16 Club Rule?

[Richie3Jack]

16 clubs I don't think would help me. I pretty much played the entire year with Driver, 3-wood, 3-hybrid, 4-PW, GW, SW, and LW setup and never had an issue once.

 

It would be interesting if there was an unlimited rule. You could get on Trackman and gap yourself by 5-7 yard increments and never really be in-between clubs.

 

 

 

 

3JACK

[MmmmmmBuddy]

I played a speed golf tournament this summer. I carried a 7 iron, a 50* wedge an putter. We played 36 holes on a par 54 golf course, and I managed to shoot 14 over for 36 in 60 min and 14 sec. My normal scores on that course are in the 2-3 over for 18 range. However, most of my lost shots came on the green. Not taking time to line putts up. Most players can shoot the same score with 1/2 as many clubs. The only time more is better in golf is when you are counting up bets at the 19th hole.

[SunsetBeachCustomPutters]

Good stuff Chris. Glad your grandfather taught you such great skills!

 

 

My grandfather was a teaching pro, he also threw snap pops at me a coughed during my swing and threw tees at me! I need to get back to playing more as my distances are fine(pin high almost all the time) but my direction now that I have kids is sorely lacking!

[SunsetBeachCustomPutters]

Food for thought though...why not though have a club that performs its actual distance and therefore not have to adapt your swing for each club as much to change distance. And also how do you think 16 club rule could actually hurt golf?

 

 

Why stop at 16 then. If the reasoning is to never have to change your swing why not clubs with a two yard gap through the set and have 30 clubs. "I have 165 yards, do I hit my 166 or my 164 club here?"

 

I don't think it hurts except those learning the game, phil mickelson did not become a short game god because he learned with 6 wedges, he became one because of imagination and learning different shots with different clubs in all places around a green. this has carried over into his long game.

 

No matter how many clubs you have in your bag at some point in a round you will HAVE to adapt your swing for some reason. Going under a tree, or wind or something else. If you don't learn to hit different shots how are you going to learn to hit a low slinging cut 6 iron from the trees?

[GolfSpy Dave]

My grandfather was a teaching pro, he also threw snap pops at me a coughed during my swing and threw tees at me! I need to get back to playing more as my distances are fine(pin high almost all the time) but my direction now that I have kids is sorely lacking!

 

That is the pro that I need to find. Removing my pucker-factor when hitting difficult shots would be better than two extra clubs.

 

My mom (70) carries extra clubs now and still hits all of them about 70 yards. She is the queen of knock down 5W on the short par 3.

Go Mom!

[Matt Saternus]

For me, I'm perfectly happy with 14. If I could carry more, I probably would, but I don't know that it would help me. If I had the chance, I'd like to add a 64* wedge and possibly a thriver (13* driver) for days when the big stick is out of control.

[NiftyNiblick]

Should it change...recently talked to a big wig in the industry and he thinks it would help tremendously for recreational golfers. Extra wedge and hybrid in the bag maybe...could it hurt the game or help the game?

 

What do you think fellas?

I favor eighteen.

Eighteen is a golf number.

Fourteen is an arbitrary number than somebody pulled painfully out of his rectum.

 

1, 3, 4, 5, 7-woods

1-9 irons

PW-SW-LW

putter

 

That's 18, i think.

No more than a full set, really.

[NiftyNiblick]

 

Why stop at 16 then. If the reasoning is to never have to change your swing why not clubs with a two yard gap through the set and have 30 clubs. "I have 165 yards, do I hit my 166 or my 164 club here?"

 

 

But here's the thing.  Fourteen, maybe even 12 clubs are plenty if you get to choose the clubs that you want.

 

But the player doesn't.

 

Modern GI irons aren't simple blades and modern woods aren't wooden.

Consequently, a mainstream OEM can't make clubs to order with the buyer's exact specs.

 

The clubs are much too complex to offer that kind of customization.

 

I could be happy with 12 clubs if they were the EXACT clubs that I wanted--with gaps wide enough to stretch the whole set into just twelve clubs.

 

Since they're not, trying to configure a set that's fun to play with even fourteen clubs can be very difficult if possible at all for some people.

 

I'd say 18 is about right.

 

It might also get some of those walkers who make me feel guilty onto carts as well.

[null]

Are we really bumping an 8 year old thread now?

[NiftyNiblick]

Are we really bumping an 8 year old thread now?

It's Sunday night and I'm bored.

[EthanSterlingPrice]

I don't know about this one.

 

Disclaimer: half the fellas at my home course have their own carts and play two bags of equipment so I've seen the extreme side of no limit.

 

I think changing this one wouldn't make any sort of performance difference for your average mid to high handicap player because they rarely play the hole bag anyways. How many high handicappers do you normally see debating between hitting a firm 3iron or smooth 4iron or Lord forbid a 2iron... the only instance I can see it affecting is the wedges and I still see a lot of fellas in that higher bracket who are too intimidated to use any loft higher than 56 or 60 degrees. I know there are exceptions but this is what I hear a lot of.

 

It really doesn't help that much with filling in gaps either if you look deep enough.

 

My clubs are set up as follows:

 

Driver. 9.5 degrees

3wood. 15 degrees

Hybrid. 18 degrees

4. 22 degrees

5. 26 degrees

6. 30 degrees

7. 34 degrees

8. 38 degrees

9. 42 degrees

Pw 46 degrees

50 degree wedge

54 degree wedge

58 degree wedge

Putter

 

With 14 clubs in the bag I've got 4 degree increments top to bottom excluding driver so in theory there's really no gaps to fill unless I was wanting like a 62 or 64 degree wedge but I get the same effect with opening my 58 and if you get the proper sole grind it'll allow the leading edge to stay flush with the ground like a 62 anyways.

 

These companies stamping pw on 9iron lofted clubs isn't helping anyone either, soon people are gonna have to figure out what to do when their 3Iron has the same loft as their 3wood then everyone's screwed. Just don't see a reason for more clubs in the bag.

 

 

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[McaseyM]

I play about 5-6 strokes worse at my 3 club tourney versus my whole bag, and it's usually because I don't bring a putter.

 

 

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[NiftyNiblick]

Just don't see a reason for more clubs in the bag.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

It would let one overlap lofted wood and strong iron lofts.

.

Lofted woods and strong irons are not really interchangeable, but with a fourteen club limit, one must choose.

 

Also makes room for one-trick-pony clubs like dedicated sand and driving irons, high loft, keel-soled recovery woods, bump-n-run irons, fade/draw driver sets, and stuff like that.

 

(Good, old-fashioned cheating, in other words.)

 

Now there are hybrids in the mix as well, although I personally haven't played them since Cleveland Halos...

 

In any case, my cart bag has fifteen slots and I can't abide empty slots.

[DaveP043]

 

In any case, my cart bag has fifteen slots and I can't abide empty slots.

The last slot is for the ball retriever!

 

I think we should be able to take as many clubs as we want, but if you're over 14, you should be required to carry your own golf bag.  No cart, no trolley, carry.  

[NiftyNiblick]

The last slot is for the ball retriever!

 

I think we should be able to take as many clubs as we want, but if you're over 14, you should be required to carry your own golf bag.  No cart, no trolley, carry.  

I would hope you mean, "If you're UNDER fourteen...."

A walking requirement would move most of my gang back into the pool rooms again.

 

Also, Dave, you left out the ":caddy" option, rare as that may be today.

[chemclub]

Should it change...recently talked to a big wig in the industry and he thinks it would help tremendously for recreational golfers. Extra wedge and hybrid in the bag maybe...could it hurt the game or help the game?

 

To get back to X's original post, I'm shocked an industry that tries to make money by selling golf clubs thinks we should be carrying more golf clubs. 

 

"Help tremendously for rec golfers" ??? I doubt it. If a rec golf really needs an extra wedge (which is a skill club and requires practice) or hybrid, they should think about dropping that 22* 4 iron form the bag.

...also be a stimulus package for the industry as well. I see no down sides to it for the recreational golfer.

 

I think this would be nothing more than a "stimulus package" rule for OEMs, and I'm not sure why that would be a good thing. 

[NiftyNiblick]

 

I think this would be nothing more than a "stimulus package" rule for OEMs, and I'm not sure why that would be a good thing. 

 

Nobody is required to bag even the current fourteen clubs.

Some people would indeed add clubs just because they can, and I suppose the OEMs would benefit from that.

 

I, on the other hand, specifically like having the option of hitting a lofted wood or a long iron. That requires overlapping lofts, and that in turn requires more than fourteen clubs..

 

It should be noted that hybrid users don't bag either long irons or lofted woods, so the fourteen club rule is less of an impediment to them.

[golfinnut]

Yeah, I got the idea from my buddy. He said either play odd or even numbered clubs. It's worked really well. People might just be surprised that they don't NEED 14 clubs.

 

 

This was the way sets were made back when I was growing up in the late 70's & early 80's.  I played the odd numbered clubs for the longest time as a kid. Driver, 3-wood, 3, 5, 7, 9 & wedge, putter.  It taught me to manufacture shots.  

 

To the OP's original question, I think adding it to 16 clubs wouldn't be the best idea.  Just would create more confusion if you ask me.  98% of the people I play with haven't the slightest idea how far they hit their clubs, especially their wedges.  Adding another one in there to "fill the gap" really isn't the answer.  One of those wedges in that series I'm sure you don't play that often to constitute carrying it ... like many that carry a 60 or 64* wedge.  How often do you hit that club?  Can't you open a 56* to obtain the same shot?  

[NiftyNiblick]

 Can't you open a 56* to obtain the same shot?  

Not really.

Opening a 56 adds bounce to a club that often has a lot already.

 

My lob wedges have very little bounce so that I can play high, soft little shots from forward in my stance when I short-side myself

.

Bounce destroys that shot.

[RoverRick]

I wouldn't mind seeing the rule go the other way: 10 to 12 clubs max.

 

Rounds at one's local course may actually go faster: lighter bag for those who walk, fewer clubs to choose from - and therefore, less mental agonizing - when deciding how to approach a shot.

 

In addition, aren't most golfers not very precise in reality? Do we really need to have loft increments of 3 or 4 degrees? Don't the majority of us probably need 5 deg. increments between clubs in order to get 10 to 15 yard differences. Some may call that crazy, but I know for a fact that Ryan Moore, who recently signed on with Scratch Golf, is currently playing with clubs at 5 deg. increments. Venerated Ping even made an iron set not so long ago that had 5 deg loft differences - the G2 EZ.

 

Fewer clubs, I say ... not more!

 

Poppycock! If you want a lighter bag and 10 clubs or even 4 clubs, (I have played a 4 club including putter round before and it was fun) no one is saying you have to carry 14. They are simply saying carry no more than 14.

 

As for speeding up the round, I call BS again. If someone stands over the bag and debates for more than a few seconds whether to hit an 8 or 9 iron, then chances are they are spending much more time chopping away 5 times to cover 200 yards or out digging in the weeds for a lost ball.

 

Certainly there are sometimes when even the best and fastest golfer are caught between clubs, and they enter into an internal, or aloud, debate on which club to hit, but that does not significantly increase the time of the round. It's not like they are deciding "Should I hit my 64 Wedge I added, or this 5 Wood?"

[DaveP043]

I would hope you mean, "If you're UNDER fourteen...."

A walking requirement would move most of my gang back into the pool rooms again.

 

Also, Dave, you left out the ":caddy" option, rare as that may be today.

No, I said what I meant.  If you have 14 or fewer clubs, you can get your clubs around the course any way you like, buggy, trolley, caddie, carry..  If you add more, you should be required to carry your own bag.  And you ARE right, no caddie either.  YOU carry YOUR clubs.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

Will it make the game easier..maybe for some because they will have clubs for the awkward yardage and not have to take partial swings, but imo many in that category don't practice with a purpose or learn to hit different type shots and everything they do is full speed swings and with wedges this could xausecspin issues that causes the ball to ballooning or just come up short because too much spin.

 

Golf imo has been a game of shot making and playing different shots, it's one of the things about the older pros I like watching and really enjoyed about tiger. The creativity/artistry is such a fascininsting part of the game and imo would be something that gets lost if players had 16 clubs in the bag

[GB13]

I play 14 clubs but could get away with 9 and not hurt my score by too much.

I play

Driver

3W

2 iron

4-GW

52*

58*

Putter

I could scrap the driver, 2 iron, 5 iron, GW, and 58*.

More clubs would certainly not help me, I have all of the versatility in wedges with my 52* and could get away with just a three wood off the tee.

[excourse]

Another vote for fewer clubs, not more. More clubs are not going to help anyone but the club manufacturers.

 

 

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[NiftyNiblick]

No, I said what I meant.  If you have 14 or fewer clubs, you can get your clubs around the course any way you like, buggy, trolley, caddie, carry..  If you add more, you should be required to carry your own bag.  And you ARE right, no caddie either.  YOU carry YOUR clubs. 

And yet it's the CART BAGS that have FIFTEEN slots!

 

Those carry bags with the funny legs that stick out often don't have individual slots.

You can leave a club behind and not know it until four or five holes later.

That's a great way to have fourteen or fewer clubs.......left.

 

When I would RIDE with my FIFTEEN clubs in the FIFTEEN SLOTS, at least I knew that I had all of them with me.

Not that they did me that much good.

 

Also, this is turning out a lot like the Ready Golf thread.

Once again, old Nifty is swimming against the tide.

Golf is a lot more like real life than I'd realized.

[GB13]

And yet it's the CART BAGS that have FIFTEEN slots!

 

Those carry bags with the funny legs that stick out often don't have individual slots.

You can leave a club behind and not know it until four or five holes later.

That's a great way to have fourteen or fewer clubs.......left.

 

When I would RIDE with my FIFTEEN clubs in the FIFTEEN SLOTS, at least I knew that I had all of them with me.

Not that they did me that much good.

 

Also, this is turning out a lot like the Ready Golf thread.

Once again, old Nifty is swimming against the tide.

Golf is a lot more like real life than I'd realized.

I rarely if ever leave clubs behind and I have six slots in my bag. I know where each clubs goes therefore I know if one is missing. Top pocket is Driver 3W and 2 iron. Next 4I 5I

Next 6I 7I Next 8I 9I Next PW GW Next 52* 58* Putter.

Because I know where everything goes, I can always see if a club is missing. If I didn't have an organizational system, then, yes I might lose clubs.

[RickyBobby_PR]

And yet it's the CART BAGS that have FIFTEEN slots!

 

Those carry bags with the funny legs that stick out often don't have individual slots.

You can leave a club behind and not know it until four or five holes later.

That's a great way to have fourteen or fewer clubs.......left.

 

When I would RIDE with my FIFTEEN clubs in the FIFTEEN SLOTS, at least I knew that I had all of them with me.

Not that they did me that much good.

 

Also, this is turning out a lot like the Ready Golf thread.

Once again, old Nifty is swimming against the tide.

Golf is a lot more like real life than I'd realized.

There are stand bags with individual slots. One who is paying attention whether walking or riding will know if they are missing a club. Leaving clubs from I've seen happens when people are chatting away and leave their club on the green or around the green where they started and not bring them with them when they get closer to the hole.

[EthanSterlingPrice]

Not really.

Opening a 56 adds bounce to a club that often has a lot already.

 

My lob wedges have very little bounce so that I can play high, soft little shots from forward in my stance when I short-side myself

.

Bounce destroys that shot.

dual sole grind my friend. Every major wedge maker has it or a version by a different name, I have it on my 58 and 54 and both work well opened or hooded or you can just go like your low bounce (like that by the way Nifty) if you're a good ball striker that low bounce can be really versatile but I definitely agree with the thought that some people just ain't meant to hit high loft low bounce wedges and that's why God gave us Roger Cleveland and Bob Vokey.

 

 

 

In the bag

Driver: Callaway Rogue Subzero 9.5 Stiff flex

3 wood: Callaway Rogue Subzero 15 degree

Hybrids: 17 degree titleist 816 h2

Irons: Ben Hogan Ptx 22-46 degree (4-pw)stiff flex standard lie

Wedges: Callaway Mac Daddy 4 50,54,58 degrees

Putter: Odyssey EXO seven

 

Gig'em Aggies!

[NiftyNiblick]

A&M fan, huh, Ethan?

 

I hate that they're in the SEC. I hated that they were in the Big 12 before that.

 

With Texas State and UT San Antonio moving up,  Texas has 12 FBS teams now...just enough to bring back the old SWC as an all-Texas league..

 

Just an old traditionalist, I guess.

[chemclub]

 

Just an old traditionalist, I guess.

 

No?!?! I never would have guessed.