How To Fill The 14th Spot In Your Bag
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We exist to help golfers get more out of the game they love. Our team of passionate golfers and experts produce authoritative in-depth reviews of the latest golf equipment to help you buy better, tips and advice to improve your game, ideas for golf courses to play and places to stay and coverage of the game at every level from grassroots up to Tour.
Transcript
00:00 Now, you're only allowed 14 golf clubs at a time
00:02 in your bag, so how do you use those slots most effectively?
00:06 If you're like me, you only carry 12 or 13 at a time,
00:09 there are some spare gaps in your bag
00:10 that I think you could be using much better.
00:13 Now, in this video, I'm going to talk about seven golf clubs
00:15 you should be adding to your bag
00:17 so you can play better golf.
00:19 Now, stay tuned if you do already carry 14 clubs,
00:21 'cause I think I've got some really good ideas
00:24 of how you can configure your golf bag much better.
00:27 I'm at the beautiful Westhill Golf Club today.
00:29 Let's get started.
00:30 Okay, first up, I'm going to talk about
00:31 having a second driving club in your bag.
00:34 Now, an option I've got here is an adjustable three-wood
00:37 that you could loft down to something like 12 degrees
00:40 as an option to have alongside your driver.
00:43 Well, there are some great products out there now,
00:44 two-woods or mini-drivers in the case of the TaylorMade,
00:48 that I think make great second driving options.
00:50 We've seen the likes of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson
00:53 put these sort of clubs in the bag,
00:55 and they act as a two-wood, a little bit easier to hit,
00:57 but still go as far as your driver.
01:00 So if you've got a spare slot in the bag
01:01 and fancy something other than a driver's use off the tee,
01:04 I'd really consider this.
01:05 Okay, my next suggestion for how to fill that 14th slot
01:08 in your bag is another wedge.
01:11 Now, if you just carry two wedges at the minute,
01:13 I'd say definitely put a third in,
01:14 probably a lob wedge like I've got here.
01:16 If you carry three already,
01:18 have you thought about a 64-degree wedge,
01:20 putting loads of loft on it?
01:22 There are situations where a lob wedge
01:23 or a 64-degree wedge come in really handy.
01:26 I'm on the first here at West Hill,
01:28 and I'm in a bit of a pickle,
01:30 bunkers to go over, short-sided on the flag.
01:33 This is a perfect time to use a lot of loft.
01:35 So let's see if it works.
01:36 It did, and now I might not use this club very often,
01:45 but if you've got a slot to fill in your bag,
01:46 I think a lob wedge or a 64-degree is a great option.
01:49 Okay, next up, I'm going to talk about the top of the bag.
01:51 I'm going to talk about fairway woods.
01:52 I think one option I haven't got on me, unfortunately,
01:55 is a seven-wood.
01:56 These are becoming increasingly popular.
01:58 We've seen them on tour a lot.
02:00 Cash your mind back to the Solheim Cup last year,
02:02 Leona Maguire using her seven-wood
02:03 to great effect over in the States.
02:06 And it's a club that not a lot of people think about
02:08 because they might want to put a rescue in instead.
02:10 But I think the seven-wood offers you a lot more.
02:11 It's about 21, 22 degrees, depending on the brand.
02:14 And it's a great club for off the tee,
02:16 for out of the fairway, approaching greens,
02:18 and you'll see the height the pros can get on it.
02:20 And I think you can too.
02:22 For those of you with 14 in your bag,
02:23 have you thought about dropping out a fairway wood
02:25 and thinking about which ones you go for?
02:27 I've got a great example here of a four-wood.
02:30 Not a lot of people would think that.
02:31 A lot of people have three and five.
02:33 So if you 14 clubbers out there,
02:34 how about splitting your three and your five-wood
02:36 and adding something elsewhere?
02:38 Next up, I'm going to talk about driving irons
02:40 as a potential option to fill your bag.
02:42 Now, this is the top end of the bag,
02:44 and you might have previously been a bit scared
02:46 of a two-iron or a three-iron,
02:48 but nowadays driving irons are much, much more forgiving
02:50 and easier to hit.
02:52 Their benefits come off the tee
02:53 and off the deck on long par fives,
02:55 and they produce a really nice low ball flight
02:58 that's especially useful in the summer.
03:01 And these can work alongside a fairway wood and a hybrid.
03:03 Don't think you have to replace one or the other.
03:05 So think about a driving iron potentially
03:07 to fill that 14th slot.
03:08 Okay, another option to fill that 14th slot on your bag
03:11 is adding another one of these.
03:12 It's a hybrid.
03:13 A lot of us probably only carry one of these,
03:15 I think, below a fairway wood,
03:17 but I think there's real scope to add another to the bag,
03:19 whether it's higher at the bag or lower down the bag.
03:22 Personally, I think a great option,
03:24 if you don't hit your five-iron very well,
03:26 I know I don't, I know a lot of golfers struggle with it,
03:28 is to add a five hybrid to the bag.
03:30 A lot more forgiving, you'll get the same sort of height
03:32 and launch as a five-iron, but they're a lot easier to hit.
03:35 On the other end, if you want a little bit more distance,
03:37 add a three hybrid or even two hybrid nowadays
03:39 you can add to your bag.
03:41 So I think there's a lot of scope
03:42 to add a new hybrid to the bag and fill that 14th slot.
03:45 Now another club I'm going to suggest you add to your bag.
03:48 Might be a bit controversial,
03:49 but I think they're really useful.
03:51 It is a chipper.
03:53 Your ego might have taken a bit of a hit here,
03:54 you might get a bit of stick from your playing partners,
03:56 but I think it's going to save you
03:57 a lot of shots out on course.
03:59 If you're a bit yippy with your chips,
04:00 and you're not very confident with your wedges,
04:02 using a chipper with a little putt and stroke
04:04 can pop that ball up in the air,
04:05 get it out of the long grass,
04:07 and get it rolling on the green.
04:09 Right, so my final suggestion to fill that 14th slot
04:11 in your bag might be a little bit out there,
04:13 but I really think this could save you a few shots
04:15 on the odd occasion.
04:17 And that is to put a club of a different dexterity
04:19 in your bag.
04:21 Now I'm left-handed,
04:21 so that would mean putting a right-handed club in my bag,
04:23 but if you're right-handed watching at home,
04:25 put a left-handed club in your bag.
04:27 Now, I've given you an example here.
04:28 As a lefty, this isn't looking too great for me.
04:31 If I stand in the bunker, it's well above my feet.
04:33 So having a right-handed club here would be excellent.
04:36 I could bunt it out there.
04:37 I could even go for the green if I was confident enough.
04:40 So in situations like this, beside a bunker,
04:43 or even behind a tree or beside a tree,
04:45 where having a club of a different dexterity
04:47 could save the hole.
04:49 I'm going to have a go at this anyway
04:50 with my left-handed club turned upside down.
04:52 Oh, how I wish I had a right-handed club with me today.
04:55 'Cause then I wouldn't hit that.
04:57 But you see the idea, so why not try it?
05:00 Pop a club of different dexterity in your bag.
05:03 Right, so those are my seven suggestions
05:04 of the way you can fill the 14th slot in your bag.
05:07 What do you think of them?
05:08 Let me know down in the comments.
05:09 I'd love to hear what you have to say.
05:11 And if you already carry 14,
05:12 have I persuaded you to change that configuration
05:15 in your bag?
05:16 Please let me know in the comments.
05:17 But for now, from West Hill,
05:18 thank you so much for joining me.
05:20 See you next time.
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