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So I currently carry 13 clubs in my bag. 1 driver, 1 3h, 3-PW irons, 50* and 56* wedge, and a putter. The idea of carrying another wedge crossed my mind but there is little distance gap between them. I thought about filling the gap between my hybrid and driver with a 4 or 5 wood, but I went to the golf store looking at them and found out I cant hit one to save my life... so would the idea of finding a decent 2 utility iron be a good idea for a longer iron? 

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You might consider a second hybrid overlapping the irons more. This is a better idea the closer your chosen 3h is to a 3w surrogate (long, low-spin distance). I overlap a 4i and 4h in my bag (my 3w has redeemed itself in recent range and course trips, so it stays for now), and I like the hybrid's behavior better when I get a clean but long fairway shot at the green. The higher launch and spin versus the iron gives me a club that can carry a 180-yard green and still stick (and that happens to be about the length of the longer two par-3s on my usual course). My 4i is more a utility hammer, punching out from under trees, picking the ball off bare packed dirt (usually also under trees) etc. 

Degree-wise, if you have a 46* PW then the 56 is a little more of a jump than between the 46 and 50, but then my own bag has 52* and 56* blade wedges following up a 46* GI pitching wedge, so what do I know about filling the gap. You might play around with a 50-54-58 arrangement on demo day, to see if a second fairway wedge with a different sole grind gives you any new useful options greenside.

Last suggestion; mini driver. If your driving with a standard 460cc 1-wood is ok, but you can't hit a regular fairway wood to save your life, then a mini driver might work for you. TaylorMade's AeroBurner offering is lofted a touch more than a standard 3-wood (16*), but is deeper-faced than a true fairway wood for more hitting area and forgiveness. Off the deck, the slightly higher loft will allow hitting down into the ball more like an iron. You may have to look around to find one, but it's worth a try if, like you say, you need to bridge a distance gap between your driver and 3h.

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(edited)

Wow, you know your stuff! But I'd rather stay away from hybrids since I haven't perfected my swing with the one I own. I'd prefer to own just 1.

 I hit my long irons well, considering my low swing speed and low skill level. I found that if I try to kill the ball I always mishit, so I slow my speed down and get better contact and doesn't have much spin. My 3 iron totals at about 185, which I am happy with, and I am ok with a low launch, as that theme is common in all my clubs. 

My PW is 47*, next club is 50* (given to me by a buddy when I first started, totals about 115yds) and after that is 56* (for <105yds). I dont want a higher lofted club, because I am becoming more and more dialed in in 1/2, 3/4 etc. with my 56*.

My driver is a tommy armour 460cc, and I hit about 220 total. I dont feel comfortable hitting a club with a bigger face off the deck, which is why I don't hit hybrids or woods well. I'd prefer a low lofted iron to fill the gap, but dont know much about good 2 irons. Hybrid doesn't travel much farther than my 3i. 

Edited by 17hoffmanc
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A 3wood.  Learn to hit it well and until then don't worry about using it while you play.

Or a 60* wedge.  It's not about full swing distances, but rather utility around the green.

Seems to me a 2-iron would too closely match your 3 hybrid.

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Look at it from a distance perspective.  Do you need to fill the gap between your 3i/3h and Driver.  If so, find something that does that.  Try out the 2i and if it fills the gap go for it.  Otherwise, look at the 3 or 4 wood, possibly even a 5 wood.  If you are struggling with the fairway woods, go for a hybrid with a lower loft, say 18* or so.

The second club I can recommend is another wedge, say at around 60* or so for the utility and options it can provide around the green.

Finally, consider something like the chipper or similar type of utility club which helps in your short game.

At the end of the day, see where your greatest weakness is in your game and get a club to help solve that problem.

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What's in the bag

  • Taylor Made r5 dual Draw 9.5* (stiff)
  • Cobra Baffler 4H (stiff)
  • Taylor Made RAC OS 6-9,P,S (regular)
  • Golden Bear LD5.0 60* (regular)
  • Aidia Z-009 Putter
  • Inesis Soft 500 golf ball
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Where is the hole in your game?  Do you struggle close to the green?  Then look at lob wedge.  If you find yourself always needing a 200 yard club then go for a wood or driving iron.

I would suggest since you already mentioned you don't hit your hybrid so well replacing it as well.  I don't hit hybrids myself, but there are many different types of hybrids from fat sole driving irons to short shaft woods.  A true hybrid will go a lot farther than an iron of the same loft making a 5 hybrid get into you 3 iron range.  If you go this route I would suggest a 2 and 4 hybrid to cover the gap between driver and irons.

My personal preference is toward big fairway woods.  Most people will carry at least a 3 wood.  Lots of pros are using a strong 3 wood, whether it is called a 2 wood, 3+, or mini driver, these guys are using 11 to 14 degree woods with lots of club head speed to get 300 yards out of their fairway wood.  But with slower swings that most amateurs have they should be using a 12 to 14 degree driver meaning they should be using more loft on their fairway wood as well.  To go this route you might want to look at a 4 wood and 7 wood setup.  A 7 wood should be around the same yardage as a 3 hybrid.

One last suggestion.  Find a 2nd hand store and look at some older model clubs.  You might just run across a 1 iron for less than $10.  For that price you could grab a hand full of long irons, hybrids, and woods that you can then hit the driving range and find what works for you.  

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My struggle right now is putting, but that's a different subject. 

After all these replies, I have the idea of dropping the 3h and replacing thathe with a 2i since I prefer irons more, and then filling the spot with a long wedge such as 60* or 62* for around the greens, but this is all just an idea.  

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Posting your yardages may help a bit to see where the gaps are in your set. Where are you losing strokes? Do you find yourself losing shots from chipping? If so then adding another wedge would be a good idea. Are you losing shots by not being able to get to long par 4/5s or having a fairway finder club on tight holes? Then you would probably want to add another long club to your bag. 

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Driver-220                                                      3h-195                                                           3i-190                                                            4i-180                                                       5i-170                                                          6i-160                                                        7i-150                                                           8i-140                                                          9i-130                                                      PW-120                                                    50*-110                                           56*-100

Some of the clubs I am positive on distance, some others are estimated. 

Most strokes are lost in putting, but chipping is probably the strongest part of my game right now along with driving. Other strokes are lost in mishits, which is why I got the idea of dropping the 3h for a longer iron since it doesn't add much distance and I don't hit it well often. And another wedge was an idea I had for shots 50yds and in.

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11 hours ago, 17hoffmanc said:

Wow, you know your stuff! But I'd rather stay away from hybrids since I haven't perfected my swing with the one I own. I'd prefer to own just 1.

 I hit my long irons well, considering my low swing speed and low skill level. I found that if I try to kill the ball I always mishit, so I slow my speed down and get better contact and doesn't have much spin. My 3 iron totals at about 185, which I am happy with, and I am ok with a low launch, as that theme is common in all my clubs. 

My PW is 47*, next club is 50* (given to me by a buddy when I first started, totals about 115yds) and after that is 56* (for <105yds). I dont want a higher lofted club, because I am becoming more and more dialed in in 1/2, 3/4 etc. with my 56*.

My driver is a tommy armour 460cc, and I hit about 220 total. I dont feel comfortable hitting a club with a bigger face off the deck, which is why I don't hit hybrids or woods well. I'd prefer a low lofted iron to fill the gap, but dont know much about good 2 irons. Hybrid doesn't travel much farther than my 3i. 

Understood; bag makeup is all about personal preference, if something doesn't work for you there's no sense giving it a slot.

I would still recommend trying out a third wedge, like a 54. Yes it's close, but that allows for a difference in bounce which is important for different lies, and also in sole grind which allows other options. You might, for instance, pick a 54 with a grind that allows you to open the clubface, allowing lob and flop shots similar to what you could do with a 60* or higher. Voila, 4 wedges (including PW) just effectively became 5, adding two more weapons to your greenside game.

If you don't think playing the open flop shot is in the cards for you, consider a low- to mid-bounce 60*, again giving you additional approach options you don't have now. In this case it would be the ability to hit your normal full swing as close as 40-60 yards, and to pitch instead of chip from rough with a tight pin position.

Remember that your wedges and your putter account for 2/3 of your strokes, so making the right shot up close is the best way to drop your score. The more options you have inside 80 yards that you are confident in, the better the outcome.

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45 minutes ago, 17hoffmanc said:

Driver-220                                                      3h-195                                                           3i-190                                                            4i-180                                                       5i-170                                                          6i-160                                                        7i-150                                                           8i-140                                                          9i-130                                                      PW-120                                                    50*-110                                           56*-100

Some of the clubs I am positive on distance, some others are estimated. 

Most strokes are lost in putting, but chipping is probably the strongest part of my game right now along with driving. Other strokes are lost in mishits, which is why I got the idea of dropping the 3h for a longer iron since it doesn't add much distance and I don't hit it well often. And another wedge was an idea I had for shots 50yds and in.

The 3h seems like a waste of a slot (distance-wise).  If it was me, I'd ditch that one in favor of something that I could hit 205 to better fill the gap between the 3i and the driver, and get another wedge for around the green as well.

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If putting is an issue you can try two putters in the bag.  I have a couple of putters and I have brought two more than a few times.  I have one that is great for slow greens and one that is great for fast greens and one that is good on almost anything... so sometimes I bring both the great ones instead of the good one.

Driver: :callaway: Diablo
Woods: :callaway: Big Bertha 2 & 4
Irons: Miura MC 102's 3 - PW & Mizuno MP 67's 3 - W
Wedges: :mizuno: MP-R12 52* & 58*
Putters: :ping: WRX Ti4

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5 hours ago, IndianaDundee said:

A chainsaw would have saved me at least 6 strokes last round.

Chainsaws get heavy if you carry your clubs, gotta take a cart.

Dave

:callaway: Rogue SubZero Driver

:titleist: 915F 15 Fairway, 816 H1 19 Hybrid, AP2 4 iron to PW, Vokey 52, 56, and 60 wedges, ProV1 balls 
:ping: G5i putter, B60 version
 :ping:Hoofer Bag, complete with Newport Cup logo
:footjoy::true_linkswear:, and Ashworth shoes

the only thing wrong with this car is the nut behind the wheel.

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Note: This thread is 2763 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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