Equipment
Today from the Forums: “Using only one club for all short game work?”
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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- Daniel Berger what’s in the bag accurate as of the Farmers Insurance Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X
6-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC 2011 (4-PW)
Shafts: Project X Denali Blue 105 TX (3), Project X 6.5 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (50-12F), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-14F), Callaway Jaws Raw (60-08C)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (50), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (56, 60)
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Mini DB
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy PistolLock 1.0
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Wrap
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Daniel Berger’s clubs in the forums.
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What are the driver and shaft combinations of the best golfers in the world? For gearheads, it’s an endlessly interesting question — even if we can only ever aspire to play LS heads and 7 TX shafts.
At this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, GolfWRX got in-hand looks at the driver setups of a wealth of players.
Check out some of the most interesting combos below, then head to the GolfWRX forums for the rest, as well as the rest of our galleries from New Orleans.
Rory McIlroy
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @8.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride MCC
Alex Fitzpatrick
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride MCC
Daniel Berger
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees @9)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Wrap
Rasmus Hojgaard
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60 TX
Grip: Golf Pride MCC
Alejandro Tosti
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees @10.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
Grip: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
James Nicholas
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (8 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Kevin Streelman
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Sang-moon Bae
Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (9+ @8)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Russ Cochran
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke (9 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD TP 6 X
Grip: Golf pride MCC Align 
MJ Daffue
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max (10.5 degrees @9.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green RDX 65 TX
Grip: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord Align
Check our more photos from the Zurich Classic here.
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- Rasmus Højgaard what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Prototype (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Utility: Callaway Apex UW (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 85 TX
Irons: Callaway Apex Pro (3), Callaway X Forged (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS $-Taper 130
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52-10S, 56-10S, 60-06C)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X
Putter: Odyssey Ai One Milled Eight T DB
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Hojgaard in the forums.
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Daniel Berger what’s in the bag accurate as of the Farmers Insurance Open. More photos from the event here. Driver:...
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stephen hall
Mar 11, 2020 at 10:46 am
WOW! THE ARTICLE SAID TO CHOOSE ONE CLUB.
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.
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.