If You Had Only Five Clubs to Play With…

[Shindig]

Driver, 3-hybrid, 6-iron, GW, putter.

My five favorite clubs at the moment. They form a nice range of distances.

I've lately found my driver to be about as accurate as my 3-Wood off the tee. Driver then 3-Hybrid produces about as much distance as I can expect from 3-Wood 3-Wood. The 3-Hybrid will also be a necessity at a great number of par-3s for me. I figure I could get creative with a 6-iron if I had to, and I love my gap wedge. And well, the putter.

[lamebums]

which five would you choose?

3 wood, 3 iron, 7 iron, PW, and putter.

I can work the ball pretty good with the 3 wood and hit it 240-250 so distance wouldn't suffer too badly off the tee. 3 iron for punch shots and long approach shots. 7 iron because I can do (almost) anything with it. PW for around the greens. I'd prefer to have all my wedges but I could get away with the PW in a pinch just by opening the clubface. And the putter...well, that's pretty obvious.

[907golfer12]

3W
4I
7I
GW
Putter

[golfchief]

Really depends which course I would be playing, but I chose
19* hybrid
5 iron
8 iron
58* lw
putter

our league has a three club tournament and I used a
19* hybrid
6 iron
8 iron
I putted with the hybrid and shot a 39.

[beisenhauer]

3-wood: This is my best club off the tee; I only use the driver a couple times a round anyway.
4-iron: I thought about my 22-degree hybrid, but the 4-iron is a little more versatile for me. It's good for punching out from under the trees, anyway.
7-iron: See the original article. Same thing.
PW: I got along for years with this as my only wedge, no reason I can't do it again.
Putter: Reasonably obvious choice.

[ChiChiIsMe]

3w 3i 8i PW P

[WorkerOfTheBall]

Driver: No time for course management ....this club will allow me to open the course up.

2i: My chicken stick ...from high cuts to low draw stingers, it's my "fairway getter".

7i: Versatile ...can hit it 110 or 180

58*: From high flops to low spinners ...versatile club

Putter: Need something for those tap ins.

[golfergal]

Driver, 5 wood, 7 iron, PW, putter.

[wolverine318]

3 Wood
4i
6i
9i
putter

[play4him]

I remember back when I was in High School, I played in a 3-Club tournament. Our local town had a golf association that would throw different kinds of tournaments throughout the year. The 3-Club tourney was a tough one. With 5 clubs, I think I could shoot close to my usual score.

[atltony]

3 hybrid- tee shots, long shots especially out of the rough, chipping etc.
3 iron- for those shots i need to keep tight, and its a club im comfortable taking a little bit off of to cover lower yardages
7 iron- my comfort club, just a club im totally intune with from full swing to 1/4 swings or what have you
sw
putter

[J_Bone]

5I, 7I, PW, LW & putter.

Those are the most used in my bag.

[Fourputt]

I'm always surprised at how many players choose the putter in these tournaments. With 5 clubs maybe you might get away with a one dimensional club, but I've played in 3 club and 4 club events and you really limit your options if you choose to take the putter. I love my putter, but for this kind of an event, I use my hybrid for putting, for short layups off the tee, and for anything from 4 iron to 6 iron range. That leaves me with a spot to add what I feel are the real scoring clubs, which are the short irons.

I take:
Driver (which I can also hit off the deck)
5 hybrid
7 iron
9 iron
Gap wedge

The GW is my 100 yard club, so I make a point of leaving that yardage on approaches whenever possible.

[sandtrap]

I'm always surprised at how many players choose the putter in these tournaments. With 5 clubs maybe you might get away with a one dimensional club, but I've played in 3 club and 4 club events and you really limit your options if you choose to take the putter. I love my putter, but for this kind of an event, I use my hybrid for putting, for short layups off the tee, and for anything from 4 iron to 6 iron range. That leaves me with a spot to add what I feel are the real scoring clubs, which are the short irons.

Scoring club? Considering that par is determined by how many shots it takes to get to the green and 2 putts. Don't you want your best club suited to putting?

[iacas]

I'm always surprised at how many players choose the putter in these tournaments. With 5 clubs maybe you might get away with a one dimensional club, but I've played in 3 club and 4 club events and you really limit your options if you choose to take the putter.

To be fair, we weren't asked what clubs we'd take in a three-club tournament or even a four-club tournament...

For the sake of... whatever, in a three-club tournament I'd take hybrid, 6-iron, pitching wedge. I'd putt with the pitching wedge (blade).

I love my putter, but for this kind of an event, I use my hybrid for putting, for short layups off the tee, and for anything from 4 iron to 6 iron range. That leaves me with a spot to add what I feel are the real scoring clubs, which are the short irons.

I only listed one wedge in my set, and the putter, because I'm creative enough to use one wedge from a variety of lies and from a variety of yardages. I don't need a 9-iron and a gap wedge - my pitching wedge can do both - and with my skillset, it'd be a complete waste to take two clubs when one will suffice.

[Zakko]

3 Wood - Screams off the tee & long off the fairway.
4 Hybrid - Great utility club; great on long par 3's.
7 Iron - The longer clubs above will get me into scoring range.
PW - For chips within the cabbage.
Putter - Because I can.

[PhilGood]

3W, 15* - Chose it over a driver due to versatility. Can hit it off the tee or the deck.

4H, 21* - Use it on long par 3s and long approach shots

7I - Approach shot distances between easy (9:00) choked 4H and full PW. Can also chip with it.

PW - Short approach shots and around the green. I can use it from the sand but have trouble hitting SW from the fairway.

Putter - As long as I don't have to face any forced carries, I can use this within 20 yards from the green. Most reliable club around the green,especially with a tight lie and under pressure. It's also quite handy on it.

[PhilGood]

And if it was a 3 club tourney, I'd take a 4H, PW and Putter. I am really surprised that fourputt would leave out his putter in favor of a 9I or GW. Is putting with a hybrid really that easy for you? The only time I leave out the putter is in a 2 club tourney, in which case I might replace the 4H with a 3H or 3W, just for the lower loft. But the 4H probably stays. I'm just too comfortable with it everywhere else.