Strategic club swapping in the top end of your bag?

[StrokerAce 11,149]

We all love golf and love golf clubs...that's a given.

Most people seem to stick with a single set of irons...at least for a while.

Some people have one or more "backup" putters that get swapped in/out based upon how their current putter is behaving.

A majority of us find a driver and stick with it.

That leaves the top end....

How many of you swap out a long iron, hybrid, 5 wood, etc. based on strategy/course being played/current weather conditions, etc.?
Do you stick with what you've got through thick-and-thin or do you have any 'spare' clubs at the same/similar lofts  in the top end of your bag that you will switch in and out on occasion?

 

[GolfSpy MPR 10,511]

It would take a pretty extraordinary set of circumstances in terms of course or weather for me to swap out clubs.

That said, I suppose I've done a variation of this: I've kept a club in my bag that has its place almost entirely because it's useful on the tee of one of the holes of the course that I play virtually all my golf on.

[BH43 5]

I swapped out a 2h, 3h and 5h.  Put in a 5wood and 7 wood and kept a 4 h. 

[edingc 8,331]

This will be the first season where I bought a club specifically for the option of "swapping out."

My Sub70 4 iron (21.5° at 38.5"), Callaway Epic Flash 4 hybrid (20°-23° at 40") and a 2016 Cobra KING Utility (not built yet, but planning to do 18.5° at 39.5") will all be available as my 14th club at the top end of my bag. Most of my rounds are played on my home course and in the morning when it's wet, so I do not plan on carrying the KING Utility much, if at all, while playing there and will set the Epic Flash at 20 degrees. However, I also spend some time playing a links-style course with firmer and tighter fairways where the KING Utility will probably take the place of the 4 iron, while I'll loft the Epic Flash hybrid up to 22 or 23 degrees to take the place of the 4 iron.

I'm really trying to setup my bag so that every club has a purpose this season. I used to always carry a driving iron type of club, but found I hardly used it on my home course. So by creating the opportunity to swap a club out, I'm kept that promise to myself to always set the bag up so that every club will have a defined role.

[Blueberry_Squishie 120]

If I played competitively at a range of courses with differing conditions, I would think about taking out my 16* hybrid and substituting a driving iron style club (something like a SIM UDI or Callaway XForged UT) to better suit a particular course's conditions. I'd never put a fairway in because when I did my fittings, fairways have always launched too high for my liking and then lower loft ones go further than I want them to. I found that my 16* hybrid has an ideal launch window, but a distance that fits best with the rest of the bag.

 

With how I play golf now, 90%+ of my rounds are at one course, and weather doesn't have very large extremes where I play, so swapping is not a priority. I can totally see the value in it though.

[Lacassem 10,142]

I’m in a bind with my 3W/4H/4iron

i bought the 3W for realistically when I don’t hit driver well....but when will I know if I’m not hitting it well until I get to the course?

my double 4s are a 19* for the hybrid and 21* for the metal.....strike both pretty well and have a decent yardage gap between (13 yards according to arccos) which is perfect. But I need a gap wedge at the bottom of the back (specifically 48*) so my conundrum is what’s got to get out?

I am leaning towards the wood because if I go play a tight course I could always throw the wood in there instead of driver.....but when the driver is on it’s as good if not better. Between those 3 clubs I think I’ll be keeping them and swapping in as needed. I guess long story short I pretty much stick to my bag but the next year or two could be a toss up idk yet. 

[MaxEntropy 6,737]

With the terrible inconsistency of my driver, I have been known to swap in my old Callaway 3W in the driver slot - it is a bit longer than the Bridgestone 3W, but a bit less accurate. Once I buy @MattF's M5 and I figure out which of the two shafts works better for me, all my driving woes will be over, right? 

[cnosil 16,667]

Top end of my bag is pretty set;  I love my titleist hybrids and have no plans on getting anything to replace them or swap with them. 

[BKordon 132]

My current setup is Driver, 14 degree 3 wood, and 18 degree 5 wood. I also have a 17 degree 2 iron and a 4 iron bent to 19 degrees. The 2 iron hasn't been in play since last spring and recently got a new shaft, but hasn't even been hit due to winter. The 4 iron is great for tighter holes off the tee. I am not crazy about the ball flight on the 4 iron from the fairway and on my home course, there are only one or two of the par fives that this even comes into play. I hit a fairway wood for position on par fives; with three of them being 600+ from the back tees, I'm rarely getting home in 2 anyway. I should add that hybrids are not my friend. They only go left for me. 

I am toying with this: Adding a 21 degree fairway wood to come in higher as opposed to the 4 iron. Our greens are big and while they hold well, not so much coming in lower.

I can adjust the loft on the 3 wood to 16 degrees and since I hit it from the tee on only a couple of par 4's, I'm not giving up much.

It's really too early to tell until I get on the course for the spring and see if this setup is viable. My initial thought is get a wedge in my hand on the par 5's and make 4. 

I do play a couple of tournaments on other courses, where the above setup could be applicable too. 

I'm curious to see other thoughts on setup. 

[russtopherb 6,228]

I'm pretty set up there given my love/hate relationship with hybrids. I'll swap out the Mini Driver (ended last season with it in the bag) but for the most part I just stick with fairway woods.

[TR1PTIK 2,876]

I haven't used it on course yet, but I have a 3-iron now that I will mostly likely use for certain situations in place of my hybrid. There's a par 3 at a course I frequent where a stock hybrid is usually too much and 4 iron isn't quite enough, but a 3-iron would be just right.

[MattF 10,406]

13 hours ago, MaxEntropy said:

Once I buy @MattF's M5 and I figure out which of the two shafts works better for me, all my driving woes will be over, right? 

Yes, but it won't be my fault if it doesn't happen that way!

[MattF 10,406]

Well, I just got a new driver and I'm replacing my 3 hybrid, but they're both the same lofts as what they're replacing, so I'd say, no, I don't swap.

[Shapotomous 2,046]

I have a 4i and a 23* hybrid that I exchange depending on the wind.  The 4i flies lower and I can work it a little so its a good wind club.  The 23*h flies high and likes going right to left all the time but can hold most any green.

[BNewton51 484]

Top end of the bag is on lock.  However, I can say in the past I've been one to flip clubs in and out depending on course conditions and what I was trying to do that day.  Can't say it helped me particularly, but that's a mindset I tried.  

[ncwoz 1,719]

This year will be the first I'll potentially be swapping out an 18° hybrid with an 18° driving iron, either because of wind/no wind or because I'll need more of a tight tee club or something to hit into longer par 5s.

The hybrid was in my bag all last year and I was pleased with its performance, but it was probably almost +75% used as a tee club. I'm hoping the driving iron will be an even more reliable tee option, and based off some preliminary swings from the off-season there's a chance the driving iron will beat out the hybrid entirely.

[MaxEntropy 6,737]

1 hour ago, MattF said:

Yes, but it won't be my fault when it doesn't happen that way!

Fixed it for you....

[ballplayer002003 1,227]

I swapped out a 2 iron last summer for a 5 wood and could not be happier.  The 5w is so much easier to hit and a lot more forgiving.  To answer your question though, I do not swap out clubs depending on the course.  My 3w is the oldest club in my bag and I use it off the tee or off the turf and love it the same.  Sure I have good days with it and bad days but it's not going anywhere.  Same with the rest of my set.  It's the old saying (not politically correct here), "it's the arrow, not the indian."

[RickyBobby_PR 5,795]

Used to have a driving iron that would get out in for a few courses that were short and narrow to give me an option for playing to a distance. Don’t play those courses much anymore so top of the bag is set now

[rbsiedsc 1,941]

I got a DI to help when my driver was amiss. That helped but realized it is a one trick pony for now (its been to wet out to try it from the deck). My driving game is getting back to where i want plus i just added a super hybrid, which could now be my safety club from the tee, replacing the DI. Now, i have thoughts of weakening the DI 2* and shortening the shaft (and maybe swap it to a KBS to make it more a 3 UI and then swap that out with my 3H depending on if it is windy that day. In reality, i really should just keep my 3H and sell the DI, although were is the fun in taking other clubs out to the course once in a while