Three Club Challenge - What would you choose?

[Ally Mcintosh]

I'm going to give you three courses... You are going to play strokeplay from the second back tees...

Which three clubs would you choose for each course?...

1. The Old Course
2. Pine Valley
3. TPC Sawgrass

If you choose a putter, it has to count as one club...

(p.s. I'm doing this at Crail tomorrow evening and am still deciding... hence the question)

[Anthony Butler]

3 wood. 6 iron. Sand Wedge. For St Andrews & PV.

Substitute 6 for a 7 or 8 iron at TPC Sawgrass–for obvious reasons.

[Phil McDade]

TOC -- 5-iron (maybe 6), wedge of some kind, and a putter.

The other two courses I'm less familiar with (only through pics and videos), but both strike me as much tougher to do with three clubs, because of forced carries off tees and into greens. For my length, I'm not sure I could play PV without a driver because of those carries off the tee, which would really limit things, because I think you'd have to have a putter on those greens.

[PCCraig]

3 wood. 6 iron. Sand Wedge. For St Andrews & PV.

Substitute 6 for a 7 or 8 iron at TPC Sawgrass–for obvious reasons.

This is about right. 3-wood, 7 iron, and wedge will take care of most of the shots you'll face. In fact most courses can be played with only a 7-iron if you were so inclined.

[Phil McDade]

Wouldn't you want a putter on those monsterous TOC greens? You'll spend a lot more time on those greens than you would at PV or TPC, no? Thus the putter has a greater value at TOC than the other courses, it would seem.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Ally,
I would choose a p.wedge for putting, sand play, and most of my chipping. I would then look at the yardages and choose an iron whose distance I could comfortably split into three swings on the par 5s and a wood that I could do the same with for the par 4s, in two swings.

[Ian Andrew]

I played this way 3 times last year

4 rescue
7 iron
wedge

I'm a very good putter with a rescue club.

[Andrew Mitchell]

I haven't played Pine Valley or Sawgrass but I certainly wouldn't venture onto TOC without a putter.

Rescue 3 and a 7 iron would be my other clubs of choice.  Hoping to keep out of bunkers

[Tim Martin]

3 wood, 6 iron and sand wedge. I play every year in a three club plus putter and those are pretty good choices. I would putt with the sand wedge.

[Bob_Huntley]

I did this at TOC with 3 wood, 7 iron and s/wedge. The three wood makes for a very dependable putter.

Bob

[PCCraig]

I did this at TOC with 3 wood, 7 iron and s/wedge. The three wood makes for a very dependable putter.

Bob

As does the blade of a wedge. Don't ask how well I know that from experience

[Jud_T]

you definitely need a putter at the Old course.  Hell, you could get around with just that club if need be....

[cary lichtenstein]

3 wood, middle hybrid(like 5 iron equavilent) and sand wedge

[Phil McDade]

I'm surprised at some of these responses.

Putting is half the game -- par of 72 (on average), with 18 holes = four strokes per hole. Half of those, on average, are on the green. Why wouldn't you want to have the one club MADE for that surface in your three-club bag? It seems the law of averages -- no matter your ability as a player -- would mean you'd use a putter on a putter-appropriate surface more than any other club.

[John Shimony]

Driver, 7i, and putter.

[Jim_Kennedy]

I'm surprised at some of these responses.

Putting is half the game -- par of 72 (on average), with 18 holes = four strokes per hole. Half of those, on average, are on the green. Why wouldn't you want to have the one club MADE for that surface in your three-club bag? It seems the law of averages -- no matter your ability as a player -- would mean you'd use a putter on a putter-appropriate surface more than any other club.

Phil,
Using three clubs means that it's more likely that a player will have fewer aproach shots that land within 10' of the hole. No one makes a substantial number of one putts outside of 10', so all you really need to do is be a good lag putter with a wedge or a hybrid or an iron. Try it sometime, I think you'll find you're as good, or nearly as good, from 10' or more with one of those other clubs vs. your putter.

[Tim Nugent]

My 1-iron, 6-iron and 60 wedge.  I can drive 230 and putt w/the 1-iron while a punch will still go about 190. A 6 can do the middle yardages and I use my 60 for EVERYTHING inside 100 so that has to be in the bag.  Especially since in a 3-club, I would anticipate alot of chipping/short game shots.

We had a grand opening and invited a Long Drive guy as part of the clinic.  He bet a low handicapper on 18-holes - 2 clubs (one being his putter and the other being a club of the LH's choice) He choose a wedge for the 2nd club.  Long Drive guy tees it up and knocks his putter about 250.  It was an old heavy blade putter w/7 degrees of loft.  Afterwards (yes he won the bet) he said "it never fails, they always pick a wedge - if they picked a wood, I'd be screwed!"

[Phil McDade]

I'm surprised at some of these responses.

Putting is half the game -- par of 72 (on average), with 18 holes = four strokes per hole. Half of those, on average, are on the green. Why wouldn't you want to have the one club MADE for that surface in your three-club bag? It seems the law of averages -- no matter your ability as a player -- would mean you'd use a putter on a putter-appropriate surface more than any other club.

Phil,
Using three clubs means that it's more likely that a player will have fewer aproach shots that land within 10' of the hole. No one makes a substantial number of one putts outside of 10', so all you really need to do is be a good lag putter with a wedge or a hybrid or an iron. Try it sometime, I think you'll find you're as good, or nearly as good, from 10' or more with one of those other clubs vs. your putter.

I did, and was lousy at it (utility club). I once shot 44 for nine holes with a 6-rion and putter, and must've saved at least four shots with my putter.

[Bill_McBride]

I haven't played Pine Valley or Sawgrass but I certainly wouldn't venture onto TOC without a putter.

Rescue 3 and a 7 iron would be my other clubs of choice.  Hoping to keep out of bunkers

Based on my experiences in 2008 at #8 and #11, you might never finish without a wedge! 

[Jim_Kennedy]

I did, and was lousy at it (utility club). I once shot 44 for nine holes with a 6-rion and putter, and must've saved at least four shots with my putter.

Well, then I'm sorry for you Phil.

[Kevin Pallier]

Driver
6I
SW

for all 3

[Chuck Brown]

you definitely need a putter at the Old course.  Hell, you could get around with just that club if need be....

Abso-positively!

Others, including Phil McDade, have already said it for me.  If you give me three clubs, I am very nearly always going to pick putter as one of them.  If I am playing TOC, putter is going to be the critical club.  Without SW, there might be places at St. Andrews and PVGC you might never get out of.  Bumping the ball around the rest of the course 180 yards at a time is sufficient.
5i
SW
Putter
Scoring is all short game...

[Ben Sims]

For PV and Sawgrass I'll take a 3 hybrid, 8 iron, and a putter.  I need some length on those courses, not a ton of roll out, and I have a ton of shots with an 8 iron.  The putter just because I know I can't putt with a wedge or iron.

For The Old Course, I'll take a 4 iron (which can give me 80% of the shots I'll need), a sand wedge (for the very steep bunkers and forced carry on #1) and a putter.  Again, those contours require a real putter.

[Gary Slatter]

3 wood, 6 iron and 56 degree wedge would be my choice for all three courses.
I'd use a rock hard ball for the OLD and a soft ball for the other two courses.
I'd putt with my 3-wood on the Old for long putts and the wedge for the rest of the putts.