For the sand and lob wedge, I have a question..... the SW in your bag is a 56-08 and you are contemplating a 60-10 for a LW. Generally the SW is usually 56-11 and the LW is 60-07 since you want more bounce on the SW for the soft bunkers and thick grass and less bounce on the LW for tight lies and hard/wet bunkers. Actually, I had a do-it-yourself 60-10 (Snake Eyes 600W) that worked in a lot of conditions and it was my go to club on tight lies and in wet or hard bunkers. My current sand wedge is 55-12 (Vokey SM c-c 54-11 bent to 55). As far as the "W" or the 52-08... this would be the most likely club you could omit. You can always work your PW. Remember that you can shave 10 yards off for every 1/2" you choke down on the club. You may want to think about the 21H as a permanent fixture vs the 3 iron and maybe alternate between the 24H and the 4 iron. Your setup couldn't be any crazier than mine. I carry TM driver and fww(Burner HT driver-5W-7W and 200 9W), SQ 5-7H, Eye 2 8-9 irons, Vokey wedges (50-08 bent to 51, 54-11 bent to 55, 58-04, 62-07), chipper and putter. Although I can hit the 5-7 irons reasonably well, I am super consistent with distance and direction on the hybrids. I don't need the PW in my set since there is only a 2.5* loft diff between it and the Vokey 50. I play to a 12 handicap with this setup and expect it to drop more (the 7H is a recent addition as an answer to spotty performance with the 6 and 7 irons; I've played 2 rounds with it and I've been nailing greens pretty well - my worst miss was on the fringe but I have been nailing my par 3 and approach shots).

Thanks for the feedback.

To answer your question, the 60.10 was recommended by the fitting rep, but you make a very good point.  I may need to demo both version and see what works best with my swing.  Thanks for pointing that out.

I agree, the W and/or 52.08 isn't necessary, as I played the last few seasons without a GW.  However, in cases where my layup distance was a little off, I found myself either over-swinging with my SW or take too much off my PW to hit the gap yardages.  While this worked in many cases, this approach wasn't as consistently successful as I would like.  I am somewhat committed since the W is on order, but this is a good reason to practice my distance control with my PW.  If effectively, I may just be able to drop the club from my bag - course/condition depending o'course.  

Also, over the past seasons, I relied solely on a 21*H, with no 3-iron.  The one thing that bothers me about continuing down the path is that I can't draw/fade a hybrid.  Currently, I am only able to hit them straight with either a low or high trajectory.  Trying to shape shots with a hybrid simply doesn't work for me.  But oddly enough, I can work a 3 iron, although not perfect each time.

And yeah, I would have to say, you have a pretty interesting setup.  I guess it's not such a bad idea for you not to carry a PW given there is only 6* difference between your 9 and your Vokey.  But with that setup, do you fin yourself having to adjust your swing on choke down on your 9-iron for some approach shots?

Don't get a 3 iron or a wedge. get the 52 and bend it one degree strong to 51. ditch your pitching wedge too and get a SM4 46*. Most Titleist brand ambassadors use hybrids instead of 3 irons and vokeys instead of pitching wedges. About the 60*, only get it if you need it. PS. Hybrids are meant to get the ball in the air. you are going to hit them higher than your irons. but they will put more spin on the ball so ditch your 4 iron and stick with a hybrid. I don't carry hybrids because I am a highly skilled junior and I have developed my swing over the past year to the point where I make solid contact 95% of the time. I myself had 4-Wedge ap1 710 irons for 1 year. I am growing out of the shafts so I am going to sell them and by a mixed set of miz or titleist irons 4-9. If I get miz, I am getting mp-59's 4-6 and mp-69's 7-9. if i get tileist's i am getting CB's 4-6 and MB's 7-9. If you're really good get long irons. if you are average, get hybrids. No matter what your handicap is, I would suggest a vokey pitch. Get a 15 degree 910F and just tune the loft to where you want it. 13.5 is really hard to hit solid. so go with this set up:

712 ap2 5-9

Vokey SM4 wedges 56, 52, 60, and 46

910H 17 *, 21*, 24*

910F 15*

Keep your driver and change your putter if you need to. This set up would give you 15 clubs, 13 of which would be in your bag permanently in your bag. just switch out the hybrids for when the course is playing long or shorter.

Hope this helps 

I also got rid of the Callaway X-series irons and what really helped me was being honest and doing distance gap fitting.  For me that ended up being that I carry Vokeys in 50, 54, and 58 and then with my irons I left the 4-PW in the bag.  I got a three hybrid that I hit a little further than a 3 iron and a little less than a 5 wood that fit the gap perfectly between 4 iron and 3 wood.

Thanks for the input.  

I do have a couple questions though.  I can understand the logic of the 52* Vokey bent to 51* over the W wedge, but why do you recommend the Vokey 46* over the PW?  I guess, what I am really asking is what are the pros and cons with either selection?  If I am correct, the AP2 PW will play farther than the 46* and can be worked better, though the Vokey may produce more backspin.  

My handicap does little to truly represent my iron striking ability and control.  It's hard to make par when off the tee you find yourself in the rough across the adjacent fairway or trying to experiment with different shots, which sometimes put me in a worse situation. HAHA.

That's why I devoted this past off-season to improving my driver and identifying/working-on flaws in my mechanics.  Surprisingly, I had two completely different swings when comparing my other clubs (irons, fairway woods, and hybrids) to my driver.  Something I didn't realize until I worked with a coach and have a video analysis done.

Again, thanks for your input.  Oh, if you're looking at re-shafting your woods/hybrids, I would recommend looking at the UST Proforce V2 or Aldila RIP shafts.  With the V2s, I get a nice penetrating ball-flight that doesn't balloon.

Marc J

Thanks for the feedback.

To answer your question, the 60.10 was recommended by the fitting rep, but you make a very good point.  I may need to demo both version and see what works best with my swing.  Thanks for pointing that out.

I agree, the W and/or 52.08 isn't necessary, as I played the last few seasons without a GW.  However, in cases where my layup distance was a little off, I found myself either over-swinging with my SW or take too much off my PW to hit the gap yardages.  While this worked in many cases, this approach wasn't as consistently successful as I would like.  I am somewhat committed since the W is on order, but this is a good reason to practice my distance control with my PW.  If effectively, I may just be able to drop the club from my bag - course/condition depending o'course.  

Also, over the past seasons, I relied solely on a 21*H, with no 3-iron.  The one thing that bothers me about continuing down the path is that I can't draw/fade a hybrid.  Currently, I am only able to hit them straight with either a low or high trajectory.  Trying to shape shots with a hybrid simply doesn't work for me.  But oddly enough, I can work a 3 iron, although not perfect each time.

And yeah, I would have to say, you have a pretty interesting setup.  I guess it's not such a bad idea for you not to carry a PW given there is only 6* difference between your 9 and your Vokey.  But with that setup, do you fin yourself having to adjust your swing on choke down on your 9-iron for some approach shots?

The one thing I have been practicing a lot has been working the ball with all clubs. When you choke down, the main thing you need to do to maintain a stable base is flex the knees a bit more. I also have a rather controlled swing so it makes it easy to work the club. I learned how to play golf with 3-5-7-9 and a Dual Wedge so I learned how to do inbetween shots. Dave Pelz has all sorts of good stuff on distance control at www.pelzgolf.com. In regards to drawing or fading hybrids or woods, I can do that. Again, the key to drawing or fading a hybrid or wood is point clubface at target and swing along foot path, along with controlled swing.

Marc,

I've recently completed nearly an entire overhaul of my bag.  I had been playing TM driver, 3, 5 & 7 woods, Png 5-PW and Vokey 52, 56 & 60.  I've switched over to a 910 D3, 910 Fd 15*, 910H 19* & 24* and AP2 5-PW.  While I thought about the 3 & 4 irons, the hybrids are so easy to hit and control, that for my game it was a no brainer choice.  

As far as your question regarding favoring the long or short end of the bag, what yardages are you often facing during a round. While I still try to stick those shots from 210 yards out, I'd rather have the confidence of getting up and down that carrying a PW as well as the 52, 56 & 60 brings.

Good luck

Lou G

Marc J

Thanks for the feedback.

To answer your question, the 60.10 was recommended by the fitting rep, but you make a very good point.  I may need to demo both version and see what works best with my swing.  Thanks for pointing that out.

I agree, the W and/or 52.08 isn't necessary, as I played the last few seasons without a GW.  However, in cases where my layup distance was a little off, I found myself either over-swinging with my SW or take too much off my PW to hit the gap yardages.  While this worked in many cases, this approach wasn't as consistently successful as I would like.  I am somewhat committed since the W is on order, but this is a good reason to practice my distance control with my PW.  If effectively, I may just be able to drop the club from my bag - course/condition depending o'course.  

Also, over the past seasons, I relied solely on a 21*H, with no 3-iron.  The one thing that bothers me about continuing down the path is that I can't draw/fade a hybrid.  Currently, I am only able to hit them straight with either a low or high trajectory.  Trying to shape shots with a hybrid simply doesn't work for me.  But oddly enough, I can work a 3 iron, although not perfect each time.

And yeah, I would have to say, you have a pretty interesting setup.  I guess it's not such a bad idea for you not to carry a PW given there is only 6* difference between your 9 and your Vokey.  But with that setup, do you fin yourself having to adjust your swing on choke down on your 9-iron for some approach shots?

The one thing I have been practicing a lot has been working the ball with all clubs. When you choke down, the main thing you need to do to maintain a stable base is flex the knees a bit more. I also have a rather controlled swing so it makes it easy to work the club. I learned how to play golf with 3-5-7-9 and a Dual Wedge so I learned how to do inbetween shots. Dave Pelz has all sorts of good stuff on distance control at www.pelzgolf.com. In regards to drawing or fading hybrids or woods, I can do that. Again, the key to drawing or fading a hybrid or wood is point clubface at target and swing along foot path, along with controlled swing.

 

Lou -

Thanks for the site.  I will check it out and hopefully take from it some valuable pointers.

Good luck this season...

Thanks for the website.  I will check it out and hopefully take a few pointers from is

george t

Marc,

I've recently completed nearly an entire overhaul of my bag.  I had been playing TM driver, 3, 5 & 7 woods, Png 5-PW and Vokey 52, 56 & 60.  I've switched over to a 910 D3, 910 Fd 15*, 910H 19* & 24* and AP2 5-PW.  While I thought about the 3 & 4 irons, the hybrids are so easy to hit and control, that for my game it was a no brainer choice.  

As far as your question regarding favoring the long or short end of the bag, what yardages are you often facing during a round. While I still try to stick those shots from 210 yards out, I'd rather have the confidence of getting up and down that carrying a PW as well as the 52, 56 & 60 brings.

Good luck

 

George -

Your input was extremely helpful - not to devalue the input of others.  Prior to reading your response, I hadn't considered getting up/down for par.  All the while, I was only considering distance gaps and GIR.  While in-game experience has proven 190-200 to be a relatively high percentage shot in making the green, I failed to factor in mishits and/or varying bunker conditions.  Nor did I take into consideration recovery from horrible adjacent fairway tee shots.  Taking that view, positioning myself for up/downs from 70 to around the greens is vital and will likely help save strokes.

However, I do have one additional question.  Earlier in the discussion a fellow golfer chimed-in and suggested replacing the AP2 PW with a Vokey SM4 46*.  What do you think of that suggestion? Pros v Cons...

george t

Marc,

I've recently completed nearly an entire overhaul of my bag.  I had been playing TM driver, 3, 5 & 7 woods, Png 5-PW and Vokey 52, 56 & 60.  I've switched over to a 910 D3, 910 Fd 15*, 910H 19* & 24* and AP2 5-PW.  While I thought about the 3 & 4 irons, the hybrids are so easy to hit and control, that for my game it was a no brainer choice.  

As far as your question regarding favoring the long or short end of the bag, what yardages are you often facing during a round. While I still try to stick those shots from 210 yards out, I'd rather have the confidence of getting up and down that carrying a PW as well as the 52, 56 & 60 brings.

Good luck

With short game you will more likely be accurate within a couple yards. Being accurate within 10 yards with a fairway wood is less likely. Think about it... 5% accuracy at 200 yards is 10 yards and 5% accuracy at 50 yards is 2.5 yd. Short game is the most important... that's why one sees that I have 6 short irons (8-9 and 4 wedges) in the bag. You're only going to get reasonably close in the long game.

The face on Vokey will be larger than the PW.  Depending on how you use a PW and a GW now, you might prefer the 46 to the PW.  I think there is a slightly lower cost with the Vokey.  If I carry an extra long club, I pull the PW (45 AP1) and just use the 9I and 48 degree GW.

Here's the scoop on the 46* vokey. It will go as far or farther than the ap2 712 PW when struck solidly because it is one degree stronger (ap2 PW is 47*). It is also more workable because it has less loft and it is a muscleback club. There isn't a lot of forgiveness but it's a wedge. The vokey will also work better out of the rough and for long bunker shots. plus like you said it will add spin. I have a vokey SM3 56 black nickel and even when I semi-skull it, I still get enough spin to hold the green. The only thing I can say that is good about the ap2 PW is that it might fly a little straighter and a littler higher. But it will be hard to use out of rough, long bunker shots and it won't spin as much on partial shots (if you need to take a shorter swing). By the way, don't get the 13.5* fairway. Get a 15* and adjust it. The 15* has a smaller head and is extremely easy to hit. I am a 7 handicap and I have trouble hitting the 13.5*. Let me know what you decide on as a set.

Nate S

Nate S

Here's the scoop on the 46* vokey. It will go as far or farther than the ap2 712 PW when struck solidly because it is one degree stronger (ap2 PW is 47*). It is also more workable because it has less loft and it is a muscleback club. There isn't a lot of forgiveness but it's a wedge. The vokey will also work better out of the rough and for long bunker shots. plus like you said it will add spin. I have a vokey SM3 56 black nickel and even when I semi-skull it, I still get enough spin to hold the green. The only thing I can say that is good about the ap2 PW is that it might fly a little straighter and a littler higher. But it will be hard to use out of rough, long bunker shots and it won't spin as much on partial shots (if you need to take a shorter swing). By the way, don't get the 13.5* fairway. Get a 15* and adjust it. The 15* has a smaller head and is extremely easy to hit. I am a 7 handicap and I have trouble hitting the 13.5*. Let me know what you decide on as a set.

Nate S

Well, the Pro Shop has informed me that the 3-iron and fairway wood have come in.  However, a mistake in the order rendered fortune, as the 910F was ordered at 15* oppose to 13.5*.  The 712 W hasn't come in yet, so it's my intention to ask about canceling that order when I pick up the new arrivals.  

Based upon all the valuable feedback and guidance provided by you fellow golfers, I have decided the following:

 

9.5* 910 D3 w/ Proforce V2 shaft 

15* 910F w/ Proforce V2 shaft

17* 21* and 24* 910H both w/ Proforce V2 S shafts

712 AP2 (3-PW) - possibly still the W if I cannot cancel the order.

46* 50* (bent to 51*)  56* and 60* Vokey SM4s (will wait for the next Titleist demo/fitting day to ensure proper bounce.)

Delmar Putter 

 

Given I like flexibility, I'd say I don't mind the extra expense resulting from the overlap at both the long and short ends of the bag.  The biggest issue I see is finding the time to practice with them all.

I would like to thank each of you who chimed-in and provided me feedback.  With each keystroke, the passion we share for this game became obvious.  Whether you're stuck in the trees the entire round, tossed your clubs into the nearest creek, or seeking out your third hole-in-one, I wish you good luck this season.

The frustration causes us to wonder why we play; the one perfect shot ensures we continue to come back...

I have a whole bevy of clubs to choose from. Like I said, my 14 club playing bag consists of Burner 2007 HT Draw driver-5W-7W, TM 200 9W, SQ 5H-7H, Eye 2 8-9 irons, Vokey SM3 wedges (50-08 bent to 51, 54-11 bent to 55, 58-04, and 62-07), 2 way chipper and Ody putter. At my disposal I have the remaining Eye 2 irons (5-7 and W) and three Louisville persimmon clubs with steel shafts (Niblick Vanguard 5W and Even Stripe 10W and HL3 34 hybrid). I may carry one or more of them on any given day. It is kind of fun to vary your game every now and then.