Starting a new adventure . . . Minimalist Golf

[Fiddlesticks]

10 hours ago, 54CW said:

How many of you have dropped the range finder from the bag? Thinking that might be the next thing to go instead of a club. 

The range finder always felt like too much and I don't like pulling my phone during a round. My favorite has been a little GolfBuddy clip on GPS...small and out of the way, just gives an easy read to center of the green.

[54CW]

I’ve tried apps when I had an Apple Watch but wearing a watch when I play is uncomfortable. Right now I use Arccos on my phone when I want to check the map for trouble.

 

In my next few rounds I’ll rely on course markers at 200-150-100 yds instead. I get into trouble when I get too precise with yardages and club choice.  

[Nickb333]

Yep, when I’m walking I just carry the phantom hanging on my bag.

[rwc356]

I have the Arccos app on my phone and only use it for review / stats after the round. Have my Bushnell Neo clipped to the bag and use it for distance to the green and/or hazards.

[ciscojaws]

I use the Bushnell app on my phone, really like the overhead course view.  Rangefinder stays in the car.

[TheBear95]

6 hours ago, Nickb333 said:

Yep, when I’m walking I just carry the phantom hanging on my bag.

 

The phantom is great. Everything you need, no bs features. Small enough for your pocket or clip it to the bag. Perfect for the walker.

[g_nw]

On 6/2/2024 at 7:32 PM, Tommy56 said:

Totally get it ... I spend much more time pondering various minimalist setups than I do playing.  But, I certainly find it less confusing on the course. 

 

this is me

[9ClubberLang]

Well I clearly didn't think through my username. My future proof failing here is in epic proportions. I haven't been so wide of the mark since that terrible sliced drive from the 4th tee at Lullingstone back in 2008.

 

It's all been going really well. I'm loving my minimalist golf but I'm now 8ClubberLang not 9. I only lasted with 9 clubs for a couple of months. I've also bought a couple of second hand clubs for dedicated winter use and so my winter bag will now consist of 5 clubs instead of 7.

 

The fun there is in tweaking minimalist set-ups means I really shouldn't have tied my user name into the number of clubs that I'm actually playing. I have learned this lesson the hard way. Newbies to this thread please take note from my failings.

 

I can't see how to change my username so if you can all just pretend from now on that when you see my username "9ClubberLang" just substitute in your mind, "AnywhereBetween5&8ClubsButMayBeLessClubberLang" instead, that would be much appreciated.

Edited June 30, 2024 by 9ClubberLang

[Kai Slater]

I have a pretty much minimalist set up because I only play/take the clubs that I have confidence in.  I don't actually use all of those clubs in my signature, especially the fairway woods; I can't hit those to save my life.  In many cases, for example, a 200 yard approach in to the green, I'll just hit my 6 or 7 iron because I know that 9/10 I'll hit them well, leaving me little pitch up to the green.  I just accept this, knowing that I don't have that 200 yard approach in my arsenal of shots.  Most times, my minimalist set up is a driver, 4 iron, 7-9 irons, PW, 52* chipper, and putter.

[ShortGolfer]

 

 

[WipeyFade]

2 hours ago, 9ClubberLang said:

Well I clearly didn't think through my username. My future proof failing here is in epic proportions. I haven't been so wide of the mark since that terrible sliced drive from the 4th tee at Lullingstone back in 2008.

 

It's all been going really well. I'm loving my minimalist golf but I'm now 8ClubberLang not 9. I only lasted with 9 clubs for a couple of months. I've also bought a couple of second hand clubs for dedicated winter use and so my winter bag will now consist of 5 clubs instead of 7.

 

The fun there is in tweaking minimalist set-ups means I really shouldn't have tied my user name into the number of clubs that I'm actually playing. I have learned this lesson the hard way. Newbies to this thread please take note from my failings.

 

I can't see how to change my username so if you can all just pretend from now on that when you see my username "9ClubberLang" just substitute in your mind, "AnywhereBetween5&8ClubsButMayBeLessClubberLang" instead, that would be much appreciated.

I’m curious to see how the winter goes for you. My guess is that your scores won’t change when you drop down to five clubs. That’s kind of where I’m at. It got so hot here last summer that I dropped down to five clubs. When it cooled off I did add a few more back to the bag, but now with the highs in the 90s, I’m back to five and I’m probably just going to keep it that way. 

[9ClubberLang]

Hi WipeyFade. Yes winter is wet and muddy at my course so the ball just goes splat really on landing. Therefore I don’t really score in the winter. It doesn’t feel like real golf. I’m just trying to keep the swing ticking over and get some exercise. So I figured a driving club, a putting club and long, medium and short irons will have me covered.

 

That’s very impressive of you to play with five most of the time. I think below eight I would start to struggle a little during peak season. Eight provides a driver, a fairway wood, a hybrid, 6, 8, PW a specialist wedge and a putter. That really covers all club types and for me gaps really well. I don’t really feel I’m sacrificing anything there at all.

[g_nw]

Have been messing around with D-5-8-Pw-60-putter @WipeyFade, I could do a golf trip at say, 6000-6500y, without much stress I’d say. 5 clubs though: 😅

[Gladan]

Curious about what bag/bags you are using when playing sub 8 clubs. I use an older model of the Ping Moonlite but since i play a lot of rounds in the morning it's far from optimal (morning dew). I want something really light and with legs. I've been looking at the Titleist premium carry bag with the mini legs that DocBrown did a presentation of. Have you got any other suggestions that fill the criteria of light, legs and with the possibility of bringing along a rain jacket or sweater?

[g_nw]

36 minutes ago, Gladan said:

Curious about what bag/bags you are using when playing sub 8 clubs. I use an older model of the Ping Moonlite but since i play a lot of rounds in the morning it's far from optimal (morning dew). I want something really light and with legs. I've been looking at the Titleist premium carry bag with the mini legs that DocBrown did a presentation of. Have you got any other suggestions that fill the criteria of light, legs and with the possibility of bringing along a rain jacket or sweater?

 

8 clubs in most stand bags will feel silly light already, relative to your full set, so I would say anything sub-4.5lb will work great. Spoil yourself with some rational creature comfort 🙂

I have a Vessel VLX (1.0) which has been great, it’s around 4lb but extremely minimalist (relative to other mainstream stand bags) and built to a super high quality. Any of the Titleist, Ping, Taylormade, Vessel stand bags with basic features (and good reviews) would work great. I like a small top opening with fewer clubs so they knock around less.

 

Comfortable straps and smaller opening would be the main features I’d prioritize.

Edited July 1, 2024 by g_nw

[drn92]

54 minutes ago, Gladan said:

Curious about what bag/bags you are using when playing sub 8 clubs. I use an older model of the Ping Moonlite but since i play a lot of rounds in the morning it's far from optimal (morning dew). I want something really light and with legs. I've been looking at the Titleist premium carry bag with the mini legs that DocBrown did a presentation of. Have you got any other suggestions that fill the criteria of light, legs and with the possibility of bringing along a rain jacket or sweater?

My son has a Callaway ultralight from a few seasons ago, I think it is sub-3 lbs.  Hardly feels like anything when filled with a half set.

 

drn92

[subrew]

This week's set.  Started life as a 6-9 Callaway forged set I stripped raw, tinkered a bit with, dialed in SW with lead tape.  My ProtoC P2 wedge, then Ping Glide 4 58*.  The 16* Adams hybrid is an absolute bullet off the tee.

 

My current short set bag was a $5 goodwill stand bag.  Light, plenty of pockets for an extra glove, 3-4 balls, tees etc., and a nice easy-to-access pouch for my 5:30am protein shake.  

 

 

Edited July 1, 2024 by subrew

[Tommy56]

2 hours ago, Gladan said:

Curious about what bag/bags you are using when playing sub 8 clubs. I use an older model of the Ping Moonlite but since i play a lot of rounds in the morning it's far from optimal (morning dew). I want something really light and with legs. I've been looking at the Titleist premium carry bag with the mini legs that DocBrown did a presentation of. Have you got any other suggestions that fill the criteria of light, legs and with the possibility of bringing along a rain jacket or sweater?

I use 6 or 7 clubs in a Ping Hoofer Lite. Walk most of my rounds, but comes in handy if I decide to ride. Even then, I travel light without packing much else. I'm also pondering the same Titleist bag that DocBrown has.

[ShortGolfer]

3 hours ago, Gladan said:

Curious about what bag/bags you are using when playing sub 8 clubs. I use an older model of the Ping Moonlite but since i play a lot of rounds in the morning it's far from optimal (morning dew). I want something really light and with legs. I've been looking at the Titleist premium carry bag with the mini legs that DocBrown did a presentation of. Have you got any other suggestions that fill the criteria of light, legs and with the possibility of bringing along a rain jacket or sweater?

Sun Mountain 2.5+ works great for this!  It weights one pound more than my cheap Orlimar, but has plenty of room for a rain jacket and other stuff!

[Fiddlesticks]

Decided to try a different take on a minimalist bag and not focus on a number of clubs, but set composition.

 

I don't get along visually with woods and hybrids. I don't know why, but I've never been able to setup comfortably to the ball and feel like I'm aimed accurately...so I'm going to stop fighting what no coach has been able to help solve and just focus on my strengths instead.

 

New bag will be:

BRNR mini (probably opened up a bit to square the face). It's still not an iron, but it's the most comfortable I've ever felt looking at a wood off the tee.

 

Callaway XR irons 4-Lob (covers 20*-59*) - I love having an identical look by the ball for every shot that isn't a drive or putt, really helps with consistency and encourages more loft variety in my short game.

 

A no-name putter I picked up at Dick's 20 years ago that was collecting dust in my garage and is now sinking putts like I haven't in years.

 

So the goal is to simplify decision-making and focus on my strengths and I think this will do nicely. 

 

...and I still have the itch to put another half-set together, maybe it will be taking the evens from this set or maybe I'll start from scratch again.

[Gladan]

On 7/1/2024 at 8:19 PM, Gladan said:

Curious about what bag/bags you are using when playing sub 8 clubs. I use an older model of the Ping Moonlite but since i play a lot of rounds in the morning it's far from optimal (morning dew). I want something really light and with legs. I've been looking at the Titleist premium carry bag with the mini legs that DocBrown did a presentation of. Have you got any other suggestions that fill the criteria of light, legs and with the possibility of bringing along a rain jacket or sweater?

Just wanted to say thank you for your response to my question.

 

The SM 2.5+ seems impossible to find in Europe as does the Callaway ultra light (odd to me that Callaway has a partly  different line of bags in the US and another in Europe). Will look in a bit more at Vessel. At the present moment the Titleist bag or Hoofer are the hottest contenders or I sit tight and hope that my old Mizuno makes it through this season.

[Binson]

On 7/1/2024 at 2:19 PM, Gladan said:

Curious about what bag/bags you are using when playing sub 8 clubs. I use an older model of the Ping Moonlite but since i play a lot of rounds in the morning it's far from optimal (morning dew). I want something really light and with legs. I've been looking at the Titleist premium carry bag with the mini legs that DocBrown did a presentation of. Have you got any other suggestions that fill the criteria of light, legs and with the possibility of bringing along a rain jacket or sweater?

There's also a Callaway par 3 bag similar to the titleist with the mini legs, but with more structure. I don't personally like Callaway straps, but that might be a personal preference. 

Edited July 3, 2024 by Binson

[boggyman]

On 7/1/2024 at 3:24 PM, subrew said:

This week's set.  Started life as a 6-9 Callaway forged set I stripped raw, tinkered a bit with, dialed in SW with lead tape.  My ProtoC P2 wedge, then Ping Glide 4 58*.  The 16* Adams hybrid is an absolute bullet off the tee.

 

My current short set bag was a $5 goodwill stand bag.  Light, plenty of pockets for an extra glove, 3-4 balls, tees etc., and a nice easy-to-access pouch for my 5:30am protein shake.  

 

 

Said it before…. That putter though…..🔥

[9ClubberLang]

50 minutes ago, Gladan said:

Just wanted to say thank you for your response to my question.

 

The SM 2.5+ seems impossible to find in Europe as does the Callaway ultra light (odd to me that Callaway has a partly  different line of bags in the US and another in Europe). Will look in a bit more at Vessel. At the present moment the Titleist bag or Hoofer are the hottest contenders or I sit tight and hope that my old Mizuno makes it through this season.

If you’re in Europe I play the Big Max Aqua 7. It weighs 1.7kg, is fully waterproof and has a good stand. I’ve found it perfect for a half set in the winter. The side pockets are a little tight but I can fit a spare top easily.

 

https://www.bunkered.co.uk/gear/big-max-aqua-seven-bag-review/

[ava08]

On 5/31/2024 at 8:57 PM, joshfisher said:

Maiden voyage tomorrow. Trying out tsr 2 hyb or tm 5 wood. Possibly looking into new tm udi for the spot between mini and long iron

-2024 TM BRNR Mini 13.5 Oban Devotion 75 06

-Titleist TSR2 18 @17 Oban Kiyoshi Purple 100 05

- TM Stealth tour issue 5 wood Aldila RIP 95 TX

- Geom Lee Blades

Long 22.5

Mid 30

Short 38

Wedge 46

Shafted with TT Monaco 127X

- Titleist Sm9 WW 54D and LBK 60

-TM MY Spider GT slant

 

This bag is dope

[billyspan]

On 6/24/2024 at 10:42 AM, 54CW said:

How many of you have dropped the range finder from the bag? Thinking that might be the next thing to go instead of a club. 

!!! YES!!!  My rangefinder is out of the bag as well.  Been having a ton of fun eyeballing, walking off yardages again for the last couple of months.  Gets a little tougher with new courses....

[subrew]

20 hours ago, boggyman said:

Said it before…. That putter though…..🔥

 

It is the one club I have that universaly gets the most love.  And it was just a random $20 ebay find, and I cut down a stiff flex graphite shaft I had pulled from a wedge.  

[WipeyFade]

Just a heads up, 2nd Swing has the Handmade Stix LB-1 irons for $54 each right now. I’ve been looking at those for a while and at that price they are hard to pass up.  My 5 club set up has became my go to set, so I just bought the 4 and 8 irons. I’ll do a new WITB when they come in. Also, I got them a little cheaper by using the code 2SNEW. 

[Tommy56]

3 hours ago, WipeyFade said:

Just a heads up, 2nd Swing has the Handmade Stix LB-1 irons for $54 each right now. I’ve been looking at those for a while and at that price they are hard to pass up.  My 5 club set up has became my go to set, so I just bought the 4 and 8 irons. I’ll do a new WITB when they come in. Also, I got them a little cheaper by using the code 2SNEW. 

Very clean!  Looking forward to your assessment once you play them.

[WipeyFade]

On 7/4/2024 at 8:11 PM, Tommy56 said:

Very clean!  Looking forward to your assessment once you play them.

I played my first round with the LB-1s today. I took a few holes to get going with my ball striking but once I started hitting it ok these started to work pretty well. Blades are definitely a different animal from everything, even players cavity backs, but I wasn’t too severely punished from mishits. They weren’t as soft as my Mizunos, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. My MP-53s are so soft that anything close to the center feels like it was flushed. With the LB-1s I could tell immediately where on the club face I struck in the ball. I’ve told people this in the past, I would rather my mishits be short rather than go a long way in the wrong direction, and that’s what you get when you use equipment that isn’t really forgiving. So far I really like them. BTW the 4 iron is pretty hot off the tee.