Yardage Gap in my Bag

[Wa Wo]

I could use some advice on how to fill the gap in my bag. If my target is inside 200 yards, I'm fairly comfortable but outside of 200 yards, I don't have many options.

If you include my putter, I only carry 12 clubs. Can anyone help suggest what types of clubs to carry in my bag? I'm not super comfortable with 4 iron. I hit my 5 wood consistently and I'm quite straight off the tee. Even when I split the fairway on a shorter par 5, I find myself laying up top 100 yards with a short iron instead of going for the green in 2.

It's been suggested that I get rid of my 5 wood in place of a 3 wood, and to get rid of the 4 iron and carry a 3 and a 4 rescue. At this point, I am still short a club. What am I missing here? Thanks!!

My yardage chart:

58* - 100 yards

52* - 120 yards

PW - 130 yards

9I - 140 yards

8I - 155 yards

7I - 170 yards

6I - 185 yards

5I - 200 yards

4I - 210 yards

5 wood - 245 yards

Driver - 280 yards

[RPMPIRE]

I'd go with getting a 3 and 4 Hybrid. Also, there is a small gap between your 52* and 58* but you did say you were fine with it so I'll leave it alone. If you're set up is good at 13 clubs, then I say keep it like that.

If you really want to have 14 clubs in your bag I'd suggest changing your wedges to 52*, 56*, and getting a 60*.

[ronbo25]

  Wa Wo said:

Originally Posted by Wa Wo

My yardage chart:

58* - 100 yards

52* - 120 yards

PW - 130 yards

9I - 140 yards

8I - 155 yards

7I - 170 yards

6I - 185 yards

5I - 200 yards

4I - 210 yards

5 wood - 245 yards

Driver - 280 yards

Based on these numbers I would recommend a 3 hybrid for starters.  That should fit in nicely between your 4i and 5w.  Just go try several of the available hybrids and see what gets you somewhere around 225 yards.

I would then recommend replacing the 58* with a 56* and 60*.  Since you have room in your bag for yet another club, this would give you a nice spread across most yardages.

Just curious - your yardages are very respectable.  I see you are a 14 index, where are you losing strokes?  If is is the short game area, perhaps you should get the extra wedge I spoke of and sharpen that part of your game first.  just a thought.

[Laws of Woo]

If your not real confident in the 4 iron, I'd say drop that and find a 3 and 4 iron replacement hybrid. It might also be a good idea to drop the 5 wood in favor of a 3 or 4 wood to bridge the gap to the driver a little more, or maybe just add in the 3 wood as well since you have the room. Going with just 3 wedges is perfectly fine, as long as YOU are ok with it. If your having trouble with certain shots (gap between your 52 and 58, or flops requiring more loft) then use the 14th spot on a wedge.

[WUTiger]

If you like the 5W, you might keep it and add a 3W.

Then, for club No. 14, you might consider a 7W or a hybrid. As for 7W, remember that fairway woods have curved clubfaces - bulge and roll -  which means that a hit toward the heel or toe hits get spun back towards center. Hybrids or iron-replacement clubs have pretty flat faces, and don't do this.

In some ways, FWs and hybrids come out a tie. Hybrids are easier to hit for some because the shafts are shorter, but hybrids lack the bulge-and-roll correction.

As for the 4i, what seems to be the problem? If you're having trouble getting the ball up, you might consider a lighter shaft, or a rifle shaft. A rifle shaft will get the ball up better on impact, but will have a flatter trajectory during flight. This would give you a long club for when you're going into the wind, or otherwide need to keep a shot low.

As for the wedges, whatever works. I carry four wedges, as ronbo25 suggests, but that's a lot to manage and practice. I had a better short game in 2010 when I only carried three. Also, not everyone can hit a 60* wedge consistently. For various reasons, about half the male tour pros carry 58* as their highest lofted wedge. So, a 60* is not a must-have . Again, whatever works.

[Shindig]

  Wa Wo said:

6I - 185 yards

5I - 200 yards

4I - 210 yards

5 wood - 245 yards

Driver - 280 yards

If you aren't comfortable with your 4-iron, then the advice of dropping it and replacing it with a 4H/9W is fine. For a long time, I balked at the idea of starting my irons at 5. Then I found a 4H I loved and now carrying a 4-iron is rare. A 3H or 7W - others have already gone into the reasons to select one or the other - will almost certainly fill the gap between the 4I (or its replacement). A note of caution: be wary of the lofts of hybrids. If your 4-iron is 24 degrees, a 21-degree "4 hybrid" might not fit the right distance. Check distance as best you can before the change. You might want your 3-iron replacement to be slightly stronger than what your 3-iron would be if you're trying to bridge the 4-iron to 5-wood gap with one club. Now, the suggestion of 3-wood instead of 5-wood I don't like. If you're laying up instead of hitting a 5-wood into a reachable par-5 from the fairway, maybe you want to practice woods off the deck at the range some more instead of ditching the club. Also, if the proposed 3-wood would merely be a second driving club, with no intention of being hit off the deck, I would suggest a high-lofted driver with a shorter shaft. It seems to me that driver club faces are more forgiving than the rest of the woods, and with the shorter shaft, you'd essentially have a more forgiving "3-wood" for hitting tee shots.