Recently my cousin reached out to asked me about what clubs he should have in is bag. He has an assortment of clubs and they range from driver to pitching wedge. He was wondering which clubs to carry and to stay within the 14 club rule. I gave him a call and we talked about how much he played and the cost/value if he should purchase any new equipment. It was a very good conversation and it made me realize that the composition of each bag should be different to match the players game.

Currently, Rob is carrying a driver, 3 and 4 hybrid, 3-9 iron, PW and putter; I counted ten clubs, so he had some room for adding and making adjustments.

The first thing we talked about was his intent and how much golf he was planning to play over the next year or two. He told me that he was a casual golfer who will play 3 or 4 times a year. Additionally, his intent is to play well, but does not have the time to devote to his game to really improve. At least not for the foreseeable future.

With that in mind, we talked about distance gaps between any of his clubs. The obvious gap would be between his driver and 3 hybrid. He had a 3 wood and 7 wood that was not currently in his bag that will fill the distance gap he currently experiences. I also mentioned that he should experiment with his 3 wood and that many players do not hit driver and use the 3 wood because they are more consistent.

Rob mentioned that he was going to the range today and he was going to determine his distances for each club. I indicated that this was a great idea and it will help determine if he needed to carry the 3 and/or 7 wood. Also, he would determine the distances of his other clubs and I told him that he would be way ahead of most players if he could develop a general idea on how far his clubs travel.

Lastly, we talked about whether he needed a sand wedge. Of all the clubs he does not have, I thought that this would be the most versatile both from the sand and around the green. After further discussion, he felt that it was not the time to invest in more clubs because he hit the ball well enough out of the sand and loved his 9 iron around the green. I said that he was set and that sand wedge would be a luxury at this point.

After our 15 minute discussion, Rob was set with a plan forward and the possibilities of filling all his distance gaps. After tomorrows time at the range, he will have built a set of clubs designed for his game. I told him that he was likely ahead of most amateurs and that his way forward was a solid one. He is approaching his playing in the right manner and I hope it works out the way it should.

UPDATE: During my initial discussion with Rob, I overlooked that his hybrids and long irons are a duplication of each other. Kevin, an avid reader/commenter at The Grateful Golfer, pointed out my oversight. Thanks Kevin, I have rectified my error. (18 July 2021)

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