Set make-up help... I mean HELP!

[onthehunt526]

This isn't a huge dilemma, I hit my 3-wood decent... But I do struggle with confidence with it at times... Recently its been moody (I think Ms. Piggy is a diva)... Here's some questions: 1) would a 4 or 5 wood to REPLACE the 3-wood TEMPORARILY help my confidence with the latter... 2) Am I overanalyzing my problem? I'm also trying to not make my bag so long end heavy, but I can't hit more than a ¾ swing gap wedge or a ½ swing sand wedge without either blading it or chunking it... Basically the effective set is Driver, 4-GW and putter right now... The hybrids and 3-wood are giving me issues, and I'm having trouble with my more than 1/2 swing SW. This is what is in my bag now.. Driver, 3W, 3h, 4h, 4-PW, GW, SW, Putter... I'd like to turn that 3W, 3h, 4h gap into two clubs and add a wedge... And practice my ass off until I'm confident with it... I'm struggling with consistency with anything with a headcover not named Mr. Gopher on it... How I maintain a 10 handicap with no confidence in 4 of my clubs I ain't got a clue...

[tefunk]

This isn't a huge dilemma, I hit my 3-wood decent... But I do struggle with confidence with it at times... Recently its been moody (I think Ms. Piggy is a diva)... Here's some questions: 1) would a 4 or 5 wood to REPLACE the 3-wood TEMPORARILY help my confidence with the latter... 2) Am I overanalyzing my problem? I'm also trying to not make my bag so long end heavy, but I can't hit more than a ¾ swing gap wedge or a ½ swing sand wedge without either blading it or chunking it... Basically the effective set is Driver, 4-GW and putter right now... The hybrids and 3-wood are giving me issues, and I'm having trouble with my more than 1/2 swing SW. This is what is in my bag now.. Driver, 3W, 3h, 4h, 4-PW, GW, SW, Putter... I'd like to turn that 3W, 3h, 4h gap into two clubs and add a wedge... And practice my ass off until I'm confident with it... I'm struggling with consistency with anything with a headcover not named Mr. Gopher on it... How I maintain a 10 handicap with no confidence in 4 of my clubs I ain't got a clue...

I used to be very solid with fairway woods, but I struggle with them now. I pretty much stick to a 3h and 4i... If I can't hit a green with them, I rely on the wedges. As far as maintaining the HCP, just learn to play with what's working for you... Sometimes game plans change (temporarily or longer). A new club may work, it may not.

[onthehunt526]

I used to be very solid with fairway woods, but I struggle with them now. I pretty much stick to a 3h and 4i... If I can't hit a green with them, I rely on the wedges. As far as maintaining the HCP, just learn to play with what's working for you... Sometimes game plans change (temporarily or longer). A new club may work, it may not.

Agreed on the maintaining handicap... I have to lay-up on all the par-5 holes at Newman even when I only have 210 in, I hit a 5-iron because the in between Driver and 4-hybrid is so dodgy... I'll give you an example: I hit a 290-yard drive on 10 sitting up in the rough. I had 237 to the back Hole location (225 to the center), I tried to hit a 3h over the ditch 70 yards short of the green onto the second fairway, and leave myself 20-30 yards to the flag... I Yanked it so far left I was on the 3rd tee... I actually had a shot and made a par 5... Two days ago I busted another one from the 1st tee (9 Hole course 2 sets of Tees) and only had 220 to the middle, I had no confidence in the hybrid, I hit a PW to lay-up... And made a 6... Basically I think more Loft in a fairway wood would help... But I'm not sure... I think if I carry a hybrid or two I need to replace the XRails with an XCG6 or XCG7 that don't have as much offset... It's tough I'd just like to have a club I can be confident with from 200-210, and a back-up club off the tee and be able to be confident enough to reach an odd par-five in two with...

[WUTiger]

Your irons have Dynalite 90 stiff shafts: 90 grams - very light - and a mid launch.

If you go with a 4W, you could pick up better launch. Also, you might find you hit the 4W just about as far. (We have  discussed this before)

For the bridge club grouping, I would include FW, 3H, 4H and 4i. How do the 4i and 4H compare on distance? Do you still hit your 4i well off the deck?

I'm thinking 4W, 3H, 4H (drop 4i) and.. . add LW might be worth looking at.

[onthehunt526]

Your irons have Dynalite 90 stiff shafts: 90 grams - very light - and a mid launch. If you go with a 4W, you could pick up better launch. Also, you might find you hit the 4W just about as far. (We have  discussed this before) For the bridge club grouping, I would include FW, 3H, 4H and [COLOR=800000] 4i. [/COLOR] How do the 4i and 4H compare on distance? Do you still hit your 4i well off the deck? I'm thinking 4W, 3H, 4H (drop 4i) and.. . add LW might be worth looking at.

I hit my 4i very well off the deck a little shorter on average of late... 182 (on course including an occasional mishit), without mishits 190 on average... When I do hit the 4h well... I hit it around 195-200, 3h about 205-210, 3w hit well 225 carry, Driver 250 (though Golfshot says 270, I think that's total though)... @WUTiger I pull my Hybrids way left on the course sometimes, I just freeze over the 3 wood... I think seeing a little more Loft on the FW would help my confidence. Hell I hit my driver off the deck better than I hit my 3-wood I shit you not... I think it's an in the head thing mostly but, 4W does sound like a good idea... I've also tossed around playing your set up too...

[WUTiger]

Suggestion: leave 4i at home, and play a round. If shot is too far for a 5i, choke down on the 4H a little to shave off a few yards.

Which would help your scoring most: a 4i or a LW?

[onthehunt526]

Suggestion: leave 4i at home, and play a round. If shot is too far for a 5i, choke down on the 4H a little to shave off a few yards. Which would help your scoring most: a 4i or a LW?

Um, 4i, I can't hit a damn LW... I'm not good with a 60° anymore, hell I don't even have one anymore (I sold it to someone at the course) If I get a more lofted wedge it will be a 58° wedge... What about this set up WUTiger? D, 4W, 3h, 4h, 5-PW, 50°, 54°, 58°, Putter or, D, 4W, 3h, 4-PW, 50°, 54°, 58°, putter I'd like to get a hybrid that isn't offset, because it feels like I make a good swing with my X-Rail and pull it left, unless I consciously aim the club right, I'd like to get an XCG6 or XCG7 hybrid... That the offset is not so much... I've even had a notion of playing ZERO fairway Woods and going Driver, 2h, 3h, 4h, 5-PW, 50°, 54°, 58° , putter. It's just the 3-wood right now... I hit my XCG3 4-wood great but I sold it... I'm not sure. I'd like it to look something like this for distances... Driver is longest, whatever wedge is shortest... 250-220-205-195-185-175-165-153-140-125-110-95-80... Something like that...

[DrvFrShow]

If I might be the contrarian here. How about dumping a hybrid for a 3 iron? I hate hybrids, too. No one says you have to have a hybrid in your bag. "Rescue club?" That's my 5 iron.

Try a Cobra Fly-Z 5-7 FW. They're adjustable and they're more of a strong 5, almost a 4, on the lowest loft. A golfer friend of mine tried one out and said it has mojo. He's getting one.

[Lihu]

This isn't a huge dilemma, I hit my 3-wood decent... But I do struggle with confidence with it at times... Recently its been moody (I think Ms. Piggy is a diva)... Here's some questions: 1) would a 4 or 5 wood to REPLACE the 3-wood TEMPORARILY help my confidence with the latter... 2) Am I overanalyzing my problem? I'm also trying to not make my bag so long end heavy, but I can't hit more than a ¾ swing gap wedge or a ½ swing sand wedge without either blading it or chunking it... Basically the effective set is Driver, 4-GW and putter right now... The hybrids and 3-wood are giving me issues, and I'm having trouble with my more than 1/2 swing SW. This is what is in my bag now.. Driver, 3W, 3h, 4h, 4-PW, GW, SW, Putter... I'd like to turn that 3W, 3h, 4h gap into two clubs and add a wedge... And practice my ass off until I'm confident with it... I'm struggling with consistency with anything with a headcover not named Mr. Gopher on it... How I maintain a 10 handicap with no confidence in 4 of my clubs I ain't got a clue...

With my serious play bag, we have the exact same stuff. Driver, 3W, 3H, 4H, 4-PW, 54, 60, putter. I used "training wheels" to learn to hit the 3W and hybrids off the deck. Took about 2 months to get the semblance of being playable. Probably another 2 months to get reasonable contact more often. Yeah, shooting 84 is just about limiting those doubles to one or two a round or so, so it's not surprising that you can do it with 10 clubs. If you could hit everything well, you'd be scratch. ;-)

[onthehunt526]

If I might be the contrarian here. How about dumping a hybrid for a 3 iron? I hate hybrids, too. No one says you have to have a hybrid in your bag. "Rescue club?" That's my 5 iron. Try a Cobra Fly-Z 5-7 FW. They're adjustable and they're more of a strong 5, almost a 4, on the lowest loft. A golfer friend of mine tried one out and said it has mojo. He's getting one.

Julia, It's funny you say that, I actually want to get the matching 3-iron to my set of CU's, or even an XCG5 or newer 3-iron, the only issue I have with that however, if I got an SGI 3-iron it would be 5 degrees stronger than my CU 4-iron...

[WUTiger]

... What about this set up WUTiger?

D, 4W, 3h, 4h, 5-PW, 50°, 54°, 58°, Putter or,

D, 4W, 3h, 4-PW, 50°, 54°, 58°, putter

I'd like to get a hybrid that isn't offset, because it feels like I make a good swing with my X-Rail and pull it left, unless I consciously aim the club right, I'd like to get an XCG6 or XCG7 hybrid... That the offset is not so much...

Back to earlier discussion... overall can you hit the 4H better than 4i?

Before you buy a 2H, borrow one and see if you can hit it OK. It's a challenge for many.

Duly noted on 58º - that's what I carry. If high bounce it's a SW, if moderate bounce it's a LW. (GD reported a couple years back that half the tour pros had 58º as highest lofted wedge).

[onthehunt526]

Back to earlier discussion... overall can you hit the 4H better than 4i? Before you buy a 2H, borrow one and see if you can hit it OK. It's a challenge for many. Duly noted on 58º - that's what I carry. If high bounce it's a SW, if moderate bounce it's a LW. (GD reported a couple years back that half the tour pros had 58º as highest lofted wedge).

My problem with the 4h, @WUTiger is I hit it OK, good contact, but when I miss with it, I pull it to the left field bleachers... I don't really have to hit that or the 4i much for distance, I only really hit 4i on one or two par-threes for full shots. The 4h gets about the same on a normal day. There is only one long par-four at Newman and that's 18, which I play as a par 4.5, I don't really "lay-up" on it, but I have no confidence in the shot from 200 or so with the hybrid(s), I'll hit like a 5-iron up to about 20 yards short off the front of the green, and try to chip and putt for a par... I usually make 5 on 18, the funny thing is in the last 2 years I have made more 4s on 9 (4), than 18 (2), 9 and 18 are basically the same Hole except 9 is 530 and a par-5 and 18 is 450 and a par-4... Ironically the two 4s on 18 were both in tournament play.

[Lihu]

[quote name="WUTiger" url="/t/84421/set-make-up-help-i-mean-help#post_1199424"] Back to earlier discussion... overall can you hit the 4H better than 4i? Before you buy a 2H, borrow one and see if you can hit it OK. It's a challenge for many. Duly noted on 58º - that's what I carry. If high bounce it's a SW, if moderate bounce it's a LW. (GD reported a couple years back that half the tour pros had 58º as highest lofted wedge).

My problem with the 4h, @WUTiger is I hit it OK, good contact, but when I miss with it, I pull it to the left field bleachers... I don't really have to hit that or the 4i much for distance, I only really hit 4i on one or two par-threes for full shots. The 4h gets about the same on a normal day. There is only one long par-four at Newman and that's 18, which I play as a par 4.5, I don't really "lay-up" on it, but I have no confidence in the shot from 200 or so with the hybrid(s), I'll hit like a 5-iron up to about 20 yards short off the front of the green, and try to chip and putt for a par... I usually make 5 on 18, the funny thing is in the last 2 years I have made more 4s on 9 (4), than 18 (2), 9 and 18 are basically the same Hole except 9 is 530 and a par-5 and 18 is 450 and a par-4... Ironically the two 4s on 18 were both in tournament play.[/quote] The current kit you described in the OP looks pretty decent. I have used "training wheels" to learn to hit my hybrids and 3W better. They seem to gap nicely on all the courses I've played.

[onthehunt526]

The current kit you described in the OP looks pretty decent. I have used "training wheels" to learn to hit my hybrids and 3W better. They seem to gap nicely on all the courses I've played.

If I can remember the Hybrids are offset a little and put a nice swing on them I do hit them relatively straight, but when I forget they are offset, to the left field foul pole they go... I find it kind of interesting I shot a 79 this year with basically only using 9 clubs for full shots... I'm surprised Erik hasn't chimed in because I am a Lowest Score Wins disciple... Like I said, I do hit the longest club I can hit consistently on par-5s that won't get me in trouble. Some days its a 5-iron on 9... (No trouble in the 70 yard range)... Just as a note: I only have three wedges in the bag at this time: A 45° PW, A 50° AW, and A 56° SW... If I do play 4 wedges, I'm going to play 45-50-54-58... Here's an idea I've been tossing around... I can get another matching SW to my set for around $30 shipped... What if I bend one to 54° (I do better with less bounce in that Loft range), and bend the other to 58° (for bunker shots and shots I need a little more bounce for)... If I get different wedges I'm going to get the 304 SS TGS wedges, 50-54-58... Just as a side note, I've been developing great touch, hitting most chip shots and such with my 50° AW...

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

The current kit you described in the OP looks pretty decent. I have used "training wheels" to learn to hit my hybrids and 3W better. They seem to gap nicely on all the courses I've played.

If I can remember the Hybrids are offset a little and put a nice swing on them I do hit them relatively straight, but when I forget they are offset, to the left field foul pole they go...

I find it kind of interesting I shot a 79 this year with basically only using 9 clubs for full shots...

I'm surprised Erik hasn't chimed in because I am a Lowest Score Wins disciple... Like I said, I do hit the longest club I can hit consistently on par-5s that won't get me in trouble. Some days its a 5-iron on 9... (No trouble in the 70 yard range)...

Sure, that's pretty much an LSW concept.

Not sure if this is a general case or not, but my hybrids do not seem to have all that much offset per se, and I let the face lay open in their natural resting position before addressing the ball.

[Dave2512]

I could live without fairways and hybrids, seriously. The mishits are so bad not worth the risk. And unless it's a par 5 or the longest par 4's if I am that far away I already blew one shot. Playing for a clean bogey at that point.

[Lihu]

I could live without fairways and hybrids, seriously. The mishits are so bad not worth the risk. And unless it's a par 5 or the longest par 4's if I am that far away I already blew one shot. Playing for a clean bogey at that point.

True, I used to hit trees a lot. That sometimes left me with 220+ yard approaches. Many times 3W and 3H are good for teeing up in a risky situation. The 4H is because I'm too lazy to setup to hit a 3i and have it mishit at lease half the time.

Par 3 are pretty comfortable with up to 4i. Sometimes I can get my hybrid to go high and land steep, sometimes. . .

I'm just getting comfortable with 3W off the deck. The last two rounds I used the 3W on my longer par 5 approaches and out of 6 attempts to go for the green I got one each of nGIR and GIR. It used to be a special event worth announcing to the world, but not so much any more. As winter conditions move in with mid-40s F temperatures, the hybrids will probably come into play a lot more.

[onthehunt526]

What I'm looking to try to do is make 4 clubs between D and 5i, 3 and add a wedge... Though iron/wedge wise I'm fine with what I have, at least it seems that way... Leaving the 4i home right now isn't really an option (my in play clubs are locked up at the course anyway)... So that being said, with my struggles with Hybrids and the 3W right now (where I don't hit them, at all)... Julia suggested dumping my Hybrids and getting a 3i... Thats a thought... WUTiger suggested a 4w and dropping the four-iron, that's a thought... I'm just trying to make my bag have clubs I'm confident in... So with D, 4i-PW, AW, SW, Putter being that... And 50-54-58 being my choice at the short end of the bag... So we're at D, 5i-PW, 50°, 54°, 58°, Putter that's 11... So the final 3 are tricky... I hit the 4i well, I hit the 4h OK just inconsistent at times same with the 3h and 3w... So the final three question boils to this. FW/H/I, FW/H/H, FW/I/I among others...