Starting a new adventure . . . Minimalist Golf

[djrock89]

Just now, WipeyFade said:

I would say that if you’re fairly strait off the tee with driver then I would say that you don’t need anything in that slot, especially if you can learn to hit driver off the deck. 

I can hit my fairwood off a tee and have been using that instead of a driver but between that and the 6 iron im terrible hybrid shots are a joke and long irons are the same so seriously debating having nothing between i hit my 6 iron around 170 so my thinking was i would be covered in most situations 

[WipeyFade]

I experimented with something similar earlier this summer. I went after driver I went strait to 8 iron. If I could consistently hit the fairway I may have played that set up longer. 

[djrock89]

10 minutes ago, WipeyFade said:

I experimented with something similar earlier this summer. I went after driver I went strait to 8 iron. If I could consistently hit the fairway I may have played that set up longer. 

Think il give it a try this sunday and see how i get on driver, 6, 8, PW, SW, P 

[lil'mike]

24 minutes ago, djrock89 said:

Decided to put a driver back in my bag i was wondering is there any real need to have a club between driver and 6 iron? I could either go driver, 6, 8, PW, SW, P or i could go driver, 6, 7, 8, 9, PW, SW, P not too sure yet

To me it would depend on your yardages that you hit and course you play.  Let's just say that if I did that, I would never be able to reach par 4's in two.  None of them seem to be less than 370 or so.  lol

 

[Tommy56]

1 hour ago, djrock89 said:

Think il give it a try this sunday and see how i get on driver, 6, 8, PW, SW, P 

Certainly worth trying.  Let us know how it works out.  I played the same set-up for a while a couple years ago and it worked fine except for my inconsistency with the driver. <sigh>

[lil'mike]

On 7/23/2025 at 11:49 PM, WipeyFade said:

I’ve been playing with 4 clubs for the past couple of weeks. I haven’t used a driver in that time and it has been nice hitting from the fairway on my approaches. 😂

To me, this is impressive golf with only four clubs.  I wouldn't stand a chance, well maybe a small chance but I enjoyed watching it for sure!  I learned something too about him avoiding possible trouble.  Very cool.

 

[WipeyFade]

9 hours ago, lil&#x27;mike said:

To me, this is impressive golf with only four clubs.  I wouldn't stand a chance, well maybe a small chance but I enjoyed watching it for sure!  I learned something too about him avoiding possible trouble.  Very cool.

 

I think one of the main takeaways from this video is how important a ball in play off the tee is, no matter the distance. For years I have either taken a driver or 3 wood off the tee and for years I have been frustrated. I would hit just enough decent or good shots for me to feel that I was either progressing with those or even feeling like I had it figured out. But in all reality the bad shots were so bad that I was taking away all the advantage the good shots were giving me.
 

For the last month I have been using a 7 wood as my longest club and I have hit some bad shots but they have always been in play and given me a second shot. There are a few holes at my course where I even have to club down to my 8i off the tee because of a creek that runs through the fairway, and I have played those holes consistently better that way than when I have taken driver. 
 

As Matty Boom Boom has said in the past, “A ball in play is worth 2 in the bush.”🤣

[lil'mike]

36 minutes ago, WipeyFade said:

I think one of the main takeaways from this video is how important a ball in play off the tee is, no matter the distance. For years I have either taken a driver or 3 wood off the tee and for years I have been frustrated. I would hit just enough decent or good shots for me to feel that I was either progressing with those or even feeling like I had it figured out. But in all reality the bad shots were so bad that I was taking away all the advantage the good shots were giving me.
 

For the last month I have been using a 7 wood as my longest club and I have hit some bad shots but they have always been in play and given me a second shot. There are a few holes at my course where I even have to club down to my 8i off the tee because of a creek that runs through the fairway, and I have played those holes consistently better that way than when I have taken driver. 
 

As Matty Boom Boom has said in the past, “A ball in play is worth 2 in the bush.”🤣

Yeah I get that!  When I said I learned something about avoiding trouble, we all do that but he does that in this video to a whole new level which I guess I didn't even think about with the minimalist setup.  He seemed to hit his PW more often than the hybrid even though distance wise he could which was cool to see and know why he is doing that.  Of course he probably hits his PW as long or longer than me hitting a hybrid!  lol

 

[WipeyFade]

7 minutes ago, lil'mike said:

Yeah I get that!  When I said I learned something about avoiding trouble, we all do that but he does that in this video to a whole new level which I guess I didn't even think about with the minimalist setup.  He seemed to hit his PW more often than the hybrid even though distance wise he could which was cool to see and know why he is doing that.  Of course he probably hits his PW as long or longer than me hitting a hybrid!  lol

 

Yes, we can definitely learn a lot from his unconventional course management.  For me, when I stop thinking about the par of the hole and just focus on the easiest way to get the ball in the hole, I end up with a lot of putts for par anyway. Through this style of course management you end up taking big numbers out of play. 

[stimpmeterp]

We come at this minimalist thing from so many different angles and perspectives. When we realize golf clubs started as Spoons, Niblicks, Cleeks and Mashies, we realize the modern game has given a "number" and "loft" to each club. The rules of golf then gave us "14" clubs, and manufacturers have capitalized. 

 

But I submit that a golfer can maximize their scoring with a "half" set. 

Don't we have no doubt that the Tour players could shoot 65 with 7 or 14 clubs? 

[WipeyFade]

18 minutes ago, stimpmeterp said:

We come at this minimalist thing from so many different angles and perspectives. When we realize golf clubs started as Spoons, Niblicks, Cleeks and Mashies, we realize the modern game has given a "number" and "loft" to each club. The rules of golf then gave us "14" clubs, and manufacturers have capitalized. 

 

But I submit that a golfer can maximize their scoring with a "half" set. 

Don't we have no doubt that the Tour players could shoot 65 with 7 or 14 clubs? 

I read somewhere about 7 or 8 years ago that Bubba Watson shot a 72 or 74 at his home course with just a 4 wood. 

[MorganM]

16 hours ago, WipeyFade said:

I would say that if you’re fairly strait off the tee with driver then I would say that you don’t need anything in that slot, especially if you can learn to hit driver off the deck. 

Of course we don’t know your avg. distances, but I agree with WipeyFade (how do you get the blue member name lozenges ?). Not sure you really need the 7 or the 9; seems like D,6i,8i,pw,sw & P would work fine. Choke down 1 inch and take off 10 yards w/ the 6 & 8. YMMV.

[edd13]

You guys are pretty strict with what you consider 'minimalist'. I'm rocking a 8-club set up but now I'm thinking that's a couple of clubs too many. 

 

Kind of surprised no one has suggested cutting the putter yet (admittedly I did not read all 88 pages of this thread), bellying a wedge or just using a wood should suffice right? 

 

The lightest set up I can imagine with some resemblance of "full coverage" would be:

 

3W - 5i - 7i - 9i - 52/12 - 58/7

[lil'mike]

13 minutes ago, edd13 said:

You guys are pretty strict with what you consider 'minimalist'. I'm rocking a 8-club set up but now I'm thinking that's a couple of clubs too many. 

 

Kind of surprised no one has suggested cutting the putter yet (admittedly I did not read all 88 pages of this thread), bellying a wedge or just using a wood should suffice right? 

 

The lightest set up I can imagine with some resemblance of "full coverage" would be:

 

3W - 5i - 7i - 9i - 52/12 - 58/7

I play 8 clubs and think that my setup allows me to as you put it have "full coverage" which will allow me a chance to score decent.  I go with driver, 5wd, 4H, 6i, 8i, PW, SW and putter.  Anything less I don't think I can score good.

 

I would never consider removing the putter either as that would just add strokes to my score.

 

[scruffynick]

2 hours ago, WipeyFade said:

I read somewhere about 7 or 8 years ago that Bubba Watson shot a 72 or 74 at his home course with just a 4 wood. 

Chick Evans won the us open with 7 clubs....he never used anything else. Have a feeling tour pros would shoot great scores with 7 clubs. In fact some probably would love it, back to golf's roots so to say 

[acemandrake]

16 minutes ago, scruffynick said:

Chick Evans won the us open with 7 clubs....he never used anything else. Have a feeling tour pros would shoot great scores with 7 clubs. In fact some probably would love it, back to golf's roots so to say 

"Bobby Jones is famously quoted as saying: 'It's better to be a master of 7 clubs than vaguely familiar with 14' when discussing Chick Evans' preference for playing with a limited set of clubs. This quote highlights Jones' respect for Evans' skill and mastery with fewer clubs, despite Jones himself using a full set of 14." 

Edited July 26 by acemandrake

[MorganM]

1 hour ago, scruffynick said:

Chick Evans won the us open with 7 clubs....he never used anything else. Have a feeling tour pros would shoot great scores with 7 clubs. In fact some probably would love it, back to golf's roots so to say 

But… would it help them play quicker? That is the question.

[Maine Golfer]

Been playing a smaller bag of old stuff at night lately

 

Spalding tour edition driver (graphite shaft!_

Eye o Matic 4 wood with a 50 gram counter weight in the handle

Ping Zing 5 wood

 

1969 6,7,8,9 Wilson Staffs

1965 PW Wilson Staff

Bullseye

 

Likely gonna swap the 5 wood for a 7 next time. 

 

[MorganM]

1 hour ago, edd13 said:

You guys are pretty strict with what you consider 'minimalist'. I'm rocking a 8-club set up but now I'm thinking that's a couple of clubs too many. 

 

Kind of surprised no one has suggested cutting the putter yet (admittedly I did not read all 88 pages of this thread), bellying a wedge or just using a wood should suffice right? 

 

The lightest set up I can imagine with some resemblance of "full coverage" would be:

 

3W - 5i - 7i - 9i - 52/12 - 58/7

I hope it’s not coming off as some kind of rules set; because it certainly isn’t. At least if there are some official pronouncements I haven’t encountered them yet, anywhere!  I think it’s more about having one hand firmly around the roots of the game and having a full awareness of two complimentary realizations: 1) what works for the top 2% of golfers is not necessarily good for the other 98% and 2) that club manufacturers are actually trying to (gasp!) sell their products and have developed marketing myths to support that  end, i.e. you don’t really need all those clubs.

[MorganM]

1 hour ago, scruffynick said:

Chick Evans won the us open with 7 clubs....he never used anything else. Have a feeling tour pros would shoot great scores with 7 clubs. In fact some probably would love it, back to golf's roots so to say 

Where can I read about Mr. Evans? Did you get this fact from a book, magazine article,…? Thanks 😊 

[WipeyFade]

2 hours ago, edd13 said:

You guys are pretty strict with what you consider 'minimalist'. I'm rocking a 8-club set up but now I'm thinking that's a couple of clubs too many. 

 

Kind of surprised no one has suggested cutting the putter yet (admittedly I did not read all 88 pages of this thread), bellying a wedge or just using a wood should suffice right? 

 

The lightest set up I can imagine with some resemblance of "full coverage" would be:

 

3W - 5i - 7i - 9i - 52/12 - 58/7

 

21 minutes ago, MorganM said:

I hope it’s not coming off as some kind of rules set; because it certainly isn’t. At least if there are some official pronouncements I haven’t encountered them yet, anywhere!  I think it’s more about having one hand firmly around the roots of the game and having a full awareness of two complimentary realizations: 1) what works for the top 2% of golfers is not necessarily good for the other 98% and 2) that club manufacturers are actually trying to (gasp!) sell their products and have developed marketing myths to support that  end, i.e. you don’t really need all those clubs.

Ya, I definitely don’t want to come off as having an elitist attitude. I have just dropped down to 4 to take the decision making out of club selection. I mean, the way I look at it whether I’m hitting a 6 or an 8 into a green that’s 160 away I’m likely to miss it. Only having one club that goes around that distance really makes me pay attention to the correct place to miss it. At this point, especially since dropping driver, there are hardly any decisions that need to be made. I know I’m taking 7 wood off the tee unless there is something I can’t carry, then it’s 8 iron to the green, and 9 times out of 10 my next shot will be made with either a 56* or putter depending on where my approach lands. 

[9ClubberLang]

Yes I've always been puzzled with some views in other threads and other forums that have touched on playing half sets etc. On occassion there is the view that "minimalists think they're better than the rest of us" which seems a very strange conclusion to reach to me. As someone who has read every page of this thread I can't remember ever getting that impression once. I'm sure you would all be great to play with!

 

I must admit I do always smile though when I see someone who has written "I ONLY play with 13 clubs!" Haha that one always tickles me. But I think in here we're happy for anyone to play any number of clubs as long as it's legal if they were in a competition. 

 

I'm really enjoying playing:

 

Driver

5 Wood

4 Hybrid

6 Iron

8 Iron

PW 

SW

Putter

 

Without driver or putter I would really struggle though.  I need those two specialists! I'm enjoying how naturally things become now I've had a run of playing this set-up. I'm gripping down the club, feet closer together etc. without consciously thinking about it! My club selection is made before I get to the ball, and more of my time is being spent on how to hit the shot. It's a lot of fun.

 

[scruffynick]

1 hour ago, MorganM said:

Where can I read about Mr. Evans? Did you get this fact from a book, magazine article,…? Thanks 😊 

From an article years back from this thread. If you read from the start you'll see chick Evans name appear and a famous quote from Bobby jones about chick only using 7 clubs. He made a book, was a top amateur his whole life, and a huge supporter of caddies and created a foundation for caddies that went into apprenticeships. I think he holds the record for most appearances in the US amateur championships. But I found him to be fantastic character to read up on...won the us open and us amateur in same year...that's some feat. 

[scruffynick]

2 hours ago, MorganM said:

But… would it help them play quicker? That is the question.

🤣 probably not...sadly 

[Tommy56]

I agree with the above posts in that minimalists do not (and should not) consider ourselves better than any other players.  I think we simply love to share our journeys and experiences along the way on what we find to be a liberating and FUN way to play.  We learn from each other, try fresh ideas, and discover there are so many ways to approach this wonderful game.

[MorganM]

2 hours ago, scruffynick said:

From an article years back from this thread. If you read from the start you'll see chick Evans name appear and a famous quote from Bobby jones about chick only using 7 clubs. He made a book, was a top amateur his whole life, and a huge supporter of caddies and created a foundation for caddies that went into apprenticeships. I think he holds the record for most appearances in the US amateur championships. But I found him to be fantastic character to read up on...won the us open and us amateur in same year...that's some feat. 

Thank you scruffynick!  Found it on Golf Compendium, Evans carried (I’ve abbreviated for shortness) 2W,3w,2i,4i,6i,9i, & p. Now I know that it was the era of hickory and handmade clubs, but still…this gapping is amazing. Wouldn’t have wanted to be a wedge maker in this era! But wait…maybe all those wedges aren’t really necessary 🤔

[MorganM]

4 hours ago, 9ClubberLang said:

Yes I've always been puzzled with some views in other threads and other forums that have touched on playing half sets etc. On occassion there is the view that "minimalists think they're better than the rest of us" which seems a very strange conclusion to reach to me. As someone who has read every page of this thread I can't remember ever getting that impression once. I'm sure you would all be great to play with!

 

I must admit I do always smile though when I see someone who has written "I ONLY play with 13 clubs!" Haha that one always tickles me. But I think in here we're happy for anyone to play any number of clubs as long as it's legal if they were in a competition. 

 

I'm really enjoying playing:

 

Driver

5 Wood

4 Hybrid

6 Iron

8 Iron

PW 

SW

Putter

 

Without driver or putter I would really struggle though.  I need those two specialists! I'm enjoying how naturally things become now I've had a run of playing this set-up. I'm gripping down the club, feet closer together etc. without consciously thinking about it! My club selection is made before I get to the ball, and more of my time is being spent on how to hit the shot. It's a lot of fun.

 

Love the last paragraph! Shotmaking! So much fun. I too would be lost without a tee club and putter. Loving your journey, thanks for sharing!

[9ClubberLang]

3 hours ago, MorganM said:

Love the last paragraph! Shotmaking! So much fun. I too would be lost without a tee club and putter. Loving your journey, thanks for sharing!

Thank you! It's great to have people to chat about this stuff with.

[stryper]

13 hours ago, WipeyFade said:

I read somewhere about 7 or 8 years ago that Bubba Watson shot a 72 or 74 at his home course with just a 4 wood. 

One of the things that inspired me towards minimalism was watching Ian Poulter go out for a late afternoon walk around Bellerive in St. Louis with only three clubs in hand before the 2018 PGA Championship.  No idea what he would have shot, but it just struck me as simple and beautiful way to experience the game.  

[scruffynick]

Im away in the south east of England on the coast (very beautiful scenery btw) and I just popped to a Sunday car boot sale....just bought a newish 23 degree muzuno clk hybrid....for £4 🤣 headcover included! That's going into bag and replacing my 4 iron, which has been on my mind. So I think Im really sorted for captains weekend this coming weekend...weather looks good as well this weekend too. But I do love a good car boot sake, so British 😀