korsmot

I am big fan of addressing your long clubs to address your wedges. The 14 club limit is obviously the issue. I agree with all the contribuitors that say ignore the "P" on top and just look at how far you hit it. If you called it a 9 iron in your old set and now it says PW, that is just street cred. "Strong like bull". I am a fan of 5 wedges since they have gone to the jacked lofts in irons sets. PW (44), AW (48), GW (52), SW (56), LW (60). This was close to the same as older sets, it was just called 9, PW, GW, SW, LW. So, look at your 200+ yard clubs and see where you can consolidate to keep your wedges in the bag (aka the scoring clubs). I promise, you are not hitting these 200 yard clubs more than a couple of times a round each and with not great success for GIR. But keep a little data on club usage and distance and really think about the clubs you use and would it have made a huge difference With the new data coming out that most people's 3W are not much more accurate than driver. The thought now is you should only NOT hit driver if you want to stay short of a hazard (laying up). And if so, does it matter if you hit your layup club 245 or 225? (3W or 5W) Since 54 is your top wedge, I would say your set makeup should be 44, 48, 52, 56. Wedges are easier to bend as well to make stronger or weaker as you need them. Go out and hit your PW and your lowest iron and see what yardages you are covering for those and then fill out from the center. (the assumption is that the other irons in the set have a resonable gapping already since the specs should be the same. Distance is great but eventually it makes you change your game. I have a friend that hits 60 LW (110), massive power. He has to start to finness things much sooner than I do. I am Hitting LW 80 yards. That is all fine if you spend lots of time working on 3/4 and 1/2 wedges and flighting things down, spin, etc. How many people do you know that go practice that with any regularity? Not many. So think about shots you want to hit, how many times around you normally hit them and base your set on those. Cheers Tigger

Whole heartly agree with a blended tee setup, even if you have to make your own, or if you can get your Pro to "bless it" might make it more palitable. I also think tees (generically) should be handicap related. Your GHIN takes into account what tees you play and the difficulty of the course. Most people should not be playing the tips unless they are a single digit. But a senior guy, who carries a single digit can play forward if desired and get less strokes or just post a better score (maybe) from shorter tees. It also goes into if there is money on the line and if you are handicapping? if no money or no hcp, then people should play where they want as long as they keep pace of play. If the gambling is going, then making sure everyone is playing "fairly" might mean some guys get to move up at an age or a hcp. But you are 100% percent right it is ego (especially with red/ladies tees). Our course changed the layout and the new tees were red and the senior men wouldn't play them. Our pro moved them slightly and painted them gold as "senior tees". That is all it took for more guys to play them. But always a tough conversation. If no games and not slowing play down, people can play from where they want. But normally, poorer players playing from farther away play slower! Looke for the blended solution and call the blended "Senior Tees". You can also suggest a "American round" as a trial. You switch tee boxes every hole...Red, White, Blue, - Red, White, Blue. You get the picture. Gives guys a different view of the course and might take the stigma out of the red tees. Nice as a change of pace. Cheers Tigger

All the big associations (R&A, USGA, PGA of A, Tour etc) talk about "growing the game", but continue to make the rules toward the 1% of competition at the elite level, that hurt the rec player. I am absolutly in favor of BiF, because we shouldn't be making golf more difficult or less fun for the average joe, or make them have to ignore the rules. We can make local rules for each club, but shouldn't the tour just make rules for them instead. Example: it is comparitively low chance of pure "lost ball" on tour. When you have crowds tracking your ball, marshals in the landing zone, HD cameras, including the blimp and radios connecting all together to find your ball, and them calling Feherty to tell you where to look, (https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/video-rory-mcilroys-ball-gets-stuck-in-a-tree-still-makes-par/) that is a far cry from a recreational player losing their ball in the middle of the fairway simply because it is fall and there are lots of leaves on the ground and a group waiting behind you. Pros vs Joes are already playing two different games. "Anchoring". How many Joe players are not having nearly as much fun since the putting ban went into effect? With bad backs and old guys and arthritis and the yips, let guys anchor in rec play. Even on tour, it wasn'st a landslide of data showing a massive advantage to those that were anchoring. Otherwise, the guys winning a disporportiant amount before the ban would have been the anchor guys. From a physics perspective it would seem to have some advantage, but so does "Face-on" putting and no one on tour is doing that. There is plenty of art to putting, even if you anchor. Joe's are just not good enough to make it that significant. The "Golf Course" arguement. The high level competition should be about risk - reward. You don't have to lengthen the holes, just start making the fairway smaller and smaller the longer down the hole. Grow the rough up deeper and more penal in that area. So a pro can still hit it long, but you have to hit the fairway that is only 1/2 or 1/4 as wide as fifty yards earlier. Put in creeks, bunkers and waste areas in the 290 to 330 landing zone. If the pro can clear it, advantage to them! Or if they can get on the green from 4 inch rough after missing the fairway, more power to them. We shouldn't totally penalize guys that have more talent, or have put more work into hitting it farther. That is like saying if your NBA vertical jump is more than 46 inches, we are going to make you wear shoes that limit your jumping and impact you more than guys that don't jump as high. I am okay with club standards otherwise it is a tech race, not a talent race. BiF works for many sports and I am not sure why the major entities are so hung up on not having it (other than tradition). We didn't ban metal drivers or cavity backs when they came out. And why? they can sell all sorts of new tech to all the golfers. If your group wants to play like the pros and use Limited golfballs, feel free! Or go traditional and hit persimmion woods and pure blade Spaulding irons from 1976. Other golfers just shouldn't feel like they are cheating if they are just playing current regular golf. Great conversation from everyone! Cheers Tigger

I fully believe your mind remembers the last word in your brain. "Don't hit it in the water" equals "water". That is why that positive frame of mind is so important. Also, how many times have you been describing a hole to a friend who hasn't played the course, described the good shot, then hit that shot. I don't understand guys that stand up there and say "I have no idea where this is going to go, keep an eye on it". That is just negative thoughts to start. = bad. Fake it till you make it!

This is all great stuff. and I agree with quite a bit. If you are always "working" on your swing and you like to practice a lot on the range, it is very hard to practice heavy on a Thursday and play on a Saturday and not think about the "things" you are working on. So after a bad swing on the course, don't spend lots of time trying to figure out what went wrong muttering and examining checkpoints at the back of the tee box etc. Just chalk it up to a bad swing and KNOW you can make good swings because you have put in the on Thursday previous practice. Shooters keep shooting even when they aren't making the ball go in the basket! We look at tour pros that are grinding on the range with trackman and a coach after they played 18 already that day. That is for PROS! Going to the range by yourself with no video and no coach and just beating balls is not always the most productive, especially if you have a decent swing to begin with. We all (including pros) have bad swings and bad rounds. Doesn't need you need to revamp your swing, etc. Just was a bad day maybe. How often have you had a great round followed by a terrible round or vice verse? What changed over the course of that week? Probably nothing. Just a bad day. It just happens. thinking/swinging box is great, target/shape focus is great, feeling loose and relaxed is great. You want just enough focus to not be sloppy. Bob Rotella books are great. Cheers Tigger

The real conversation is not the spacing between wedges, it is how many wedges you want to carry. What is important on how far you hit full swing wedges them, not specifically the degrees of gapping. Most people aren't playing matching upper wedges to their PW (maybe GW). (Ping irons and Titleist Wedges sound familiar?) so it could be a different swing weight, shaft length etc. which can affect distance. But it is a good starting point. Like a on a scale loosing weight, good number doesn't tell the whole story. 6 ft 220 (8% body fat) is very different from 6ft 220 (20% body fat). One I am an NFL corner, the other I am a Dad! You need to see if you have gaps in your YARDAGES on the full swings for your wedges (the scoring clubs). When you are hitting into a green with a wedge do you often find yourself saying you need to "lay off" or "lean on" etc? Maybe your gaps are too big. Go out to a green when you are not going to be bothered and hit 10-20 balls from each wedge and get an average distance. Put those on a chart and see what the data says. We call them wedges but the current PW is really a 9I from 10 years ago at 44 degrees. So I carry 5 Wedges (60, 56, 52, 48, and 44) but I don't carry a 4 iron because of the limit. But I may only hit 1 4I a round. But I like all the options around the green. Most people can't hit a 4I inside a 20 yard circle, but we are all trying to hit our wedges inside that circle and trying to do it very consistently. I would say let the data do the talking first. Then you might have to bend a few lofts or get a different club etc. Degrees are just the beginning of the conversation. Cheers Tigger

I would work from the wedges backwards. set your wedges to cover the gaps you want by either bending some, adding some or replacing some. 20 yard gap between wedges is pretty large IMHO. I would prefer to see 10-15 yards at most between your scoring clubs. You are trying to get that proximity to the hole in Feet, where as a 7 iron or 5W into a green is measure in yards proximity. So build from the the Top (58 wedge/60 Wedge) and move down. If you are uncomfortable with a high lofted (lob) type wedge then 56 is your top end. But I promise you, if you work on your wedge play some, you will hit a lot more shots with a 58/60 than you would with a 2hy or 5W. Then I would have a mix of longer clubs based upon the course you play. If you have a lot of holes where it makes more sense to pull 3W than driver than keep that in. If you have a bunch where there are easy par 5s in two, might need to keep the 5W or 2Hy in the bag. But I agree with your thinking that you need less lower clubs than wedges. Scoring is a pretty simple equation. How do you turn 3 shots into 2 shots? Meaning: be able to chip, pitch, or wedge play close enough to one putt. Almost everyone is less than 10% make percentage outside of 12 feet (especially when you only get one chance, not on a putting green with 10 balls on the same putt). That means you need to be more precise with your approach/short game shots. Which to me means, more options is better. I only do one thing with a 5W....Hit it 190-210 yards. Thats it. (okay, occasionally I putt with it over a rough fringe, but you see what I am saying). I use various wedges for Lob shots, bump and run, pitches, distance wedges, full shots, bunker play, pitch outs, hacking out of the rough. Having a 60 wedge in the bag allows me a full shot at 70 yards, instead of trying to take something off a 56 (85 yard full shot). You are headed in the right direction. Cheers Tigger

Just started with Shot Scope V3 with tags. Also have used Golf Shot GPS on the phone for almost 500 rounds. Also have Bushnell V3 slope. Seems like a lot, but I am doing different things with each one and don't use them all on every shot. Rangerfinder almost exclusively to find the exact pin range. Shot Scope (SS) to track club distances/tendencies and pretty precise data to help me figure out where i need to work on things. The Golf shot is to see a map of the hole, keep score, post to GHIN, layup spots on par 5s. These things are very useful on courses you have never played before, plus it make s a great history. I think that course management and strategy is way overlooked. I believe those are free shots or advantages that many people just don't utilize. I am always trying to play the hole the smartest way, not just get the ball as close to the hole I can with every single shot. Way too many people pull driver on every hole, 3W on every Par 5 second shot. You don't want to get paralyzed with data, just have the right info so you feel confident. Cheers Tigger

Big fan of walking. Keeps the rhythm. Always have the right clubs available near you. Keeps you loose. Less distracted. Push cart holds all my gear!

Some of it is just mental. If you got a 60 and a 56 with the same bounce and grind, they would hit the same. I have 60-56-52-48-PW in the bag. Why 5 wedges? Because I am interested in scoring and they keep jacking the PW lofts (so really 4 wedges and a 9I from the year 2000). I hit a 60 the same way I hit any of the wedges so I have more options in the scoring zone (inside 125 yards). There is no reason that you can't hit a full shot with the 60 the same way you would a 56 or a 52. What is the difference? It is really an issue with the 14 club limit. If there was no limit I would carry 20 clubs. Use the right tool for the right job. But there is a limit. So, how many times do you really hit a 3 iron round? How many times do you to exactly hit it 200 yards and land it within 10 feet? I know we all want to. Plus a 60 has a few more specialty shots (cut lob, short sided bunker, etc.) Those specialty shots do take technique and practice. Read Dave Pelz short game bible and it makes the case for more wedges. I have several pitches and chips and adding another club multiplies the options. I could go with 58-54-50 PW and save a club but again, do I really need the 3 iron or 2 hybrid plus 5 wood? My margin for error in those clubs that I can realistically expect is measured in yards not feet. With most short game shots, I am trying to get inside a makeable putting distance (10 feet). If I don't, my likelihood of saving a stroke is very low. (less than 10%), and that's the point. Saving that one stroke when you don't hit the green! I also agree about learning about bounce and having a few options in your wedges for different situations. SW (56) with 12 deg of bounce and 60 with 8-10. taking a good lesson about using the bounce as well. Don't be afraid of the 60, it is just a 56 with more loft.

Love golf books. Couple of my favorites: All of the Bob Rotella series. All of the Pelz books, though the putting ones are a little too in the weeds and can cause you to over think. One that is not specifically golf: The Talent Code - about how to be good at things, mostly sports. It is very interesting. And two good fictional ones: Seven days in Utopia and Johnny's US Open by Dr. David Cook. Cheers Tigger

Same thing. I carried my golf clubs when I shopped for cars. But really, you should narrow it down for other items in the category and then test out those. I knew I wanted a mid-size SUV, not any kind of sedan. So it depends on how you golf? Always walk, always ride, push cart? I have 2016 ford explorer and works pretty well. I have clubs, push cart, and one of those trunk caddies that hold shoes and balls and stuff. Works pretty good. None of the mid-size SUVs that I found would fit clubs fore and aft perfectly. Honda Pilot is pretty big in the midsize category, but I didn't like the cockpit and other features. For golf trips, there is no better car than Suburban. Four sets of clubs and luggage all fit well in the back and good seating for 4 guys.

Agree with all the comments that your current PW is just a 9I from as little as 10 years ago. I do play with 5 "wedges" 60, 56, 52, 48, PW (44). Really the only reason to have a club have 7I printed on the bottom is it is more convenient than saying "I hit the 35.5 Degree club". We could really all switch to "degrees" and your set of clubs would be the same as 20 years ago, with slightly different names. So I am not carrying a 4 Iron. 5I goes 180, 5W goes 200-205. So a gap in there at 190 (sort of). But you really need to add up how many times a round you need to hit it 190 into a green? Bet is less than 2 times per round. So I make my compensation there (lean on the 5 or grip down on the 5W) and consequently have more options with the much shorter wedge shots by keeping the 5 wedges. Many people space out there wedge lofts farther, 58, 54, 50, 44. or take out their LW (which is fine if you don't like it). But, I want the "scoring clubs" to be the most accurate and have slightly smaller gaps if possible (10-12 vice 15 yards). But some of this is just a comfort thing. Some people are totally comfortable to use 56 for all of their highest loft needed shots and just open it up if needed to go higher. But I hit all the wedges with a full swing with no issue and then when I go to stock short game shots (3/4 or 1/2 wedge or various pitches and chips), I have just increased my shot options by a bunch having that extra wedge. We often make jokes that "I hit 6 wedge (meaning 6I)" since pros are hitting PW 160 (or Bryson at 200). Just getting silly. Imagine you hit LW full swing 120. Now you are having to hit half type shots from 120 in? Not saying power is bad as it is a nice problem to have, but the object to score well, not necessarily hit every club as far as humanly possible. (except driver ;)) Cheers Tigger

Three things I believe you need to look at when trying to break 90: 1) three putts. You can't ever make up a missed putt. I can drive it in the trees and still sometimes hit in on the green and it is like the bad drive never happened. Putting is less forgiving. Take a look at your total putts (I count using the putter just off the green as a putt cause it tells me more than the PGA stat way of counting). On your three putts, were they a lag putting issue, did you get it inside 3 feet? Or are you missing most 6 footers? PGA percentage of makes from 6 ft is about 65%. As an recreational player, you will be doing very well at 50% (though many people think they should make more). I am not saying you will never three putt, but if you are having 3 or 4 each round, something to work on. 2) Duffs. Another thrown away shot. You have plenty of power but sometimes that leads to overswinging. Also on pitch shots. If you only hit the ball two feet/two yards when you meant to hit it much farther, that is a wasted shot. Hard to get that back. So count those up. See if you have 2 or 3 of those each round. 3) Penalties. If you don't have more than 1-2 around, that is probably okay, but I really noticed guys shooting in the low 80s and 70s don't have hardly any penalties. It is related to ball striking and decision making. So is your wayward driving causing the OB/lost ball? Are you going for the green in two, too often? Some of this is strategy. And such a great thing to have the power you do, but you must use it wisely. I almost never pull out driver on a par 4 less than 350 yards (I hit 3W 230). I might hit 3 wood on a par 5 tee shot, that I don't want to try and reach in two because of danger near the green (water = penalty). Even with a wedge in my hand, I might not attack a flag tucked behind a bunker and the green sloping down steeply on that side. Putting for birdie is always a good thing, even from 35 feet and the center of the green. Just making the right decisions can save you 3-5 shots a round if you are smart. (Pros call it "being patient" and "Missing it in the correct spot") Really analyze you game. Take a blank scorecard and on each hole, write down the shot that cost you (or may have cost you). Drive in the woods put you behind trees. Three putt. hit it in the water, etc. Example. Drive in the fairway, PW to 4 feet off the green but in a little rough. Chipped it only 12 feet (PGA make 30% from 12 feet. you will make 10%) 2 putt for bogey, so it was the chip that cost you, not the PW shot. (pros only hit about 12 greens each round) However, if you chipped it to 3 feet and missed that putt, the 3 foot putt cost you. Everyone wants to be a great ball striker and spend a lot of time on it. Spend more time on short game and putting. Most people don't practice or take enough lessons on it. cheers Tigger

I am not really sure this is about gapping. I really think this is more about more consistency (Hooks and slices?) with the 3w, so your options are: Change the 3W to one you hit just as far but you "hit better", fix the swing issue that is causing the inconsistency, or give up some distance to increase consistency. By generic definition, the higher the lofted club the less dispersion you will have. That's the physics part, not accounting for "I don't like this club" mental side of it. I agree you need a fairway "finder" shot, 3W, knockdown driver, 5W. If you want to talk gapping, I would recommend you start from the other side of the club list related to gapping, from Lob wedge going down, are your other 11 clubs (LW to lowest club not 3W or D) all gapped well? 10-15 yards apart in full stock shot distances? I fully believe you want your "hole" in the gapping (if you have one, down in the low woods / plus 200 yard range) Ideally, there would be no hole but the gaps would get a little larger as the clubs get longer. Most people just can't accurately hit FW woods and Low Hybrids precisely enough. Example for me: 7I =160, 6I=170, 5I =180, 5W=200 3W= 230 D=250. You can see my irons run about 10 yards apart then pushes open in the woods. How often are you hitting 200 plus yards using FW woods into the green? But if you are using them off the tee, you are trying to get them into a particular area, i.e. short of a bunker/water, to a nice wedge distance on a short par 4, etc, and you have a much bigger circle to land it in vice the green. BTW, I don't have an iron below 5 iron because they keep jacking the PW lofts and I like to have good gaps in my wedges (60, 56, 52, 48, PW) and I like using a LW. If I took out the LW, I would add a hybrid to 190 yards (also nice to putt with out of the rough) Lots of people don't like LW and have extra club slot for a hybrid or 4I or 5 W. Just remember that 1/2 of all shots will be inside a 100 yards. That is also where all the scoring is. Cheers Tigger