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16 Club Rule?


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If this ever happened, bring on the 70* flop wedges!

*:taylormade-small: Staff Professional*

Driver:  :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus+ (7.25*) - Fujikura Ventus Black 6X Tipped 1" 

3 Wood: :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus+ (14.25*) - Fujikura Ventus Blue 7x Tipped 1"

Driving Iron: :taylormade-small: P790 UDI 2 iron - HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 100 6.5

4 Iron: :taylormade-small: P790 - KBS C-Taper 130 X

Irons (5-7) :taylormade-small: P7MC - KBS C-Taper 130 X

Irons (8-P) :taylormade-small: P7MB - KBS C-Taper 130 X

Wedges: :taylormade-small: MG3 Black 50.09 / 55.11 - KBS TOUR FLT 130 X

60* Wedge: :taylormade-small: High Toe Raw - KBS Tour 130 X

Putter: 5WoCG8Y.jpg Custom Black ER2 or Custom Black :taylormade-small: Del Monte

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Ball: :taylormade-small: TP5X #11

RangeFinder: :918457628_PrecisionPro: R1 Smart Rangefinder

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A rules change to allow 16 clubs is unlikely to happen, but if it did, I wouldn't be put off by it.  I seriously doubt it would have much of an effect on scoring.at the Professional or 'Better Amateur' level anyway.

 

As for typical 'recreational' golfers, some 'weekend players' carry more than 14 clubs now, and very few people really care.  When was the last time you actually counted how many clubs were in your buddy's bag?  

 

So, as a 'recreational golfer', if you 'think' an extra club or two helps you play better, or if it just makes you 'happier', or feel more confident, then I say go for it.  At the recreational level, enjoyment of the game is the paramount consideration... :)

What's in Bobcat's Bag?  (Showing more than 14 clubs due to options)

 

Driver: :taylormade-small: 9.5* SLDR-C - 45.5" Miyazaki Kusala Black 61s, (1/2" tip)

Fairway: :taylormade-small: Tour issue 15* V-Steel 3W - Fujikura 757 Speeder Stiff

Fairway/Hybrid: :taylormade-small: 15* Rescue Fairway "3-Strong" - VP-90 Stiff 

Hybrids: :taylormade-small: #3 (19*) & #4 (22*) Rescue-Mid TP's - Vista Pro 90 Stiff 

Driving Irons: :taylormade-small: UDI #1 (16*) & #3 (20*) - KBS C-Taper Lite 110 Stiff

Iron Set: :taylormade-small: SLDR Irons (5-8i only) - KBS C-Taper Lite 110 Stiff

Hybrid Wedges: :cleveland-small: 2011 Niblicks 42*PW, 49*DW, 56*SW - Stock

SW/LW: :cleveland-small: CG-16 Black Pearl 58* Low Bounce 8* - Stock Steel Shaft

Putter: :bettinardi-small: BBX-81 Blade - Stock Bettinardi Steel Shaft 

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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 have a carry bag with 4 slots, but use it on a push cart.  Fits beautifully!  There is no way I could ever lose a club because when I walk, I never lay a club on the ground.  Club goes back in the bag before I pull another club.  

 

When I ride, I always make sure that the clubs I pull when heading to the green are always left ON the green or fringe between the hole and the cart.  It's a habit I got into after the first time I left a wedge by the green where I used it.  It was funny that I was playing with a guy a week or so later who picked up that wedge, put it in his bag to turn it in at the clubhouse but he forgot.  I got my wedge back!!

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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A rules change to allow 16 clubs is unlikely to happen, but if it did, I wouldn't be put off by it.  I seriously doubt it would have much of an effect on scoring.at the Professional level anyway.

 

As for recreational golfers, some weekend player carry more than 14 now, and very few people care.  When was the last time your counted how many clubs were in your buddy's bag?  

 

So, as a recreational golfer, if you 'think' an extra club or two helps you play better, or if it just makes you 'happier', or feel more confident, then I say go for it.  At the recreational level, enjoyment of the game is the paramount consideration... :)

I say fine, IF you are a recreational golfer who doesn't post a handicap.  An extra club can be beneficial.  

 

I recently bought a Callaway Sure Out wedge, and it is money for me to get out of bunkers.  It's my specialty club, but I gave up my regular SW to put it in the bag.  I have had to adjust hitting shots off the fairway with my 58º and my 50º to compensate, but it's worth it to make sure I get out of all greenside bunkers.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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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.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

There is NO way I could give up my putter.  It's worth too many strokes to me.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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The 14 club rule is what makes this game so challenging. Two more clubs? You might as well make the hole bigger.

Now this I can get behind!!!   :D

 

16 clubs might be a good idea, I can use the 2 extra spots for some old clubs I can throw in case of a bad shot.  Save money on new shafts that way  :lol:

:taylormade-small: SLDR 10.5 Oban HB

:taylormade-small: R11s Rip Phenom

:Hogan: Ft. Worth Black Irons

:cleveland-small: 588 RTX Rotex 2.0 54

:cleveland-small: CG10 58

:EVNROLL: EV 5.3 Duo

 

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Most recreational golfers probably use no more than 12 clubs regularly. 14 is plenty imho. Right now I have a 6 iron I rarely use and a 3h I should NEVER use!

 

 

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PXG 0211 12° driver w/Project X Cypher R flex  shaft
post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411.jpg KE4 TC 16° 4 wood w/Kuro Kage Black 60g shaft

post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411.jpg KE4 TC HyWay 21° utilitywood w/Maltby MPF shaft
post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411.jpg KE4 TC 22° 4 hybrid w/UST Proforce V2 Black shaft

post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411.jpg KE4 TC 25° 5 hybrid w/Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue shaft

Lazrus 27° 6 hybrid w/Lazrus  graphite shaft
PXG 0211DC irons 7-PW w/Project X Cypher graphite shafts

:cleveland-small: CBX2 50° wedge

post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411.jpg M-Series+ 56° wedge w/UST Recoil 660 graphite shaft
:wilson_staff_small: Infinite Bean putter

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Most recreational golfers probably use no more than 12 clubs regularly. 14 is plenty imho. Right now I have a 6 iron I rarely use and a 3h I should NEVER use!

 

 

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Yep!  I can play my course with 11 clubs... if I hit them all perfectly.  The other 3 clubs might get used on those occasions when I am less than perfect.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Yep! I can play my course with 11 clubs... if I hit them all perfectly. The other 3 clubs might get used on those occasions when I am less than perfect.

11 clubs is pretty much my standard bag, my carry bag has 8 and I rarely hit anything perfect. I'm simply not precise enough with my distances to utilize the full 14.

 

Sent from my SM-N950U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

Wishon clubs, Odyssey CS stroke lab putter

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O actually like the challenge of figuring out what clubs for a specific course or season.

 

Im currentky not hitting the driver well so it makes it easirt for me to decide.

DRIVER: Cobra F9 10.5  Tensei AV Blue 65g

3W- Callway XR PRO 16 stiff

5W- Alpha- Mitsubishi Diamana  Redboard w/band

Irons- Mizuno JPX 919 Tours with S KBS Tour shafts

Hyrbid- TM 4h mid-rescue

Vokey- Vokey SM5 51 degrees,  SM7 Wedges 54 and 58 1/2 half 3 degrees upright

Putter- Taylor Made Rossa Monza Mini Spider

Ball-ProV1 and AVX

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Lots of great discussion here.

What are the stats out there for amateurs? Less than 20% of all golfers have a handicap below 25.I think around there. So 80 percent of the golfers out there,to simplify it, do not know how to strike the ball. How will having an extra club help them? I think this will be of merit if it was allowed for players of a certain handicap range.

What's in my Mizuno BR-D2 bag

OFFICIAL TESTER FOR THE PING i500 CLUBS.

Currently playing Ping i500 w/ Alta CB graphite shafts 

  :mizuno-small: MP 25 - fitted w/ Project X shafts - stiff

  :titelist-small: 60  / 56  :mizuno-small: 52

  :titelist-small: 910 D2 driver - 9.5 degree -fitted13   F 3 wood 13.5 deg   :nike-small: CPR 3 hybrid

:nike-small: Method mallet

Dexterity:

I shoot left-handed so no one can ask me "Hey, can I try that club?" 

Twitter @GolfingHat      Instagram  @Mizunostixgolfnut

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I think 14 is a good number for pros and for regular tournament play. For the average golfer though I think its better to have more clubs available not only to fill in gaps helping their overall game,but to help them figure out which clubs they strike better and therefore give them more work ability on the course for when they get to a point of trying their hand at tournaments and so on.

WITB? 


Driver: 2016 TaylorMade M2, 9.5*,


Irons: 2017 Taylormade M2 4-PW,


Wedges: Bombtech 52*, 56*, 60*


Putter: Odyssey White Hot putter


Ball: Callaway Supersoft

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This is a good topic. I always carry 14 or less, but really, if you're not playing tournament golf does it matter?

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

PXG 0211 12° driver w/Project X Cypher R flex  shaft
post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411.jpg KE4 TC 16° 4 wood w/Kuro Kage Black 60g shaft

post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411.jpg KE4 TC HyWay 21° utilitywood w/Maltby MPF shaft
post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411.jpg KE4 TC 22° 4 hybrid w/UST Proforce V2 Black shaft

post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411.jpg KE4 TC 25° 5 hybrid w/Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue shaft

Lazrus 27° 6 hybrid w/Lazrus  graphite shaft
PXG 0211DC irons 7-PW w/Project X Cypher graphite shafts

:cleveland-small: CBX2 50° wedge

post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411.jpg M-Series+ 56° wedge w/UST Recoil 660 graphite shaft
:wilson_staff_small: Infinite Bean putter

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 So 80 percent of the golfers out there,to simplify it, do not know how to strike the ball. How will having an extra club help them?

Some can strike the ball a little bit.

 

It's hard to explain without some perspective.

 

Back in my younger days, they sold woods in sets of four (1, 3, 4, 5) and irons in sets of nine (2-9, PW).

A putter made 14, but if you added a sand wedge, you had to take a club out.

 

The less common clubs sold separately  were the 2-wood, more often used as a driver replacement than a fairway wood,

 

and the 1-iron, mostly deployed by expert players because irons weren't sole or perimeter weighted yet.

 

There was no lob wedge yet, and the gap wedge wasn't needed because the short irons had much weaker lofts.

Obviously, there were no hybrids.

 

So forgetting the odd ball utilities like chipper or Ginty, a FULL set would have been---

 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5-woods

1-9 irons, PW, SW

putter.

 

They made the 14-club rule to force players to play with less than a full set of seventeen.clubs

The better players could figure out which clubs to bypass.

The lesser players paid a price.

 

 

 

 

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They made the 14-club rule to force players to play with less than a full set of seventeen.clubs

The better players could figure out which clubs to bypass.

The lesser players paid a price.

Actually, players at one time carried a lot more clubs than 17.  See this quote from the USGA's webpage:

  • After many years of controversy that arose when some players began to use as many as 30 or more specialized clubs in a round, in 1938 the USGA adopted a 14-club limit; The R&A followed suit one year later.

https://www.usga.org/rules-hub/rules-modernization/text/a-brief-history-1744-to-present.html

A little more discussion can be found here:

http://blog.3balls.com/why-are-only-14-clubs-allowed-in-a-golf-bag/

:titleist-small: Irons Titleist T200, AMT Red stiff

:callaway-small:Rogue SubZero, GD YS-Six X

:mizuno-small: T22 54 and 58 wedges

:mizuno-small: 7-wood

:Sub70: 5-wood

 B60 G5i putter

Right handed

Reston, Virginia

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After we've all shared our views, I still think that fourteen was an arbitrary number that was ill-conceived.

 

Eighteen would have made more sense.

Eighteen is, at least, a golf number.

I'm sure the caddies of the world would have preferred nine clubs, another golf number.

:titleist-small: Irons Titleist T200, AMT Red stiff

:callaway-small:Rogue SubZero, GD YS-Six X

:mizuno-small: T22 54 and 58 wedges

:mizuno-small: 7-wood

:Sub70: 5-wood

 B60 G5i putter

Right handed

Reston, Virginia

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I think this would keep too many players from learning to hit shots. You could just have specialty clubs that only do one thing...ie driving iron and hybrid that go the exact same distance but at different heights. Would take a lot of skill out of the game.

Driver: TS3, 9* (C1 setting, surefit cartridge in fade setting)

3/4 Wood: 917D2, 16.5 degrees (D1 setting, surefit cartridge neutral)

Hybrid: Titleist 818 H2, 19 degrees (C3 setting, surefit cartridge neutral)

Irons: Mizuno MP-18 MMC Fli-Hi 4-Iron (23 degrees); Mizuno MP-18 SC 5-iron(26) and 6-iron(30); Mizuno MP-18 7-iron(34), 8-iron(38), 9-iron(42), and P Wedge(46). Nippon Modus 120x shafts. 1 degree upright.

Wedges: Mizuno S-18 50, 54, and 58 degrees. 50 is 1 degree upright, 54 and 58 are standard lie. Nippon Modus 120x, soft stepped in the 54 and 58.

Putter: Evnroll ER1

 

Right-handed

Atlanta, GA

4.3

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I think this would keep too many players from learning to hit shots. You could just have specialty clubs that only do one thing...ie driving iron and hybrid that go the exact same distance but at different heights. Would take a lot of skill out of the game.

There wasn't a hell of a lot of skill involved with my game anyway.

By the same token, there was nobody counting my clubs, either.

 

But I agree with Dave. Nine would have also made more sense than fourteen.

They wouldn't be nine of the clubs available now, though.

They would be nine clubs designed for a nine club limit.

 

 

 

 

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... 14 clubs is perfect. I probably feel that way because that is the way I learned to play the game. Had it been 10 clubs I would have learned that way and of course if it were 16 I would have 2 more clubs in my bag. Take into account that the vast majority of people that play this game use their own rules like mulligans, rolling it in the fairway, dropping where your ball went OB, moving their ball in a bunker if there are footprints and of course moving their ball out of a divot. Personally I have no problem with that even though a few of my friends have a handicap that is seriously inflated because they do the above and still post a score. They are vanity caps and hurt nobody because they would never risk playing in a ornament LOL. So many carry more than 14 clubs now and honestly I think the rule is the least advantageous if you are not gonna play by the rules. Rarely will any Am run into a situation where they feel like if they had another club they could execute the shot better that they are facing. 

... For better players it would be a redundant club that has different attributes like carrying a 5 wood and a hybrid and a 2 iron that all go about the same distance but with different trajectories and spin. I play a 2 or 3 iron DI depending on the course and would love to also have a 19* hybrid in my bag. I would also not mind having a 60* with a wide sole and tons of bounce to play out of thick rough while using my 58* from a tight lie. 

... Here is a fun exercise for those of you looking to improve your course management. I was playing my best friend in NC about 15 years ago and he really struggled on the front 9. He was pretty dejected so I bet him I could beat him playing the back 9 using only one club, a 5 iron. I shot 2 over on the front using all my clubs and much to my surprise I shot 2 over on the back using a 5 iron. Teeing off with my 5 iron I had quite a few full 5 iron second shots and several times I had to hit a knockdown as I was closer than a 5 iron distance. Both par 5's were pretty much 3 full shots using my 5 iron. I putt using my wedge quite a bit so that part was easy, it was the 2 chips that were difficult and cost me the two bogies. But the one thing it did was laser my focus as there is no opportunity to over swing or play a reckless shot. It was a real eye opener for me and I have played irons off the tee with regularity ever since.  There is a poor 5 with water right and left off the tee and a narrow landing area before a 90* dogleg right. Depending on the wind I hit anything for a 7 to a 5 iron which lands me in the widest oat of the fairway and just changes the angle of my second shot. Not sure I would be making that choice without the experience of playing just a 5 iron for 9 holes. I highly recommend doing the same for fun, choosing 1 iron a wedge and your putter, and I think many of you would be VERY surprised by your results. 

Driver:     :taylormade-small:  Qi10 10.5* ... Ventus Red Velocore 5R
Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
Hybrids:  :ping-small:      430 Hybrid 22*... Steelfiber 780Hy 
                  :taylormade-small:  DHy #4 ... Diamana LTD 65r 
Irons:       :titleist-small:         '23 T200 5-Pw ... Steelfiber i95r
Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
Ball:           Maxfli     Maxfli Tour

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I liked to overlap a long iron with my fairway woods, but I could usually do that within 14.

 

My real reason for playing fifteen when i did was to  bag a one-trick-pony sand club--separate from my wedge complement. I never even considered it a wedge. I thought of it as a dedicated sand iron.

 

(Also, I didn't like an empty slot in a fifteen slot cart bag. It made me feel as though I may have lost a club.)

 

Bunker play with a conventional wedge is no problem for a player at chisag's level.

 

 

 

 

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my bags heavy enough with 13 clubs (1 is used once a round, and 2 others 'maybe' once every 2 rounds) so I could do with being told to have less, helps you get more creative I would think.

Driver     Awaiting NEW Driver (after 10 yrs)  
4 Wood   Callaway Big Bertha Steelhead plus 4+  :callaway-small: Callaway shaft in 'Firm' flex

Hybrid     Titleist 910H 19*    :titelist-small:   Diamana ahina 'flower' shaft in 'S'

Irons         Mizuno MP18SC 4-PW   :mizuno-small:  N.S Pro Modus3 Tour 105 in 'S'

Wedges    Callaway Mack Daddy forged in black 50* and 54*  :callaway-small:   KBS Tour in 'R'

Putter        'YES' Tracy 11 C groove 34.5"

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After we've all shared our views, I still think that fourteen was an arbitrary number that was ill-conceived.

 

Eighteen would have made more sense.

Eighteen is, at least, a golf number.

NINE is also a golf number! So is 3, 4 and 5 ;)

Driver     Awaiting NEW Driver (after 10 yrs)  
4 Wood   Callaway Big Bertha Steelhead plus 4+  :callaway-small: Callaway shaft in 'Firm' flex

Hybrid     Titleist 910H 19*    :titelist-small:   Diamana ahina 'flower' shaft in 'S'

Irons         Mizuno MP18SC 4-PW   :mizuno-small:  N.S Pro Modus3 Tour 105 in 'S'

Wedges    Callaway Mack Daddy forged in black 50* and 54*  :callaway-small:   KBS Tour in 'R'

Putter        'YES' Tracy 11 C groove 34.5"

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I'm shocked it hasn't changed. Would be a big boost to the industry.

 

I like the strategy of trying to configure my bag, but I have so many nice clubs sitting around not being used. And for me to put them in I would probably have to drop a wedge or bend a wedge to fill the gap or buy a new wedge, so it just gets more and more expensive.

 

And really adding a clubs wouldn't change all that much in terms of the way the game is played. But in terms of enjoying different clubs and trying new equipment it would make the game better.

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... For better players it would be a redundant club that has different attributes like carrying a 5 wood and a hybrid and a 2 iron that all go about the same distance but with different trajectories and spin. I play a 2 or 3 iron DI depending on the course and would love to also have a 19* hybrid in my bag. I would also not mind having a 60* with a wide sole and tons of bounce to play out of thick rough while using my 58* from a tight lie.

 

.

I agree, but for amateurs this would help.

 

Pros get to change their bags a lot without much thought to cost, or needing to adjust on the fly. They know what course they are playing in advance, while an am might decide when he gets to the first tee if he's playing 6k yards or 6800 yards (which might influence if he wants that 230 yard club with higher trajectory or more of a piercing rollout club.

 

Pros have more than 15 clubs in their bag, and they adjust. Rory took the 5 wood out today for a long iron for one specific tee shot.

 

Amateurs don't really have that type of luxury or foresight to be able to do that. I mean, they could, but logistically are you just keeping your spare clubs in the trunk or at home? Ams often play courses new to them and only get one look at them, they don't have the benefit of the practice rounds to form a course strategy.

 

I enjoy the strategy of 14 clubs, but with clubs going farther today than years past the need for more top end of the bag clubs, or at least the option available, make me think that allowing players to add something there isn't a bad thing and would help the industry.

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