[R.P. Jacobs II]

We had a unique event @ my club yesterday...It was a "Three Club Challenge" member/member event...The team event was best-ball & the individual was low gross/net...My partner was David(from the RBZ) thread..Even though we were teamed together, he runs his mouth alot & said that even though I have him by a few strokes in hdcp, and beat him like a drum anytime we play in swats or tournaments, he had better course management skills than I...So we had a side wager...

My three clubs were my 3 metal(TM Tour Spoon 13*), 5i(Mizuno MP-63) & my SW(Mizuno MP-T11 56*)...My rationale was my 3 metal obviously could be used off of the tee & I normally use it from 230-245yds & I have/can "club down" to 210-215yds, along with any greenside "bump" shots, though I prefer my 18.5*h...My 5i is my 200yd club & I figured that I could get 10-15yds more as I don't swing all-out for that distance & I can/do "club down" to 140yds with it routinely..The 5i is my "go to" club in my bag...My SW was my club from 90-105yds, though I've hit it about 120yds messing around on the range, so I figured that I would just have to bridge the gap from 120 to 140yds, which I was gonna use my 5i for...Also, I was going to "putt" w/my SW as it was about the same length & similar HW to my putter..I just hit the ball a shade below the equator of the ball...My grandmother(who I lived w/my first 14 years) started me in the game @ 7yo & my first summer she gave me 9i & a putter...The next summer she gave me a 3w & a 5i & the third summer she comleted my "starter" set with a driver, 3i, 7i & PW...I used that 5i for everything but greenside bunker shots, though Lord knows that I tried..lol...

My grandmother was your typical widowed, Type A middle school principal who also happened to be a 4-time state womens' amateur champion across three decades so there wasn't alot of room for discussion..Although I got my first 14 club set @ 12yo, when my grandmother took me to my first teacher(and only teacher, as we worked together for 38 years until his death last year), he took me on under the condition that I go back to the basic 8-club starter set(dr,3w & 3,5,7,9i,PW & putter) until he said otherwise..I used that set for two summers & I hated it that all of my friends had complete sets, though I beat everyone of 'em & was a 3 hdcp @ 16yo when he let me go back to a 14 club set...

Dave chose his 3 metal(Adams F11ti 15*), 7i(TM RBZ) & his PW(TM RBZ 45*)....Although I used a "limited" set early on, I had never played a round with just three clubs...Long story shorter, I had a 75 & Dave had an 81(Par 71)..So much for his course management skills..lol...We didn't do anything in the best-ball though I did take 2nd for low gross..Amazingly, someone shot a 73(2 over)...We played the whites...The best was the $135 I took from Dave..Front, back & two presses..I offered him a third, though he declined..lol...

Anyway, it was alot of fun..You really had to basically play through & plan your shots on the hole prior to teeing off so you left yourself in the most advantageous positions & distances...Has anyone else played any 3-club rounds?...If you have not ever played, it's a pretty fun change of pace round...If you have, what clubs did you use & if you haven't, what would be your three clubs?...Fairways & Greens 4ever....

[ms1195]

I have never played a round like that, but if I did I think my 3 clubs would have to be my 18° Cobra DWS hybrid, my 7 iron, and my 52° gap wedge. I am not consistent enough with my 3 wood, and I assume staying in the fairway is priority number one in a game like that. I have also always been very good at clubbing down/judging shorter shots with it. 7 iron should be good from 120-160 and then the gap wedge for short game, sand, and putting. I'ver heard some people say they couldn't do without an actual putter, but I honestly can't say I would putt worse with the gap wedge than any putter I've ever had, so that is a non-issue for me.

I would love to play in a tournament like that, I just couldn't justify spending 50 on a round of golf and only use 3 clubs. May try it on a $10, 9 hole walking afternoon though.

PS stellar job shooting just 4 over, pretty amazing to me.

[GolfSpy Frank]

That does sound like a fun experience. The money doesn't hurt either I have been wanting to try something like a three-club or one-club challenge. I feel like it would teach me a lot about the game and improve me tremendously. Earlier today I was watching the one-club challenge that Seve and Trevino did with a bunch of Pros, so it was funny that you mentioned it. If it I played one, I would probably use my 3H, 6I, and 64*. I can hit my 3H off the tee and ground easily, I feel like I can manipulate my 6I well enough to create different shots, and my 64* because it is the club I am most confident in. I guess I won't know how well that works until I try.

PS: If anyone wants to watch that One-Club Challenge with Seve it can be found -> Ballesteros &Trevino "One Club Challenge"

[R.P. Jacobs II]

FLV02, on 10 May 2012 - 03:33 PM, said:

That does sound like a fun experience. The money doesn't hurt either I have been wanting to try something like a three-club or one-club challenge. I feel like it would teach me a lot about the game and improve me tremendously. Earlier today I was watching the one-club challenge that Seve and Trevino did with a bunch of Pros, so it was funny that you mentioned it. If it I played one, I would probably use my 3H, 6I, and 64*. I can hit my 3H off the tee and ground easily, I feel like I can manipulate my 6I well enough to create different shots, and my 64* because it is the club I am most confident in. I guess I won't know how well that works until I try.

PS: If anyone wants to watch that One-Club Challenge with Seve it can be found -> Ballesteros &Trevino "One Club Challenge"

FLV02, my original response to your post was to ask were you saw the Trevino/Seve one club challenge...I only read as far as that then I hit reply to see where you saw it..lol...I'm also the kind that throws away instructions, receipts & hates maps...Anyway thanx for posting address...Fairways & Greens 4ever...

[BK in Wisconsin]

Never played a 3 club game before, but when I was an early teen my dad had me play a couple rounds with nothing but my 5 iron. That was my go to club for years after. If I were to do it again today, I'd likely use my 22 degree hybrid.

[GolfSpy Frank]

R.P. Jacobs II, on 10 May 2012 - 03:37 PM, said:

FLV02, my orinal response to your post was to ask were you saw the Trevino/Seve one club challenge...I only read as far as that then I hit reply to see where you saw it..lol...I'm also the kind that throws away instructions, receipts & hates maps...Anyway thanx for posting adress...Fairways & Greens 4ever...

Haha I am the same exact way

[GolfSpy Matt]

Sounds like you had a good time. This is the kind of thing that I always think would be fun, but never do. I think my three clubs would be: 22* hybrid (until I add a 17* to the bag), 7I, and...56* wedge...I think.

[barbajo]

That does sound like fun! Will have to keep the eyes open for any events like that 'round here. Would probably go with my 20.5 hybrid, a 6 iron and a PW, depending on the course.

[Tyk]

We do a 3-Clubs and a Putter Tournament every fall. It is interesting and provides some good insight into course management and forces you to hit different shots. However, I am not a big fan of the event and never do very well in it.

[RoverRick]

I did this a few weeks ago with a high handicapper who was having trouble scoring. He followed my lead in club selection. I do not have the came clubs, so now I would use a 17* hybrid, 51* Wedge, and a putter. I used 19* hybrid, 52* wedge, and putter. I can hit the hybrid I have now from 100 to 240 yards, and the 51 up to about 125 if I jump on it. and as always, putting is where the scoring is.

I wrote about this in the one club round thread. Because that was what we started out to play. But here is an update on this high handicapper. We play a point and quota system. Under our own rules a quota can only be adjusted on Sunday after the round, and it can only go up or down 4 points per week. His quota was a 12 and he was only getting 3 or 4 points per round so I wanted to lower it to an 8. He said he would quit before he continue to play with us and become the winner with just 8 bogies on 18 holes and beat people who were scoring in the 70's.

We played the three club round. He made his quota the next week and then some. His quota was raised to 16. His quota is now 18 and he is regularly scoring 20 points around. That means he went from shooting 105 to 110 to 86 and 87 and had one 83 thrown in there. All because he leaned course management on that one day.



IT is loads of fun to do, and it is SO So So helpful in learning course management. It also gives you confidence because you know you can still score even if you do not or can hit the monster drive.

[R.P. Jacobs II]

GolfSpy Matt, on 10 May 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

Sounds like you had a good time. This is the kind of thing that I always think would be fun, but never do. I think my three clubs would be: 22* hybrid (until I add a 17* to the bag), 7I, and...56* wedge...I think.

If I were to do it again, your line-up are the clubs that I would go with, except I use an 18.5* hybrid...I used my 3 FM 4 times from around the greens & while I put all four on the green, all four were crap(15 to 25' leaves) that gave me no realistic shot @ 1 "putts"....

Also, and I can't believe that I didn't do this because I do it for every "regular" round that I play & that is to play the round through in my mind before...The reason is that I had to "club down" on or alter my swing on five holes w/my 3FM where if I'd have had my 18.5*h, I could have swung away with little or no swing/grip modification...Two turned out ok, & two two left me with less than optimal approach shots...Oh well, it was fun & it could've been worse...Fairways & Greens 4ever....

[JBones]

Tyk, on 10 May 2012 - 07:46 PM, said:

We do a 3-Clubs and a Putter Tournament every fall.

This is the only thing I've played in as well; par 5's were played from the womens tees and everything else was from the whites. I shot 77, but only because I birdied all the par 5's; my putting was horrible that day. I played with my a 13* 3W, 7I, and GW.

[Tyk]

We play ours from our standard middle tees. My thing is, I don't flight my irons well, I don't work the ball well, and I don't hit anything other than full shots particularly well either. My game is predicated on hitting a full swing straight and doing that well is about as much as I can hope for. When I do that well, I score mid to high 70s, when I don't I shoot 80-82. Taking clubs out of my bag plays right into my weakness, forcing me to do things I know I don't do well. It could be that learning to hit 1/2 shots better and learning to work the ball better would make me a better golfer, but given that I have not even mastered the thing I work on all the time I suspect it would just give me something else to screw up.