Morgan Mullins

Just curious, is there a significance to carrying 8 clubs, as opposed to 9 or 10 or 7? i’ve been told by my teacher that as a college player his coach would send the team out to practice with a putter and one club of their choice. He said it helped them learn that club very well. You knew all of its capabilities. If you extend that logic to your own bag set, the fewer clubs you carry, the better you get to know the clubs you do carry and what they each do in various situations.

It sounds like Titleist is already thinking about the issue. We do need a different way to categorize and discuss clubs, because the old number system is no longer valid. But that is a different topic. if you use a gapping system based on club loft to select your wedges, then the question is how much gap, in degrees of loft, do you want between your wedges? Is it the same as it is for your other clubs?

It is SO dependent on the manufacturer, it almost doesn’t make any since to use club numbers any more. My 4h (Taylormade GAPR-Mid) is 21 degrees, fitting perfectly between my 6i, 25 degrees, and my 2i, 17 degrees. Go figure....

I’m not sure that the pros would be a good model here; situations that would would cause us to choose a chipper might not occur as much for the pros. Their distances are so dialed in that each of the 14 available club slots needs careful evaluation and a chipper probably wouldn’t be selected. For those of us less skilled.... I don’t take a club out to carry a chipper; even with it I only carry 10 clubs. It’s a choice, one that I practice with and I’m comfortable pulling out of my bag. I find specialty clubs useful, especially around the green.

Especially weight. I use a very old school chipper, a Tommy Armour Rough Iron. It has a flange on the back heavy enough to knock out a steer. I don’t need to swing very hard to really make the ball travel, so practicing to get the speed right is critical. But once you get the touch down.....

I’d love to see a picture of the MacGregor chipper, if you get a chance. The argument against chippers seems to have a couple of main themes. First, “It’s a single purpose club that takes up one of the 14 slots allowed by the Rules.” True, but we carry two other single purpose clubs and I don’t see a movement to start putting with a driver, even thought the lofts are similar. The other, “Real golfers don’t carry chippers!”, seems to imply some kind of group consensus of what a club set is supposed to consist of; but I gave up trying to run with the pack in my 50’s. 😊

I too have noticed that if I (feel like I) shorten my back swing, I have better contact. I’ll take the video recommendations to heart and take a look.

I think of a winter bag as similar to a Sunday bag. Smaller golf bag and club set and a plan to walk and carry rather than ride. Shorter days and early darkness, so you’re probably only playing nine holes. I remember those times with my father very well.

Your winter bag sounds like a great plan! Do you record this in a journal, or something similar, so that next year you would use a different group of clubs?

Just curious, is there an average course rating? Or a rating range that many/most courses fall within? Thanks.

Hello Sand Trap! I’m Morgan from Idaho. I’m a retired high handicapper from the Boise area. I look forward to getting to know some of you and being a participant.

Work on my flexibility! It’s the big change I’ve noticed after turning 70. And hopefully practice and play thru most of the winter.

Age is taking its toll but hopefully I’m finished with medical procedures soon and can focus again. (fingers crossed)