Have you ever played a round golf with one club?  No really, have you ever played a round of golf with one club?  If you have, how did you do?  If you have not, which club would you use?  A 7-iron? A 5-iron?  A 20 degree hybrid?

The Masters – Final Round

Recently, Bubba Watson shot an 81 at Pelican Hill Golf Club with a 20 degree hybrid.  According to Golf.com, Watson sometimes gets bored playing with 14 clubs and likes to mix it up.  Quite an impressive feat considering the difficulty of this championship course.

Realistically, Bubba’s methods, although unconventional, does have merit.  By using only one club, it forces players to think out side of their comfort zone when shot making.

The practice of playing around with one to three clubs forces players to think more about shot making then when they are carrying 14 clubs.  Play the same course ten times in a row, I bet most players will use no more that 7-8 clubs.  This is not necessarily due to course management, but routine.

Routine in golf is great when conducting a shot, but not necessarily on the course when routine drives the same shots on the same holes with no improvement in your score.

A great tip by Tim Mitchell to simulate shot making on the course to change-up your routine next practice session on the range. Execute the following five shot patterns below using only your 8 iron, hybrid and driver. Do not hit the same club two times in a row, and do not hit the same shape of shot two times in a row. Also, do not hit to the same target two times in a row.

This exercise will improve your pre-shot, shot, and follow through.  It will help with your alignment and shot execution.  I have used similar exercises on the range with great results.  Ultimately, it will help lower your score by engaging your brain.

So, if you were to play a round with only one club, which would you use?

I am a grateful golfer!  See you on the links!