Equipment

Today from the Forums: “Using only one club for all short game work?”

Published

4 years ago

Mar 10, 2020

Today from the Forums we take a look at an interesting discussion created by WRXer, Hit Em Good, who has asked fellow members whether or not playing all short game shots with one club is a wise approach. Per Hit Em Good:

“A few years ago, I only used a 56° for all short game shots, and my short game was the best it ever was. It wasn’t perfect, but it allowed me to get so familiar with the one club, that I could rely on it with confidence.

What do you think about this approach? Does anyone else use only one club for all short game work?”

Our members have their say on the matter.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

pldbryan: “This can be a great idea if you put in some practice. By far the best part of my game is chipping and pitching. I decided about 5 years ago I would primarily use one club around the green unless there was an unusual circumstance that made me use a higher lofted club or a lower lofted. I use a 56 any time I am within about 50 yards, and I feel pretty confident that I can almost always get up and down.m or have a good shot at doing so. I can flop it better with my 56; I can stop it better, I can get it to run out. My only problem is that it is an older 56, and I can not find any new wedge that seems to have the same grind. I would love to find a new version of the club, but I can’t seem to find something that sits the same, opens up etc.”
piler45: “90 yards and in – 56-degree sand wedge ONLY. I can close it or open it up to make it 46 or 66 degrees. No second-guessing and I can practice with one club only – why make a difficult game more difficult. I went to a short game presentation by Rocco Mediate, and this was his advice. I listened to him, and I’ve gone from the worst chipper in the world to an average one.”
Nard_S: “I use a 56* for 95% of shots inside 90 yards. Full & partial shots, chips and pitches. Utilize 2 types for each one. If I’m feeling it incorporate the flop shot. The big advantage is it simplifies distance control; I’ll know my landing spots and how the ball will kick.”
PuffyC: “I used to struggle around the greens but then went to just using a 50 degree Vokey for pretty much everything except sand, although I’ve been known to use it out of bunkers on occasion too. It’s probably my favorite, most confidence-inspiring club in my bag for the reason you stated. When I can find time to practice I‘d rather spend an hour focusing on different shots with one club than 20 minutes with 3 that are all different.”
JoeFrigo: “I made this switch last year, and it was the best decision that’s ever helped my short game. Very very rarely do I need my 60*. I maybe use the 60* once a round. Any opportunity to use my 56 I will and its made a huge difference Among us amateurs, the less I need to worry about special shots/clubs, the easier it is.”

Entire Thread: “Using only one club for all short game work?”

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

3 Comments

stephen hall

Mar 11, 2020 at 10:46 am

WOW! THE ARTICLE SAID TO CHOOSE ONE CLUB.

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Rich Douglas

Mar 10, 2020 at 6:16 pm

For pitching with wedges, I use Dave Pelz’s 4×4 system. I have 4 wedges, each with 3 swing lengths (1/2, 3/4, and full). This gives me 12 different yardages to choose from. This covers almost everything I face inside 135 yards. If I’m in-between, I like to take the next yardage up and open the blade.

For chips, I use a ratio system. I determine where I need to land the ball, then take the distance in the air and the distance rolling on the ground. The ratio then tells me what club to select. For example, if I have a 16-yard chip with 4 yards of carry, that’s 3:1 (3 yards of roll for every yard of carry). Pitching wedge. If I’ve got a long chip relatively close to the green, say 25 yards, I might take an 8-iron (5:1), carry it 4 yards in the air and watch it roll 20, which puts me near the hole. (It isn’t an exact science, but it is a managed approach.) I have to account for the speed of the greens and the slope, adjusting my ratios accordingly.

In both chipping and pitching, these methods allow me to be focused on a target and be confident that a good strike will result in a good shot, which takes away deadly doubts during the swing.

There is no reason to limit yourself to one club unless you just want to guess and not think. This describes more than 90% of the golfers I meet. So for them, getting comfortable with one club might be a better idea.

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Karsten's Ghost

Mar 10, 2020 at 6:04 pm

I could not disagree more.

Quarter-swings:
30-40 is a 58*
40-50 is a 54*
50-60 is a 50*
Anything inside 30:
50 for a runner
54 for a two-hop and roll
58 for a hop-and-stop
9iron toe-down for bare lies

Sound complex? It’s not. Quarter swing for 30+, small pop for less, putting stroke on the 9-iron.

It’s not about how straight you hit it; most shots will be fairly online. The critical factor is stopping it close. If you don’t have your yardages dialled in with a single club, which takes a boatload of practice/feel, you better have a system. This system requires a laser, and two repeatable partial swings.

One club requires practicing endlessly, executing different types of shots, some not best suited.

To each their own, I guess.

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Whats in the Bag

Michael S. Kim WITB 2024 (April)

Published

2 days ago

Apr 5, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Michael S. Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the Valero Texas Open.

Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD UB 8 TX

Check out more in-hand photos of Michael Kim’s clubs here.

Irons: Titleist T200 (3, 4), Titleist T100 (5-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 95 X (3), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 S

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (52-12F), SM10 (56-14F), WedgeWorks Proto (60-L)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S300

Check out more in-hand photos of Michael Kim’s clubs here.

Putter: L.A.B. Link.1
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 1.0P 17

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos of Michael Kim’s clubs here.

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Equipment

TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper: Leveraging 90s nostalgia

Published

2 days ago

Apr 5, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

TaylorMade is leaning in even further to the retro vibes with the 2024 edition of its BRNR Mini Driver.

Patterned after the Carlsbad-based company’s iconic late 1990s Burner driver design, the 2024 BRNR Mini features similar copper styling and a retro version of the TaylorMade logo.

Featuring the same technology as its 2023 BRNR Mini Driver, the 2024 edition continues to play the hits that saw the unique club land in the bag of tour pros, such as Tommy Fleetwood and Jake Knapp.

Why play a mini driver?

In general, TaylorMade finds two types of golfers gravitate toward a mini driver. In the first case, it’s an addition to a standard driver: Players looking for a “fairway finder” driver without giving up too much distance that can also be hit off the deck. Second, TaylorMade recommends giving a mini a go to golfers who struggle to hit 460 cc drivers, particularly choppers. It’s a better alternative than a 3-wood off the tee.

Tommy Fleetwood’s endorsement of playing a mini driver

“For me, if I HAD to hit a fairway, I’m more comfortable hitting a driver than a 3-wood. I would tee the driver down, and I would hit a little cut, or a neck-y cut in the fairway. The 3-wood isn’t for that. The 3-wood, generally, is a pretty hot club that I’ll hit from 270 or 280 in the fairway on a par 5. You get some courses where a 3-wood is not always necessary. [With the BRNR] you put a normal swing on it, and I’m more comfortable hitting it straight. It’s a replacement for a 3-wood, basically.”

Pricing, specs, availability

TaylorMade’s new BRNR Mini Driver Copper clubs will sell for $449.99 in 11.5 (RH/LH) and 13.5 (RH) degree options, and they will be available for custom orders.

See more in-hand photos and read what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/5/24): I think I ‘Blacked Out’ trying to love these irons

Published

2 days ago

Apr 5, 2024

Gianni Magliocco

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

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Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a set of blacked out P770 irons

From the seller: (@hammertime1515): “Just one single iron set up for grabs today. Got these right before they quote selling them at the end of February. Only played 3 full rounds with them and a couple short range sessions. 7 iron shows the most wear and 8 iron has a sandy mark on the toe (ball striking out of winter wasn’t the strong suit) Just not right for me no matter how much I wanted them to be. Price is shipped and OBO……

P770 Black Out irons. 4-PW. —New Tour Velvet Align Midsize Grips —1/2” over TM standard —2 degrees upright —Standard Lofts —Dynamic Gold 105 X100 shafts —PW has never been hit, most of them have been hit sparingly. Tried to capture the wear on the 7 iron and the toe mark on the 8 iron the best I could. Soles have virtually no scratching from use and no bag chatter. -If more pics are needed just ask ——PRICE: $1000 OBO” & Shipped

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Blacked out P770 irons

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules