figure, between my PW (135y) and SW (110y, 14 total clubs); - Driver - 2-9, PW, GW, SW, LW - Putter Now, I generally stick w/14-clubs but have added a few options at the "top" of my bag depending on the course, conditions, etc. Generally, my bag consists of; - Driver - 3-wood (13') - 2, 4-9, PW, GW, SW, LW - Putter I also have a 15' 3-wood, 18' 5-wood and 3-iron that will get swapped in/out from time to time. I've been known to drop the driver and carry a 3-wood/5-wood combo instead. Could I go back to 12 clubs? Sure. Do I want to? Not really. I've really become accustomed to my 4 wedge setup and would have a hard time dropping any of the 4, even if I tweaked the lofts to even the gaps. On the other end of the bag, I finally found a FW wood that I really like and I've grown pretty dependent upon it. Although that probably has as much to do w/liking my FW woods as it does with the fact that I don't practice as much as I used to and, as a result, don't have the consistency and confidence w/my driver that I once had. I always get a kick out of the number of clubs some of the "old timers" carried. IIRC, at one point the PGA rule was 16 clubs. Players were forced to drop 2 clubs for the US Open since the USGA rule was 14 clubs. Many players were penalized/DQ'd for carrying too many clubs at the USGA events. Others got creative with what the pulled from their bag (ex: Hogan didn't carry a 7-iron at the 1950 US Open stating something along the lines of, "there are no 7-iron shots at Merion" opting instead to carry his 1-iron that he hit into the green on the 72nd hole, now one of the most famous shots in all of golf). The number of clubs that one carries in a given round is actually a somewhat fascinating subject in a geeky sort of way. Dave Pelz, along w/many sports psychologists, are big advocates for carrying fewer clubs, especially for beginners (Pelz wants more wedges, yet fewer irons, go figure). Their argument usually centers around the fact that, for a majority of golfers, there really isn't that much difference between a 7-iron and an 8-iron. Combine that with the fact that most golfers are short w/the approach shots, and it starts to make sense to only carry even or odd numbered irons (ex: if you're between a 7 and 9, hit the 7 instead of an 8 and, chances are, you won't be short). Additionally, it removes some of the confusion and "brain clutter" with club selection, less choices == less options. This can be a pretty big deal for a beginner. It's also a good leaning tool since you need to be more creative with your shots. I get a kick out of the "limited club" type events. They're always a lot of fun and I find myself hitting quite a few creative shots during these events, shots that I wouldn't normally put into play. It's a good opportunity to practice specialty shots and have a little fun. It also forces you to think a bit more. For example; w/160y into a green, I'd normally hit an 8 iron but I've only got a 7 and 9, I need to assess the shot a little differently. Where, exactly, is the trouble? I'm I better off long or short? Will a high/spinning 7-iron be a better shot than a low/releasing 9-iron???

[Chrepper]

Carrying less clubs on purpose does force one to think outside the box; it helps with shot shaping too.  A great practice method is to play a pitch and putt with just one wedge of your choosing.  Short game skills will grow immensely.  Similarly, a par 3 course with an iron or two will really test one's shot making capability.

And its a ton of fun!

[mdl]

Originally Posted by Gerald

Most golfers I meet, carry 3 or even 4 clubs for actually the same result, maybe not on paper or at the drawing board, but IRL most golfers hit a 3W, 5W, 2H, 3H and 3I about the same distance ...... so why don't we simply kick these out and use the one we play best of these ?

Same with the wedges ..... very few golfers really benefit from a 60* -  64* wedge, the golf shop does, but that is another story.

I see your point Gerald, but you're exaggerating the first point.  Do you really know tons of golfers who can play at all who hit a 15˚ 3W the same distance as a 22-23˚ hybrid?  I hit a 15˚ 3W about 250 off the tee and my 19˚ hybrid 220-230 on average from the tee, and I'm solidly an 80s player, not a 70s player.

On the second point, I strongly disagree.  I was carrying PW and a 54˚ gap/sand.  I got a 60˚ and my play around the greens has improved significantly.