# Skeleton Bag



## Rothenfield (Jul 15, 2011)

I’m going to have to start travelling again for work. I’d like to take my new-found golf addiction with me. So I started thinking about what the fewest clubs I could take with me and still play a game. I wouldn’t be looking for great scores here, just enough clubs to get from tee to hole. I was thinking about limiting it to 5 or 6 clubs. 

My thoughts:

Putter- Of course.

Wedges- If I had to take only one, I think I would leave the PW at home and take something with a lot of loft like a 58* or higher.

Irons- I would probably take a 7i, beyond that I’m not sure.

Woods- I think I would take my 3 wood to cover driving and long fairway shots.

I thought my 18* rescue club might work between the 7i and 3 wood.

I’d be interested in hearing your opinions on this.


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## Cajun (Jan 17, 2010)

Will you be driving or flying?


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I'm going to presume you have to fly, or the obvious question would be why not take your whole set in the car?

I'd probably take a 3 wood to use as a driver and fairway wood. Maybe my irons would be the 5-7-9 irons. I think a gap wedge would do if you could find one with a sole suitable to do double duty in the sand. Add a putter of course. Some companies make little carry bags not intended to hold a full set. I know Ping does.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

my pick for 6 clubs would be-
3wood
5i
8i
PW
58* lob can be used for approach and from the sand
putter


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## Rothenfield (Jul 15, 2011)

I sometimes have the option of whether to drive or fly to a job site. I’ve never taken clubs on a plane, and am imagining that it is expensive. For the work coming up, I will probably drive my standard cab truck and started thinking about stashing a trimmed down set of clubs in one of those Sunday bags behind the bench seat. I could take my full bag in the passenger side, but then I would have to worry about either leaving them in the truck at night or leaving them in the hotel during the day. I kind’a like the idea of having a small set stashed well hidden behind the seat that I could take out whenever.

I think I like the idea of a 3 wood, 5i for medium to long hits, and a 7 or 8i for shots in the neighborhood of 100 yds. I don’t hit any of my wedges very well, so I was wondering if I could get away with one that would work in sand and for pitching to the green. Wedges are still a mystery to me, so I really don’t know which one would be the most useful. I’ll take your advice and take one with a 58* or so.


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## Gas Hawg (Oct 10, 2011)

I have given this some thought as I used to travel weekly for work. I would carry all 14 of them behind the seat and I would use a bag similar to this Titleist collapsible bag. I am pretty sure all of this would fit behind the seat in a standard pickup. Maybe a small shoe bag for shoes, glove, balls and tees.

This way I wouldn't have to pick and chose what clubs to carry. And I would rent a pull cart or figure out how to put a backpack style strap setup on it. I think I would be good to go with this setup.


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## Rothenfield (Jul 15, 2011)

A bag like that is what I had in mind, and I suppose there is no good reason why I couldn’t take more clubs, and probably will. I just wanted to read what the Forum members thought would be the minimum amount of clubs needed for a passable round. Perhaps skipping every other club, like 5,7,9i, or 4,6,8. But then I’d have to change the title of this post from “skeleton bag” to just a “skinny super model bag”.


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## Stretch (May 15, 2010)

To be PC it would have to be a club challenged bag for the purpose of greener golf!

To accessorize this club challenged green bag it should have 6 balls, 6 tees, a ball marker, a divot tool, a glove, a sharpie and a towel.

For sticks it should have a 3w, 4i, 6i, 8i, 52* wedge and a putter.

Shoes and clothes should be proper knowing you were gonna squeeze in some golf.

This would be the optimal, low carbon footprint, golf setup.


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## Rothenfield (Jul 15, 2011)

Stretch said:


> To be PC it would have to be a club challenged bag for the purpose of greener golf!
> 
> To accessorize this club challenged green bag it should have 6 balls, 6 tees, a ball marker, a divot tool, a glove, a sharpie and a towel.
> 
> ...


That’s a spot-on call Stretch, and along the lines of what I was thinking about. 3 wood gets you off the tee with good distance, 4i or 6i might get you on the green, 8i as a substitute PW on longer holes or to make up for mistakes. Wedges are still a mystery to me. 52* seems about right if you can work it. I’m still trying to figure out higher loft wedges because I don't seem to end up on the green on my second or third shot, but near to it. I guess I need a high loft 'scooper' to get off the rough or for other troubles. Maybe I'm wrong, but I brought the 60* wedge with my "Super model" bag in place of the PW basically because I see the importance of a lob wedge and I need practice with it.


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## Stretch (May 15, 2010)

If you are talking about your Eye2's then you should know that the 9i is 45*, the W is 50*, the S is 57* and if you have the L, it is 61*.

Before my Eye's, I was using a 52 & 60 and eventually got a 56 with higher bounce. This is a good 3 W combo pack. With my Eye's, I use the 9i for around 100, I use the W for inside 80 to the hole. I use the S & W in the traps, wet sand the W, dry fluffy sand the S. The S is good for some flops but it stinks when you muff it so I have been using the W for everything. Straight up, open to 1:00 and 3:00. This covers just about everything and I get better shots 90% of the time.

This works for me and is also why I chose the clubs I did. Hope it helps you out.


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## Rothenfield (Jul 15, 2011)

Stretch said:


> .
> This works for me and is also why I chose the clubs I did. Hope it helps you out.



Just talking through it here helps me out, and thanks. Translating the info I learn here to the course takes time and experience that I hope to gain.


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## Tim (Jan 8, 2011)

Dont know if Im to late or not, but a beginners set is driver,3w, 3,5,7,9 irons and a putter. Replace the 3 iron with a hybrid and I think youd have a good travel set of clubs.
FWIW I wouldnt take your good set with you. To much chance of losing/damaging them.


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## Rothenfield (Jul 15, 2011)

Tim said:


> Dont know if Im to late or not, but a beginners set is driver,3w, 3,5,7,9 irons and a putter. Replace the 3 iron with a hybrid and I think youd have a good travel set of clubs.
> FWIW I wouldnt take your good set with you. To much chance of losing/damaging them.


I like your idea of replacing the 3i with a hybrid. I have an 18* hybrid that hit pretty consistently with its larger club head. I just returned from a week in SoCal in which I took my 3W; 5, 7, &9i; SW, and putter. Next time I travel, I will take the hybrid as well, but I’m beginning to see that behind the putter, a mid-loft wedge may be the second most important club to get on the green with. I’m not good enough to consistently land on the green with my irons so taking my 55* SW has been a good chose for me to pitch to the green from 50 yards in.

And yes, I found a second set of used irons to travel with versus my good set.


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## Stretch (May 15, 2010)

If you are not comfy opening up a 52 to fit a bunch of shots a 54- 56 will do as the wedge for the green bag. It will get you out of the rough, out of the sand and should drop you pin high from 60.

I was curious, what did you get for sticks for the green bag? Did you find some more Eye2's or go with some others?


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## Rothenfield (Jul 15, 2011)

Stretch said:


> If you are not comfy opening up a 52 to fit a bunch of shots a 54- 56 will do as the wedge for the green bag. It will get you out of the rough, out of the sand and should drop you pin high from 60.
> 
> I was curious, what did you get for sticks for the green bag? Did you find some more Eye2's or go with some others?


Wedges are still a mystery to me. But they seem extremely important to master.

The Ping Eye 2’s are still my favorite iron set and live in my best bag, the old black and green MacGregor. The Pings mated with an old set of Callaway Steelhead woods and an Anser 4 putter are my go-to’s when I want to try my best on the course. However, I recently picked-up a set of Mizuno MX-23’s that are very forgiving with their oversized heads and soft metal. They are a little long for me and need new grips, but I’ve played them and like them. 

The Pings are still numero uno, but I figured the Mizuno’s would make a nice sloppy winter rain set.


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## Rothenfield (Jul 15, 2011)

Maybe I should start a post about the differences between wedges? I don’t know why the pitching wedge isn’t just called the 10 iron. Its loft seems to relatively match the rest of the irons, and the same full swing can be used. The mid 50’s loft wedges up to the 60’s loft wedges are a different animal I’m finding. I’ve just started working on bringing my feet closer together and employing a half-swing with a wrist flick to pop the ball onto the green from short distances. There seems to be a whole game within a game in mastering the higher lofted wedges.


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