Optimal Club Selection

[CoinHen77]

Feb 16, 2020 4:41:21 GMT -5 prodi said:

Apr 25, 2019 4:24:14 GMT -5 donkeypuncherben said:

I'm almost the exact same.  I usually have a 4 iron but no 5 iron because I think de-lofting the 6 iron is more effective in adding yards to fill the distance gap caused by the missing club.

Even with the driver off the deck going a similar distance, it is not nearly as accurate.  I think I get a lot more eagles chances out of the 2 wood that I would hitting driver.  2 wood is also valuable off the tee where I need to lay back a little from the driver landing area.   

Agree on 1 iron being better than hybrids for rescue.  the real life height advantage hitting hybrids out of the rough over long irons doesn't translate to this game. 

This sounds like a great setup and compromise. I've been playing D,2W,2I,4I-LW for a long time and have had issues with both the gap between 2W and 2I and between 2I and 4I, especially for akward-distance 3-par holes and some long approach shots.

The point about delofting the 6I instead of using 5I is something I've actually used in practice for some conditions, so I think the 5I shouldn't be too missed compared to the gains made by cutting the gaps in the longer range clubs.

I contemplated removing one of the wedges, but find them all so important in the short game that I can't justify removing any of the four.

-prodi

So the proposed setup here is D, 2W, 1I, 3I, 4I 6I - LW ?  Has anyone moved to that yet and seen some nice improvements?  It's definitely an interesting idea and is making me second guess my use of 2 hybrids in my bag.

[rich68]

I have tried every combination of clubs and still cannot find a set up better than D,2W,1,3, 5-LW. The only club I really seem to miss is the 4I as 203 is a great distance. I was losing too many shots close to the green where a short flop or downhill chip that you need to stop was required. For me, there's no way I'd play without a LW again. Some are saying Driver off deck can make up for 2W but I don't see it. Even lofted, the Driver off deck doesn't really get up in the air and I don't think it carries any more than the 2 wood unless you're hitting downhill. Combined with the reduced accuracy of driver off deck just makes it a no go for me. I used to shun the 1 Iron but I have learned the truth... It helps for sure dialing in distances on some par 5's and for some reason, it's much better out of trouble than the hybrids, which are completely useless IMO. The 1 iron is my favorite club in the bag!

[lessthanbread]

Feb 27, 2020 17:21:17 GMT -5 rich68 said:

I have tried every combination of clubs and still cannot find a set up better than D,2W,1,3, 5-LW. The only club I really seem to miss is the 4I as 203 is a great distance. I was losing too many shots close to the green where a short flop or downhill chip that you need to stop was required. For me, there's no way I'd play without a LW again. Some are saying Driver off deck can make up for 2W but I don't see it. Even lofted, the Driver off deck doesn't really get up in the air and I don't think it carries any more than the 2 wood unless you're hitting downhill. Combined with the reduced accuracy of driver off deck just makes it a no go for me. I used to shun the 1 Iron but I have learned the truth... It helps for sure dialing in distances on some par 5's and for some reason, it's much better out of trouble than the hybrids, which are completely useless IMO. The 1 iron is my favorite club in the bag!

I'd like to see an explanation video of someone who thinks Driver off the deck is a better choice than having a 2W... I guess if you have a wide open downhill fairway in front of you and you REALLY need to get to the green, sure. But those situations are too few to warrant not having a 2W.

Also agree the 1 iron is a fantastic club to have. Nice height for the distance you get, plus it's just a badass club. I've thought about experimenting with getting rid of a higher lofted iron like a wedge or even a 9 iron and picking up the 4 iron but just doesn't seem like it would payoff in the long run.