Lightening The Bag For Walking It

[Duffer Seamus]

Depending upon how things go I may play a round of nine by my lonesome self tomorrow or sometime this weekend. I now have a new stand carry bag and am entertaining the idea of hoofin' it. However, knowing I'm a bit out of shape due to enforced gym absence and having used that as an excuse to become a couch potato, I suspect I should probably hedge my bets. In this post, @Rummpd suggested one could put one's bag on a diet and perhaps even play better golf.

Here's my WITB:

• Driver
• 3w, 5w, and 7w
• 4-9i
• Pitching, 54°, and 58° wedges
• Putter

I'm thinking drop the 3w and 7w, 5i, 7i, and 9i, and the 58° wedge, leaving me with:

• Driver
• 5w
• 4i, 6i, 8i
• PW, and 54° wedge
• Putter

for a total of eight clubs.

I hate to lose the 7i, but it makes more sense to me to keep the 4i, what with leaving out the 7w, and the 9i is so close to the PW in performance it makes sense to me to drop that. This way I get consistent gapping across my irons.

Thoughts?

 

[Rummpd]

Depending upon how things go I may play a round of nine by my lonesome self tomorrow or sometime this weekend. I now have a new stand carry bag and am entertaining the idea of hoofin' it. However, knowing I'm a bit out of shape due to enforced gym absence and having used that as an excuse to become a couch potato, I suspect I should probably hedge my bets. In this post, @Rummpd suggested one could put one's bag on a diet and perhaps even play better golf.

Here's my WITB:

• Driver
• 3w, 5w, and 7w
• 4-9i
• Pitching, 54°, and 58° wedges
• Putter

I'm thinking drop the 3w and 7w, 5i, 7i, and 9i, and the 58° wedge, leaving me with:

• Driver
• 5w
• 4i, 6i, 8i
• PW, and 54° wedge
• Putter

for a total of eight clubs.

I hate to lose the 7i, but it makes more sense to me to keep the 4i, what with leaving out the 7w, and the 9i is so close to the PW in performance it makes sense to me to drop that. This way I get consistent gapping across my irons.

Thoughts?

Add it back in 7 and if walk easy a lob wedge perhaps

 

[Desmond]

Bag - lighten the bag of everything else before you take out clubs.

If me, I take the clubs you hit most consistently well.

Driver
5 wd
6-PW, 54, 58
Putter

I once played a 6i on every shot except for the use of putter on the greens for 9 holes and hit my objective of bogey golf. A 5 wood should get high in the air and can serve purpose of 5-7 wd by gripping down. Do you hit a 4-5i consistently well? If not, delete.

 

[MWard]

Maybe just bring a dozen balls, 3-4 tees, glove, and rangefinder? Honestly it shouldn't be that heavy of a carry.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

Thanks for the comments, guys!

Add it back in 7 and if walk easy a lob wedge perhaps

I would like the keep the 7i. Probably because it being in the middle of the pack I've practiced with it more than any other and, consequently, hit with it more reliably than any other.

Bag - lighten the bag of everything else before you take out clubs.

Other than balls, tees, and a light rain jacket: I don't have a lot of extra stuff in the bag.

Do you hit a 4-5i consistently well? If not, delete.

The 4i is my worst iron, but I'm far better with that than my 7w, that's for sure.

Right now my short game is far better than my long and mid games, so perhaps I'd be best served by 5i, 7i, 9i?

[/QUOTE]

Maybe just bring a dozen balls, 3-4 tees, glove, and rangefinder? Honestly it shouldn't be that heavy of a carry.

Don't wear a glove and don't own a rangefinder

 

[FrancisD]

Dump that 4i and take something easier to hit. Also make sure your carrying your bag properly, you want it at the small of your back not down by your butt or up by your shoulders. If you do plan on walking a bunch in the future invest in a push cart, in the long run it will save you a lot of back and shoulder stress.

 

[leftshot]

So if you are a mid to high handicapper you are probably fine losing some clubs. Most don't know or can't depend on clubs going a specific distance anyway, if you are the exception use caution. Keep in mind that each club is only 1 to 1 1/2 pounds apiece. But before I'd drop a club, I'd look at everything else. Get rid of all the non-essential items like: brushes, extra towels, rain gear (if no rain in the forecast), alignment rods, ball markers (mark them ahead of time), more balls, tees, divot tools, markers than you need for a round, ball retriever, extra gloves, scorecards from other course or past completed rounds, snacks you don't need TODAY, stuff you removed from your pockets that could be left in the car. You'd be surprised how much unnecessary 'stuff' accumulates in our bags.

Make sure the straps are adjusted properly and that you have good golf walking shoes. Those two things alone can make the walk a much easier task.

I walk all the time. When you walk make a bee line in the direction to your ball. Set the bag down when others are hitting. Leave as soon as you can, so you don't have to expend extra effort to play catch up. Pace yourself.

 

[Rummpd]

I carry driver, strong 4-5 wood, hybrid, 5, 7, 9, W 56 and 60 and putter usually which is 10 clubs if hot might go 6 8 W and an older 58 or drop hybrid to get 8-9. I have changed up for variety the clubs and have shot in 70s decent courses in past with these variable set ups. One thing is for some unnatural reason I have always been hit able to slight fade drivers (in most models) off turf pretty well and hit as far depending on conditions or farther than my 3 wood.

 

[leftshot]

FYI, today I played a round. I used 13 of the 14 clubs in my bag. PW was the only club that didn't get pulled.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

FYI, today I played a round. I used 13 of the 14 clubs in my bag. PW was the only club that didn't get pulled.

I often play all, or nearly all of my full lineup. Heck, on last week's outing I did play everything--even the 3w..

 

[MWard]

Thanks for the comments, guys!


I would like the keep the 7i. Probably because it being in the middle of the pack I've practiced with it more than any other and, consequently, hit with it more reliably than any other.


Other than balls, tees, and a light rain jacket: I don't have a lot of extra stuff in the bag.


The 4i is my worst iron, but I'm far better with that than my 7w, that's for sure.

Right now my short game is far better than my long and mid games, so perhaps I'd be best served by 5i, 7i, 9i?

Don't wear a glove and don't own a rangefinder
[/QUOTE]

Two less things to worry about then

 

[Rummpd]

I often play all, or nearly all of my full lineup. Heck, on last week's outing I did play everything--even the 3w..

Good as whatever works!

 

[Duffer Seamus]

Good as whatever works!

Yeah, but, truth be told: That was more because I could than because I needed to--or that there was any particular advantage to doing so. E.g.: On at least two or three shots I swung a wood because "I need to learn how to hit with these things eventually."

 

[wristcock]

I finally took the plunge on this one and removed the following items....which did help.

 

[Rummpd]

I used to play with a strange off duty fireman dude who carried 2 five pound dumbbells in bag and while waiting on tees got them out. His bag was a leather non stand bag that by itself weighed 20 lbs and was packed with odd. stuff. Another guy had at least 80 balls in bag. I carry one sleeve of balls only. I am a doctor and back in the day did carry a portable phone size and weight of a brick.

 

[OITW]

I like the option you gave.

I think thought to get in better shape hoof it all as that is what you’re goaling to

 

[formula8]

Honestly it's only 9 holes. Just carry the full bag minus any obvious items that have accumulated over time. That way you will know if clubs needs to be removed in the future.

 

[markom74]

Depending upon how things go I may play a round of nine by my lonesome self tomorrow or sometime this weekend. I now have a new stand carry bag and am entertaining the idea of hoofin' it. However, knowing I'm a bit out of shape due to enforced gym absence and having used that as an excuse to become a couch potato, I suspect I should probably hedge my bets. In this post, @Rummpd suggested one could put one's bag on a diet and perhaps even play better golf.

Here's my WITB:

• Driver
• 3w, 5w, and 7w
• 4-9i
• Pitching, 54°, and 58° wedges
• Putter

I'm thinking drop the 3w and 7w, 5i, 7i, and 9i, and the 58° wedge, leaving me with:

• Driver
• 5w
• 4i, 6i, 8i
• PW, and 54° wedge
• Putter

for a total of eight clubs.

I hate to lose the 7i, but it makes more sense to me to keep the 4i, what with leaving out the 7w, and the 9i is so close to the PW in performance it makes sense to me to drop that. This way I get consistent gapping across my irons.

Thoughts?

Depending on the size and weight of your bag, I would go with what you have. Best stand bag I have used is a Sun Mountain H2No. Comes in handy with the rainfall we have, and I’ve carried my bag since day one. I’m now 46, suffer from sciatica and only a couple of months ago invested in a Powakaddy (an old one, just to see if I would like it).

Sun Mountain bags are really light and comfortable. I have a Nike stand bag, Volvik stand bag, Callaway Chev cart bag that I use for storage and I’m back using my old Mizuno cart bag that I also used for storage, purely because it is bombproof and has room for everything on the trolley. It’s great for the inclement weather.

 

[Knot Right]

I used to have a "at sea" bag that I took on deployments for 20 years.

3W- 3i - 5i- 7i - 9i - SW - putter. The old school lofts made it much easier to decide.

If I had to choose by today's equipment, I would probably go with 3W- 4H - 5i - 7i - 9i - GW - SW - putter

Equipment is a lot more fun these days because a well hit 4H would probably fly right out there alongside old wood laminated 3W.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

After yesterday's experience it's definitely going to be 5/7/9 for the irons. I'm simply too erratic with the 4i at this point. Definitely keeping the driver. I'm even more erratic with my 3w than I am my 4i, so that's out. So I believe it's going to be

• Driver
• 5-wood
• 5-, 7-, and 9-iron
• PW and 54° wedge
• Putter

Other than the 5w, which with I can hit well, but with which I'm inconsistent, these are all the clubs with which I hit best and most consistently. In fact: If it doesn't start behaving better for me soon I might be inclined to drop that one and add either my 58° wedge or my LW, for bunkers.

The 5i is a funny one, to me. I'm inconsistent with my 4i, in fact more off than on, but my 5i is one of my favorites. Go figure.

Thanks for the feedback, observations, and suggestions, all.

Now all I need is a playable day