3 Club Challenge

[Jonny_Crash]

Over the past two weeks my friends and I played a couple of 9 hole rounds using only 3 clubs each.  It's a short course (2682), so we excluded woods/hybrids from the discussion.   We had a blast.  The first round was pick any three Irons/wedges/putter and the second we all played 6-9-putter.  

The choose your own clubs round was great and we all ended up with different combinations.  I played 3-9-54* and shot a 45.  I struggled with the 3 off the turf, but it was great off the tee.  I oddly putted better with the wedge than my putter (time for a change there!).  Anyway, it was a blast, have any of you done the same?  What did you pick?

 

[Kenny B]

First year I played a season of golf was 1992 in my company league.  All year my best 9-hole score was 62 on a course that was an 18-hole par 66.  At the end of the year in our 3-club tournament I picked 5-9-putter and shot 45.  

The rest of the story... that 18-hole par 66 course was demolished, and 25 years ago it was rebuilt as the 18-hole par 72 course that I am a member of now... this year I shot one under par 71.

[Jonny_Crash]

2 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

First year I played a season of golf was 1992 in my company league.  All year my best 9-hole score was 62 on a course that was an 18-hole par 66.  At the end of the year in our 3-club tournament I picked 5-9-putter and shot 45.  

The rest of the story... that 18-hole par 66 course was demolished, and 25 years ago it was rebuilt as the 18-hole par 72 course that I am a member of now... this year I shot one under par 71.

That's an awesome story!  

[Caddie1966]

2 hours ago, Kenny B said:

First year I played a season of golf was 1992 in my company league.  All year my best 9-hole score was 62 on a course that was an 18-hole par 66.  At the end of the year in our 3-club tournament I picked 5-9-putter and shot 45.  

The rest of the story... that 18-hole par 66 course was demolished, and 25 years ago it was rebuilt as the 18-hole par 72 course that I am a member of now... this year I shot one under par 71.

What a great memory to leverage as you play the newer layout.  Kinda like deja cute all over again.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Love this!

As part of one of the Connect Cobra challenges I was asked to take part in a 4 club challenge. Was great fun and honestly wasn't much worse of a score than normal. I found for me the main thing was to focus on part 3 club selection. Par 4s were almost always going to be 2 shots in regardless and par 5s would be 3, so being able to hit the proper shots on par 3s was where I thought I could find an advantage. 

[Kenny B]

10 hours ago, Caddie1966 said:

What a great memory to leverage as you play the newer layout.  Kinda like deja cute all over again.

The new course looks nothing like the old course; a few trees left over (many blew over in a huge wind storm and many others were removed) but the landscape has also completely changed, the turf is different and so have the hazards!!  I've been playing here for 7 years now and have gotten to know where I can miss on certain holes.   There is no way I could repeat what I did 30 years ago with the same 3 clubs, even with my improved ability; the length of the course and my age have taken their toll.    Now, the 3 clubs would have to be a FW, mid-iron and wedge.

[Caddie1966]

Sounds like you miss the old track.  I can relate.  
 

I caddied at an absolutely beautiful course in Michigan growing up.  It hosted the PGA and the Motor City Open back in the late 50s.  Hogan won the Motor City Open there.  The course was built around 1912 and was postcard worthy on 12 of the 18 when I was there in the 60s and 70s.

Several years ago, they removed nearly every tree, had to have been 6-7 thousand, in the name of sustainability.  Destroyed the course in my opinion.  Much of the membership quit.  It’s a shame.  

 

My wife and I played Magnolia Grove on the RJT trail in Alabama two weeks ago.  They are currently removing 6000 yes 6 thousand trees from that property.  They do have 36 plus an 18 hole short course there but the character of the place is changing big time.  It was one of our favorites on the trail but now…

[GolfSpy TCB]

On 11/13/2022 at 7:56 PM, Kenny B said:

First year I played a season of golf was 1992 in my company league.  All year my best 9-hole score was 62 on a course that was an 18-hole par 66.  At the end of the year in our 3-club tournament I picked 5-9-putter and shot 45.  

The rest of the story... that 18-hole par 66 course was demolished, and 25 years ago it was rebuilt as the 18-hole par 72 course that I am a member of now... this year I shot one under par 71.

When I was just learning to golf, and it got below freezing in Yakima... my buddy and I would take a road trip to Sham Na Pum... usually a few degrees warmer than Yakima in the Tri-Cities, and they let you golf, frozen ground or not.  I recall some nice "Cart Path" bounces right from the middle of the frozen fairway... haha!

[GolfSpy TCB]

On 11/13/2022 at 7:37 PM, Jonny_Crash said:

Over the past two weeks my friends and I played a couple of 9 hole rounds using only 3 clubs each.  It's a short course (2682), so we excluded woods/hybrids from the discussion.   We had a blast.  The first round was pick any three Irons/wedges/putter and the second we all played 6-9-putter.  

The choose your own clubs round was great and we all ended up with different combinations.  I played 3-9-54* and shot a 45.  I struggled with the 3 off the turf, but it was great off the tee.  I oddly putted better with the wedge than my putter (time for a change there!).  Anyway, it was a blast, have any of you done the same?  What did you pick?

 

I am with you on the wedge putting Jonny!  In fact, when I'm struggling on the greens, I go to the putting green with my wedge... Usually gets me back in sync on my stroke.  

I'm trying to think what I would select in a 3 club challenge... I would probably go with 5 iron (from the tee and long approaches), 8 iron (for shorter approaches and bump & runs around the green) and 58* (for finesse shots around the green and putting).  Interesting thought... kinda want to go try it now!!

[Kenny B]

2 hours ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

When I was just learning to golf, and it got below freezing in Yakima... my buddy and I would take a road trip to Sham Na Pum... usually a few degrees warmer than Yakima in the Tri-Cities, and they let you golf, frozen ground or not.  I recall some nice "Cart Path" bounces right from the middle of the frozen fairway... haha!

Sham Na Pum!!  My first golf course I played here when I started playing golf and played in my company league!  It's gone now and replaced 25 years ago with my home course... Columbia Point GC.  Doesn't look anything like Sham Na Pum!

We can't play until the temp warms up enough to take the frost off the turf, and some of turf is in shade from the many grassy mounds here.  If the temp isn't forecasted to get above freezing, the course will open for play... great for driving distance, not great for GIR.  

We get people coming here all winter from Spokane and Seattle; a lot more than go to Yakima... "The Palm Springs of Washington".     

[Jonny_Crash]

4 hours ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

I am with you on the wedge putting Jonny!  In fact, when I'm struggling on the greens, I go to the putting green with my wedge... Usually gets me back in sync on my stroke.  

I'm trying to think what I would select in a 3 club challenge... I would probably go with 5 iron (from the tee and long approaches), 8 iron (for shorter approaches and bump & runs around the green) and 58* (for finesse shots around the green and putting).  Interesting thought... kinda want to go try it now!!

It was really fun to try and think through the strategy!  Highly recommend it!  

[vandyland]

I may have to try that. I would likely go Hybrid (can putt and chip with it) + 7 iron + GW and see how I get along. 

[Jonny_Crash]

3 hours ago, vandyland said:

I may have to try that. I would likely go Hybrid (can putt and chip with it) + 7 iron + GW and see how I get along. 

We excluded hybrids from our round, but all decided that would be the ultimate club to have