Do we really need 14 clubs?

[delc]

I played in a 5 clubs and a putter competition yesterday. My choice of clubs was 3-wood. 4-hybrid, 6 and 8 irons, plus a gap wedge. Despite not putting very well I scored 30 points, and the winner of the comp scored 38 points. Today with a full set of clubs and putting a bit better, off the same tees, I still only managed 33 points. Quite honestly in the 5 club comp I didn't miss the other clubs, apart from maybe my sand iron a couple of times. I was able to shorten shots by gripping down and making a shorter swing, and lengthen them by holding the grip right at the top and making a longer than normal swing. Begs the question why we really need 14 clubs? :mmm:

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Umm you scored better with a full set of 14 ?

 

[delc]

Umm you scored better with a full set of 14 ?

Mainly down to slightly better putting!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Mainly down to slightly better putting!

Which could have been because you were able to put the ball in better places on the green because you had more choice for your shot into the green

But I amazed how one person can react and have some sort of issue after every round.

 

[Foxholer]

Feel free to only use the number of clubs you feel you need.

But don't object when I use the 14 I'm allowed!

 

[delc]

If you could limit the maximum number of clubs to, let us say 8, that would almost halve the cost of a set of clubs, and you might not need a trolley to get them round the course, which is another potential saving.

 

[Oxfordcomma]

5 and a putter is virtually a half set anyway, and there are a lot of people who'll stick 6 or 7 in a pencil bag during the winter or to travel. Drop a couple of those clubs out to make it 3+putter and I think you'd see the difference.

But to answer the actual question, no, I think 10-12 max is going to be fine for most people. I currently carry 12 without feeling that there's a gap in the bag that I feel I need to fill.

 

[Foxholer]

If you could limit the maximum number of clubs to, let us say 8, that would almost halve the cost of a set of clubs, and you might not need a trolley to get them round the course, which is another potential saving.

Feel free to only buy and use the number of clubs that you feel you need.

But don't object when I use the 14 I'm allowed!

And if, like me, you carry, you don't need the trolley!

Did Taylor Made put the price down when it dropped 1 club from a set? Did it heck!

 

[Blue in Munich]

If you could limit the maximum number of clubs to, let us say 8, that would almost halve the cost of a set of clubs, and you might not need a trolley to get them round the course, which is another potential saving.

No it wouldn't; the manufacturers would make them out of something rare & expensive and incorporate even more wondrous features (or at least the ad copy writers would tell you so) to account for the new shortage of clubs in your bag that the price would almost double, thus keeping the same amount of money coming in. If you think they are going to sit there & watch their income from club sales halve then you are deluded.

 

[delc]

5 and a putter is virtually a half set anyway, and there are a lot of people who'll stick 6 or 7 in a pencil bag during the winter or to travel. Drop a couple of those clubs out to make it 3+putter and I think you'd see the difference.

But to answer the actual question, no, I think 10-12 max is going to be fine for most people. I currently carry 12 without feeling that there's a gap in the bag that I feel I need to fill.

One of a Seniors scored 49 points in a 3 clubs and a putter competition a few years ago, which was much better than he normally achieves with a full set of clubs! He is a respectable long standing mid handicapper btw, and is certainly not considered to be a bandit! :mmm:

 

[Foxholer]

One of a Seniors scored 49 points in a 3 clubs and a putter competition a few years ago, which was much better than he normally achieves with a full set of clubs. He is a respectable long standing mid handicapper btw, and is certainly not considered to be a bandit!

Feel free to only buy and use the number of clubs that you feel you need.

But don't object when I use the 14 I'm allowed!

 

[Oxfordcomma]

One of a Seniors scored 49 points ... which was much better than he normally achieves ... !

I should hope it is! 13 under handicap? He must have been close to or even under level gross. Now if he could do it week in week out with just the four clubs, we'd all be at it!

 

[shewy]

I believe in the good old days they used to carry a lot more, personally I do carry 14 but if it went to a max of 8 I believe you'd still score around the same.
I think having so many clubs in the bag complicates things sometimes and leads to slower play through indecision.
Saying that how come the club you need is always the one you leave out!

 

[Smiffy]

On the rare occasions I have gone out without the full number of clubs, (for whatever reason), you can guarantee that within two or three shots I will need the club I am missing.

 

[delc]

There are normally 3 or 4 degrees of loft difference between clubs. That could probably be increased to 5 degrees without affecting players' games too much. Then you would have a 55 degree sand wedge, 50 degree gap wedge, 45 degree pitching wedge (as now anyway), irons with 40, 35, 30 and 25 degrees of loft, a hybrid or fairway wood with 20 degrees of loft and a Driver. With a putter that's 10 clubs, but at £80 each for a premium brand club, that's still a saving of £320 and 1.6 kg of weight on a set.

 

[MashieNiblick]

The number of clubs is one of those things in golf that we take for granted but is the result of unplanned evolution or ad hoc decisions.

When I started in the 70's it was common for people to start with a half set (small wooden headed woods and blades!). Great way to learn the game. Currently got 10 clubs in the carry bag. Perfectly Ok with forward tees and the occasional temporary green. In summer though I sometimes wish I could add a LW to the 14 in the bag.

What if, way back, the maximum had been set at 6 or 7? How differently would the game have developed? Much more shot making skill required at the top level. One thing I think is certain, Seve would have won more majors.

 

[Imurg]

Sometimes I wonder how many people would argue for having only 6 clubs if the limit was set at 10......
14 is the MAXIMIUM......

You don't have to carry/push/pull 14 clubs - there is something called choice in this World.....
If you want to carry 8, 10 or 12, feel free.
But if you decide on 10, don't expect everyone else to....

 

[FairwayDodger]

I played all year with 13 but a big gap at the top end.

This weekend I have 16 clubs in the bag......

 

[Hobbit]

I started out with a mixed half set, with no 2 irons from the same manufacturer let alone same model. I didn't get a full matched set for 16 years, during which time I got down to a single figure h'cap. The nearest thing I had to a sand wedge was an 8 iron, which I had to learn to use out of a bunker.

A few years back I played in a 4 club + putter comp and shot 3 over gross, and shot the same the following week with a full set, winning both comps.

 

[SocketRocket]

I have started carrying a small bag in the winter as the course gets a bit muddy for trollies and my backs not up to carrying a full set these days. I carry around 8 clubs and find I can manufacture shots where a club is missing and enjoy the challenge.

<Disclaimer> I don't object to anyone using 14 clubs