Steve Carroll: It was the annual two club and putter competition at my club at the weekend and I spent more time than was probably necessary agonising over the choice.
I even took in a practice round, trying out different combinations, as I attempted to put together the optimal bag.
Given that I wandered in with only 31 points, it was clearly all in vain.
I opted for a driver – I’m not the biggest hitter and need all the help I can get – and a 7-iron, versatile and easily my favourite club in the bag.
Was this the correct choice? Could I have done better?
If you were restricted to carrying only 3 bats on a round, what would they be and why?
Christian Maiden: Personally I would have gone with a hybrid, 7-iron and putter.
The reason for the hybrid is that you give yourself some chance on longer par 4s to get to the green in two off the tee as my hybrid distance would be around the 190-200 yard marker leaving hopefully another hybirid.
I think you would struggle with driver due not being able to use the club off the fairway or rough for the longer shots also you would get a lot more control with a hybrid.
I think the 7-iron also compliments the hybrid as you’re covered for 320 – 360 yard par 4s tee to green…
SC: I tried really hard to put the hybrid in there, but sprayed it all over the shop in practice. There was a confidence issue…
Tom Irwin: 5-wood. 7-Iron. Wedge. No need to debate this, that is the answer.
CM: That’s 3 clubs, it’s 2 clubs and a putter.
TI: Is your hybrid 9 degrees and the same length as a driver?
CM: 19 degrees actually and I will stand on a Trackman and clear 200 yards.
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Then I’ll smash in some Maxi protein shakes afterwards and shout Man…I am a Man!!
Driving distance is now optimised at a whopping 230 yards, just for your info.
Tom Lenton: 31 points. Does this not pose the question is 14 clubs more than we need? Could it speed up play and make people more decisive on club choice?
3 wood. 7-iron. Wedge.
SC: You’d think it would speed up play, wouldn’t you? Nearly four hours later, though, I came to the conclusion that some people are just slow.
MT: 6-iron, chipper, putter. Play to your strengths.
SC: And what are they?
MT: My strengths? Not hitting a 5-iron or wedges.
Dan Murphy: And matchplay.
MT: If we’re really showing off then 10-pin bowling can be added to the list.
James Broadhurst: I would go 5-wood, 7-iron, putter. Then I will pray for my ball to stay away from the bunkers.
Oh, and to be able to hit it straight, make some putts and get the ball off the ground with a fairway wood.
Jordan Elliott: I’d go with 3-iron, 7-iron and 54-degree wedge.
3-iron – to get considerable distance off the tee.
7-iron – can be used for mid-range shots as well as around the green.
54-wedge – for chipping and bunker usage.
MT: I played a one-club challenge with a chipper yesterday and that would definitely be one of the three. So, after further reflection and testing, I would go for a 5-wood/19˚ hybrid, chipper and putter..
Craig Middleton: I can get some good distance with a hybrid and also gives me an option out of the rough on a long par 4.
8 iron – purely because in theory it should be able to give me quite a wide range of shots, off the tee- rough, bunkers and putter just because it’s probably one of my strong points.
TL: I think a high proportion of golfers would have a lower handicap if they used less club. It would stop people pulling out a lob wedge from just off the green.
I can see the benefit in the long game of having lots of clubs but not around the greens.
Who would win the hybrid hit off, Craig? You or Christian?
CM: Probably Christian but I’d give it my best…
TI: In all the nonsense that is talked about speeding up golf, reducing the amount of clubs you are allowed to use might well be the answer.
In fact it could fix all sorts of problems. No one uses long irons anyway so they might as well go. Most players have no gaps beyond 7-iron, and are not consistent enough to warrant multiple wedges.
If you limited a driver shaft to 3-wood length that would help with the distance the ball is travelling. You would need some sort of lofted fairway/hybrid, a sand iron and a putter. So a bag would be:
3-wood
7-wood
7-iron
9-Iron
Sand Wedge
Putter
We would all be round in 2 hours, have more money, be able to use a pencil bag, and our scores would be no different.
MT: And so say all of us.
I spend large chunks of my life deliberating how few clubs I could carry (in a pencil bag) and still reach the extraordinarily high standards that I set myself.
I also like saying the word cranked..
Driver, 4/5w/19˚ hybrid, 6 (cranked down to 5.5), 7, 8, 9 (cranked to 9.5), U (cranked to 52), S (cranked to 56), Chipper, Putter. 10 clubs.
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