Feel free to write your own essay!
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Some really good stuff here as I have been considering changing my bag makeup. I had what I thought was good with Driver, 4w, 4h, 6-P, G, S, L and putter, but after a fitting 5 years ago I wound up with something different and I don’t think it’s worked as well in some respects. I think the fitting gave me better fitting shafts and a much better putter (long length, more loft, flatter lie), but swapping in a 3w and 3h gave me longer hitting clubs that I couldn’t find any consistency with.
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I heard he was running in combat boots? I don’t know if that’s a tall tale…
I think people wanting more distance has led to better understanding of how to gain distance… I think mike makes a lot of sense with his routines…
Yes, I think that was during his Navy SEAL phase
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I think I remember a story going around about another pro being out on the range of Woods’ home course, working with a 2 iron and really struggling with it. Woods was on one of those runs in combat boots, comes up, grabs the club from the pro, laces a ball 250 yards, then hands the club back and continues his run without a word.
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Haha… that’s an amazing story. I’ll go ahead and believe it.
It’s interesting to think about how much difference modern training is, and what it’s impact would have been on prior generations… like from all I know of Babe Ruth, I don’t think he would have followed a rigorous training regiment and probably wouldn’t be successful in modern times.
It also makes me wonder where the game of golf is headed professionally… should be interesting to see what the younger kids pick up and start maximizing… my guess is we are going to see more longer drives on average, even if the longest driver numbers don’t move a ton.
I think a ceiling will be reached where hitting farther will not be worth it. I’ve heard 200mph ball speed could be the line in the sand. Obviously guys can get faster than that in long drive competitions, but dispersion could be so wild beyond that point it won’t make strategic sense. We’ll see, I’m sure Bryson will test that theory soon he’s got a 48” shaft he’s working with!
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Yeah, I’ve heard pros say the ball does funny things at 200mph… That’s a perfect strike at 133 mph (from my basic math of CHS * 1.5)… it’d be interesting to see them consistently achieve that.
I also have no idea if it’s true the ball does funny things at 200mph! I’m not sure why it would, but I guess there is probably some point of speed where the rebound starts to get wonky.
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@greg_g apparently had the day off… went by to say hello (and check out the new mizuno wedges, which also weren’t in!)… had to treat myself to City BBQ to make myself feel better.
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Yes! I believe you should have the right tool for the specific job at hand…!
I’ve been through a few different club fittings, so I feel I understand the process and the goals of a good fitting - but I also very much like to test & experiment to find what works best for me.
My swing, and my golf game, are evolving so I know there will be further changes down the road … but unused clubs don’t sit in the bag (and don’t go to the course).
Two specific club notes (important - average recreational hacker talking here):
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I don’t carry a driver - I still can’t hit one well, nor anywhere near consistent enough to warrant using on the course. Yet!
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I recently changed my wedge setup from three “premium” matched blade wedges to…
… Gap = part of my GI iron set;
… SW = CBX2;
… LW = older, very wide-soled blade, ie. “specialty”, wedge (this is one of my least used clubs, but when I need it…)
I did not consider distance gapping at all, only what gives me confidence and what helps me execute the shots I want to hit 
I was listening to a podcast today and thinking about stuff I’ve been discussing on here… I’m half convinced to completely blow up my wedge setup… drop my three wood and go:
Set PW, GW, SW (or some sort of GI sandwedge)
Wide sole, high bounce SW
Narrow sole, low bounce LW…
5 wedges, with 2 specialty and the ability to take full swings with three wedges (which will hopefully get me to full swings down to 130 yards)
That is generally what’s recommended for most people’s wedge setup. You want to have two different bounce/sole designs to address multiple lies around the course.
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Yeah, I know I’m doing that part for sure … the big change would be the three gi wedges in addition… basically built around the concept of hitting full swing shots with more clubs in the bag.
I’m out of full shot range at 150 yards, as I don’t like hitting my sw or lw full.
What kind of gap would you have between your driver and the next club in your bag? Do you hit that 2nd club almost as far as the 3 wood? I have 4 wedges that I’m really happy to have in my bag but I do hit my 3 wood both when I have a shorter tee shot but more importantly on par 5’s when I want to get as close to the green as possible. I’m ok futzing around between 3 wood and long iron range where I don’t get a lot of shots but that cannon off the fairway seems like an important part of an arsenal.
I don’t use my three wood much and will be fine with just my hybrid… I can hit it 240 and hit my 3w 260… I don’t have 260 into a par five into two often.
Seems reasonable then. I just looked at my Arccos stats per club. Taking out the driver and putter, the most used clubs in my bag in order are(i play 4-5 courses pretty regularly so a pretty good sampling of different holes):
64 Degree
58 Degree
3 Wood
Gap Wedge
5i - PW are all more or less the same
4i
3i/5wood/Driving Iron - slot
For my game, I feel like the 4 wedge setup is at least getting used a lot.
Here’s my bag:
Driver
4W
3h
4h
5-PW
50*
54*
58*
I’ve always used a fitter and I know my carry and total yardages with each club and recalulate if there’s a change (especially with the propensity of hybrids and irons getting hotter). I believe we started with my 5i yardage and mapped gapping all the way through stock PW. Then moved up the bag to address the top. I’m hitting driver all day. My single FW is for 2nd shots on P5’s and long P4’s. It’s dialed up 1 to 16* because loft is your friend. After we calculated carry and total with the 4W we tackled hybrid. Hybrid is the toughest club for me to fit so once I find one that works, I stick with it. Last year was 1st time I switched. After looking a yardages of my 4W and 5i my 3h was dialed to 19* and 4h to 22*. Finally, it was time for a wedge fitting. Again, started with my PW yardage and worked through various lofts, bounces and grinds on 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full shots. I got to spend some time with Roger Cleveland a few years ago and that’s been my blueprint. The thing we look at is PW yardage, it can move with a new set plus any changes in my AoA. I use a S grind in my 50* and a modified C grind in my 54* and 58*. My last putter fitting was 2019 with a different fitter and location. This is something I can’t recommend enough especially with SAMS and Quintic. Length 33", 3* loft and total weight 519g. Old school golf pride grip with 2 wraps.
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I have a very similar club selection in my bag, just a 15* as my wood and my wedges are 50/55/60. I tweaked things a bit to cover distance gaps just based on my playing data and it’s feeling pretty good, but I’ve got a gap analysis session booked with a fitter for the end of the month to check it all and build a blueprint. Really excited for that!
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@BillyAtPerdido Maybe a better place to discuss niche builds…
Right now, my bag is mostly settled, with Driver, 3 wood, 19 degree hybrid, 22 degree utility iron, 5-GW Srixon Zx5 (whenever they arrive), 54 and 58 wedges and a putter.
The question of: Do I save more strokes with a 5 iron than I would with a 2nd putter is an interesting one… I probably hit 5 iron once every 4-5 rounds. I could probably cover the missing gap with my 6 iron and 4 utility if needed, even though it would leave a weird hole at 200ish yards (a distance I don’t see often at my home course).
Would a bag with a 10 foot and in putter and lag putter save me more strokes? I really have no idea. I’m not even sure what the second putter would look like for me. My gamer is fairly heavy, and I’m fine on short putts with it.
It might come down to where you play most of the time. For people in Scotland, carrying a second putter would be as foreign to them as carrying a second driver. But down here in Florida where golf managers seem to be practicing for their next career in turf farm operations, the greens have somewhat redefined the game of golf (to paraphrase Jack Nicklaus). In fact, Nicklaus rants at length about this in various books. His claim is that the modern emphasis on putting is at odds with the game’s origins.
My goal ultimately is to become the kind of putter that will sink anything from anywhere, regardless of club type. But until that happens, what I need is a club that maximizes (or at least optimizes) my development of touch. And I’m not ruling out finding my next putter in the back corner of some antique store somewhere!