Do we need 14 clubs?

[badgermat]

Nine holes maybe yeah. I think eighteen with just one club would get a bit boring. Also, I use a 60° to get out of bunkers, I think I would struggle to get out of one with a 7 iron since I'm not very good and all. Chipping would be ok as I often play chip and runs with an 8 iron anyway.

You might be surprised. Unless you have deep pot bunkers it isn’t that hard with an 8 iron. I just try and pick the ball off the sand (rather than hitting behind) and don’t wallop it as hard as I would with a wedge. Probably a lousy technique but it works for me. I have tried opening the club face and hitting as I would normally, but it’s a lot less reliable.

Just having one club is a pretty good conversation starter too.

bm

 

[patricks148]

Nine holes maybe yeah. I think eighteen with just one club would get a bit boring. Also, I use a 60° to get out of bunkers, I think I would struggle to get out of one with a 7 iron since I'm not very good and all. Chipping would be ok as I often play chip and runs with an 8 iron anyway.

i know you don't like trying new things but give it a go, will def make you a better player. helps with approach shots too. i wouldn't worry about Bunkers, unless you are in deep pot bunkers as BM says. nothing to stop you going out sideways, which is what i do from pot bunkers with it.

 

[Orikoru]

You might be surprised. Unless you have deep pot bunkers it isn’t that hard with an 8 iron. I just try and pick the ball off the sand (rather than hitting behind) and don’t wallop it as hard as I would with a wedge. Probably a lousy technique but it works for me. I have tried opening the club face and hitting as I would normally, but it’s a lot less reliable.

Just having one club is a pretty good conversation starter too.

bm

Surely that sends it miles over the other side of the green if you're in a greenside bunker? To do that with an 8 iron and with enough beans on it to get over the lip of the bunker means you'll never stop it?

 

[Orikoru]

i know you don't like trying new things but give it a go, will def make you a better player. helps with approach shots too. i wouldn't worry about Bunkers, unless you are in deep pot bunkers as BM says. nothing to stop you going out sideways, which is what i do from pot bunkers with it.

Have some days off coming, I might try it on a cheap nine hole course. Can't see myself paying a full green fee to hack round 18 with an 8 iron though.

 

[patricks148]

Have some days off coming, I might try it on a cheap nine hole course. Can't see myself paying a full green fee to hack round 18 with an 8 iron though.

i would say you would learn more from it around your home course.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

In my experience the only people who can handle more loft than 56* with any consistency are the most skilled players.

I would agree. I found my 60 degree LW cost me far more shots than it saved and it was only really effective out of bunkers and I couldn't justify carrying a club just for those shots and I can get out effectively with a 58 which is a club I can use more effectively for pitching and chipping

 

[garyinderry]

My mate uses a 62. He's an animal. 46 degree wedge goes 150.

 

[badgermat]

Surely that sends it miles over the other side of the green if you're in a greenside bunker? To do that with an 8 iron and with enough beans on it to get over the lip of the bunker means you'll never stop it?

I suspect my success with this method is probably due to shallow bunkers, hard sand and that the only times I've finished up in them the pin has been at the opposite end of the green. Or luck.

bm

 

[User 99]

Just played 9 holes with two balls, half set, no laser, no difference in my scoring to normal

 

[albatross2]

I think it also depends about the level of play. Often, mid- to high- handicappers don't have accurate and consistent gaps between their clubs due to the inconsistent quality of contact. Removing clubs from the bag shouldn't have too outsized an impact in those cases.

At the other end of the spectrum, a scratch golfer could be expected to be able to hit many different types of shots with a single club. But, their scoring ability may also be dependent on their ability to fine-tune their shotmaking with specific clubs. For all golfers, a 20 foot putt is almost certainly going down in 2 strokes. But that scratch golfer may be able to get better proximity with the extra precision of the add'l clubs.

 

[Mrs Wiggles]

I have played in two 3 clubs and a putter comp, and I was absolutely dreadful. That said, there were others who played to handicap. I suppose it depends on the golfer

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I won a mid week medal with a 69-2=67 in the drought of 1976,
Clubs used/carried were 2,4,6,8,9,W,SI and putter,

 

[Mrs Wiggles]

Supposing they increased the limit to 18 clubs (just a random number I plucked out of the air), in your opinion, and purely for the sake of debate, do you think it'll make any difference to the pace of play either quicker or slower and do you think having more clubs to choose from will help your game get better.

18 would be ideal, because then I could use one for each hole

 

[Shooter McPowick]

I carry 14 but the reality is that I could make do with 10 I reckon - well round my local course anyway.

Very rarely use a 3 wood - our par 5's are such that unless you're Rory and you can land a 3w softly on the green its useless. On the tricky par 4's a 5i is enough to get me where I need.
I don't get on with hybrids so carry a 3i - i can count on 1 hand how many times I used it this last year and 1 or 2 of those were just to punch out under a tree. 4i the same.

This leaves Driver, 5-pw, 50° wedge, 56° wedge & putter.

 

[Orikoru]

I carry 14 but the reality is that I could make do with 10 I reckon - well round my local course anyway.

Very rarely use a 3 wood - our par 5's are such that unless you're Rory and you can land a 3w softly on the green its useless. On the tricky par 4's a 5i is enough to get me where I need.
I don't get on with hybrids so carry a 3i - i can count on 1 hand how many times I used it this last year and 1 or 2 of those were just to punch out under a tree. 4i the same.

This leaves Driver, 5-pw, 50° wedge, 56° wedge & putter.

I'm similar. I only carry 13 clubs. I took the 5 wood out of the back months ago since I never really used it. I rarely use my 5 iron either, as you said about your 3 I only use it to punch out of the rough under trees. My current hybrid rarely gets used either as I don't really love it - when I'm not hitting driver off the tee I hit the 3 iron which I use as a kind of driving iron. So essentially I could drop two clubs with no real detrimental effect and easily manage with 11.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would concede that in winter I tend to use less clubs and those like the 4 or 5 iron that I'd use on a par 3 are replaced by a hybrid or even the 5 wood and that with the wetter lies the hybrid is a better option in the semi-rough.