Starting a new adventure . . . Minimalist Golf

[djrock89]

@Tommy56 really useful information in that post mate nice one im currently using a 7 club set up that is : 3w 15°, 4h 22°, 6i 28°, 8i 35°, pw 45°, sw 56° and putter seems to be working for me

[stimpmeterp]

Here’s a theory that ignores some of the more technical concepts such as degree gaps and instead focuses on practical situations: how to choose a 7 club setup by Stimp

 

Choose 3 “common yardage stock shot” clubs for 100, 150, 200 yards (metric conversion overseas)

 

1. 100 club

2. 150 club

3. 200 club

 

Next, choose a club for par-4 and par-5 tee shots

 

4. Tee club

 

Next, choose your favorite and most comfortable wedge for shots around the greens including green-side bunkers 

 

5. Wedge 

 

Before you throw in your putter, what is your favorite club? Whatever it is, it’s your favorite for a reason so it must inspire confidence and lead to well executed shots. Throw it in the bag!

 

6. Favorite club

 

Lastly, put the flatstick in the bag. Unless you are a masochist you are going to putt best with a putter as intended.

 

7. Putter

 

So to recap:

 

1. 100 yard stock

2. 150 yard stock

3. 200 yard stock

4. Tee club (par 4s and 5s)

5. Wedge (around the greens)

6. Favorite club!

7. Putter 

 

I submit to you that this setup shall work for the masses, leaves few stones unturned and may just be the way to get over writer’s block when choosing your minimalist setup.

 

And the best part about this setup for true minimalist thinking? If # 5 and # 6 happen to overlap with 1-3, you’ve just dropped down to a 5 or 6 club mimimalist bag!

 

I will now take questions from the audience.

[KeepCalmandCarry]

1 hour ago, stimpmeterp said:

Here’s a theory that ignores some of the more technical concepts such as degree gaps and instead focuses on practical situations: how to choose a 7 club setup by Stimp

 

Choose 3 “common yardage stock shot” clubs for 100, 150, 200 yards (metric conversion overseas)

 

1. 100 club

2. 150 club

3. 200 club

 

Next, choose a club for par-4 and par-5 tee shots

 

4. Tee club

 

Next, choose your favorite and most comfortable wedge for shots around the greens including green-side bunkers 

 

5. Wedge 

 

Before you throw in your putter, what is your favorite club? Whatever it is, it’s your favorite for a reason so it must inspire confidence and lead to well executed shots. Throw it in the bag!

 

6. Favorite club

 

Lastly, put the flatstick in the bag. Unless you are a masochist you are going to putt best with a putter as intended.

 

7. Putter

 

So to recap:

 

1. 100 yard stock

2. 150 yard stock

3. 200 yard stock

4. Tee club (par 4s and 5s)

5. Wedge (around the greens)

6. Favorite club!

7. Putter 

 

I submit to you that this setup shall work for the masses, leaves few stones unturned and may just be the way to get over writer’s block when choosing your minimalist setup.

 

And the best part about this setup for true minimalist thinking? If # 5 and # 6 happen to overlap with 1-3, you’ve just dropped down to a 5 or 6 club mimimalist bag!

 

I will now take questions from the audience.

Love it, @stimpmeterp! Only thing I'd add—which I'm sure you'd agree with—is (for anyone digging/contemplating @stimpmeterp's theory/startpoint), don't be afraid to scale accordingly. If, say, your tee/play club is 220yds full bore...then it would only make sense (I think) if your #'s 1-3 were scaled down accordingly; maybe 1. 85yd stock; 2. 135yd stock; 3. 175yd stock—or whatever! Or, #'s 2. and 3. might be the average of the short/mid-short and mid-long/long par-3s you tend to encounter. Such as I tend to encounter lots of 135-150 par threes, and lots of 175-190—so those are my #'s 2. and 3., for example. (And that one super long, super difficult par three we all have, know and love and hate—you don't need a dedicated club just for that one hole! Take your #3 club (using @stimpmeterp's formula), or your #4, or your #6, and just get it up there somewhere! Better—purposely play to that big safe patch of fairway short, and go have fun with your wedge!)

 

All in all, I think this is great. Also lends to an earlier point I made regarding my setup; I could, using this keep-it-simple-stupid framework, definitely drop one club...!

 

Thanks for sharing!  

Edited July 11 by KeepCalmandCarry
clarity/typos

[MorganM]

12 hours ago, djrock89 said:

Whats everyones opinion on the amount of degrees between clubs on a minimalist set? Mine varys between 6 degrees lowest and 11 degrees highest. I wonder if you could have say 10 degrees between all clubs in the bag would it be more beneficial 

As I’ve written before, I really put my set together based on function, not gapping. In my humble, or not so much, opinion a minimalist set is 7 clubs or less, YMMV. When the 5W is in the bag, the gapping is nonexistent, 18, 20, 24,…., when the mini-driver is in its 12.25, 20, 24. Same! (Someday I might find a consistent tee club? Perhaps the search keeps me going or… it ages me, hmmm) 

[WipeyFade]

13 hours ago, djrock89 said:

Whats everyones opinion on the amount of degrees between clubs on a minimalist set? Mine varys between 6 degrees lowest and 11 degrees highest. I wonder if you could have say 10 degrees between all clubs in the bag would it be more beneficial 

Just played a 9 hole round with 4 clubs at a new course and played better than usual. My lofts were 21, 38, 56, plus putter. For me it’s less about distance/loft gaps and more about playing to certain areas of the course where you next shot is easier than your current one. 

[9ClubberLang]

On 7/11/2025 at 2:13 AM, djrock89 said:

Whats everyones opinion on the amount of degrees between clubs on a minimalist set? Mine varys between 6 degrees lowest and 11 degrees highest. I wonder if you could have say 10 degrees between all clubs in the bag would it be more beneficial 

Although an even loft distribution seems logical I've found this doesn't work best for me. I've found that relatively normal gaps at the top of my bag transitioning into ever increasing gaps as I get into the short clubs works better. This provides better distance gaps for me. As per @Tommy56's advice the distance gaps are more important than static loft.

 

Shorter shots are more suited to partial swings anyway so I can have as little as a 4 degree gap between my longest iron and hybrid, and 10-12 degrees between wedges.

[sandman98]

On 7/11/2025 at 7:06 AM, stimpmeterp said:

Here’s a theory that ignores some of the more technical concepts such as degree gaps and instead focuses on practical situations: how to choose a 7 club setup by Stimp

 

Choose 3 “common yardage stock shot” clubs for 100, 150, 200 yards (metric conversion overseas)

 

1. 100 club

2. 150 club

3. 200 club

 

Next, choose a club for par-4 and par-5 tee shots

 

4. Tee club

 

Next, choose your favorite and most comfortable wedge for shots around the greens including green-side bunkers 

 

5. Wedge 

 

Before you throw in your putter, what is your favorite club? Whatever it is, it’s your favorite for a reason so it must inspire confidence and lead to well executed shots. Throw it in the bag!

 

6. Favorite club

 

Lastly, put the flatstick in the bag. Unless you are a masochist you are going to putt best with a putter as intended.

 

7. Putter

 

So to recap:

 

1. 100 yard stock

2. 150 yard stock

3. 200 yard stock

4. Tee club (par 4s and 5s)

5. Wedge (around the greens)

6. Favorite club!

7. Putter 

 

I submit to you that this setup shall work for the masses, leaves few stones unturned and may just be the way to get over writer’s block when choosing your minimalist setup.

 

And the best part about this setup for true minimalist thinking? If # 5 and # 6 happen to overlap with 1-3, you’ve just dropped down to a 5 or 6 club mimimalist bag!

 

I will now take questions from the audience.

i LOVE this approach and simplicity! every club must have its purpose(s). 

 

now, i'm not sure i'm ready to fully scale down to a 7 club minimalist bag, but i think i can easily get down to 9 with this blueprint (maybe even 8 eventually). usually play around 6600 yds, but i'm noticing several clubs in the bag go a few rounds before they need to be dusted off. i also still have several clubs in the bag that i don't hit very consistently--why am i carrying them every round???

 

so i think my "9 club bag" might look something like this...

 

1. 100yd -- 56 deg SW

2. 150yd-- 8i

3. 200yd-- 4Hy

4. Tee-- Driver (10.5 deg) 235-250yds.

5. Wedge-- PW (125yds)

6. Favorite--6i (175yds)

7. Putter

 

8. 5W--215-225yds. (for long par4's and par 5's, as well as fairway finder on tighter/dogleg par 4's)

9. 50deg GW (115yds--less bounce for tighter lies as i don't feel comfortable stepping on the 56 to get much more than 100). now i can probably cover this distance with a choked down PW, but i often use this GW for bump and runs around the green. it's definitely a comfort club at this point, and i'm not sure i want to play without it.

 

so maybe this doesn't put me into the true "minimalist golf" category. but it does get me significantly under the 14 club limit. 

 

i'm going to give it a go for the next couple weeks to see if i really miss any of the others. i'll also try to keep track of the GW and 5W usage to see how often they come into play. i could also see me using the 7W (195-210) in place of both 5W and 4Hy. that would get me down to 8. hmmm....

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 13 by sandman98

[Tommy56]

@sandman98 you’re on the right path. Keep us posted on how it goes. 

[Tommy56]

Question for the super minimalists out there...

 

Have you tried using a 52º as your only wedge?  If so, how'd you like it?  Is it versatile enough for greenside work and bunkers?  I currently go 9i to 54º, but thinking about 8i to 52º to avoid excessive gapping while dropping a club.

 

For reference, I can/do flight wedges down, but tend to still hit them rather high and with plenty of spin.  Appreciate your thoughts.

[MorganM]

50 minutes ago, Tommy56 said:

Question for the super minimalists out there...

 

Have you tried using a 52º as your only wedge?  If so, how'd you like it?  Is it versatile enough for greenside work and bunkers?  I currently go 9i to 54º, but thinking about 8i to 52º to avoid excessive gapping while dropping a club.

 

For reference, I can/do flight wedges down, but tend to still hit them rather high and with plenty of spin.  Appreciate your thoughts.

A little more data please 😙 Why would shifting from 9i to 54° to 8i to 52° change your gapping? Which club would you drop?

Edited July 14 by MorganM
Grammar

[Tommy56]

43 minutes ago, MorganM said:

A little more data please 😙 Why would shifting from 9i to 54° to 8i to 52° change your gapping? Which club would you drop?

Here's my thinking ...  I currently go 7w, 7, 9, 54.  If I go 7w, 8, 52 instead, I'd likely go with a bit stronger 8 (bit closer to my 7 than my 9) which would create a more sizable gap to my wedge. Just thinking a 52 would give me a few more yards on full shots while hopefully not giving up much in greenside utility.  Still a larger gap than today, albeit slightly more manageable.  I'd be dropping the 7 & 9 for an 8.

Edited July 14 by Tommy56
added thought

[9ClubberLang]

Maybe this doesn't make too much difference in practice,  but often with wedge design 52/54 is the split where groove design, shaping etc is designed more with either a full shot or greenside emphasis. I.e. there's more than just a 2 degree loft change going on with this decision. 

 

I haven't ever really used a 52 too much so can't comment on actual real-world experience out on the course using a 52 for a whole multitude of short-game shots.

Edited July 14 by 9ClubberLang
Speling

[WipeyFade]

1 hour ago, Tommy56 said:

Question for the super minimalists out there...

 

Have you tried using a 52º as your only wedge?  If so, how'd you like it?  Is it versatile enough for greenside work and bunkers?  I currently go 9i to 54º, but thinking about 8i to 52º to avoid excessive gapping while dropping a club.

 

For reference, I can/do flight wedges down, but tend to still hit them rather high and with plenty of spin.  Appreciate your thoughts.

I have tried it, but it really wasn’t for me. That being said, it just wasn’t versatile enough around the greens for me. I never could the high soft one or play out of bunkers/thick rough. If you can play those shots I would think it would be great for a super minimalist set. It seems like on a couple of the Speed Golf Rob videos I saw that he was using a 50* as his wedge. One thing I’ll add to all this is that the hooded, back-of-the-stance 56* has been one of the more valuable shots I have learned. 

[Tommy56]

Yeah, bunkers would be my primary concern.  I have a 54.12D which handles all my short game work quite well by manipulating the face.  As @9ClubberLang correctly points out 52º wedges usually offer 1 basic grind so they tend to be less versatile.

 

Perhaps I need to see if I can get better with the hooded, back-of-the-stance shot to squeeze a few more yards out of the 54 if necessary.  🫣

Edited July 14 by Tommy56

[WipeyFade]

52 minutes ago, Tommy56 said:

Yeah, bunkers would be my primary concern.  I have a 54.12D which handles all my short game work quite well by manipulating the face.  As @9ClubberLang correctly points out 52º wedges usually offer 1 basic grind so they tend to be less versatile.

 

Perhaps I need to see if I can get better with the hooded, back-of-the-stance shot to squeeze a few more yards out of the 54 if necessary.  🫣

 I can sometimes squeeze about 115 out of my 56 with that shot, but I have to be feeling really good. 90% of my approaches over 105 are hit with my 8 though. 

[MorganM]

3 hours ago, Tommy56 said:

Here's my thinking ...  I currently go 7w, 7, 9, 54.  If I go 7w, 8, 52 instead, I'd likely go with a bit stronger 8 (bit closer to my 7 than my 9) which would create a more sizable gap to my wedge. Just thinking a 52 would give me a few more yards on full shots while hopefully not giving up much in greenside utility.  Still a larger gap than today, albeit slightly more manageable.  I'd be dropping the 7 & 9 for an 8.

Got it! I would try your new set up with your 54° and employ a slight forward press to (minimally) de-loft the wedge. See if you’re comfortable with the 7,9 out and the 8 in, i.e. making one change at a time. Just a suggestion.

 

[WipeyFade]

3 minutes ago, MorganM said:

Got it! I would try your new set up with your 54° and employ a slight forward press to (minimally) de-loft the wedge. See if you’re comfortable with the 7,9 out and the 8 in, i.e. making one change at a time. Just a suggestion.

 

I do like the 1 change at a time thing too. My thinking is that if you learn to cover the 9 iron shots with the 8 you wouldn’t need to lose the versatility around the green by dropping to a 52. Plus, in my experience you end up hitting way more half shots and knockdowns than max effort shots when dropping clubs. 

Edited July 15 by WipeyFade

[gvogel]

Old man set up: driver, 5-wood, 9-wood, 6-hybrid, 7-iron, 9-iron, 54*SW, putter.

[Tommy56]

@WipeyFade @MorganM @9ClubberLang

 

After pondering this some more along with your suggestions, I will focus on possibly swapping the 7 & 9 irons with an 8.  Will leave the 54.12D in the bag as I'm already quite comfortable playing a variety of shots with it. 

 

I've also come to the conclusion that I'll save more strokes being creative around the greens than trying to narrow a gap elsewhere.  After all, I already have several sizable gaps that I manage now.

 

Thanks for your input.  We all learn better together.

 

[MorganM]

1 hour ago, Tommy56 said:

@WipeyFade @MorganM @9ClubberLang

 

After pondering this some more along with your suggestions, I will focus on possibly swapping the 7 & 9 irons with an 8.  Will leave the 54.12D in the bag as I'm already quite comfortable playing a variety of shots with it. 

 

I've also come to the conclusion that I'll save more strokes being creative around the greens than trying to narrow a gap elsewhere.  After all, I already have several sizable gaps that I manage now.

 

Thanks for your input.  We all learn better together.

 

Indeed we do. I’ve been looking for this home for a couple of years; and I’ve definitely found it. Thank you all so much!

[MorganM]

14 hours ago, gvogel said:

Old man set up: driver, 5-wood, 9-wood, 6-hybrid, 7-iron, 9-iron, 54*SW, putter.

Great! I like old man stuff; probably because I R one.😉

[student of the game]

On 7/10/2025 at 9:13 PM, djrock89 said:

Whats everyones opinion on the amount of degrees between clubs on a minimalist set? Mine varys between 6 degrees lowest and 11 degrees highest. I wonder if you could have say 10 degrees between all clubs in the bag would it be more beneficial 

Currently crunching numbers (yardages, # of clubs, how many different set ups) so the yardage gap is always up for internal debate right now i am thing 9,14,19 (driver,3 wood, driving iron/hybrid) 26,34,42 (5,7,9 iron) now heres where i am having trouble do i go pw(46) 52/58 which will help me around 150 yards or 50/56/60 which gives me more options around 125 yards and 100 yards. so i guess generally for woods/long clubs im looking at 5 degree gaps irons 8 degree gaps with a smaller gap into long clubs. Wedges/short game tbd.

 

I am looking at being able to carry 5/7/9 club bags with a slight possibility of doing 10 clubs. 

 

 

[scruffynick]

1 hour ago, student of the game said:

Currently crunching numbers (yardages, # of clubs, how many different set ups) so the yardage gap is always up for internal debate right now i am thing 9,14,19 (driver,3 wood, driving iron/hybrid) 26,34,42 (5,7,9 iron) now heres where i am having trouble do i go pw(46) 52/58 which will help me around 150 yards or 50/56/60 which gives me more options around 125 yards and 100 yards. so i guess generally for woods/long clubs im looking at 5 degree gaps irons 8 degree gaps with a smaller gap into long clubs. Wedges/short game tbd.

 

I am looking at being able to carry 5/7/9 club bags with a slight possibility of doing 10 clubs. 

 

 

Traditional lofts solves this, older pings work a treat....4,6,8,pw to sw in Traditional lofts has a solid gaping. Worth thinking about 

[MorganM]

17 minutes ago, scruffynick said:

Traditional lofts solves this, older pings work a treat....4,6,8,pw to sw in Traditional lofts has a solid gaping. Worth thinking about 

When you say traditional lofts, how far back in time are you going? For example, when I started, 60+ years ago, the iron lofts started at 48° for a PW and went down by 4° per club. Everyone had this set-up. Is that the ‘traditional’ you are referring to?

[vandyfan]

Going to try this on my next round. Haven't been enjoying golf lately (I have been playing very very badly) so I think I will just go with 8 clubs:

 

Secret Weapon
6i

7i

8i

9i

PW

58*

Putter

 

Can't get much worse score-wise and at least this will lower my expectations even though the last time I played with 8 clubs I (of course) shot about the same score I always shoot. 

[WipeyFade]

@vandyfan The fun factor is definitely multiplied with a short set. The creativity you have to use on approaches and around the green really makes you think differently. 

[BlackFlamingo]

  

16 hours ago, gvogel said:

Old man set up: driver, 5-wood, 9-wood, 6-hybrid, 7-iron, 9-iron, 54*SW, putter.

Headcovers unite!

Played yesterday with a new 5H:

Mini Driver
4H (21)

5H (25.5)

7 Iron (33)

9 Iron (41)
50
58
Putter

Thinking i might be able to swap the 4H for a shortened 3H?

[scruffynick]

1 hour ago, MorganM said:

When you say traditional lofts, how far back in time are you going? For example, when I started, 60+ years ago, the iron lofts started at 48° for a PW and went down by 4° per club. Everyone had this set-up. Is that the ‘traditional’ you are referring to?

Yeah, I use ping eye 2s....4 is at 24 degree 6 at 30 8 at 40 pw at 50....seems to gap well on balanced distances 

[lil'mike]

15 hours ago, MorganM said:

When you say traditional lofts, how far back in time are you going? For example, when I started, 60+ years ago, the iron lofts started at 48° for a PW and went down by 4° per club. Everyone had this set-up. Is that the ‘traditional’ you are referring to?

Mine are old Cobra's Oversize irons from 2002 so I have 6i at 30, 8i at 37 and PW at 45.  I cannot play or try the odd irons since I only have the even ones!

 

My setup looks like this:

 

Driver 10.5 deg set to 9.5

5wd at 19 deg

4H at 23 deg

6i at 30 deg

8i at 37 deg

PW at 45 deg

SW at 56 deg

Putter

 

Edited July 16 by lil'mike

[djrock89]

8 hours ago, vandyfan said:

Going to try this on my next round. Haven't been enjoying golf lately (I have been playing very very badly) so I think I will just go with 8 clubs:

 

Secret Weapon
6i

7i

8i

9i

PW

58*

Putter

 

Can't get much worse score-wise and at least this will lower my expectations even though the last time I played with 8 clubs I (of course) shot about the same score I always shoot. 

@vandyfan How do you think you will cope with the big gap between driver and 6 iron? I like the idea of this set up might give it a try myself this weekend but change driver to 3 wood