Golfers: Stack and Tilt?

[Yakuza Rich]

My bag setup is:

Driver (9.5*), 3-wood (15*), 3-hybrid (20*), 3-PW, SW (56*) and LW (60*), putter

Hybrids can be a great club to have in your bag to *game*. Good out of the rough, fairway and the tee. I use a 20* hybrid with a 21* 3-iron because I hit the hybrid further, particularly off the tee. I hit my 3-iron about 220-225 yards, my 3-hybrid about 235-240 and my 3-wood about 250-255 yards (off the tee I can sometimes hit it 275).

The problem with hybrids is if you plan on getting better and developing a better swing, they won't help much to practice with on the range because they are so easy to get up in the air. So I think if one can find an old 3-iron for like $10-$20 and go on the range and practice with it and hit it well, it's a great training tool because it will teach the golfer so many different important facets of the golf swing.

Put it this way, if a golfer can hit a 3-iron really well, they will probably be able to hit every other iron in their bag. But if they can hit a hybrid really well, then that usually doesn't mean they'll be able to hit the other clubs well.

So, practice with a 3-iron, play with the hybrids.

I actually have an old Hogan Apex PC 2-iron with a super duper stiff and heavy shaft in it. When I hit it well, it takes off like a rocket. But, tough to hit it consistently well. When I'm doing that on the range, often times I go on the course and not mis-hit an iron shot all round long.







YR

 

[Doomsday101]

I was using a GPS for a while but I have to say this range finder blows away the GPS, it is highly accurate and has made a big difference.

http://www.golfsmith.com/products/2...2_Laser_Rangefinder_with_Pinseeker_Technology

 

[Doomsday101]

My bag setup is:

Driver (9.5*), 3-wood (15*), 3-hybrid (20*), 3-PW, SW (56*) and LW (60*), putter

Hybrids can be a great club to have in your bag to *game*. Good out of the rough, fairway and the tee. I use a 20* hybrid with a 21* 3-iron because I hit the hybrid further, particularly off the tee. I hit my 3-iron about 220-225 yards, my 3-hybrid about 235-240 and my 3-wood about 250-255 yards (off the tee I can sometimes hit it 275).

The problem with hybrids is if you plan on getting better and developing a better swing, they won't help much to practice with on the range because they are so easy to get up in the air. So I think if one can find an old 3-iron for like $10-$20 and go on the range and practice with it and hit it well, it's a great training tool because it will teach the golfer so many different important facets of the golf swing.

Put it this way, if a golfer can hit a 3-iron really well, they will probably be able to hit every other iron in their bag. But if they can hit a hybrid really well, then that usually doesn't mean they'll be able to hit the other clubs well.

So, practice with a 3-iron, play with the hybrids.

I actually have an old Hogan Apex PC 2-iron with a super duper stiff and heavy shaft in it. When I hit it well, it takes off like a rocket. But, tough to hit it consistently well. When I'm doing that on the range, often times I go on the course and not mis-hit an iron shot all round long.







YR

Good advice. I played with a 3 iron for years heck even had a 1 Iron in my bag but as new technology came I just found these clubs worked better for me. Today I carry a Driver, 3W, 5W, hybrid, 4 through PW. I also use a 54 and 60 degree wedge.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Good advice. I played with a 3 iron for years heck even had a 1 Iron in my bag but as new technology came I just found these clubs worked better for me. Today I carry a Driver, 3W, 5W, hybrid, 4 through PW. I also use a 54 and 60 degree wedge.

I haven't been fitted for clubs in a long time, so I kinda just go with what's affordable off of eBay and play with them. Part of it I've also got about 14 different sets of irons because I enjoy switching them up because it keeps things from being montonous.

I've been doing quite a bit of statistical research lately and the #1 part of the game that correlates to adjusted stroke average on the PGA Tour is proximity to the cup from 175-225 yards out. Essentially, that's where those guys lose all of their strokes because if you miss the green from that distance, golfers usually miss it quite a bit and it's tough to get up and down. And if you really miss it badly you can make double bogey or worse (or you can hit the green, be 50 feet away and 3-putt for bogey).

Upon investigating this I looked at the top PGA Tour players from that distance over the years and typically found that those players carry a bag of:

Driver
3-wood
2-hybrid or 5-wood (18*)
3-PW
SW
LW

You really don't see those players carrying a gap wedge or anything like that. In fact, not many PGA Tour players do.

So for them, it's much more important to keep the yardage gaps between the longer clubs pretty tight and they'll just figure out the yardages with their wedges.






3JACK

 

[Doomsday101]

I haven't been fitted for clubs in a long time, so I kinda just go with what's affordable off of eBay and play with them. Part of it I've also got about 14 different sets of irons because I enjoy switching them up because it keeps things from being montonous.

I've been doing quite a bit of statistical research lately and the #1 part of the game that correlates to adjusted stroke average on the PGA Tour is proximity to the cup from 175-225 yards out. Essentially, that's where those guys lose all of their strokes because if you miss the green from that distance, golfers usually miss it quite a bit and it's tough to get up and down. And if you really miss it badly you can make double bogey or worse (or you can hit the green, be 50 feet away and 3-putt for bogey).

Upon investigating this I looked at the top PGA Tour players from that distance over the years and typically found that those players carry a bag of:

Driver
3-wood
2-hybrid or 5-wood (18*)
3-PW
SW
LW

You really don't see those players carrying a gap wedge or anything like that. In fact, not many PGA Tour players do.

So for them, it's much more important to keep the yardage gaps between the longer clubs pretty tight and they'll just figure out the yardages with their wedges.






3JACK

Yet Mickleson will carry up to 3 wedges in his bag. Dustin Johnson has 4 different wedges in his bag. Thing about this game there are many option that fit certain players. I found that there are many on the PGA who will carry multipule wedges.

Tiger's Driver
• Nike VR Tour 8.5

Fairway Woods
• Nike VR Pro 3 Wood prototype (15 degrees)
• Nike SQ II 5 Wood (19 degrees)
*Tiger will put his 5 Wood or 2 Iron in the bag depending upon the course setup and conditions

Irons
• Nike VR Pro Blades

Wedges
• Nike 56 degree VR SW
• Nike 60 degree VR LW

 

[Yakuza Rich]

The majority of golfers on the PGA Tour do not carry more than a PW, SW and LW.

Not saying that none do, but the vast majority don't.

The reason is simple...any shot that can be hit with a gap wedge can be hit pretty darn well with a SW. But if you're 238 yards away and you only have a 3-wood which you hit well past that and a 3-iron which you hit short of that...it's a big problem and you can lose a ton of strokes. Plus, on the Tour they can get those types of shots about 4 times a round because of the long par-3's and par-4's. Those shots...if executed poorly can lead to bogeys or worse so they can't recover.

I carry a hybrid over a 2-iron because it's much better from the rough. Sometimes you get those tough lies on a par-5 and you can't hit them with a 3-wood or a 2-iron. A 3-iron is a little better, but you lose quite a bit of distance. I've contemplated the 5-wood, too although I'm not sure why it would be better than a hybrid other than maybe liking the looks a bit better






YR

 

[Doomsday101]

The majority of golfers on the PGA Tour do not carry more than a PW, SW and LW.

Not saying that none do, but the vast majority don't.

The reason is simple...any shot that can be hit with a gap wedge can be hit pretty darn well with a SW. But if you're 238 yards away and you only have a 3-wood which you hit well past that and a 3-iron which you hit short of that...it's a big problem and you can lose a ton of strokes. Plus, on the Tour they can get those types of shots about 4 times a round because of the long par-3's and par-4's. Those shots...if executed poorly can lead to bogeys or worse so they can't recover.

I carry a hybrid over a 2-iron because it's much better from the rough. Sometimes you get those tough lies on a par-5 and you can't hit them with a 3-wood or a 2-iron. A 3-iron is a little better, but you lose quite a bit of distance. I've contemplated the 5-wood, too although I'm not sure why it would be better than a hybrid other than maybe liking the looks a bit better






YR

It is not about how many do or don't the ones who do do so for a reason. Quite frankly there can be vast differances from one event to another in what clubs a guy has in his bag.

Bubba Watson
Zurich Classic, PGA Tour
Driver: Ping G15 (7.5 degrees, Grafalloy Bi-Matrix prototype shaft)
Fairway Wood: Ping G15 5-wood (17 degrees, True Temper Project X8A1 shaft)
Irons (3-PW): Ping S59 (True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts)
Wedges: Ping Tour-W (52 and 56 degrees), Ping Tour-S Rustique TS (64 degrees)

Lee Westwood
Ballantine's Championship, European Tour
Driver: Ping G10 (9 degrees, Aldila NV VooDoo XNVS shaft)
Fairway Woods: Ping i15 3-wood (15.5 degrees) and Ping Rapture V2 5-wood (18.5 degrees, Aldila NV 75 shaft)
Irons (3-PW): Ping i10 (Ping JZ Stiff shafts)
Wedges: Ping Tour-W (54 and 58 degrees)

Ted Potter Jr.
South Georgia Classic, Nationwide Tour
Driver: Cleveland Launcher DST Tour (9.5 degrees, Aldila RIP 60 shaft)
Fairway Wood: Cleveland Launcher Comp 3-wood (15 degrees, Aldila VooDoo XVS7 shaft)
Hybrid: Cleveland Launcher (20.5 degrees, Aldila VooDoo XVS9 shaft)
Irons (4-PW): Cleveland CG1 Tour
Wedges: Cleveland CG14 (52, 56 and 60 degrees)


Any of these guys at the next event may change up what they will do.