Like some thoughts on how far is too far.

[rcarat]

I have been working on using a pitching action with a seven iron from 70 to 80 yards. Like to get some thoughts on how far others will take this to the extreme during a round. By extreme, I mean using a 3 iron at these awkward distances.

[Crusher47]

Never thought of doing stuff like that....however, in the past....anytime I was within 100 yards, it was always pitching wedge no matter the lie, elevation of green, bunkers/water nearby etc.   Nowadays if I have a good lie and the green is flat in front of me, I will try a 6 or 7 iron and try to run it up the green.  If there is water or a bunker in front, I will try a sand wedge to get up and over it, etc.

[boogielicious]

If you need to keep the ball low, then a low lofted club can be appropriate.  I wouldn't use a pitching action per se.  At 80 to 85 yards, in a normal situation, I use my lob wedge and a full swing to get it to stop.  At pitch shot will not have as much spin.

[jamo]

I found a while ago that if I use a flop shot motion with a 6-iron, it goes a pretty predictable 100 yards. I've only used it a few times to stay low in the wind. My stock full swing with a SW goes 100, so unless it's really breezy there's no reason not to just do that.

[rcarat]

I find it difficult to take anything other than full shots and at these awkward distances I have been working on a low punch with mid irons.

[anthony]

I do something similar, but only up to an 8 iron. Mostly because a half a 9 (or whatever club) iron is a lot easier than an 80% sand wedge for me. Unless I need to land it really soft, I like the shot you're describing. 6 iron and below may be more difficult than the full swing equivalent club I suspect.

[Dave2512]

There was an article about this in one of the magazines lately but it centered around chip shots using a putting like stroke. The idea being that you use the same amount of force with each club and that makes the distances predictable. Their numbers were using 6-PW and I think it went out to about 30 yards. Personally at 70-80 yards that's getting into full swing territory with my most lofted club, I carry a 60 and 62 with different bounces. But its more than a number, the lie and what the ball has to carry over figures into it.

[Ole_Tom_Morris]

Are 14 clubs necessary? Why can't 6 clubs do all the work of 14? Seve Ballesteros said in an interview that he'd send his kids to the golf course with half their set of clubs, so they'd learn as he did to hit a variety of shots with one club.

In my case -- and my distances are less consistent than direction -- fewer clubs don't hurt at all.

And have you followed Speedgolf? Where the competition is not only for lowest score but for least time on the course? Speedgolf competitors sure don't carry a full set of clubs as they run to their ball, yet their score is the envy of most of us who truck around a big bag stuffed with clubs that we can't carry, let along run with.

Do you really, really, have to have more than 5 clubs? Every club can be hit with a quarter, half, 3/4 or full swing. Or putted. Or hit on any of these with your hands choked down on the grip.

And I was noticing a Dave Peltz column where he advised a long iron for getting out of pot bunkers.

Most of us are nowhere near to exhausting the potential of our clubs. The club says "Hey, man, I can do a lot more than carry 180 yards with a full swing."

[lenman73]

When I started playing I didnt have 14 clubs.  I had a driver and 3 wood with wood heads. 3,5,7,9,pw,sw, and a putter.  Now my bag is heavier with 14 in it . lol

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Ole_Tom_Morris

Are 14 clubs necessary? Why can't 6 clubs do all the work of 14? Seve Ballesteros said in an interview that he'd send his kids to the golf course with half their set of clubs, so they'd learn as he did to hit a variety of shots with one club.

In my case -- and my distances are less consistent than direction -- fewer clubs don't hurt at all.

And have you followed Speedgolf? Where the competition is not only for lowest score but for least time on the course? Speedgolf competitors sure don't carry a full set of clubs as they run to their ball, yet their score is the envy of most of us who truck around a big bag stuffed with clubs that we can't carry, let along run with.

Do you really, really, have to have more than 5 clubs? Every club can be hit with a quarter, half, 3/4 or full swing. Or putted. Or hit on any of these with your hands choked down on the grip.

And I was noticing a Dave Peltz column where he advised a long iron for getting out of pot bunkers.

Most of us are nowhere near to exhausting the potential of our clubs. The club says "Hey, man, I can do a lot more than carry 180 yards with a full swing."

Lee Trevino learned the game with nothing but an old 5 iron.  With practice a person can surprise himself with how much can be done with a 4 or 5 clubs.  I went through a period in the early 90's when I couldn't hit a wedge, and the 9I was chancy.  I started playing my 8I from 145 and in.  I got really good at hitting a 100 yard 8I and sticking it dead.  Of course that was back in Tour Balata days when you could spin the ball with a sharp look.

I've played a 22° hybrid from around 100 yards when playing in a stiff wind.  I like trying different things - makes the game interesting.

[rcarat]

My thoughts are when it comes time show my six year old son how to play, we will start at the green and work back....

[tomvk77]

i would do so only when conditions ask for it.

l would play a shot from 110 yards with a shorter griped 3/4 swing with 9 iron for less spin and more control but that is as far i should go

[scottgerweck]

I play Speedgolf (like Ole Tom Morris mentions above). Most Speedgolfers use 4-6 clubs, but I use only a 6 iron. This is strategic--I gain more minutes by not taking a club in/out of the bag on each shot and being able to walk straight on/off the greens (rather than having to park the bag at the edge somewhere) than I lose strokes by not having driver/putter/wedge.

While I don't typically go to much longer clubs for approach shots when I've got a full set, the experience of playing speedgolf has been enlightening as to how much is possible with longer clubs on short shots. It's not always ideal but there certainly are situations where it can be helpful. I know I've learned to hit a lot of shots with a 6-iron I never would've dreamed of before. I think most players could easily learn to hit 100 yards with a 3/4 swing and would probably find more accuracy than they have with a full PW/SW/LW after just a minimal amount of practice invested.

If you want to learn how to hit some different shots, try playing a couple rounds with just a few clubs. Going just odd or even numbers (half a set) as some suggest just isn't far enough--most players will just hit the closest club pretty much the same as they would have. When you play 18 holes with only 3-4 clubs, you will undoubtably attempt and conceive of shots you never would've imagined. Even if it doesn't change your club choice with a full bag, it might change your shotmaking attitude and ability for the better.

[Bump-n-MI]

Seems like a huge waste of time.  I can’t think of 1 scenario where that would be useful (other than punching the ball underneath tree limbs).

[Nutter]

Originally Posted by Ole_Tom_Morris

Are 14 clubs necessary? Why can't 6 clubs do all the work of 14? Seve Ballesteros said in an interview that he'd send his kids to the golf course with half their set of clubs, so they'd learn as he did to hit a variety of shots with one club.

In my case -- and my distances are less consistent than direction -- fewer clubs don't hurt at all.

And have you followed Speedgolf? Where the competition is not only for lowest score but for least time on the course? Speedgolf competitors sure don't carry a full set of clubs as they run to their ball, yet their score is the envy of most of us who truck around a big bag stuffed with clubs that we can't carry, let along run with.

Do you really, really, have to have more than 5 clubs? Every club can be hit with a quarter, half, 3/4 or full swing. Or putted. Or hit on any of these with your hands choked down on the grip.

And I was noticing a Dave Peltz column where he advised a long iron for getting out of pot bunkers.

Most of us are nowhere near to exhausting the potential of our clubs. The club says "Hey, man, I can do a lot more than carry 180 yards with a full swing."

I hear you, but I don't see any real reason to purposely limit your options if you're playing a full length course and you're looking to shoot your best.

To the poster, having these shots in your bag in my opinion are a great idea, but not if you're planning to play them from the fairway.  I know I could use more confidence in my distance control from out of the trees, but I don't know if I enjoy punching 3 irons enough to really work at it.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by scottgerweck

I play Speedgolf (like Ole Tom Morris mentions above). Most Speedgolfers use 4-6 clubs, but I use only a 6 iron. This is strategic--I gain more minutes by not taking a club in/out of the bag on each shot and being able to walk straight on/off the greens (rather than having to park the bag at the edge somewhere) than I lose strokes by not having driver/putter/wedge.

While I don't typically go to much longer clubs for approach shots when I've got a full set, the experience of playing speedgolf has been enlightening as to how much is possible with longer clubs on short shots. It's not always ideal but there certainly are situations where it can be helpful. I know I've learned to hit a lot of shots with a 6-iron I never would've dreamed of before. I think most players could easily learn to hit 100 yards with a 3/4 swing and would probably find more accuracy than they have with a full PW/SW/LW after just a minimal amount of practice invested.

If you want to learn how to hit some different shots, try playing a couple rounds with just a few clubs. Going just odd or even numbers (half a set) as some suggest just isn't far enough--most players will just hit the closest club pretty much the same as they would have. When you play 18 holes with only 3-4 clubs, you will undoubtably attempt and conceive of shots you never would've imagined. Even if it doesn't change your club choice with a full bag, it might change your shotmaking attitude and ability for the better.

Although I have no interest in speed golf, I do like to play like you suggest, taking a very limited bag just for fun.  It really helps you understand just how the ball reacts to certain clubs and swings, and I think that it can make anyone a better player to have that knowledge available.  It's also a fun way to challenge yourself, especially when looking for a change of strategy on your home course.

Originally Posted by Bump-n-MI

Seems like a huge waste of time.  I can’t think of 1 scenario where that would be useful (other than punching the ball underneath tree limbs).

Creating "shots" is more fun than just swinging the same club, the same way, every time it comes out of the bag.  A lot of players would benefit from such a practice.

[Bump-n-MI]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Creating "shots" is more fun than just swinging the same club, the same way, every time it comes out of the bag.  A lot of players would benefit from such a practice.

Couldn’t disagree more. A lot of players would be better served practicing and repeating shots they will encounter during everyday course play.  The “one off” shots are a waste to practice for the vast majority of amateurs.  You know why I don’t practice one-foot-in-one-foot-out bunker shots……because I may only see that shot twice per year.  Same holds true for knockdown 7-iron shots from 90 yards.  Instead I utilize that practice time to chip from rough (a shot I typically see at least once per round).

As for the “fun” factor I agree.

[saevel25]

Originally Posted by rcarat

I have been working on using a pitching action with a seven iron from 70 to 80 yards. Like to get some thoughts on how far others will take this to the extreme during a round. By extreme, I mean using a 3 iron at these awkward distances.

Usually i like to use wedges, but if i have a tree limb or something, then i would consider going lower, but usually its just low enough to get the ball under an obstruction.