What should I carry

[JEMZ000]

Hello,

I am relatively new to golf and I am trying to assemble my clubs.  These are the clubs I am currently carrying:

Driver

3 Wood

3 and 4 Hybrid

5 - 9 Iron

P Wedge

S Wedge

L Wedge

Putter

I am trying to figure out what club would benefit me the most.  I know that this is dependent on what type of golfer I am but I would like to get opinions from everyone here.

Thanks, JEMZ

[tristanhilton85]

Honestly, that is a pretty solid set up, and if you don't have a glaring need somewhere, I wouldn't rush out to get something. In this situation, however, people tend to go one of two ways; they either go for a Gap Wedge, particularly if they have a strong lofted PW as is typical in most modern sets, or they go with a 5W. The question is whether another wedge or wood would benefit your game. Another options, which I'm sure @David in FL would advocate for, is a dedicated chipper.

[JEMZ000]

Honestly, that is a pretty solid set up, and if you don't have a glaring need somewhere, I wouldn't rush out to get something. In this situation, however, people tend to go one of two ways; they either go for a Gap Wedge, particularly if they have a strong lofted PW as is typical in most modern sets, or they go with a 5W. The question is whether another wedge or wood would benefit your game. Another options, which I'm sure @David in FL would advocate for, is a dedicated chipper.

Thank you for your response. I think I am pretty comfortable chipping with the clubs I have. I think a gap wedge is my first choice. I was thinking about a 5W but I don't think that it will help my game at the stage I am in right now. But yea since I am new and money is a bit tight, I will probably hold off on actually buying a gap wedge for a little while until I get better.

[David in FL]

Honestly, that is a pretty solid set up, and if you don't have a glaring need somewhere, I wouldn't rush out to get something. In this situation, however, people tend to go one of two ways; they either go for a Gap Wedge, particularly if they have a strong lofted PW as is typical in most modern sets, or they go with a 5W. The question is whether another wedge or wood would benefit your game. Another options, which I'm sure @David in FL would advocate for, is a dedicated chipper.

Yep! Especially for a for a new, high handicap player, I'd tend to put a GW in there, drop the LW, and get a dedicated chipper. You'll save strokes 2 ways....with better chips, and with fewer mistakes with the relatively more difficult to hit LW.

[golfbarefoot]

Hello,

I am relatively new to golf and I am trying to assemble my clubs.  These are the clubs I am currently carrying:

Driver

3 Wood

3 and 4 Hybrid

5 - 9 Iron

P Wedge

S Wedge

L Wedge

Putter

I am trying to figure out what club would benefit me the most.  I know that this is dependent on what type of golfer I am but I would like to get opinions from everyone here.

Thanks, JEMZ

Looks good to me, I especially think its smart substituting the long irons for hybrid clubs. Try to understand your distances with the clubs the best you can, and just enjoy.

[davechen]

You've got exactly the setup I carry.  I used to carry a 4 iron, but I hardly ever hit it.  I have a much easier time getting my 4 hybrid up in the air than that iron.

[vangator]

I used to carry one of these... I swapped it out for a 4 hybrid.

[WUTiger]

Honestly, that is a pretty solid set up, and if you don't have a glaring need somewhere, I wouldn't rush out to get something.

If you play with this set-up for a season, you'll figure out through experience what 14th club you need.

One thing you might do: consider @David in FL and swap LW for GW - LW can be tough for beginners to master.

Also, if 3W is troublesome, you might try a 4W. Average golfer does better with 4W.

[BeCu]

• I like the setup you have listed with one exception. Two hybrids at beginner stage may be overkill.
• Some would argue the lw but you indicated you are comfortable chipping with clubs you have.
• Don't know if you have taken lessons but a trained eye might identify if your clubs match your swing (i.e. Driver/3w you have is correct based on your swing mechanics).
• A club fitter (some teachers can do this) can identify things such as club gapping (i.e. are the lofts spaced apart enough that you can tell the difference between a 6 iron and 7 iron, etc, etc),  and your wedge setup, etc.
• With each trip to the course and range practice you will figure it out also.

[dkolo]

Hello,

I am relatively new to golf and I am trying to assemble my clubs.  These are the clubs I am currently carrying:

Driver

3 Wood

3 and 4 Hybrid

5 - 9 Iron

P Wedge

S Wedge

L Wedge

Putter

I am trying to figure out what club would benefit me the most.  I know that this is dependent on what type of golfer I am but I would like to get opinions from everyone here.

Thanks, JEMZ

Having a similar handicap to yours, I'd say this is a solid, typical makeup, but, like others, I'd add that a gap wedge (depending on the lofts and distances of your PW and SW) might make sense. My 52° GW is my go-to club for chipping, and for pitching outside of 70 yards. My LW is a very low bounce (4°) 60° wedge, so I almost never hit it full. It's mostly a recovery club that I open up even more for high floppy shots. I could chip with it, but I prefer lower, running chips, hence my using a 52° that I deloft even more at impact.

I don't know that a chipper club is really that great of an idea. I personally hate them because they're a unitasker and, I dunno, I wouldn't ever game one because I'm comfortable with my chipping method.

If you have a 3H, that's fine if you can hit it. My set has a 5W, which is more or less equivalent to a 3H, but I think it's more useful off of tees on dogleggy holes and it's fine off of the fairway. That'd be something to consider if you have the option of changing things around. But a 3H isn't bad by any means. I've thought about maybe getting one that I can swap in and out because I have a hard time getting everything out of the 5W off the deck if the lie isn't decent. But it's an issue that comes up so rarely it's not worth stressing over too much.

[dwade247]

I would say that a GW seems to be the only possible hole in your bagging depending on the lofts of your clubs and the distances you hit each club. I think everyone would be able to provide better advice if you told us the lofts of your clubs and how far you hit each one.

[dave s]

Similar hdcp to yours anymore.  If you evaluate your game and go back over your shots and club selection after each round, you might find that your 3 wood and 3 hybrid see little to no action during a round or across the entire season for that matter.  If you're hitting your driver decently, the 3-wood isn't seeing much action off the tee.  If you're a 20 hdcp, hitting 3 wood off the deck probably isn't a very consistent option either.

If this is correct, ditch the 3-wood in favor of a high-launch 5-wood.  I have a TM 5HL.  Good contact, high flight, great distance and a great alternative to a feeble attempt at hitting a 3-wood for my 2nd shot on par-5 holes or really long par-4s.

Next is your 3-hybrid.  My 5HL wood flies higher and is easier to hit than a 3-hybrid.  Again, if you're not using this club, ditch it and add a 5-hybrid because it's easier to hit and more versatile than a 5-iron for most higher handicappers.  I feel so much more confident on a 165 yard par 3 with a 5-hyrbrid than I would with a 5-iron.  Just easier to flush for some reason.  I see a lot of value in my 4-hybrid on 170-175 yard par 3 tee shots.

My current set is Driver, 3-wood (only because my home course has a 200 yard par 3 that plays due west and always into the wind!) the HL 5-wood, #4-5 hybrids, 6-9 irons, PW, GW, SW, LW.  Wedges are 45, 50, 54 and 58 degrees.

As always, it's best to evaluate your game and where you play first, then buy tools that meet those needs.

dave

[95124hacker]

I used to STRESS over my set makeup in the past, making sure my lofts were equally spaced apart.  Then I realized it didn't matter much. Like most 20-ish handicappers, hitting 3W off the deck on tight courses usually costs you more strokes than laying up with a 5-iron.  But we often remember that miracle 3W shot we managed to hit (by pure luck!) years ago, and think we can reproduce it again at will...  That's fine if we're playing for fun and want to test ourselves, but play smart when there's money or a club tournament on the line.

Like others said, play with 13 clubs first and add the 14th later.  Too many options for the long game and also the short game aren't good either.  I carry 1 FW wood (17* 4W), 2 hybrids (3 & 4), and 3 wedges (PW that came with my iron set, 56* SW I had de-lofted to 54*, and a 60* LW).  I had a GW, but I found it more fun to "create" shots with 3 wedges vs carrying 4.  Note that every degree you de-loft on a wedge reduces the bounce by 1 degree also, in general.

If you're using the 3W off the tee only, why not consider replacing it with a shorter, high-loft (more controllable) driver, while keeping your regular driver for longer/wider holes?  I have an old Ping TiSI Tec 11.5* that has an "effective loft" of 13*, at 43.5" (?).  I remember Phil Mickelson carried 2 drivers in one of the Majors recently.  Just a suggestion...