[ward peyronnin]

20 plus years ago I could no longer pretend that I had the God given talent or time to be any more than a good golfer who often enlisted grinding as a way to get the ball in the hole. I was also introduced to the joys of overseas golf about the same time. The result was that I determined to cultivate a predominately shotmaking component as the most pleasurably exciting part of my golf experience. Part of that effort included what I now know to be called half bag golf; requiring practicing partial swings and different on course strategies to squeeze shots out of a limited number of clubs. I am sure most of you can appreciate the satisfaction striking a half 5 wood 170 yds successfully on target yields.
Recently the half bag concept has popped up more on my radar; in a Fried Egg podcast with Kevin Moore, Ran's new year proclamation and I am thinking Renaissance Golf's recap and I began to think more purposely about the practice. I wondered if an informal examination might spread the gospel to more folks on the website and create new dimensions in their game.

So I encourage a dialogue regarding What is half bag golf?
How does one practice for it? I have spent time on the range trying to hit every club in the bag 130 yds. One has to develop the ability to still turn the shoulders and chest on a partial swing to avoid the dreaded arm swing. What else ?
Does half bag golf change the match play in a round?
Which clubs remain and which are banished?
Which courses ( other than ground game courses) offer design styles and features that particularly promote this game? Would an architect ever include "half bag play" as a benefit of his design to a client?
Thanks for your thoughts

[Thomas Dai]

A favourite topic of mine - see - https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,56069.0.html
Atb

[Sean_A]

I don't know about all the fancy swing talk. I went with less than 10 clubs years ago to simply to lighten the weight 

Ciao

[Ira Fishman]

I went all the way down to four clubs this past fall after my wife played in a fun tournament which required it.  Driver, 19 degree hybrid, 7 iron, and Sand Wedge.  Used the leading edge of wedge to putt.  It did not have a material impact on my mediocre game and was a lot of fun.  A course that promotes the ground game clearly most amenable to a limited bag; our course had a few to many places where the Wedge did not provide enough distance to carry a bunker and getting enough height on an open face 7 iron was tough.


Ira

[Tim Martin]

It’s a fun way to play some rounds and you learn to create shots that you otherwise didn’t know you were capable of. Although a bit more than a half bag I play with 8 sometimes and like Sean started doing it a while ago in an effort to lighten the load. It really doesn’t have much effect on my score and leaves the door wide open as an excuse for poor play.

[Tom_Doak]

Ward:


This topic is music to my ears!


The most clubs I've carried at any time in the last five years is nine, and the fewest is four, for my pair of Hundred Hole Hikes with Jim Colton.  And my lowest scores in that period were at St. Andrews, with the four clubs!


On links courses, there is really no need for a bunch of different lofts, as you can play a shot to bounce the ball into the green with any club you have.  Courses in the U.S., with greens bunkered in front and/or softer approaches, usually put you in an awkward situation where you want a club you don't have, maybe three or four times per 18 holes.   


Crystal Downs is one of the hardest courses to play that way: there are a few holes where you can't play short and leave yourself an easy up-and-down, but going safely past the hole leaves a diabolical putt.


This topic just makes too much sense, so be prepared for someone to attack you for it.  And don't open any small packages from equipment companies!      When an architect friend suggested this as a possible solution to the distance problem, the R & A's chief technical officer quickly replied, "Our friends in the equipment industry wouldn't be too keen about selling half as many clubs."

[Sean_A]

Tom

Do you think half the clubs would really be sold?  I have a feeling club nerds are club nerds.  They will buy clubs regardless and leave several in the boot depending on the course, conditions etc. 

In any case, there is no way a touring pro needs more than 8 clubs.  I am not sure scores would be any lower with fewer wrenches in their hands, but I suspect how they earn the low scores would be more entertaining to watch.

Ciao

[David_Tepper]

I am planning to experiment with an 8-club bag (driver, 5-wood, hybrid, 6- & 8-irons, PW, SW & putter) for my casual rounds in Scotland this year.

I find it easier to carry a lighter weight bag than pushing a trolley with 14 clubs in the bag.

[Carl Rogers]

Agreed Tom & Sean. 
I carry 9 clubs going by loft degrees rather than let's say what is an 8 iron.
Driver
22 deg (fairway metal)
27.5 deg (hybrid)
32.5 deg (iron)
38 deg
44 deg
50 deg
58 deg
Putter
2 reasons:
1. Overtime I have lost distance and the carry difference between traditional lofts is not significant.
2. I want to walk & carry whenever possible, thus a lighter bag fits better.


My next set will have all 8 deg loft differentials.

[BHoover]

I have been using fewer clubs more often recently, particularly during winter rounds. I have to admit I was hesitant initially because I didn’t know how it would impact my game. But I’ve found the difference to be negligible. The side effect of less weight to carry while walking is a plus. When I’ve done it, I usually take out either the odd or even numbered irons and my 3-wood and, sometimes, my 58* wedge.

I also have fallen in love with playing old clubs, particularly 1950s Macgregor persimmons woods and blades, and it is so much fun trying to create and play shots with those clubs. Adding in the element of a half set only adds to the fun in my opinion.

I have embraced my inner golf hipster...and it’s been a lot of fun.

[David Jones]

I am planning to experiment with an 8-club bag (driver, 5-wood, hybrid, 6- & 8-irons, PW, SW & putter) for my casual rounds in Scotland this year.

I find it easier to carry a lighter weight bag than pushing a trolley with 14 clubs in the bag.

I've gone to 7 or 8 pretty much full time now when I'm playing Links golf - Driver, 5i, 7i, 9i, GW, SW and Putter with sometimes something to fill the gap between Driver and 5. Having done nothing in a medal for years I won two on the bounce with the 7 club setup!

[Eric Smith]

Wardo I’ve been carrying 8-9 clubs since 2012 when I did a Hundred Hole Hike at Dismal River. Can’t imagine adding any back to the bag.

[Jay Mickle]

I have been playing short sets for quit some time: 5,7,9,(4,6,8),P, 54* 23*hybrid, driver and putter. For this years BUDA trip I will bring a half set of hickories also with a second collapsible bag. That way Kate can play an occasional round with me using my moderns. I notice little difference in my scores when I keep them. For competitions I may gear up a bit but never hit the 14 club limit. Pulling off the touch shots with a different club is more fun than getting a low score.

[Peter Pallotta]

Ward -
for me it's important to be able to 'see' a shot in order to be able to hit it. I so rarely used a 60 degree wedge in the past that when I try one these days I'm no good with it at all: in one sense, it's easy to hit; but after years of using a PW around the green and for short approaches, I just don't 'see' the higher trajectory and more spin and less roll of a 60 degree. So it doesn't get into my half set. Neither does a 3 wood or a 5 wood: I simply haven't hit enough high quality shots off the turf with either of those over the years to be able to visualize/see a positive result, so they don't get into the bag either. The result: as with others so far, it's 8 clubs -- Driver, 2 hybrid, 4-6-8 irons, PW, SW, putter.   
Peter

[Tom_Doak]

Tom

Do you think half the clubs would really be sold?

Sean:


I don't know, but just like a Bernie Sanders presidency, there is a large establishment determined to never let us find out!


It's not the club nerds they worry about - it is about selling 14 clubs to every beginner, before they quit the game.

[Tommy Williamsen]

When I walk at Ballyhack I’ll carry ten clubs but not when I or my clubs ride. I just bought PXGs and I’ll be darned I’ll keep a few in my trunk when I don’t have to carry.
I do enjoy the times I have fewer clubs though. It makes me work on shotmaking, imagination, and feel. Imagination is the thing most folks never practice.

[David Harshbarger]

A slightly different spin on this would be:


If 8 clubs can deliver a reasonable game, but the 14 club limit is due to a star player carrying 25(!), what non-standard/special purpose clubs would you carry now that you have 6 spots opened up in your bag? 

[Bernie Bell]

A slightly different spin on this would be:


If 8 clubs can deliver a reasonable game, but the 14 club limit is due to a star player carrying 25(!), what non-standard/special purpose clubs would you carry now that you have 6 spots opened up in your bag?

Hypothetically I would carry a left-handed 4 iron, but I would first have to satisfy myself that I could advance a low runner with it. 

[David Harshbarger]

A slightly different spin on this would be:


If 8 clubs can deliver a reasonable game, but the 14 club limit is due to a star player carrying 25(!), what non-standard/special purpose clubs would you carry now that you have 6 spots opened up in your bag?

Hypothetically I would carry a left-handed 4 iron, but I would first have to satisfy myself that I could advance a low runner with it.

An off-hand club was the only thing I came up with, too.  I don't to work to hard to convince myself I'm more likely to advance a left-handed iron than any right-handed club held toe-down. :-)


So, that got us to 9!

[jeffwarne]

Tom

Do you think half the clubs would really be sold?

Sean:


I don't know, but just like a Bernie Sanders presidency, there is a large establishment determined to never let us find out!


It's not the club nerds they worry about - it is about selling 14 clubs to every beginner, before they quit the game.

Interesting take
I often carry 8-10 as the lighter load is great.


I'd like to think people would buy less clubs.
I always try to sell a beginner a half set or less as they won't use half anyway, and it merely adds confusion. Unfortunately, even when I'm successful their significant other almost always buys them a 4 and 5 iron, 3 wood gap and L wedge I have purposely avoided(amongst others).
I've had more than one fruitless conversations with a high handicap woman on why her 7,8 and 9 iron all go the same distance...and why her 7 wood goes farther than that 13 degree 3 wood her husband gave her...


I don't think it is the "answer" to the distance "issue" as it changes nothing in my rant about distance and scale.
Scale won't change-i'll still be waiting with the athletic 10 handicap for the green at 320 to clear.
And the appropriate safety corridors will still remain larger.
Classic courses will still be bastardized at tournament sites as the elite only use drivers, a driving iron and wedges anyway.


an interesting-yet separate topic from distance-but I will say if less clubs were allowed maybe we'd see more courses designed/appraciated with less fronting hazards.
and faster more intuitive play

[Bob Montle]

VERY timely thread!
Due to wacky circumstances, I have two identical golf bags with two identical putters and two identical drivers.**
So
In my previously unused bag I put a driver, 4H,6H,8I,W,LW and putter.
Plus a handful of tees, golf visor, gloves and 6 balls.

Now I carry that bag everytime I walk 9 holes after work.

If I'm in a weekend tournament where carts are required I use the other bag with all my other clubs* and balls and towels and rangefinder and retriever etc.

My scores have actually improved!

* I still have driver, 3W, 5W, 3H, 5H, 7I, 9I, UW, SW, putter and lob wedge.

** Bag was stolen with about $35 in a pocket.  I replaced most of my clubs.  Bag showed up behind the shop at the clubhouse a month later with money missing but everything else intact.

[Peter Flory]

I believe that Sarazen won some or all of his majors with 7 clubs in the bag.  He relied heavily on the jigger (about 32 degrees loft and low center of gravity), even for full shots.  Hard to imagine limiting yourself like that when you have a caddie. 

I heard that Hagen would sometimes carrying 20+ clubs, partially for endorsement reasons. 

[Mark_Fine]

I play my home club Lehigh many times each year with anywhere from just four to eight clubs.  It is a great way to learn how to be creative and hit "golf" shots. Last fall I was playing out in Chicago at Medinah and on the one par four I blocked a drive right into some trees.  I was 130 yards to the green completely blocked out.  My only shot was a 30-40 yard cut that could get no more than 8-10 feet off the ground.  My caddie suggested I pitch back out sideways to the fairway.  I said I don't think so, give me my 3W.  He looked at me like I was crazy.  I hit an extremely low knock down cut shot that ran up on the green to about 20 feet.  The caddie did not question any of my club selections the rest of the round     I never could have hit and/or pictured that shot if I hadn't practiced with just four or five clubs in my bag during a round 

[Ian Andrew]

Ward,

I just went down to 6 this week.
They have wooden shafts too.

[David Harshbarger]

Ward,

I just went down to 6 this week.
They have wooden shafts too.

All the same manufacturer or a "found" set?

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