5 Club competition

Just on the back of a comment Graeme made about playing using a half set it got me thinking about a comp I play in whereby, you can only carry 5 Clubs and 1 of those clubs must be a putter. It makes you work the ball in a variety of ways you wouldn't usually as you have limited clubs at your disposal. Your many time caught between clubs so you really do need to think your way round and think about what clubs you will carry.

For me I have tend to go for:

3Wood
5Iron
7Iron
9Iron
Putter.

Means 3wood can be used of long hole tees and fairways if required, also means using 9 iron for pitch shots and bunker play but is a fun way to play.

So what wold you pick and why

probably the same, or maybe 4 and wedge rather than 5 and 9, just to help with our par 3s and around the greens. This type of thing reminds me of Seve winning a one club challenge. He used a 5 iron, hitting big slinging hooks off the tee and even playing greenside bunker shots with it. Genius.

For me i would have to go for:-

3 Wood
Hybrid 3 Iron
7 Iron
Sand Wedge
Putter

As you have stated the 3 wood would be used for tee shots and it is a regular club for me off the fairway,

The 3 iron as i am quite a short hitter so will know doubt be need a lot as well.

7 Iron as it a nice middle iron and my go to iron when i am in the rough ha ha

Sand wedge for the shots around the green as not overly confident with pitches and chips with many other clubs.

Do you not think a wedge [52/54] would be more versitile than a SI?

Me
Driver, Rescue [22], 5iron, 8 iron, wedge. I would putt with the rescue.
If the putter is ruled in. 3 wood, 4, 8, wedge, putter.

For me it would depend on the weather and course

3 wood 13degree if wind is strong or 16 degree if no wind .
Hybrid loft dependent on which 3 wood I used. I have the TM 2011 rescues so the lofts can be tweaked and as I am not a long hitter the hybrid is preferable to a long iron.
7 iron My most used iron and am very comfortable with it.
Picking a wedge would depend on the type of course and hazards at the course, especially around the green. If no pot bunkers I would probably go for a 52 degree wedge and if the bunkers were deep my Sand wedge.
Putter (I have considered using a Hybrid to put and that would have given me an extra iron, possibly a PW)

Iused to play in a 3 club comp at Xmas and the selection was straightforward
16 degree 3 wood
7 iron
putter
The course was parkland and in a valley so very sheltered and bunkers were shallow.

Putter
PW
7 iron
3 iron
driver

I love limited club events and as I said yesterday somewhere else I think it forces you to get more creative and have more fun.

Doon the Water wrote:Do you not think a wedge [52/54] would be more versitile than a SI?

That would suggest i had enough skill to be versatile, i was just basing on the club selections i am most comfortable with.

4 wood
3i hybrid
7 iron
9 iron
putter

or change the 7 iron for:
http://www.snotr.com/video/2451/Utter_golf_club_fail

Driver
23 deg hybrid
7 iron
52 deg
putter

It depends on your own course, but I've found that taking a driver is a good idea.

Taking the 3 wood means you can hit it off the fairway, but if you don't normally need to hit off the fairway more than 3 or 4 times, you'd probably be better off with the driver, and then improvise the second shot.

Also, depending on the bunkers on your course, a sand iron may be essential. I played a 5 clubber with a guy last autumn who was doing really well until the 16th when he couldn't get out of a bunker with a wedge. It was a really nasty deep pit of a bunker, not the sort you can escape from with a wedge.

I won a 5 club competition at my club with a 5 wood, 6 iron, 8 iron, wedge and putter. The wind was such that the holes I had selected the 8 iron for meant I had to use the 6 instead. I ended up not using the 8 iron at all!

The win meant I qualified for a day out at Canterbury. So I took the same clubs - huge mistake. I couldn't reach a lot of the par 4s using the 5 wood off the tee. The guys I played with both had drivers. So you definitely need to tailor the choice to the course and it helps if you know the course quite well.

You played canterbury with a 5wood! Not surprised you struggled GM, canterbury is a good track but some holes you need a good driver to uphill fairways. Then there is the hole I hate where they have that ugly pole you have to use to aim at off the tee!

The driver is not so much needed for the par 5's but more to stop you needing a long iron into all the medium par 4's.

i hadn't considered a driver before reading through all the comments but having done so, i'd probably go for -

driver
19deg hybrid
7 iron
pw
putter

I'd opt for:

- 3-wood
- 26deg hybrid
- 7 iron
- gap wedge
putter

I've got pretty nifty with using the driver from the fairways - grip it well down the shaft and get some great left to right worm burners that just keep running. So for me its:

Driver
5 iron
7 iron
56 wedge
putter

Usually find these games are a lot more fun ;-)

ronin47

Ive played in a few 5 club comps where carrying a putter hasn't been compulsory. I actually think a 5 club comp at my club last year was won by a boy putting with his wedge !

wish our club had one of these. might suggest it to our posse for an end of season bash. my choices would be:

driver or 17deg hybrid
4 or 5 iron,
8 iron,
52 deg wedge
putter

if breezy it would be the driver / 4 combo

on my away course it would definitely be hybrid / 5 combo as i only tend to use the driver once a round there.