Starting a new adventure . . . Minimalist Golf

[Tommy56]

41 minutes ago, djrock89 said:

Whats peoples thoughts on say driver, 22° hybrid then 7, 8, 9, PW, SW and putter? Struggling abit with distance control missing out certain irons

That set-up will work well.  It will also give you the opportunity to test leaving out 1 different iron each round to see where you might thin the herd with least difficulty.   

[stryper]

1 hour ago, djrock89 said:

Whats peoples thoughts on say driver, 22° hybrid then 7, 8, 9, PW, SW and putter? Struggling abit with distance control missing out certain irons

It’s fine, but your irons are all bunched together.  So instead, I would go 6, 8, P, S for better, more challenging gapping…that and it’s one less club to haul around.  😎

[djrock89]

@stryper thats what im playing at the minute driver, 22° hybrid, 6, 8, PW, SW and putter started off well the first few rounds but last sunday was a joke 🤣

[stryper]

47 minutes ago, djrock89 said:

@stryper thats what im playing at the minute driver, 22° hybrid, 6, 8, PW, SW and putter started off well the first few rounds but last sunday was a joke 🤣

And of course there’s another possibility.  Keep driver and hybrid, then go 7, 9, GW and putter for an even lighter carry. 😉

[djrock89]

@stryper

5 minutes ago, stryper said:

And of course there’s another possibility.  Keep driver and hybrid, then go 7, 9, GW and putter for an even lighter carry. 😉

Think il try that as it makes it between 9 and 10 degrees between clubs il add a 56°SW aswell i think for confidence in bunkers

[stryper]

4 minutes ago, djrock89 said:

@stryper

Think il try that as it makes it between 9 and 10 degrees between clubs il add a 56°SW aswell i think for confidence in bunkers

That’s the beauty of it, there’s no wrong answers.  Just plays the clubs you play well, the rest probably aren’t doing you any good anyway. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[WipeyFade]

24 minutes ago, stryper said:

That’s the beauty of it, there’s no wrong answers.  Just plays the clubs you play well, the rest probably aren’t doing you any good anyway. 🤷🏻‍♂️

This 

[kthomas]

On 4/29/2025 at 7:13 PM, ciscojaws said:

A major bonus (for me) with a minimalist bag is it removes the long wannabe hero shots and most other shots are 80-90% effort, which leads to better accuracy and scoring.  

 

One of my favorite aspects of playing minimalist golf is how it completely reshapes how you think about tackling a golf course.

 

Rather than defaulting to the automatic - "it's 'XXX' yards which is Y golf club", you really have to think things through and get a bit more creative at times. It also forces me to be "smarter" in my decisions - course management hasn't always been the strong suit in my game, but it's certainly gotten better after some time being a minimalist golfer. 

 

One of my most fun rounds of golf was with just a 5 iron - and that round turned out to be one of my better scores on that course.

[kthomas]

On 4/17/2025 at 4:26 PM, WipeyFade said:

Minimalist golf is a more enlightened way of playing the game😂😂😂 

 

A higher plane of golf existence, if you will 😉

[MorganM]

On 5/26/2025 at 10:56 PM, 54CW said:

Scoring well with this set up. Driver causing me the most trouble of course!

Love the trestle sticks!  Interesting that there is a tendency within minimalism to reject modernism as far as bags and stands.

[54CW]

5 hours ago, MorganM said:

Love the trestle sticks!  Interesting that there is a tendency within minimalism to reject modernism as far as bags and stands.

I try not to reject modernity too much but I just wanted a bag that would last a long time made with durable materials. The waxed canvas is very resilient and reliable. It’s broken-in nicely. I have an old ping e2/e4(?) stand bag that’s held up for a long time that’ll get used in muddy winter rounds. I think I got that bag back in 2012?

[aiyyer]

One of the better pouches out there for balls, tees markers etc. 
 

[54CW]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKVMTuiOx7c/?igsh=ZzQ3a2ZzdTM0Nnln
 

wisdom from marooochi

Edited June 1 by 54CW

[9ClubberLang]

Long term readers will know I've been switching between 8 and 9 clubs for a while now as well as a "full bag" of 12. I needed to settle on something. Last autumn I wanted to experiment with a 50 degree club as I felt that could really help my short game. In short it has.

 

I have now settled on 9 clubs and am playing this full time in a recently purchased Hoofer-lite which is a great bag for this number of clubs.

 

Driver

5 Wood - 18⁰

5 Hybrid - 23⁰

6 Iron - 26⁰

8 Iron - 34.5⁰

PW - 44⁰

GW - 50⁰

SW - 58⁰

Putter

 

I hit a joint personal best today (81) at a course I have been playing on and off for the last 18 years or so. I look forward to adapting to this bag further as I get used to how to use each club.

[WipeyFade]

On 6/1/2025 at 12:18 PM, aiyyer said:

One of the better pouches out there for balls, tees markers etc. 
 

I really like that bag. I looked them up to a hefty price tag, but was surprised to see their stuff had a low price. 

[aiyyer]

These are like$15 on Amazon.

Hide & Drink, Rustic Cylinder Case

 

[MorganM]

On 6/2/2025 at 12:47 PM, 9ClubberLang said:

Long term readers will know I've been switching between 8 and 9 clubs for a while now as well as a "full bag" of 12. I needed to settle on something. Last autumn I wanted to experiment with a 50 degree club as I felt that could really help my short game. In short it has.

 

I have now settled on 9 clubs and am playing this full time in a recently purchased Hoofer-lite which is a great bag for this number of clubs.

 

Driver

5 Wood - 18⁰

5 Hybrid - 23⁰

6 Iron - 26⁰

8 Iron - 34.5⁰

PW - 44⁰

GW - 50⁰

SW - 58⁰

Putter

 

I hit a joint personal best today (81) at a course I have been playing on and off for the last 18 years or so. I look forward to adapting to this bag further as I get used to how to use each club.

Nice looking 👀 setup 😊.  Just a quick question, is there a specific reason for the narrow gapping between the 5H and the 6 iron?

[9ClubberLang]

Nothing too scientific @MorganM. I’m a shorter hitter (230 drive) so wanted the emphasis of the bag to be at the top rather than the bottom. I feared the gap to a 7 iron would be too large, and I’d lack options. Due to the different head style (hybrid to iron) the distance gap is larger than the lofts suggest. 
 

I like the 6, 8, PW set-up as it suits the par 3’s where I play. The 6 is my low punch club when needed. I hit a lot of 5 hybrid/ 6 iron shots at my course so this does give me flexibility depending on lie. So there’s a few reasons why it suits. Perhaps it’s a little course centric in design.
 

These are just the evens from a set. If I was handpicking clubs/lofts then probably a 27/28 degree club would be better really, followed by 34, 42, 50 and 56/58.

 

But in practice I’m not sure this would make too much difference other than looking cleaner on paper.

[MorganM]

2 hours ago, 9ClubberLang said:

Nothing too scientific @MorganM. I’m a shorter hitter (230 drive) so wanted the emphasis of the bag to be at the top rather than the bottom. I feared the gap to a 7 iron would be too large, and I’d lack options. Due to the different head style (hybrid to iron) the distance gap is larger than the lofts suggest. 
 

I like the 6, 8, PW set-up as it suits the par 3’s where I play. The 6 is my low punch club when needed. I hit a lot of 5 hybrid/ 6 iron shots at my course so this does give me flexibility depending on lie. So there’s a few reasons why it suits. Perhaps it’s a little course centric in design.
 

These are just the evens from a set. If I was handpicking clubs/lofts then probably a 27/28 degree club would be better really, followed by 34, 42, 50 and 56/58.

 

But in practice I’m not sure this would make too much difference other than looking cleaner on paper.

I thought perhaps it was something resembling my situation. I play 24* 9W, similar to your 5 H. It’s my go to club. My second shot on par 5’s s is to get the ball into range for my 9W; I can hit the greens and the ball will hold. The only way that 9W leaves my bag is when they pry it out of my cold, dead fingers!😃

[9ClubberLang]

I see. I've never hit a 9W but they sound like a lot of fun. I have a 7W I love but can't fit it in my 9 club set-up.

[MorganM]

33 minutes ago, 9ClubberLang said:

I see. I've never hit a 9W but they sound like a lot of fun. I have a 7W I love but can't fit it in my 9 club set-up.

Ya no…..Having said that, I realize that my gapping is based around  that 9W. 6 degrees on either side, 18* 5W and 30 * 7i.  6 degrees up at the top is the mini-Driver. Hmmmmm.

[MorganM]

On 6/4/2025 at 11:33 AM, 9ClubberLang said:

I see. I've never hit a 9W but they sound like a lot of fun. I have a 7W I love but can't fit it in my 9 club set-up.

I’m still chewing on you not being able to fit a cub you love (7w)  into your set. It doesn’t seem right 😞

[9ClubberLang]

No it's definitely not right but I love a 5 wood too! It's either the 4W/7W combo or a 5W, and in a 9 club bag I can only fit in one wood really. 5W/9W would work dropping the hybrid but I like having different head types for different lies so 5W/5Hyb make the cut.

[aiyyer]

Sad but looks like Jones is discontinuing the Rover carry bag. 

[subrew]

Was off in France last week, so I didn't swing a club for 10 days.  Came back and have been playing this short course setup all week.  It has been perfect mid 60s temps at 5:30am, and I'm the only one on course (except for a few mowers and some geese.)

 

 

[Tommy56]

@subrew Great way and time to play. 

[Sleeky_D]

I played my first round with a minimalist setup as below. I have to echo what others have said in that it really helps reduce the number of decisions to make per hole, which in turn limits self-made errors in mu opinion. I’ll have to play another round or two before subbing out/in other clubs because unfortunately my phone and watch were running out of battery so I didn’t have exact yardages from holes 7-18. And it was a course I’ve never played before. Even so, I finished 5 shots better than my predicted handicap for the course according to my GHIN. 
Now time to find a lighter bag! 
 

Driver 12*
4w 17*
5h 25*
7i 33*
9i 43*
50, 54, 60 wedges

Putter

[9ClubberLang]

Still experimenting here. I really want to find something and stick with it, so I'm increasing my analysis. My minimalist bag is 9 clubs. This gives me 3 long-game clubs, 3 mid clubs, and 3 short-game clubs (including a putter). 

 

I look at this 9 club set though as not really having any compromises. It feels like a full-set to me. There's nothing missing at all. I feel a minimalist set should probably have a compromise somewhere. 8 or below feels minimalist to me. I always think an 8 club bag constructs itself pretty well. My Hoofer-Lite has four dividers and two clubs per section looks great etc, so I'd really like to play an 8 club bag.

 

I wasn't sure where to remove a club from though. Not being a long hitter I feel I need my longer clubs, but I've recently had success with a 50/56 wedge set-up so didn't really feel like compromising there either.

 

So, I'm going to swap out the 5W in my 9 club set-up and get my 4W/7W combo in there. I love playing the 7W and that will make a 10 club "full" set-up which gives me a bit of a gap to the 8 club set-ups. I'm then going to play the 8 club set-ups in rotation and log my scores/GIR to see what comes out on top.

 

If I can prove that my scores are similar with an 8 club set to the "full" 10 club set-up then I think I will go minimalist full-time. Although some flexibility is good, I would like to have a clear ranking on the 8 club set-ups too.

 

It's interesting where minimalists choose to make the most compromises. I wonder which of the three 8 club set-ups would be the most popular with people in here? I see a lot of people in here compromising the top or bottom ends more than the middle for example. Some have multiple wedges even in a minimalist bag while others don't use any woods or hybrids. There's no right or wrong but it's a lot of fun working it out!

[Gladan]

Glad I'm not the only one tinkering with the set-up trying to find the ultimate minimal set-up. This morning I was out with;
Driver 10,5

2 iron 16,5

4 iron 24

6 iron 32

8 iron 40

pw 49

sw 56

putter

 

Not optimal with the 2 iron, I can only use it on the tee and that to limited. Alternating that one with a 17 or a 19 hybrid but not a fan of them but the 19 "should" be a good fit (is not). With this 8 club set-up I want to try a 5w at 19 instead, it's one the "most wanted list".

 

8 clubs is enough for me to score the same as a full set, I'm that bad.....

 

My 7 club set-up is still being worked on. The contenders are;

Driver 10,5

XX

5 iron 25

7 iron 36

9 iron 44

sw 56

putter

 

XX could be the wanted 5w or a 3 iron utility depending on wind. 

 

 

[lil'mike]

4 hours ago, 9ClubberLang said:

Still experimenting here. I really want to find something and stick with it, so I'm increasing my analysis. My minimalist bag is 9 clubs. This gives me 3 long-game clubs, 3 mid clubs, and 3 short-game clubs (including a putter). 

 

I look at this 9 club set though as not really having any compromises. It feels like a full-set to me. There's nothing missing at all. I feel a minimalist set should probably have a compromise somewhere. 8 or below feels minimalist to me. I always think an 8 club bag constructs itself pretty well. My Hoofer-Lite has four dividers and two clubs per section looks great etc, so I'd really like to play an 8 club bag.

 

I wasn't sure where to remove a club from though. Not being a long hitter I feel I need my longer clubs, but I've recently had success with a 50/56 wedge set-up so didn't really feel like compromising there either.

 

So, I'm going to swap out the 5W in my 9 club set-up and get my 4W/7W combo in there. I love playing the 7W and that will make a 10 club "full" set-up which gives me a bit of a gap to the 8 club set-ups. I'm then going to play the 8 club set-ups in rotation and log my scores/GIR to see what comes out on top.

 

If I can prove that my scores are similar with an 8 club set to the "full" 10 club set-up then I think I will go minimalist full-time. Although some flexibility is good, I would like to have a clear ranking on the 8 club set-ups too.

 

It's interesting where minimalists choose to make the most compromises. I wonder which of the three 8 club set-ups would be the most popular with people in here? I see a lot of people in here compromising the top or bottom ends more than the middle for example. Some have multiple wedges even in a minimalist bag while others don't use any woods or hybrids. There's no right or wrong but it's a lot of fun working it out!

My bag is setup exactly like the 8 club bag #3.  If I am playing a longer course or want to mix it up, I can swap out the 5wd for a 3wd and a 3H for a 9 club bag but really haven't found any need for that yet.  That gives me a bit more help at the top since I don't hit them very far! 🙂