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Seriously considering dropping a wood......thoughts?


Shank Aaron

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On 12/6/2021 at 8:04 PM, puttnfool said:

Maybe.  Maybe not.  I'm of the feeling that a 4wd is completely different than a high lofted 3wd or strong lofted 5wd.  Loft is only one variable.

I agree completely. I've tried using a 4w in the past, albeit briefly, and never really saw any benefits of measure. Since I started this thread I've dusted a couple off and have been practicing and comparing them to give the 4w an honest shot for this. Like I said, for the tournament distances I play the larger gap between the driver and the nearest wood is really irrelevant. I don't need the two to be within 30 yards of each other. 

Shank's Tentative 2024 WITB

O.B. Finder- Paradym Smoke Ai TD 9*/Ventus TR Blue 6X +1/D

FW- Callaway UW 17*/VA Composites Nemesys 7X

4H- Paradym Super Hybrid/Ventus Velo Blue 8X

5-AW- Apex 21 $-Taper 120S Blackout- (almost time for a new set of something....)

Spoons- Vokey Jet Black SM9 50.08 F/54.10 S/58.08 M Jet Black/Accra iWedge Tour (Until the SM10's drop)

Flat One- Bettinardi Hive Poison Kool-Aid Innovai 6.0

Left Dash ALL DAY/14-way Vessel Players 4 (Thank GOD they finally fully enclosed each club pocket)

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2 hours ago, Shank Aaron said:

I agree completely. I've tried using a 4w in the past, albeit briefly, and never really saw any benefits of measure. Since I started this thread I've dusted a couple off and have been practicing and comparing them to give the 4w an honest shot for this. Like I said, for the tournament distances I play the larger gap between the driver and the nearest wood is really irrelevant. I don't need the two to be within 30 yards of each other. 

I think it all is dependent on the club and model itself. It looks like some of the manufacturers are offering a true 4wd etc but the size about the same but don't know what they are changing beyond the loft itself. 

It all matters on how you perceive it, hit it to gain trust in it. 

:taylormade-small: SIM 9* - Hzdrus RDX Black 70

:taylormade-small: M1-3HL- Hzdrus RDX Blue 70

:callaway-small:     Steelhead 7WD RCH99

:bridgestone-small: J15 CB 4-pw C-Taper Lite

:benhogan-small:Equalizer Wedges 50*-54*-58* V- Tour

:seemore:- M3W

 

 

 

 

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This may have been covered already but you should play whatever enhances your game. Don't worry about what other people play. I realized years ago I was carrying several woods and irons I never used... 5W, 3I, 4I.. I mean never unless it was a punch with one of the irons. I had a PW and SW and that was it. I read numerous articles here and elsewhere and watched dozens of YouTube videos and then went to my favorite Pro and discussed it with him. After much experimentation and purchasing of different wedges (My brother was appreciative of all my hand me downs), I settled on PW-44, UW-49, SW-54, and a LW-60 and they have made my game much better. No more half swings. Good Luck!

Ping G400 Max @ 9 degrees

Ping G400 Stretch 3W

Ping G400 3i Hybrid

Cleveland 2009 launcher 4i Hybrid (also a 2i and 1i not currently in the bag)

Ping G700 5-9, PW, GW, SW (Green Dot and 3/4" length addition)

Ping Glide-3 60 Deg. LW (Green Dot) (also a Glide-2 58 deg LW and Glide 54 Deg SW not in the bag)

All Golf Pride CP2 Wrap Midsize Grips

Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 11 Putter 35" w/oversize grip

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On 12/9/2021 at 9:58 AM, Lefty19 said:

I think it all is dependent on the club and model itself. It looks like some of the manufacturers are offering a true 4wd etc but the size about the same but don't know what they are changing beyond the loft itself. 

It all matters on how you perceive it, hit it to gain trust in it. 

To be a "true" 4wd, I'd say the length, loft, and head weight should be changed.  Otherwise, it's just a HL3wd or strong 5wd.  That thought process likely stems from the fact that I have been building my own clubs since 2000 and that influences the way I think.

WITB:

Taylormade SIM2 Max 9° w/ UST ProForce V2 5F3 @ 45"

Callaway Epic Speed 4wd w/ AccuFLEX Evolution Reg

Dynacraft Genesis 3 hybrid w/ Steelfiber i95r

Srixon ZX5 4-6 and ZX7 7-GW w/ UST Recoil 95 F4 soft stepped once

Cleveland RTX Zipcore 54/10 w/ Recoil 95 F4 shaft

Cleveland RTX-4 58/03 w/ Recoil 95 F4 9i shaft

Odyssey SL EXO Marxman

Pondering:

Nothing at the moment

In the locker:

Too much to list

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44 minutes ago, puttnfool said:

To be a "true" 4wd, I'd say the length, loft, and head weight should be changed.  Otherwise, it's just a HL3wd or strong 5wd.  That thought process likely stems from the fact that I have been building my own clubs since 2000 and that influences the way I think.

I absolutely agree with you on that thought... I intentionally made sure my 3HL was right between in length the 3 and 5 wd. I wanted the control of the loft and length as it fits the yardage I want off the tee and off the deck. I "dabbled" a lot for the longest time and learned a lot from a decent clubmaker. Once I got "ego" out of the way with age, I started to play better and within myself. 

 

David

:taylormade-small: SIM 9* - Hzdrus RDX Black 70

:taylormade-small: M1-3HL- Hzdrus RDX Blue 70

:callaway-small:     Steelhead 7WD RCH99

:bridgestone-small: J15 CB 4-pw C-Taper Lite

:benhogan-small:Equalizer Wedges 50*-54*-58* V- Tour

:seemore:- M3W

 

 

 

 

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The comforting fact is that you always get to change your lineup from round to round...

and if you're just practicing; no harm with carrying 15/16 clubs in bag.

However, assuming you are satisfied with the gapping and delta distances from one wedge to another;

then you can rule out swapping out or bending an existing wedge.

Try out a 60, or 62 or 64 wedge.   see what your full and 3/4 swing yardages are.   

do they fill a distance you desire?   

 

If not, I go along with taking wedge lessons - to promote better

control over the clubs already in your bag. .

Bottom line is more control over half swings with delicate, slopey lies and uneven grass.

If so, I'd pick just two of your wedges (8* gap) to work on the touch shots - these two will be your

go-to wedges.   Alternate shots with these two on various lies, slopes, thickness of light rough.

 

Good luck on mastering these and lowering your index 🙂

Titleist 915 D2

beryllium Ping eye2

Vokey wedges

Odessey 2 ball putter

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On 11/24/2021 at 8:48 AM, BostonSal said:

The best way to solve that problem is with a fifteen-slot cart bag.

 

I went the opposite route for my winter golf tour event yesterday because I was tired of carrying a bag with 14 clubs in it (some courses don’t allow carts of any type, even push carts, and other courses permit motorized carts but only on paved cart paths). My solution, which some of the better tour players have been doing a lot, is to have only 12 clubs in my carry bag. I dropped my 4-wood, leaving no fairway woods in the bag, and also took my 6-iron out of the bag.  My rationale for doing this is that I can hit my 17* #2 hybrid almost as far off the deck (but not off the tee) as I hit the 16.5* 4-wood and if I face a shot where I would normally hit the 6-iron, I can just choke-down on my 5-iron to take off about 12 yards.

So, as for whether to reduce the bag by one fairway wood, I have reduced it to zero of them, at least for the winter tour season. Who knows if, or when, the 4-wood or another fairway wood will make it back into the bag. I do, however, see the 6-iron going back in my bag, possibly as soon as next week’s tour event. I had a tee shot on one par-3 and approach shots on a few par-4 holes yesterday where I would normally have hit my 6-iron, and I came up short twice and went long over the back of the green or long left a couple times.

Edited by funkyjudge

DR - Callaway Paradym X, Newton Motion 4-Dot

4W - T.E. Exotics C722, Diamana D+ 82-S

HYB - Paradym X 18*, HZRDUS Smoke Red 80S; Sub 70 949X 21*, same shaft

7W (if played) - Callaway Epic Flash, ACCRA Tour X 80S

Irons - Cobra Forged Tec X (5-GW), KBS TGI 75-R

Wedges - Edison 2.0, 53* and 57* (bent to 58*), KBS TGI 100

Putter - Makefield VS custom, 34", 67* lie, 1.75* loft

Ball - Maxfli Tour-X CG (2023) or Vice Pro Plus (OnCore ELIXR or Maxfli Tour S in winter)

Bags - Vessel

Cart - MotoCaddy M7 Remote (without the remote)

Spoiler

driver / off the tee is no longer a weakness for me!

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If I was fitting you I'd replace the 56° with a 58°.  Not much sense having a 2° wedge difference. Min should be 4°.

Certified Club Fitter.

Ping G425 Max Driver 10.5° w/Fujikura Ventus TR

Ping G425 Max 5-7-9 Fairway Woods w/Ping Alta CB

Ping G425 Irons 5-U w/Ping Alta CB (Power-Spec Lofts)

Ping 4.0 Eye2 Glide Wedges 54°-58° w/Recoil SmacWrap

Ping Redwood ZB Putter w/PP58

PING Pioneer Cart Bag

Lamkin Sonar+ Wrap Mid-Size Grips

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On 12/10/2021 at 5:59 PM, HDTVMAN said:

If I was fitting you I'd replace the 56° with a 58°.  Not much sense having a 2° wedge difference. Min should be 4°.

I’d also like to see a wedge that is between the 43* PW and the 48* AW (and maybe bend the AW weaker to at least 49* loft if adding a “tweener” there).  And absolutely replace the 56* wedge with a 58* or 59* wedge.  The yardage gap between his PW and AW is way too high, and there is almost no yardage gap between the 54* and 56* wedges (and no logical reason to stay with a 56* wedge).

Edited by funkyjudge

DR - Callaway Paradym X, Newton Motion 4-Dot

4W - T.E. Exotics C722, Diamana D+ 82-S

HYB - Paradym X 18*, HZRDUS Smoke Red 80S; Sub 70 949X 21*, same shaft

7W (if played) - Callaway Epic Flash, ACCRA Tour X 80S

Irons - Cobra Forged Tec X (5-GW), KBS TGI 75-R

Wedges - Edison 2.0, 53* and 57* (bent to 58*), KBS TGI 100

Putter - Makefield VS custom, 34", 67* lie, 1.75* loft

Ball - Maxfli Tour-X CG (2023) or Vice Pro Plus (OnCore ELIXR or Maxfli Tour S in winter)

Bags - Vessel

Cart - MotoCaddy M7 Remote (without the remote)

Spoiler

driver / off the tee is no longer a weakness for me!

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On 11/30/2021 at 5:49 AM, Shank Aaron said:

Tons of responses, and I truly appreciate the feedback. There's a lot to catch up on in this thread with the Holiday weekend, but every opinion given by y'all is appreciated. I think both woods and the 4h will take turns on the bench to test out how things work with the courses and distances I play (typically 6200-6400 by tournament/league  flighting). One of the things I didn't clear up that I meant to was with the wedges. I know the lessons I'm currently taking over the winter will either help, or flat out solve a bunch of my issues, but the main thing I wanted to accomplish with adding a wedge was more versatility/flexibility for my game. The majority of my approach shots are within 120 yards, with the bulk of those being 80 and closer. 

 

At the end of the day, the plan is to grind the lesson plan, and apply everything over the winter and experiment with my set up as much as possible. Again, thanks to all of you for the input. I'll post some updates on my progress as time goes. Cheers, boys.

I am going to have slightly different insight. Take it for what you will.

 

If you are planning on playing tournament golf from 6200-6400, I'd remove the OB finder, and the 5 wood.  Add a club that carries 115 with a stock swing, and get a very high lofted wedge and learn how to use it.

 

As far as you hit the 3 wood, there is never a reason to hit driver on a 6400 yard course. You will almost always have a short iron or wedge in your hands for the approach. I know this because the events that I play in are all from 6400-6700, and I only carry driver 260 anymore. Believe me, if you don't LOVE your driver and believe that you are going to melt one 300 in the center every time, I'd leave it at home.  

 

Driver is my best club. I may not always hit the fairway, but I always believe that I will. 

Putter? that another thing.

 

I'd seriously give it a shot during the off season, and see if your average score drops.

 

Good luck!

Driver - Ping G430 Max 9° | Ventus Blue TR 
Hybrid - :srixon-small: ZX 16° & 18° | GD Tour IZ S

2 Iron - :srixon-small: ZU65 17° | AeroTech SteelFiber 110icw S

Irons -  :srixon-small: ZX7 MKII  4-Pw | TTDGTI S400, std length  1° flat
Wedges - :cleveland-small: RTX 6 Tour Rack 50° 54° 58° | TTDGTI S400, std length 1° flat

Putter -  L.A.B. Golf Link.1 | LA Golf P135 shaft | Garsen Quad Tour grip
 

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19 hours ago, funkyjudge said:

I went the opposite route for my winter golf tour event yesterday because I was tired of carrying a bag with 14 clubs in it .

Got it. The fifteen club solution won't fly in every circumstance.

It flies playing with carts with other geriatrics on weekday mornings.

Louisville Golf Persimmon___2, 4, 5, 7-woods;    Epon AF-906___driving iron;   Titleist T100 5, 6, 7, 8, 9-irons; 

Titleist T100S___48°;     Edison 2.0___53º;     Titleist SM-9 (T)___58º;   Tad Moore Otto Hackbarth___putter;   

Titleist Pro V1x___ball

 

 

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