Ohio Golf Journal October 2019

How many times have you played a round of golf and used all 14 clubs in your bag? Do you have two or three favorites that you use most of the time? Howmany times have you tried to hit that 3-wood or 3-hybrid and ended up threatening the worm population on the golf course? The Rules of Golf allow golfers to carry 14 clubs for tournament competition, but do you really need all those clubs in your bag? Professional golfers have swing speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. Most golfers’ average swing speed is closer to 80-90 mph range. What that means is that professionals have larger gaps between clubs than an average golfer. For example, a player with a faster swing speed will carry a 56-degree sand wedge approximately Do You Really Need 14 Clubs? 110 yards in the air. His 52-degree Gap Wedge WILL ÛY YARDS AND DEGREE PITCHING WEDGE 135 yards. These three clubs, along with a 60-degree wedge at 100 yards, give these golfers an acceptable differential between clubs to better dial in those scoring shots from 150 yards and in. The average golfer with a much slower swing speed will drop his 60-degree 75 yards, sand wedge 90 yards, and pitching wedge 105. There is really no reason for a Gap wedge because the differential between the wedges is not that great. This same reasoning can be carried through the entire bag. If you are still carrying around a three or four iron, my question is WHY? The advent of hybrids has made it much easier FOR THE AVERAGE GOLFER TO ÚND A CLUB THAT CARRIES OVER YARDS AND WILL ÛY HIGHER THAN A LOWER LOFTED IRON 0LEASE BE AWARE A FOUR OR ÚVE HYBRID is much better for most than a three-hybrid. By Fred Altvater Ohio Golf Journal