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Varying distances with a single club - How do you do It ???

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  • Varying distances with a single club - How do you do It ???

    Hi all
    As I get older (76 ) I am still walking 18 and carrying my bag, no prob, but to make it light, I take only 6 clubs TOTAL. So obviously i have big gaps between clubs,so was just wondering your suggestion to fill those gaps somehow with my limited set ?

    For example, to increase distance from the stock loft/normal swing:

    1) Take higher loft and swing harder ?
    2) Take higher loft and close the face ?
    3) Take lower loft and swing easier ?
    4) Take lower loft and open the face ?
    6) Take lower loft and grip down ?
    ...and I'm sure there are probably half a dozen other variations and permutations, LOL.

    So far, to add 10 yards i feel most comfortable by taking more club and shortening the swing and do sort of cut off punch shot.

    All best and cheers !
    Last edited by veryold; Sep 26, 2019, 04:27 PM.

  • #2
    I'm assuming 1 club is your putter, 1 club is your driving club, and you've got a wedge of some sort.

    So that leaves 3 clubs to do the work of..... 11 in a regular full set. That means some pretty big gaps.

    I don't think "swing harder" is a good technique. You've got to be really good to make that work.

    So... choke down, swing easier or do a bit of each. For me, I don't find choking down very successful. Maybe it needs more practice but it always feels very abnormal which kills confidence.

    I'd go with easier swings - by which I mean shorter backswings. It's relatively easy to just take your club back to 9 o'clock or 10 o'clock and then swing away. I think that's the simplest technique that would give reasonably predictable results.

    Or get a push cart and carry 14....

    I realized I started with some speculation - what clubs are you actually carrying?

    Just thinking out loud, I'd pack my 3W, 4h, 6i, 9i, SW, and putter. Yikes, those are some big gaps!

    "Confusion" will be my epitaph
    ...Iggy

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    • #3
      Ignatius Reilly:

      Hey, thanks for your nice, detailed reply

      OK, re. push cart with 14 clubs: very hard to get the push cart and loaded bag on top of it onto the bus, not to mention walking on the streets of Mississauga to get to the bus, with all this gear, LOL (had to turn in my driver's licence due to the old age loss of vision, getting worse every year, so public transport is my only way to get to few golf courses I play, like Braeben, Lakeviw, Royal Woodbine and Lion Head, occasionally).

      Re. my setup: well it varies but i like Driver, 5 H, 7,9,GW (big bounce for sand when needed), Putter.

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      • #4
        my Sunday bag set up at one time was -Driver, 7wood 5,7,9,SW,Putter.
        play the shot by feel, lay it open choke down, 3/4 swing etc.
        there is no set formula.
        have fun.
        things change

        Maga Lies Matter

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        • #5
          bl8d:
          Thanks, very similar setup to mine, actually. Maybe I should "up" my setup to 7 clubs ?

          Re. FUN: i'm telling you, I am having TOTAL FUN this Summer. Apart from getting blind slowly, being still half paralyzed in my right arm, and "leaking oil" like a 30 old Chevy i owned , I am playing best golf of my life, experiment endlessly with my Swing, Equipment etc., and in no pain what so ever, and while not shooting my age yet, "zooming" at it from "both ends" (age going up, scores coming down, )
          And have totally "conquered" 220+++ yards drives, which I posted as my goal on these forums, couple of years ago, LOL. HIGHER LOFT, LESS SPIN rules !
          Last edited by veryold; Sep 26, 2019, 07:26 PM.

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          • #6
            I choke down if I have to with the exception of punch\pitch shots inside of 40 yards, when I'm not confident of the sandy. You still want to get out? Let me know. I can pick up and drop off.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by nomullies View Post
              I choke down if I have to with the exception of punch\pitch shots inside of 40 yards, when I'm not confident of the sandy. You still want to get out? I'd love to.Let me know. I can pick up and drop off. You so kind, Al !!! OK, i can get to Burnamthorpe and your street with absolutely no prob by 2 buses only, but need a drive to your course, for sure, and I'll pay for the gas We'll get this done before end of Season i hope.

              Any chance you'd want to change the scenery and play with me at braeben, thru Golfnow Hot deal, of course ? It's getting cheaper as Fall is upon us, hope we could get a deal for $40 all in and including cart, soon
              .....

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              • #8
                I am old school use the old clock method of 8,9,10,11, and max out at noon hour, then it's time for a nap.
                Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and wrong, because sometime in your life, you will have been all of these. Dr. Robert H. Goddard




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                • #9
                  Hey Veryold.

                  I've played a number of times using only four clubs. 3-wood, 7-iron, pitching wedge and putter. My scores are quite similar to using 14 clubs, just with more concentration.

                  Many years ago, when I took lessons, the instructor advised that I practice hitting clubs in different parts of the face. He had me attempt to hit the driver at 4 quadrants, for instance, just so I could get used to "understanding" my swing. I did the same with my favourite club, the 7-iron. Rather than hitting it at different areas on the face, I practiced hitting it various distances, from as few as 15 yards, to my max of about 170 with it. I hit it with an open a face as possible for maximum height, punching it to various flags at the range, and trying to hook it at various distances. The latter is quite difficult for me, but I can hook on demand, at least, though I've hooked back into the woods on dog leg lefts. Lol.

                  After a surprising short time, I could get used to hitting it in all kinds of situations. As Ignatius Reilly says, take the clubs you select back and through various distances. Unlike him, I do like choking down on the club in specific situations.

                  Practice at a range, and play a few rounds utilizing various swings. For myself, it has paid off immensely when I find myself in awkward situations, which I'm getting more and more into lately.

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                  • #10
                    Firstly, love your story, I hope I am still playing and carrying the bag at 76.

                    For me it depends on the distance gap...sometimes I'll hit the ball harder with a lesser club, maybe with a bit of a draw, if I only need another 5-8yds. If the gap is more than that, I hit a softer shot with more club. I've started to try and hit a fade to take a bit off, but my control isn't fantastic. I usually lack commitment on those softer shots and hit it poorly. That's an area of my game that I need to work on.

                    Another way is through course management. If you know you're going to be short on an approach then hit to the safest place with the easiest chip/pitch. If a hole is a tight 300yards it's easier for me to hit a 7/8 iron to the middle of the fairway and a PW than a longer tee shot and a weird yard second out of the long grass. Hitting to the easy spots has made the biggest difference in my game.

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                    • #11
                      From what I remember you let one hand fly off the club completely middle of the swing, that’s gonna cause contact issues which is a big factor in controlling distances. Your best bet is to play with a full set

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                      • #12
                        This might sound a bit odd, but try taking a 6 iron and a putter out for 18 holes by themselves. Don't let ego play a role in the outcome - you're not going to be able to hit a lot of greens in regulation but that's not the idea. A 6 iron off a tee should get you +/- 170 yards which is more than enough to carry most "in front of the tee crap" and if you have to hit it short of some of that trouble, that's a good lesson as well. It's a great club to hit cleanly and smoothly from the fairway and rough and you can chip with it pretty easily as well. Open the face and you've a club that works from most bunkers - it you're faced with a bad bunker, run the ball out by hooding the club - all good shots to get to learn and to picture in your minds eye. I think you'll be surprised how well you do and how well you'll score. And you know what....you'll also have a fun outing I bet !

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by veryold View Post
                          Ignatius Reilly:

                          Hey, thanks for your nice, detailed reply

                          OK, re. push cart with 14 clubs: very hard to get the push cart and loaded bag on top of it onto the bus, not to mention walking on the streets of Mississauga to get to the bus, with all this gear, LOL (had to turn in my driver's licence due to the old age loss of vision, getting worse every year, so public transport is my only way to get to few golf courses I play, like Braeben, Lakeviw, Royal Woodbine and Lion Head, occasionally).

                          Re. my setup: well it varies but i like Driver, 5 H, 7,9,GW (big bounce for sand when needed), Putter.
                          Kudos for getting out there, and walking the course, despite your challenges. I love the fact that you're enjoying yourself,so much. That's awesome.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Given the sweet courses you are playing and the deals you can get through golfnow and underpar, you can definitely uber a full bag and pull cart once in a while.

                            I sometimes play 4 clubs (putter, 56, 8i, 4i) or 6 (putter, 56, 9i, 6i, 4i, Driver) I like to deloft and hit draws from slightly back from usual ball position for more distance or 3\4, 1\2 swing for less distance (or open face with wedges).

                            The most important thing I do is course plan and see which clubs I can play full shots with most and select those for my bag. Then I try to make sure my approach shots have a full swing in. Usually I do this at Humber and I find that my 4club setup can get quite close to my full bag. To this day, one of my favorite rounds was just 8i on an executive course played to 12over. It is really fun to imagine your way around a course with limited options. This year has been so bad with very infrequent play and almost no practice that I only broke 12 over with full back 2 of my 7 rounds (+7, +9, though I did have a couple +1 9s). Still fun though.
                            Last edited by SmoothBomber; Sep 30, 2019, 08:52 PM.

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                            • #15
                              Go to the range and find out what you need to do to hit various clubs 100 yards, 125 yards, 150 yards etc. Also note whether you need to hit them high or hit them low. Nothing beats that experience and knowledge. Experience is what you get right after you needed it. Use it.

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