[Thomas Dai]

Do you keep round-by-round stats on how often you use each club in your bag (all shots played each club inc full shots, recoveries, short game etc) and if so what does that tell you about your game and the design of the courses you are playing?
Atb

[Tommy Williamsen]

Absolutely not. I have enough to worry about. I keep a record of how many greens I hit, number of times I get up and down, how many fairways I hit, and the number of times I three putt.

[Terry Lavin]

From time to time I’ll notice which club(s) I haven’t used in a round. That’s all the accounting I do.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

The only stats where I record the actual club used is for par 4s and 5s. I just note how many fairways I hit with my driver and 3-wood. For a while, I was under the impression I was more accurate off the tee with my 3-wood, but my stats say otherwise. If you're playing you home club regularly and with a fairly consistent game, you'll tend to play the same irons on the same holes. I don't think recording the clubs you use is of much use, nor does it say so much about the architecture. But i do like a course where pulling out the driver is not the automatic choice on every hole. On my home course, I play a 3-wood on three of the nine par 4s.

[Peter Pallotta]

Absolutely not. I have enough to worry about. I keep a record of how many greens I hit, number of times I get up and down, how many fairways I hit, and the number of times I three putt.

I only recently began keeping such stats -- and it was a real eye-opener & double edged surprise. I found out I'm a much better driver off the tee than I thought, and better too out of bunkers & with a variety of recovery shots; but that I'm a much worse iron/approach player than I ever imagined, and an absolutely dreadful putter, just frighteningly bad. To Thomas' question: I'm still drawing out the implications of my recent insights, but on the weekend I revisited my WITB (and bought a couple of used clubs) in preparation for my next round, ie: driver, 4 wood, 3-4 hybrid, 5-6 hybrid, 7 iron to Gap Wedge, 54 degree, 58 degree and (a return with hope in my heart to an old favourite) Anser putter. But I do understand why so many love 'short Par 4s'. The scores we shoot coming into greens with 9 irons and PWs are exponentially better than when we come in with even just a 7 iron. 

[Jay Mickle]

I rarely ever even keep score. I putt out for birdies and pars otherwise (ie.very often) I often pick up. I like to play a wide variety of shots around the green with every club but 3 wood and Driver and let the course and my eye dictate the shot. Generally out for late day walks and as many hole as suit the day. My handicap has only varied within a 4 stroke range for 15 years doubt that statistics will help much.

[Jim Sherma]

I used the Game Golf system a couple of years ago to track my game (similar to things like the Arcos system out now). It was interesting at first but the information didn't really change the way I went about the game.


Architecturally I did find that the course that I regularly play can very much impact what my bag set up is. When I joined Hershey CC the regularity and importance of the 170-220 shots made me completely rethink the top end of my bag. My usual playing yardages are 6500-6700 on the East and 6500-6800 on the West. Prior to this I played various public courses that rarely had me outside of 6400. I ended up dumping the lob-wedge as I rarely used it for full shots and rally only used it as a last resort, proved smarter to use my 56 and just take my medicine if I am in a spot where I would have used the lob-wedge. I then spent a lot of time and focus on finding a set up with the longer clubs that worked for me above the seven or six iron. Prior to the move it just didn't matter that much since I did not see many shots outside of 150 or so. Not that it's important to anyone, but I ended up with the following solution:


> Graphite shafts in my 6(160-170) and 5(170-180) irons making them a little easier to load fully
> Older original Mizuno Fli-Hi 4(185-195) and 3(195-210) that launch more like long irons than modern hybrids
> Cobra 5-wood(210-225) with a fairly large face allowing me to attack it out of the rough - also can choke up and get it in the air nicely from 175 and up

[Steve Wilson]

Somewhere I have the record of a 79 I once shot during which I only four clubs for 73 of the shots.  Driver, a 19 degree hybrid, a pitching wedge and a putter.  I probably had at least 12 clubs with me and maybe 14, but the course was laid out so that I was either on or close with the hybrid much of the time.  After that I started playing with fewer clubs and went to a Sunday bag especially when I was carrying. 


Knowing Jim Sherma I am not surprised at his technical approach to his game.  I also know that Jim has enough game that it would benefit from his stochastic analysis.  Not only could I not do a stochastic analysis, I wouldn't benefit from it.  However, my back did benefit from realizing I had more clubs in the bag than I really needed.
 

[John Emerson]

Keeping stats on anything in my golf game is fruitless, and pointless.  Hell, I can’t tell you the last time I kept score

[Craig Disher]

I don't want to appar snide but I can't for the life of me understand why I would want to do that. Perhaps I'm not as serious about playing as others but I like to make it up as I go, try different clubs just for the fun of trying to do something different. Once I play a shot, it's on to the next. I don't think I have the patience to actually take not of what I just did. Except for lack of talent, this might be one reason I'm such a mediocre golfer.

[Peter Sayegh]

Thomas, back in the day, yes, just on my (iron) approach shots, yardage approximated, solely to see if my ego outweighed my talent.The farce has (d)evolved ever since. I now note how many poor chips I make with a particular club.
It's taught me how much my iron game has deteriorated over the years...and reiterated what a horrible chipper I am.

[Paul Jones]

I usually keep track of which clubs, I tee off with and into the greens along with how many putts. I put an X if I used a club to pitch out, since I usually use my 6 iron to punch out under trees.

[Brad Lawrence]

A little off topic but I think 14 clubs is too many. I think the game would be more fun and more interesting if the limit was closer to 10. If I’m walking, I usually pull a handful of clubs out of the bag. I rarely miss them and if I do I am provided the opportunity to improvise. 

[Cal Seifert]

A little off topic but I think 14 clubs is too many. I think the game would be more fun and more interesting if the limit was closer to 10. If I’m walking, I usually pull a handful of clubs out of the bag. I rarely miss them and if I do I am provided the opportunity to improvise.

I've believed this for years.  Would likely speed up play.  Especially on par 3's when people take 2 minutes to decide if they want to hit a 7 or 6 iron. Brings feel back into the game.

[Tim Martin]

A little off topic but I think 14 clubs is too many. I think the game would be more fun and more interesting if the limit was closer to 10. If I’m walking, I usually pull a handful of clubs out of the bag. I rarely miss them and if I do I am provided the opportunity to improvise.

I’ve been at 12 clubs for a while and one of a pair of hybrids is the next to get ditched. I don’t keep any kind of stats just score.

[John Emerson]

A little off topic but I think 14 clubs is too many. I think the game would be more fun and more interesting if the limit was closer to 10. If I’m walking, I usually pull a handful of clubs out of the bag. I rarely miss them and if I do I am provided the opportunity to improvise.

I’ve been at 12 clubs for a while and one of a pair of hybrids is the next to get ditched. I don’t keep any kind of stats just score.

I agree.  I keep wanting to ditch another club each year it seems like.  Not sure anyone needs more than p-56-pw-9-7-5-hybrid-3w-D.  Ive been playing these 9 clubs for a couple years.  It makes me play and imagine much more creative shots.  Some say “what do you do for a 6i distance?!” I say “choke down on 5 and swing easier.”

[mike_beene]

The Titleist fitter showed me that I now carry both a 5 wood and 7 wood farther than a 3 wood. Goodbye 3 wood.

[Joe Zucker]

A little off topic but I think 14 clubs is too many. I think the game would be more fun and more interesting if the limit was closer to 10. If I’m walking, I usually pull a handful of clubs out of the bag. I rarely miss them and if I do I am provided the opportunity to improvise.

There is at least one pro who isn't too bothered by fewer clubs in the bag.


https://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2021/6/3/pagunsan-qualifies-for-the-open-using-11-clubs-prompting-yet-more-calls-to-just-try-it-one-lousy-week-you-tour-dullards

[Steve Lang]

   Concur definitely quicker club selection with my Even Stephen Crazy 8 set of P, 60, 10, 8, 6, 20 deg FW , 12 deg FW, D and lighter with 4-5 balls versus a collection of 18 between deinventorying


... stats not as important as options for known grasses wet/dry conditions, with some hybrids or other wedges switched in/out, the balance set of clubs in the trunk are 56 & 52 degree wedges, 30 & 25 degree hybrids, 9, 7, & 5 irons, and 21 & 16.5 deg FW...

[Tom_Doak]

A little off topic but I think 14 clubs is too many. I think the game would be more fun and more interesting if the limit was closer to 10. If I’m walking, I usually pull a handful of clubs out of the bag. I rarely miss them and if I do I am provided the opportunity to improvise.

There is at least one pro who isn't too bothered by fewer clubs in the bag.


https://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2021/6/3/pagunsan-qualifies-for-the-open-using-11-clubs-prompting-yet-more-calls-to-just-try-it-one-lousy-week-you-tour-dullards

The reason this doesn't happen is that equipment companies want to sell you a full 14 clubs.  They're probably lobbying to make 14 mandatory!

[Jeff_Brauer]

From time to time I’ll notice which club(s) I haven’t used in a round. That’s all the accounting I do.

This.  I usually notice when cleaning my irons after a round.  I expect the wedges and what not to be used often.  Every so often, I see a dirty 6 or 4 iron, and it reminds me that on that course, on that day, in those conditions, I sure hit a lot of that club into the green.  This year, I do recall two occasions where I hit three straight 6 irons into the green.  So I guess 2 in a row is okay, but 3 in a row gets repetitive.


My mind naturally wanders to the gca side of things.  Ingeneral, the fact that I don't notice until after the round indicates to me that the ideal notion of wide distance variations is great in theory, but not really necessary to accomplish.  Certainly not at the expense of a good golf hole.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Dirt method for me. My 4 iron is clean, 2 iron looks new, 9 iron and wedge clagged up with mud.

[Steve Lang]

   Jeff,


"In general, the fact that I don't notice until after the round indicates to me that the ideal notion of wide distance variations is great in theory, but not really necessary to accomplish.  Certainly not at the expense of a good golf hole."

Speaking of 6 irons and set-ups... yesterday in a tourney, last two holes, I had 136 into to a short right pin, faded a 6 iron (my 140-145 carry club) close enough to think about birdie, but missed it,  next hole 150 to back left pin, another 6 iron got hole high and even closer, missed another, but par is good for bogey golfers...

in the age of laser finders, and gps watches giving front and back yardages, who really cares about yardage on a card??

[Jeff_Brauer]

Steve,


I agree.  Even before lasers, the standardized shaft matching and so forth really reduced everyone to one full swing (and another for short shots and another for chipping and pitching, and another for putting......So swinging a 4 iron vs 6 iron really isn't all that much different, although 4 iron and longer do pose some problems for most.  (According to USGA slope data, there is a negative accuracy jump at 180 yards out.


And, my strategic design theory for most golfers follows about what you describe, giving a choice to the fat green middle or adjusting your club and flight pattern (and maybe trajectory) to play a bit more aggressively.  I doubt that challenge ever gets old.

[Steve Lang]

   All that get's old is the stat that it used to be an 8 iron vs a 6 iron shot...     but i'll take it!

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