Starting a new adventure . . . Minimalist Golf

[Tommy56]

~ 5900 - 6000 yards

Edited June 28 by Tommy56

[djrock89]

@Skeez

1 hour ago, Skeez said:

For those of you that aren’t carrying a driver, what length of tees are you playing?

 

I use red castle for my 3 wood mate and green castle for my hybrid and irons

[MorganM]

15 hours ago, Skeez said:

For those of you that aren’t carrying a driver, what length of tees are you playing?

 

1 1/2”. Pushed down till only the cone at the top shows.

[CozBMB]

On 6/23/2025 at 11:19 AM, AdamMW said:

How many have experience playing minimalist at say usga level events? 

Here is an article about a guy who played competitive golf with 9 clubs.  This is the only thing I have been able to find for modern competitive golf.  

https://www.christophersmithgolf.com/portals/chrissmith/documents/letsplay9.pdf

Edited June 28 by CozBMB

[AdamMW]

2 hours ago, CozBMB said:

Here is an article about a guy who played competitive golf with 9 clubs.  This is the only thing I have been able to find for modern competitive golf.  

https://www.christophersmithgolf.com/portals/chrissmith/documents/letsplay9.pdf

Crazy

[uW0tM8]

For anyone who is able/interested, could I DM y’all to ask questions and get feedback for the half-set small business I’ve started? It’s just a side hustle for now, but would definitely like for it to grow. 

[3rutu5]

Well, i'm going to try design my own bag with my 3d printer lol. reality is, it will probably be either too weak or too heavy. but i'm going for 7 slots as the putter grip is generally too big anyhow. 

 

Just need to source some cheap stand bag legs and strap.

 

FYI this is a work in progress from an hour of fluffing around in AutoCAD this morning. Sort of gives me Arnie in Commando vibes

 

[tatertot]

2 hours ago, uW0tM8 said:

For anyone who is able/interested, could I DM y’all to ask questions and get feedback for the half-set small business I’ve started? It’s just a side hustle for now, but would definitely like for it to grow. 

I'm in ...

[lil'mike]

3 hours ago, uW0tM8 said:

For anyone who is able/interested, could I DM y’all to ask questions and get feedback for the half-set small business I’ve started? It’s just a side hustle for now, but would definitely like for it to grow. 

For sure.

 

I have some misc/extra clubs you may need for some partial sets!  😉

 

[tatertot]

On 6/27/2025 at 7:09 PM, Tommy56 said:

~ 5900 - 6000 yards

I shoot for around 5,600 - 5,800. 

 

I figure I hit my clubs about 80% as far as pros, so I should play a course about 80% as long.

[WipeyFade]

53 minutes ago, tatertot said:

I shoot for around 5,600 - 5,800. 

 

I figure I hit my clubs about 80% as far as pros, so I should play a course about 80% as long.

I really like that thinking. Honestly, looking at it that way makes more sense than any other method of figuring out which tees to play from. 

[lil'mike]

1 hour ago, tatertot said:

I shoot for around 5,600 - 5,800. 

 

I figure I hit my clubs about 80% as far as pros, so I should play a course about 80% as long.

If I went by percent vs pros, I would only be playing mini putt-putt.  lol

 

For me, right around 5400-5500 max with a partial set.  I mean I have been playing a course that the whites are about 6000 and with that I know I will have extra strokes on the card is all I am saying.

 

[stryper]

7 hours ago, WipeyFade said:

I really like that thinking. Honestly, looking at it that way makes more sense than any other method of figuring out which tees to play from. 

Trouble is, most people won’t be honest enough with themselves as to how far they actually hit it.  How many people (apart from GolfWRX) do you see that really do hit it 300+ off the tee?  They exist, but they’re about as common in the wild as Sasquatch.

[3rutu5]

1 minute ago, stryper said:

Trouble is, most people won’t be honest enough with themselves as to how far they actually hit it.  How many people (apart from GolfWRX) do you see that really do hit it 300+ off the tee?  They exist, but they’re about as common in the wild as Sasquatch.

I'm too honest. 200m off the tee, maybe 210 or 220 with the wind behind me. I have mates that tend to hit wedges further than my long irons but I run my own race

[stryper]

45 minutes ago, 3rutu5 said:

I'm too honest. 200m off the tee, maybe 210 or 220 with the wind behind me. I have mates that tend to hit wedges further than my long irons but I run my own race

And since a “short” tour setup is ~7200yds, you should be playing ~4800yds, by this standard.  Few will be humble enough to play what amounts to less than ladies tees.

[3rutu5]

12 minutes ago, stryper said:

And since a “short” tour setup is ~7200yds, you should be playing ~4800yds, by this standard.  Few will be humble enough to play what amounts to less than ladies tees.

Not really. If I'm trying to break 90 I can still get there with pars, bogeys and the occasional put for birdie. My putting lets me down with the 2-3 puts, than losing 20-30m on drives. 

 

I don't think hitting 250-300m drives is the answer. When I say I'm being out driven by wedges, these guys are hitting 150-160m haha which is a 5-6i for me 

 

My swing lets me down, not engaging the hips and body and just all arms, so need to work on some principles first 

Edited June 29 by 3rutu5

[MorganM]

17 hours ago, lil'mike said:

If I went by percent vs pros, I would only be playing mini putt-putt.  lol

 

For me, right around 5400-5500 max with a partial set.  I mean I have been playing a course that the whites are about 6000 and with that I know I will have extra strokes on the card is all I am saying.

 

The metric in the 7 iron chart also works. According to their chart, I should play 5600 to 5700 yard course cause I hit my 7 iron around 130-135.

[Tommy56]

@MorganM I’m not familiar with that chart/metric, but interested in learning more about it. Can you post a pic or link? Thanks. 

[tatertot]

14 hours ago, stryper said:

Trouble is, most people won’t be honest enough with themselves as to how far they actually hit it.  How many people (apart from GolfWRX) do you see that really do hit it 300+ off the tee?  They exist, but they’re about as common in the wild as Sasquatch.

I hit a very pretty tee ball, but aren't overly long. I'm amazed at the amount of people who ooh and aah and tell me congrats on the "big" drive ... when in reality it didn't make 240.

[MorganM]

2 hours ago, Tommy56 said:

@MorganM I’m not familiar with that chart/metric, but interested in learning more about it. Can you post a pic or link? Thanks. 

Google “length of course to play based on 7 iron” Golf.com has a good article, “which golf course length best suits your ability? This handy chart will tell you”

[MorganM]

Now why the chart pic came in upside down, I have know idea.<sigh> 😖

[tatertot]

14 minutes ago, MorganM said:

Google “length of course to play based on 7 iron” Golf.com has a good article, “which golf course length best suits your ability? This handy chart will tell you”

Guessing this is based off a 30-ish degree 7 iron?

[WipeyFade]

What if you don’t have a 7 iron 😂😂😂? My “hard hooded” 8 goes 160ish, maybe that would be considered my 7 lol. If I went by those numbers I would have a hard time breaking 95 consistently. I feel  that when you are deciding which tees to play it’s more about ability rather than distance.
 

Another approach would be to play the tees that you enjoy playing the most. At my home course I typically play the blues at 6000. I’m still chasing that sub 80 round from them so I guess they are challenging enough lol. I could probably move up to the whites but they are right at 5000 for some reason. With a decent drive my approach would be a chip shot on most par 4s. I just don’t find that enjoyable. 

[MorganM]

24 minutes ago, tatertot said:

Guessing this is based off a 30-ish degree 7 iron?

Great question!  I would think so but I need to check and see if they say.

[lil'mike]

6 hours ago, MorganM said:

The metric in the 7 iron chart also works. According to their chart, I should play 5600 to 5700 yard course cause I hit my 7 iron around 130-135.

In my earlier post, it should have been 5600 max, not 5500 as that is about what I play most days.  I am in the 5500-5600 range.  That said based on your chart though I should be able to go up to 5900 yards or so and I can but not with my 8 club set.

 

[JungleJimbo]

2 hours ago, MorganM said:

Google “length of course to play based on 7 iron” Golf.com has a good article, “which golf course length best suits your ability? This handy chart will tell you”

 

 

• https://golf.com/instruction/which-tees-you-should-play-based-on-7-iron-distances/
• How far do you hit your 7 iron? The answer will tell you which tees to play [June 2023]
• ... distances are based on Carry i.e. from 1st article: "If, for instance, you fly your 7-iron 140 yards, the best course length for you is 5,900-6,100 yards)

 

 

 

Edited June 30 by JungleJimbo

[djrock89]

@uW0tM8

On 6/28/2025 at 11:15 PM, uW0tM8 said:

For anyone who is able/interested, could I DM y’all to ask questions and get feedback for the half-set small business I’ve started? It’s just a side hustle for now, but would definitely like for it to grow. 

Feel free to DM me mate il help

[freddy1682]

Here’s my setup for a 36-hole stroke play today. Former PGA member, turned amateur 2 years ago. Getting back out there with the big boys today!

[tatertot]

Good story on Lawson Little - the antithesis to minimalist golf.

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/remembering-the-greatness-of-lawson-little-jr-and-lawson-iii

[54CW]

Another update on my minimalist adventure. Been playing with a smaller set of irons for a while but I think I'm going to drift back in to a full set of irons. I've been missing out on some precision in my approach play. I am a pretty good ball striker and while I'm getting my GIR, I've been leaving putts pretty far from some easier scoring greens. I've learned a ton about my game from playing a short set. My biggest takeaways:

• Less wedges and getting many shots out of a GW and 56* inside 120yds has helped me a lot. 
• I've really developed a good knock down shot,  but I'm over using this technique and its costing me strokes. 
• I need a secondary tee club. Right now I go Driver to 5 iron and its hamstrung me on some forced carries and tight fairways.

I don't know if I will shoot much different but for the first time in a while I feel like I'm missing out on precision and options to keep the ball in a good place. I see myself ending up around 12 clubs if my estimations are correct. I will report back!