Latest Trends in Bag Setup?

[JD3]

This is mine for 2024. It's funny how these things go. I've been a "driving iron" guy for years, but that was just one club ...be it a 2 or 3 driving iron. The other irons I wanted them all to match, look same at address, with no potential for gapping issues....i.e., was not into "combo'ing."  This year my preference has changed, where I want the longer irons to look a bit "heftier" and with some added "pop." As a lefty, I'm glad Mizuno put a nice blended set together with the 921 SEL (special addition lefty.) Given my emerging preference, the difference in finish and cavity fill doesn't bother me either, in year's past that would have been a no-go.

Edited June 20, 2024 by JD3

[Milfordlefty]

More older/senior golfers going 7i as their longest iron and then into hybrids (4,5,6). Maybe has to do with stronger lofts.

[MattM97]

More woods, I kinda want to jump on board that trend myself honestly. 

[third-times-a-charm]

The trends mostly revolve around the wood/hybrid/utility area.

 

I see lots of people dropping 4 irons and even some 5 irons as hybrid and wood tech has advanced and with more options in those areas. Also see lots of long iron replacements down to the 5 iron with not only hybrids but with the larger utility irons but made for iron-like use and not tee only. 

 

9 woods making a small appearance over high lofted hybrids, too, but this is limited right now in comparison.

 

Lots of 7 woods with how hot and low spin many wood lines are these days.

 

Many faster SS players using 'max' model woods rather than the typical ones you'd expect.

[HeftyLefty5]

My trend i hopped on was 4 wedges in the bag under PW. With the strength of modern PW being 44ish degrees, i went with more wedges to fill the bag. Home course is a shorter course so i got PW-44 then go into 48-52-56-60. Its made the top of the bag a little goofy but distance isn't something I'm super worried about, its made me a better wedge player and able to hit those not full shots to achieve what I'm hoping for.

Also i got 2 drivers in the bag lol!

Edited June 20, 2024 by HeftyLefty5

[JD3]

18 minutes ago, Milfordlefty said:

More older/senior golfers going 7i as their longest iron and then into hybrids (4,5,6). Maybe has to do with stronger lofts.

It's funny though at least according to trackman I haven't lost anything. I have a suspicion that changes in equipment including the ball are underlying factors for at least my changes. Swing tweaks might also play a role. When even guys in their prime like Rory, Scottie and Morikawa are adding "hotter" long irons to their bag, something other than club head speed must be involved.

[JD3]

2 minutes ago, HeftyLefty5 said:

My trend i hopped on was 4 wedges in the bag under PW. With the strength of modern PW being 44ish degrees, i went with more wedges to fill the bag. Home course is a shorter course so i got PW-44 then go into 48-52-56-60. Its made the top of the bag a little goofy but distance isn't something I'm super worried about, its made me a better wedge player and able to hit those not full shots to achieve what I'm hoping for.

Also i got 2 drivers in the bag lol!

That 14 club limit really is, well, limiting. A 15th club would allow me to fully complete the bag in terms of distance gapping, and use on course. In my case I'd add a 3 wood, which has never been my strength as a player, but there maybe be an opportunity during a round it would still be the proper choice. As such I've settled for a 5-wood as my only fairway.

[HeftyLefty5]

4 minutes ago, JD3 said:

That 14 club limit really is, well, limiting. A 15th club would allow me to fully complete the bag in terms of distance gapping, and use on course. In my case I'd add a 3 wood, which has never been my strength as a player, but there maybe be an opportunity during a round it would still be the proper choice. As such I've settled for a 5-wood as my only fairway.

100% a 15th club would make the bag fully complete but id have to get a carboard box to haul these with these jumbomax grips on em lol!

My bag is weird right now full length driver, 3wd shaft driver, 3wd cut to 5wd length, and 5 wedges, but its working!

[JD3]

2 minutes ago, HeftyLefty5 said:

100% a 15th club would make the bag fully complete but id have to get a carboard box to haul these with these jumbomax grips on em lol!

My bag is weird right now full length driver, 3wd shaft driver, 3wd cut to 5wd length, and 5 wedges, but its working!

lets face it, that its working is all that matters now. I think players should approach setup without preconceptions at this time. 

[Stoc]

53 minutes ago, HeftyLefty5 said:

My trend i hopped on was 4 wedges in the bag under PW. With the strength of modern PW being 44ish degrees, i went with more wedges to fill the bag. Home course is a shorter course so i got PW-44 then go into 48-52-56-60. Its made the top of the bag a little goofy but distance isn't something I'm super worried about, its made me a better wedge player and able to hit those not full shots to achieve what I'm hoping for.

Also i got 2 drivers in the bag lol!

been also considering this! any issues with club selection at the bottom (I.e. should I hit 52 56 or 60 here?)

[Stoc]

Also loving the idea of mixed sets lately, especially at the top of the bag op.

 

However, I am trying to avoid the more woods trend. 

 

 

[HeftyLefty5]

44 minutes ago, Stoc said:

been also considering this! any issues with club selection at the bottom (I.e. should I hit 52 56 or 60 here?)

 

Club and wedge selection is fully dependent on how many yards and pin locations. I've learned how to flight my wedges better and use more 1/2 or 3/4 swings pending club selection. The 60* is fully only used for short sided or weird lies. The 48 and 52 are the last clubs in the bag I will full swing with. Its changed my game for the very much better.

[Archimedes65]

I’d love to be able to add a 15th club in my bag to close a gap that I have between my 4hybrid and 5 wood.  But I use all four wedges, so something’s gotta give.  I play driver, 5wood, 4hybrid, 4i-wedges.  On certain courses, I pull the 5wood out of the bag and add the 3hybrid.

[mat562]

I haven't payed a chrome finished sand or lob wedge since 1988.

 

Beryllium copper and aluminium bronze have gone the way of the dinosaur, but I'm dismayed that it's getting harder and harder to find raw wedges without having a contact who can get hold of them for you or by special ordering and paying a premium for something that, by rights, should be cheaper than finished wedges. That said, the fashion for raw wedges in the bags of everyday golfers seems to have waned from its heyday a few years back, so that would explain it.

[Brayden Snow]

Moving away from the low spin driver heads and into the core heads.

[uglande]

More hybrids, even for high-swing-speed players. I've got them down to a 5-hybrid (alternative with my strong 5-iron depending on conditions). See John Daly's bag: he's carrying a 17, 22 and 26 hybrid. 

[LBB]

20 minutes ago, uglande said:

More hybrids, even for high-swing-speed players. I've got them down to a 5-hybrid (alternative with my strong 5-iron depending on conditions). See John Daly's bag: he's carrying a 17, 22 and 26 hybrid. 

This is something I've contemplated for the last few years.  Honestly what's holding me back is how my bag is perceived by my buddies.  I know it shouldn't matter and I should let the results speak for themselves, but here I am still carrying 5 iron.  I have at least ditched the 4i.

[uglande]

2 minutes ago, LBB said:

This is something I've contemplated for the last few years.  Honestly what's holding me back is how my bag is perceived by my buddies.  I know it shouldn't matter and I should let the results speak for themselves, but here I am still carrying 5 iron.  I have at least ditched the 4i.

Yeah, a bad of silver jewels is more attractive, and I don't like all the head covers, but the results speak for themselves. 

[wam78]

5 hours ago, MattM97 said:

More woods, I kinda want to jump on board that trend myself honestly. 

Same here.  I finally bit the bullet and dropped a utility 2i and moved into a 5w.  Also thinking heavily about dropping the utility 4i and going with a hybrid. 

 

Just recently started using stronger more forgiving 5i & 6i and I don’t regret it one bit.  The only caveat is the 5i and 4i are very close in distance which leaves a gap going into the 5w.  Hopefully I can figure out a 4hybrid that can help close the gap.  Really looking for a versatile option for an effortless 215-220 club.

[MattM97]

23 minutes ago, wam78 said:

Same here.  I finally bit the bullet and dropped a utility 2i and moved into a 5w.  Also thinking heavily about dropping the utility 4i and going with a hybrid. 

 

Just recently started using stronger more forgiving 5i & 6i and I don’t regret it one bit.  The only caveat is the 5i and 4i are very close in distance which leaves a gap going into the 5w.  Hopefully I can figure out a 4hybrid that can help close the gap.  Really looking for a versatile option for an effortless 215-220 club.

 

My bag currently goes Driver > 3W > 3H > 4i and I'm honestly considering dumping the 4i, having the 3H slot there. I know that  doesn't gap properly but the courses I play are either too short or not pulling 4i a ton and then move in a 5W or 7W. I could also dump the 3H and 4i for something else. Really depends what results say.  

[Milfordlefty]

5 hours ago, HeftyLefty5 said:

My trend i hopped on was 4 wedges in the bag under PW. With the strength of modern PW being 44ish degrees, i went with more wedges to fill the bag. Home course is a shorter course so i got PW-44 then go into 48-52-56-60. Its made the top of the bag a little goofy but distance isn't something I'm super worried about, its made me a better wedge player and able to hit those not full shots to achieve what I'm hoping for.

Also i got 2 drivers in the bag lol!

Nice bag set up. The Rogue is like the trend to go to a mini driver as a strong 3 wood and the Stealth HL as a 4-5 wood. Combo irons and 4 wedges. Your bag is definitely hitting all the current trends. 

[leftyb]

6 hours ago, MattM97 said:

More woods, I kinda want to jump on board that trend myself honestly. 

 

Did this last year. For me, not playing regularly, a miss with a wood usually has a lot better outcome than a miss with a long iron. Only downside for me and my game is gusty conditions are harder to manage as I could low punch long irons before, but with the woods and hybrids I've always been a high ball flight player and I'm no where near talents enough to control ball flight in a wood/hybrid

 

The forgiveness of a hybrid vs a long iron is by far much better for my game. 

[lefty74pgh]

I’m getting ready to transition to graphite in my irons, so will be ordering new clubs. Thinking about going 6-GW and replacing 5 iron with hybrid. Driver, 4W, UW 19* ?, 6-GW, 53 and 58.

[bellview17]

Driver

3 wood

7 wood

5,6,7 hybrid

8-pw

49, 53,56,60

Putter

 

[Roejye]

As far as trends, I'm seeing, well reading, more people playing what works and not what's either sexy or what they "should" play. Whether that's a bag full of headcovers like mine with 2 drivers and many hybrids, or people not playing a 3 wood, fat bottomed driving irons, combo irons, and a lot more wedges being probably the more common ones.

 

Then you've got the up and coming niche of mini drivers. 

 

I think people are getting more informed about many things, whether it's how to score better more consistently, or how equipment works, or how you should tailor your bag to what works for you, not try to emulate the pros.

[tatertot]

12 hours ago, JD3 said:

That 14 club limit really is, well, limiting. A 15th club would allow me to fully complete the bag in terms of distance gapping, and use on course. In my case I'd add a 3 wood, which has never been my strength as a player, but there maybe be an opportunity during a round it would still be the proper choice. As such I've settled for a 5-wood as my only fairway.

No it wouldn't ... you're like the rest of us, you'd find a 16th club you need.

[JD3]

19 hours ago, third-times-a-charm said:

The trends mostly revolve around the wood/hybrid/utility area.

 

I see lots of people dropping 4 irons and even some 5 irons as hybrid and wood tech has advanced and with more options in those areas. Also see lots of long iron replacements down to the 5 iron with not only hybrids but with the larger utility irons but made for iron-like use and not tee only. 

 

9 woods making a small appearance over high lofted hybrids, too, but this is limited right now in comparison.

 

Lots of 7 woods with how hot and low spin many wood lines are these days.

 

Many faster SS players using 'max' model woods rather than the typical ones you'd expect.

Certainly club most at risk in my bag is 4 iron. It seems like kind of a relic, and if I really needed could figure out something with 5iron or 3 driving iron to get a similar distance. There's just no obvious replacement at the moment. 

[BIG STU]

21 hours ago, third-times-a-charm said:

The trends mostly revolve around the wood/hybrid/utility area.

 

I see lots of people dropping 4 irons and even some 5 irons as hybrid and wood tech has advanced and with more options in those areas. Also see lots of long iron replacements down to the 5 iron with not only hybrids but with the larger utility irons but made for iron-like use and not tee only. 

 

9 woods making a small appearance over high lofted hybrids, too, but this is limited right now in comparison.

 

Lots of 7 woods with how hot and low spin many wood lines are these days.

 

Many faster SS players using 'max' model woods rather than the typical ones you'd expect.

It is funny how of late people have went to 7 woods. LOL the one in my signature I have had and carried some 21 years now. I bought it new and have carried ever since. The 9 wood a fellow WRXer sent to me some 12 years ago now and it has been constant in my bag ever since.

[BIG STU]

8 hours ago, Roejye said:

As far as trends, I'm seeing, well reading, more people playing what works and not what's either sexy or what they "should" play. Whether that's a bag full of headcovers like mine with 2 drivers and many hybrids, or people not playing a 3 wood, fat bottomed driving irons, combo irons, and a lot more wedges being probably the more common ones.

 

Then you've got the up and coming niche of mini drivers. 

 

I think people are getting more informed about many things, whether it's how to score better more consistently, or how equipment works, or how you should tailor your bag to what works for you, not try to emulate the pros.

That last line sums it up in a nutshell as far as I am concerned. Play what works for you and your game

[1puttTUT]

I really hate the look of too many headcovers in the bag, although I could see myself going back to a 4 hybrid at some point in the next five years. 

 

Driver 

14.5° 3 wood

17.5° 5 wood

Utility iron

5-GW

54°

58°