Opinions on what to carry/additional clubs to buy

[SoundandFury]

Curious about people's opinion on what to carry.  I'm a "advanced beginner" coming back off an extended layoff.  My current bag is:

1. Driver - TM Burner '08 (grabbed it for $50, great driver for getting back into the game)

2. Callaway Razr X Black 3 wood - 15*

3. Cobra S2 5 wood - 19*

4. Ping G20 20* hyrbid

5. Ping G20 23* hybrid

6. Nike Slingshot Irons (4-PW)

7. Titleist Vokey 56* wedge

8. Ping Craz-e Putter

I think i probably have some overlap/duplication in the bag as currently consituted, i.e., 19* 5 wood and 4i.  I'm definitely going to take the 4i out, but haven't decided about the 5 wood.

The general consensus seems to be the more wedges the better, so I'm thinking about adding a 60* wedge.

Any input is appreciated!

[rustyredcab]

You need something between your PW and your 56* wedge. A "gap" wedge. So grab a 50* or a 52* that either matches your irons or your 56* wedge. Better to have a gap wedge than a 60* but a 60* is fine too if you can't open the 56* well enough to flop the ball. I recently dropped my 60* because it was too much of a uni-tasker.

Hit the 3-wood, 5-wood and the 20* hybrid and see if they flight different or go different distances. Then choose to keep them all or dump one of them. You may find you dump the 3-wood until your game is back beyond beginner again.

As you are planning, loose the 4-iron.

[SoundandFury]

Thanks for the input.

Reason I was thinking 60* before gap is that I hit my 56* about 90-100 when hit well, and I don't have the touch yet to take enough off the swing for those 60-75 shots (generally I either short it, or I put it in the bushes behind the green).  Figured the 60* would automatically take some distance off.

Out of curiosity, what are the main uses/benefits of the gw?

[Elvisliveson]

Originally Posted by SoundandFury

Thanks for the input.

Reason I was thinking 60* before gap is that I hit my 56* about 90-100 when hit well, and I don't have the touch yet to take enough off the swing for those 60-75 shots (generally I either short it, or I put it in the bushes behind the green).  Figured the 60* would automatically take some distance off.

Out of curiosity, what are the main uses/benefits of the gw?

Not nearly as many uses for GW as there is for the LW, imo. I have both and only use the GW for full shots when I'm between my PW and SW (110-120 yds). That maybe happens once or twice a round. Conversely, I use the LW at least a half dozen times: full shots between 60-80 yds, flop shots around the green, in the sand when I've short sided myself or want less bounce than my SW offers.

[Jon Robert]

Some pros are going to 2 different drivers.

I am experimenting with the same. I am using an old Callaway Warbird 12 degree driver as a replacement for my 3 wood. and or a driver off the Tee.  The experiment has just begun so the jury is still out.

I mainly went on this journey because I was looking for a bigger face size in a three wood. There really are no differences in face size (width not height)  The Callaway driver has a bigger face and is only 1 degree less than a typical 13 degree 3 wood.

-----------------------------------------------

Phil Mickelson made big news a few weeks ago when he won the BellSouth Classic by a whopping 13 strokes. Part of the story was his use of two drivers (he dropped the sand wedge).

His drivers' specs were :

• Driver No.1 - Callaway Fusion FT-3, 9.5 degree loft, 45-inches, fade bias
• Driver No.2 - Callaway Fusion FT-3, 9.5 degree loft, 46-inches, draw bias

Mickelson carried two drivers at the Masters as well. And won again. This long-game combo allowed him to shape shots-draws or fades-as the hole dictated. (The draw driver also travels 25 yards farther than the fade one.)

Phil's approach is a clever one-he's struggled at times with the big stick-but it's not a new way to attack the golf course. I wrote a piece in GOLF Magazine 16 years ago that addressed this very subject. Consider this:

" The 1990 U.S. Open will be remembered for Curtis Strange's pursuit of the ghost of Willie Anderson and for Hale Irwin's gut-wrenching playoff victory over Mike Donald. Overlooked in the excitement, however, was Donald's method of navigating Medinah's narrow tree-lined fairways. To multiply his options off the tee, Donald carried two drivers, basing his pick on a hole's properties. "

This was more than a one-time occurrence. Donald packed two drivers — one for distance, the other for accuracy — the previous eight years. In 1990, his distance driver was a 43 1/2-inch MacGregor persimmon wood, with 9° loft. It got the call on holes with wide fairways. His accuracy club was a 12° TaylorMade Original One metal wood, a quarter-inch shorter; Donald used it on short par fours and tight driving holes.

Donald's two-driver approach was not unique in those days. The Darrell Survey , which records equipment usage on the Tours, estimated that at least 15-percent of the field at the 1990 Greater Milwaukee Open in early September carried two drivers and nearly 20-percent of the Champions (formerly Senior) Tour pros used the combination at the GTE North Classic the same week.

Two drivers make sense for Tour players but could they benefit weekend golfers?

Absolutely.

Read more: http://www.golf.com/equipment/why-carry-two-drivers#ixzz23An7mlax

• Read more: http://www.golf.com/equipment/why-carry-two-drivers#ixzz23Am0LlST

[SoundandFury]

I hit the one driver I care poorly enough. God knows what would happen if I tried two.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by SoundandFury

Out of curiosity, what are the main uses/benefits of the gw?

Most PW are 45*-46* these days. PW's are more like the 9-irons of old. A 50* wedge is like a PW used to be. I use mine for chips, bump and run shots and to manage the "gap" between my PW and my SW. I use mine all the time around the green and pitching and chipping and for most shots inside 100 yards. My full swing yardage with my 50* is around 100-105.

FOR ME, I have found my 60* has a very narrow range of possible distances. The max changes a bit from day to day, but is near 65 yards. Seems no matter how well or hard I hit the ball, it goes higher but will not go 75 yards. Flight it a bit lower and it still goes 65 yards but may release out a few more. So, while awesome for the once-in-a-while, required flop shot, for me, a 60* has limited uses. Note that I also play Mizuno wedges and have found the soles wonderful grounded when opened or closed. I think they play more versatile for me. than my old Cleveland or Callaway wedges. I had a hard time opening a 56* Callaway for flop shots because the lead edge would raise up from the turf. I'm sure it was my poor technique but it is not so much trouble with my Mizuno MP T-11's. They lie beautifully open. YMMV.

[armygolfer77]

your hybrids woods and irons over lap i play a callaway squareway 5 wood a TM burner 2.0 3 hybrid TM r11s 4-pw and vokey 50-54-58 and all my clubs have about 10-15 yard difference and if I really need a flop shot i just open up my 58