Faster (and better!) golf with fewer clubs
Almost a year ago, a friend of mine mentioned “speed golf” to me. For those not familiar, it is a version of the game played competitively where your overall score is your number of strokes plus your time in minutes. Speed golf players typically play with smaller bags and reduced sets of clubs — and often finish 18 holes in under an hour and a half.
While I haven’t taken to literally running the course like true speed golfers, I have picked up my pace of play. These days, I like to finish 18 holes solo in right at 2 hours. It’s a quick pace — but totally doable if you stay focused (and it helps if you hit the ball straight…).
One thing I have totally adopted from the speed golf mentality is a small bag with a reduced set of clubs. I absolutely love heading out with my smaller bag. It feels so incredibly light and freeing. And despite having fewer clubs, I have found that it makes no impact on my score — and helps me occasionally be more creative! I tried going back to my full bag and set of clubs and despite having 3.5 pound bag, it still felt like a lead weight in comparison!
I’m a huge fan of whatever can get more golfers walking the course (it really is the best way to play the game!). Since I’ve tried a few iterations and bags and clubs, and figured I’d share what was working for me in case it’s helpful for anyone else.
For the bag, I’m using a Champkey stand bag. While I don’t totally love it, it is the best quality bag of this size/type that I’ve found. If you’ve found a better one, let me know!
I’ve also settled on an 8 club set. Many speed golfers play with only 6 clubs — and I tried that for a while. But the gaps were just too big for me to comfortably play without feeling like I was sacrificing scoring. For instance having a a 6-iron to 9-iron gap is about 30 yards difference for me — an knocking 25 yard off the 6-iron was just too hard to do.
So I basically carry by odd numbered clubs now. Driver, 3 hybrid, 5 iron, 7 iron, 9 iron, gap wedge, 60 degree wedge and putter. The gaps are pretty manageable — mostly 20 yards or so. I do have a bigger gap between the 3 hybrid and the 5 iron, but from that distance I’m okay with the lack of accuracy. The bigger challenge is the gap between my 9 iron (about 145 yards) and my gap wedge (about 115 yards). Given that’s a key scoring distance, I’d like to shrink that one down. I’m thinking of getting a strong gap wedge and moving to a 58 degree wedge at the bottom.
I’ve had to find a “take 15–20 yards off this one” swing for gap distances, but that’s actually not too bad. And honestly, given that I’m often swinging easier I’m hitting the ball better than normal. The number of times I’ve had to ease up on a club and then stuck it 5 feet from the hole has me asking if I’ve been playing the game the wrong way recently.
So, if you want to walk but the find bag too heavy — or if you’re just curious what it’s like to play an ultralight version of the game, grab a mini bag and 8 sticks and give it a shot. I’m willing to bet you’ll like it — and you may never go back!
Originally published at https://jeffkeltner.com on January 20, 2021.
