Do You Change Your Club Configuration to Suit the Course?

[Phil Benedict]

I carry 4-wedges, 3-9 iron, a driver and 3-metal and a putter.  I never vary this configuration.  The distance gap between my 3-metal and 3-iron is probably 35 yards if I hit them both well.  I am more likely to mishit the 3-iron.

Playing the 18th at Yale recently, I hit 3-wood off the 18th tee despite the urging of my playing partner who knew the course well and is a good player, who said that was too much club.  In the event I hit the shot a little left of my target and ended up on the bank with an awkward lie.  Disaster ensued even though my tee shot was only a little off target.

The right club was probably a hybrid, which of course I didn't have in my bag.  There is no shot on my home course where I need a hybrid, so I don't carry one or even have one in my locker?

Do many of you guys vary your bag configuration to suit the course you are playing?

[Tom Huckaby]

I don't play enough golf to justify this.
I don't take the game seriously enough to justify this.
I'm not good enough to justify this.

Seriously, I just try to get comfortable with the clubs I have, and hit them as best as I can.  I also rarely play a course other than my home course two times in a row, so I figure for any one round I'll do just fine.  Of course the presumption is also that one knows the other course well enough to determine which clubs would do better there... I find that very difficult to figure except at a course I am VERY familiar with.

So I have a set that works quite well at my home course, and at others, well... it works well enough.

So the answer is no.

 

[Jim_Kennedy]

I am more likely to mishit the 3-iron.-Phil Benedict

Phil,
All the more reason to add the hybrid.  

What do you use at the 3rd or 14th holes, at home?

[Tom Huckaby]

Re use of hyrids, I too pondered this for a long time before making the plunge... what finally got me over myself was when I heard freakin' Jamie Slonis uses them.  Man if a player that great eschews low irons, who the hell am I trying to kid keeping them in the bag?

I carry Hogan version 2 and 3 hybrids.  I hit them tremendously well.  The only tiny downside is they are relatively difficult to keep low, but hell it's not impossible.  The positives outweigh the negatives by a huge margin.

TH

[Phil Benedict]

I am more likely to mishit the 3-iron.-Phil Benedict

Phil,
All the more reason to add the hybrid.  

What do you use at the 3rd or 14th holes, at home?

Varies according to wind conditions but I generally use a three of a four-iron on 3 and a three-metal on 14.  If 14 is downwind I choke down a little on the 3-metal.

I did own a hybrid once but it was stolen from my bag.  One of the supposed benefits of hybrids is they help you get the ball up in the air, and I don't need any help hitting it high - if anything I hit it too high.

Carrying 4 wedges limits my flexibility as far as metals and hybrids are concerned.  The problem is the gap, sand and lob wedges are a Christmas gift from my wife.  I just can't bring myself to throw one of them into my locker.  Too sentimental I guess.  Plus I can blame her every time I mishit one of these clubs.

[Garland Bayley]

Yes

[peter_p]

At my two home courses at Reserve Vineyards I take out the  sand wedge on the Cupp course and put in another mid-iron. When travelling I used to carry sand wedges with different bounces and decide in the practice bunker. Mickelson doesn't have a driver in his bag at Firestone today.

[Mark Arata]

Besides changing drivers as often as my shorts because I cant hit any of them, the only thing I have ever done was take out the 52 wedge and put in the 60 wedge for courses with deep bunkers or large bunkers fronting greens that I would likely have to flop over.....other than that, I am no where near good enough to have the composition of the bag make any difference......unless I got real smart some day and took the driver out of my bag completely, would probably save me 5-8 strokes a round............

[Tom Huckaby]

Forget Snead - I'll beat him to the punch - you are thinking too much.

BUT... I'll retract that if you have a rota of courses you play all the time and know very well and you've figured out which clubs are needed at each.  If that's the case, then why not put the ones in that work the best, based on experience?

But outside of that, well... how do you know which clubs would work?  For example, I feel safe in assuming you've either never played my home course Santa Teresa or if you have, it's been many years.  I haul you out there some time... how the hell do you decide which clubs make the first string?

TH

[Garland Bayley]

...Mickelson doesn't have a driver in his bag at Firestone today.

I have always suspected that Callaway put Phil up to that two driver thing. I suspect it even more if he is not carrying driver at Firestone.

I put my 16 degree graphite shafted fairway wood back in the bag for our club championship a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of the tees going to the way back on our longest par 3 (like they had done the past 3 years). The tees stayed forward and I was hitting it long (followed by 3 putting ) with the 21 degree hybrid.

I tried carrying 4 wedges for a while and then choosing a long iron to leave out depending on the par 3 distances on the course I was about to play. Turns out since I don't practice enough with the lob, it is not that useful to me, so it is now semi-permanently retired.

[A.G._Crockett]

I'd think you'd have to be really, really good to be able to go back and forth on various clubs and still hit them well.  Heck, it's hard enough to hit any 14 well all the way through the bag.

I think it is a lot more difficult than it used to be to get a "perfect" set and stay with it, though, because of the extra options now available in wedges.  If you carry 4 (or even three) wedges, you are almost condemned to gaps somewhere in your set, and they tend to be on the long end of the spectrum.  Switching around from hybrids to fairway woods to long irons, etc., has become a lot more prevalent.  

[Tom Huckaby]

Concur with AGC.  It is more difficult to get a long-term
set 14 these days as we seem to have more choices.  

But that's not the question... which is do you change specifically for courses?  That I would find odd unless you really know the course in question.

But the most important thing that's come out of this thread is this:  is there a greater head-case than a golfer who carries TWO PUTTERS?

 

[Phil Benedict]

But the most important thing that's come out of this thread is this:  is there a greater head-case than a golfer who carries TWO PUTTERS?

Maybe a straight-jacket ought to be in the bag too.

[Nick Church]

Everynow & then, I will switch in & out my Titleist 585H, but mostly due to par 5 yardages and windy conditions.

[APBernstein]

Hybrids?  Yuck.

Just got my new Mizuno MP-33 2 iron a few weeks ago (matches the rest of my irons), to replace my much older Titleist 962B 2 iron.  For as crusty as you guys are, I figured hyrbids would be taboo.  

[Jim_Kennedy]

Phil,
I never did answer your original question, so here goes.
I stick with what I've worked on getting right for me. This means 3 wedges, P/47, G/52, S/58 and 3 woods, D/9.5, Sp/13, 4/19. I also carry a Titleist 503 at 22 instead of a 3 iron.

Now, if the winners check was 1mil I might be looking for that perfect club or two to swap out, but until then............

[Tom Huckaby]

Andrew - have you ever hit a hybrid?

Do so and I dare say you'll be converted.  In fact I'd love for you to do the test I did - 25 balls with a good hybrid, 25 balls with that Mizuno 2-iron (mine was Titleist 962), compare results.  If you hit the 2iron better, keep it.  

I'd bet anything the hybrid joins the bag.

In any case, I used to think just like you... then I consulted truly good players... and did a test of my own.  It wasn't even close for me.  But again what got me is when a plus-handicap like Jamie said he carries two.  Now perhaps you are a plus-handicap, top-flight amateur event winner like Jamie.  In that case, listening to a 4 hdcp hack like me would be silly.  But if not, well... just do give it a try.

TH

[Bill Shamleffer]

No.  I use the same 10 clubs no matter the course:
Driver, 4-wood, 7-wood, 5, 7, 8, & 9-irons, PW, SW, putter.

[Tom Huckaby]

Huck:

I think anybody who averages more than 32 putts a round (ie, most of you) who DOESN'T have 2 putters in the bag is making a mistake.   You ain't good enough to have just one, and it's at least 1/3 of your strokes.

If you're using 4 wedges, using 2 putters is downright conservative!

I find that the use of the long putter from inside 20 feet, and the short one over 20 feet is pretty much optimal.

Oh, I understand your delusions.  It remains good for your game and your sanity that you have yourself convinced.  And I don't doubt it works well for you.

You just do remain a head-case re this issue.  You can - and should - deny it.  Just don't expect anyone else to buy the reasoning.

TH

[Brian Noser]

Nick,  How do you like that 585h??

I currenty am tweaking the bag. I do not play enough courses on a regular basis to switch my clubs before the round. I feel if I do not hit the shot all the time I will not be used to doing it. I would think that if i was preparing for a tournament or somthing I would consider doing this but it is a long shot.

In now

TM 510TP 9.5 Great stick Best driver I have ever hit.
3 wood 15*
hybrid 19
3-pw
52,56
putter

Thinking of dropping the hybrid 19 for a 17 hybrid(585h) dropping the 3wood and adding a 60* not for sure but I rarely hit the 3wood but I can murder the hybrid?? Also Trying out a 1 iron that came with the set I just got.

[Tom Huckaby]

Like I say, keep deluding yourself.

Long putts and short putts are two different shots.. now I've heard everything.  And just where is the dividing line?  I must have missed all these magic lines on and off greens.

My friend, I won't press this further, as doing so would only kill the tenuous grip you have on golf sanity.  I do remain proud of you for continuing the delusion, as it does seem mandatory for you.  But here's hoping you regain sanity someday.  I'd bet you could use a 14th real club.

TH

[Tom Huckaby]

Ideally, we'd be allowed more than 14 clubs.

But we're not.

But anyway, you win.  I forget you are talking about crappy putters here.  Heck, if one sucks bad enough to get the benefit Thomas states, then of course his take makes logical sense.  Those of us with no need for these crutches just shall take pity on you, and enjoy the benefits of a 14th club devoted to more useful purposes.

 

[Jeff Shelman]

I was quick to join the hybrid revolution and now I'm among the people who have two of them (though I do have thoughts of putting the 3w back in the back.

Current setup
Driver (Fusion FT-3)
16 degree hybrid (Taylor Rescue Dual)
19 degree hybrid (TM Rescue Dual)
4-PW (Ping i3+)
51 or 52 degree gap (Ping i3)
56 and 60 wedges (Vokey)
Putter (center-shafted, LPGA-endorsed Odyssey 2-ball)

Do I change on setup? Not that often. Sometimes the Yes putter displaces the Odyssey and occassionally the 3-wood goes back in the bag. But that's about it.

The driver, however, is on constant probation. I'm on my third different one of the year right now.

[Tom Huckaby]

Jeff:

I too carry two hybrids, but I also have a 3wood.  I find that useful off the tee and for longer fairway shots.  In fact it makes the gaps work perfectly as my longer hybrid (19 degree Hogan) still doesnt go as far as my ancient 3wood (Titleist PT-15 steel).

So I wonder why you need 4 wedges?  Do you really need the PW and the gap?  How often do you really use all four?

I ponder this all the time and change my wedge set up a lot.  But what's worked best for me is PW at 48 or so, GW/SW at 52/53, LW at 60.  I can't see where a 48-52-56-60 set up would mean that I use each more than 38-53-60 + 3wood.  Unless you absolutely kill that 16 degree hybrid, you'd benefit from the 3w in the bag.

BTW, don't you have a rather huge gap from 19 hybrid to 4iron?  19 hybrid is the equivalent of a 2iron... 16 is a 1iron....

TH

[Tom Huckaby]

shiv:

If one is a good putter, one doesn't make the errors Thomas lists.  Again, all of this applies only to shitty putters to begin with.

And of course Thomas - and you - fail to put this in the overall context of 14 clubs required.

Just answer this:  what caused you to get so "advanced" in your thinking?

And then be honest... if you didn't suck to begin with, would you have made this change?

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" has always been sage counsel.  I've yet to hear of a good putter who's changed to the long putter or claw grip, let alone made the head-case move to carrying two putters.  I doubt we ever will find that golfer.