Using 8 Clubs This Year

[StefanUrkel]

I tried to compile the cheapest bag of newish(post 2013), and my scores haven't changed. Here are my clubs:

1. PUtter- Only pre-2015 club. I traded in my Odyssey versa 9 and now use a Head putter from the 90's. Found it at the bin at the driving range. Cost 0. Putting hasn't changed. Still a 8-10 handicap putter.

2,3- Wedges- Bridgestone j15 52,58. 2015 club.  Each wedge was 22.99 on GLobal golf.

4. Titleist ap1 716 Pitching wedge. Cost 19.99 ebay

5. Taylormade tour preferred MC 6,8 iron. 2014 club. Cost 45 total on ebay

6. Adams super DHY 21 (2014). Global golf 22.99

7. Callaway xr hybrid 19 (2015). Has a small dent on top. 25 dollars on ebay

8. Callaway 815 3 wood(2015). Some wear on it. Global golf for 46 dollars

9. Driver- Bridgestone j715 driver(2015). Got it for 50 dollars on ebay.

 

11 Clubs

Cost- 0+45+20+45+23+25+46+50= 

254 dollars

[GrandStranded]

!. You have more options. 2. Those options make it easier for you to hit each club a specific distance.3. No, it's not retro, but the guys who play persimmon heads and hickory shafts are the guys who most likely will be drawn to this approach. 4. Yes, it's just a different way to play. Not better. Different. 5. Most find it "eccentric" at best. Take my posts and yours out of the thread, and it's apparent most don't even find it interesting enough to talk about. But, like I've said a few times in here already, if you enjoy it, go for it. It's a game, as long as you're having fun, great. Just don't expevt many to see any merit to the idea.

1 minute ago, GrandStranded said:

!. You have more options. 2. Those options make it easier for you to hit each club a specific distance.3. No, it's not retro, but the guys who play persimmon heads and hickory shafts are the guys who most likely will be drawn to this approach. 4. Yes, it's just a different way to play. Not better. Different. 5. Most find it "eccentric" at best. Take my posts and yours out of the thread, and it's apparent most don't even find it interesting enough to talk about. But, like I've said a few times in here already, if you enjoy it, go for it. It's a game, as long as you're having fun, great. Just don't expevt many to see any merit to the idea.

Sorry,  I meant the above comments as a reply to post #18.

[GrandStranded]

Funny how the guy with 11 clubs also told us off the top of his head where he bought each (even mentioned the obligatory barrel, LOL) and how much each one cost. As far as your scores not changing with less clubs, maybe practice and 3 more clubs might help? JUST KIDDING... Hit 'em straight and long! 

[sjduffers]

If I was walking and carrying my bag, I would definitely do that. I am mostly walking with a push cart or riding in a cart for the reminder, so I've got one of these big ass cart bags (Sun Mountain C-130), full of goodies, including 14 clubs.

But in truth, the 3 wood, 4 iron, and 60 wedge hardly leave the bag: they have specialized uses, or I don't trust them (looking at you, 4 iron!).  I wouldn't miss them all that much if they were gone.

In my secondary set, kept at another location so I don't end up paying checked bag fees back and forth, the set is missing a 7 iron that one day "disappeared" (as in snatched, because I didn't use it that day and it was there after the previous round). I never found a proper replacement and the thought of getting just a random 7 iron which could be more like my 6 iron or my 8 iron never appealed to me, so I ended doing without... just fine. It's fairly obvious to me which of the 6 or 8 is preferable when a 7 would be the "right" call, depending on the circumstances of the task at hand.

[GrandStranded]

16 minutes ago, sjduffers said:

If I was walking and carrying my bag, I would definitely do that. I am mostly walking with a push cart or riding in a cart for the reminder, so I've got one of these big ass cart bags (Sun Mountain C-130), full of goodies, including 14 clubs.

But in truth, the 3 wood, 4 iron, and 60 wedge hardly leave the bag: they have specialized uses, or I don't trust them (looking at you, 4 iron!).  I wouldn't miss them all that much if they were gone.

In my secondary set, kept at another location so I don't end up paying checked bag fees back and forth, the set is missing a 7 iron that one day "disappeared" (as in snatched, because I didn't use it that day and it was there after the previous round). I never found a proper replacement and the thought of getting just a random 7 iron which could be more like my 6 iron or my 8 iron never appealed to me, so I ended doing without... just fine. It's fairly obvious to me which of the 6 or 8 is preferable when a 7 would be the "right" call, depending on the circumstances of the task at hand.

Everything you said is reasonable, and I understand probably not missing a few IF they weren't there. However, I looked at it a little differently. I completely changed my bag about a year ago. I took out my 3 hybrid, 4 iron, 56 and 60. I went 5w, 4H, 54 and 58. I now have 14 clubs in the bag which I have no hesitation using. Before, I'd look for an excuse not to, or worry about how I'd play one or two.

[Buckeyebowman]

To hang a fancy name on it, what you are referring to is "set makeup", and every pro and better amateur on the planet does it. If a pro plays a couple practice rounds at a venue, and doesn't hit a particular club or two, he'll yank those out of the bag and put some in that might be more useful. Of course he's not toting his own sticks, so there will always be 14 of them in the bag.     When I was quite a bit younger, and playing with my first set of "better" clubs, the irons went 2 thru 9 iron. No wedges! That will teach you things. Then I broke the shaft on my 9 iron! So, I had to chip and pitch with my 8. To this day I love my 8 irons for short chips and pitches. I'll even throttle back to a 6 or 7 if that's what the shot calls for.          And someone mentioned having the first hybrid they ever bought still in the bag. Welcome to the club! I still have my Cleveland Hibore 2 hybrid in the bag. It's the first hybrid I ever bought back twhen the hybrid idea was new. I had to get my old 2 iron out of the bag because I couldn't get it more than 15 feet off the ground!                                                                                

[StefanUrkel]

I believe that pros scoring average would be less than 1 stroke difference if you gave them 8 clubs. It probably goes up a ton for higher handicaps. 

[woodzie264]

On 2/24/2018 at 7:09 AM, georgep said:

There's no need to over think it. Just take every other club (plus any you just don't want to leave behind) and see how that goes. If you play one course routinely, you may find that you need a certain distance more often, but you can always adjust.

This

[The Wrong Fairway]

Well this is the bag of sticks I have chosen to use ( may swap out the even number irons for odd numbers every few weeks)

Driver is 43 inch as I'm a lot more accurate at this length. 

18* hybrid   trusty 913hd

4 iron will change to MP fli hi or if the 4 iron doesn't behave the old adams idea pro hybrid will take that spot.

6 iron, 8 iron    mizuno MP 57

PW   MP 60

SW   frozen rope ( nope I'd never heard of them either, got it stupid cheap and it's fantastic, one of those forged in the fires of mount Doom Japanese wedges hand ground by some kind of magical elves I'm guessing)

Putter ( yes callie f but this is also under threat from my old Scotty red X putter waiting to pounce the second I have a bad putting day)

Just need this snow to disappear now so I can get out on the course and have some fun with them.

[MrGolfguy67]

On ‎2‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 7:38 AM, The Wrong Fairway said:

Just need this snow to disappear now so I can get out on the course and have some fun with them.

Snow? I was mowing my grass yesterday & today.

[Par Fore]

Used to do this when I had to sneak a small carry bag in the back of my soft top jeep wrangler, I'd play at least once a week after work - with one of those tiny carry bags, I could only fit like 8 clubs, and the longest was a 3 wood.....that, a putter, and then just skipped over every other iron through the rest of the set.  You get creative and I always had a good time.  Also had a lot of fun playing 3 club, did that a couple of times - 3 iron, which is your driver and putter, 7 iron, and 56.....or some variation of that......play a draw for more yardage when needed or a fade to cut off some yards, choke down or take half swings, all sorts of options.  Do what makes you happy.  I still prefer all 14, but it's a fun change of pace, and when I had the jeep, it was a necessity to fit them in the back and hide them to play right after work....and it worked just fine.

[Aguirre]

Sometimes I masturbate with just my right thumb and left middle finger, but it generally results in a subpar performance.

[onthehunt526]

I've thought about doing it with 6-7 clubs once or twice... See I up until the last two years, I didn't drive. So If I wanted to go to the golf course, I'd have to go take the bus. Lugging 14 clubs with a heavier hybrid bag is a pain-in-the-neck to be honest... So I had the idea to play with 6 or 7 clubs, and probably very close to the 6 or 7 I played as a kid.. Driver, 4-hybrid, 7-iron, 9-iron, 56°, Putter, for the six club set. Driver, Hybrid, 6-iron, 8-iron, Wedge, and 56°, Putter for the seven club set... I've actually played rounds in the past with just 2 clubs and a putter, usually a middle-iron some sort of wedge and a putter... it's fun, to play with less clubs... plus if you like to drink whatever (water, adult beverages, sports drinks, etc.) Every club you take out is one more drink you can put in.

[dbuck]

I played a short set for a while a couple of years ago. Driver, 4W, 4H, 5,7,9, an old Wilson JP PW that worked well enough for a sand wedge, and a putter.

[RandyBobbitt]

For my home course I carry my bag and use 10 clubs: Driver, 7-wood, 5-PW, SW, putter. It's very rare for me to regret not having a certain club. When I'm playing an unfamiliar course, I add a 4-wood, 4-iron, GW and LW. 

[Joe Cartpath]

I don't play with a minimalist set, but I rarely have more than about 10 or 11 in the bag. I also walk and carry all the time, and at age 69, reducing the load a bit keeps me from being as tired on the last few holes. I also only carry a few balls with me. No need to have 2 dozen balls weighting down the bag.

I choose to carry the driver or not depending on how I've been hitting it or the 3-wood lately. Truth is, I usually hit my old Hogan Apex persimmon 3-wood about as far as the more modern driver anyway.

Then I have a choice of 4w, 5w an 6w. If I carry the driver, I usually don't take the 3w (I like the 4w better off the fairway since it has a lower profile). Sometimes I'll carry 2 woods...sometimes 3...just depends on how I've been playing, what the weather is like, etc.

I'll often leave the 3 iron at home, especially if I have the 6-wood in the bag. I almost always have all the irons from 4-9, plus the PW and 56 degree SW. My 62 degree wedge rarely sees daylight, and I don't even have a gap wedge.

The one constant is my ancient Hogan Radial putter. I would insist that it get buried with me if I weren't going to be cremated 

Edited March 12, 2018 by Joe Cartpath

[shooter]

I play 13 clubs. Would not consider heading out to a course with less. Mainly cause I don’t belong to a club and play around at alot of courses and tee boxes get moved around to offer a different looks off the tee, so I don’t want to be stuck with a yardage that requires major manipulation of the swing. 

With that being said.

When I do play a minimal set. I bring one club only.  5 iron, or a 3 wood and play the whole round with the 1 club. From tee shot to approach shots and even bunker play and yes, putting. 

Great way to develop feel and shot making. 

 

[Manx995]

I'm really warming to the half set and especially the Miura colour coding of iron loft 25 32 40 49 or very similar. I can't quite decide on 4 6 8 W or 5 7 9 SW. Any thoughts?