Video summary
If the goal is to break 90 or lower your overall score, the most effective strategy involves removing five specific clubs from your bag in favor of more forgiving alternatives. The core argument presented is not about hitting ability, but rather about maximizing consistency and minimizing errors through better equipment choices. The first club to consider replacing is the driver, specifically by increasing its loft. Most average golfers traditionally use drivers with 9 or 9.5 degrees of loft based on historical norms, but this low loft often makes it difficult to launch the ball high enough, especially as swing speeds decrease. Switching to a higher-lofted driver, such as one with 12 degrees, allows the ball to stay airborne longer, resulting in a higher trajectory that lands softer and travels further down the fairway without sacrificing distance. This adjustment aligns with the principle that "loft is your friend," helping golfers achieve better ball flight even if they cannot generate massive clubhead speed.
The second club identified for removal is the 3-wood, which is criticized for having insufficient loft and a small head profile that offers little forgiveness. With only 15 degrees of loft, a 3-wood struggles to get the ball airborne for average golfers who lack the necessary swing speed, often leading to shots that run out on the fairway rather than stopping on the green. The recommended replacement is a 5-wood, which provides significantly more loft and a shorter shaft for improved control. This change not only improves launch conditions but also adds versatility in various lies, such as semi-rough, where the higher loft helps get the ball up quickly while maintaining distance. By opting for a 5-wood over a 3-wood, golfers can avoid the frustration of thin shots and ensure their ball flight is more predictable and easier to manage from different parts of the course.
The remaining three clubs to remove are a 60-degree wedge with low bounce, long irons like a five iron, and a 3-hybrid, all of which are replaced by more user-friendly options. A 60-degree wedge requires precise ball-to-turf contact and offers little margin for error, often resulting in shots that fly too high or dig into the ground; replacing it with a 54-degree wedge provides better bounce and versatility for flop shots, chips, and runs. Long irons like the five iron have become less effective as manufacturers increase loft angles, making them harder to hit consistently for amateurs; swapping them for a 5-hybrid offers similar distance with a larger clubhead that promotes higher launch and better forgiveness. Finally, the 3-hybrid is suggested for removal because it lacks sufficient loft and mass to help get the ball airborne from tight lies or rough, whereas replacing it with a 9-wood provides ample loft, a larger face for better speed distribution, and a design that helps launch the ball higher and softer onto the green.
Ultimately, the video concludes that these changes are not about perfection but about making the game easier by reducing the likelihood of costly mistakes. The suggested replacements—higher-lofted drivers, 5-woods, 54-degree wedges with high bounce, 5-hybrids, and 9-woods—are chosen because they offer superior forgiveness and versatility compared to traditional clubs. While every golfer's preferences may vary, the overarching theme is that these specific alternatives provide a much higher probability of hitting consistent shots more often, which directly translates to lower scores. The presenter emphasizes that while these are strong recommendations based on experience and physics, golfers should feel free to keep their favorite clubs if they perform well for them personally, but anyone struggling to break 90 would benefit greatly from adopting this more forgiving setup.
Read the full video transcript
If I was to break 90 at golf and around
tomorrow, then there are five clubs I
would take out of my bag straight away.
Not because they're bad clubs, and not
because you can't [clears throat] hit
them, but because there are far more
forgiving alternatives
that make the game so much easier. So,
if you're struggling to break 190, 80,
then the question you should be asking
yourselves is not what clubs should I
have in my bag. The question should be
which other clubs give me the best
chance of hitting the more consistent
shots more often. One of the things we
need to sort out is your decision-making
off the tee, which generally starts with
driver. But, it's important you
concentrate on one thing if you really
want to make this thing more forgiving,
then I suggest you look at the loft of
this thing. Because most average golfers
play a driver with far less loft than is
doing them benefit and making this club
really difficult to use and not very
forgiving at all. You see, we often hear
golfers talk about the phrase loft is
your friend. But, the trouble is we
never pay attention to that when we're
choosing the driver loft. And that's a
big mistake.
See, that ball flight is all important.
The ball is going for miles in the air
before it lands, and that's a major
problem if you haven't got that correct
loft. You see, the problem with golf is
everything is based on tradition,
historical use.
What we see as the norm, and the norm in
drivers is generally a 9 or a 10 and 1/2
degree head. Pretty much every golfer
that I'm speaking to right now, I think
I'm going to 95% of you will have either
a 9 or a 10 and 1/2 degree driver. So,
all of a sudden, we're now saying loft
isn't your friend cuz we want to go as
low in the loft formation as we possibly
can. Anything lower than that, we don't
know about. So, we go 9 or 10 and 1/2,
and we just assume that to be the best
option. Well, I'm suggesting you change
that mentality and you really consider
putting more loft into your driver head.
So, that driver just here was with a 12°
driver head. I lost nothing in terms of
distance compared to that 9° option. And
possibly, I would imagine, we got a lot
further down fairway because it stayed
in the air longer. It launches higher.
And that's a huge help again, and a
theme that you're going to see
throughout this video. Launch is really
key, particularly if your swing speed is
starting to slow a little bit. So, a 12°
driver head will let you get the ball up
in the air. You're getting the ball
speed. You'll get a little bit more
forgiveness out of that additional loft
as well. So, all in all, it's a
no-brainer. The problem is, you haven't
even tried one. And don't go anywhere
too soon because my number one tip and
the club I would 100% bin is, of course,
been saved till the end.
Fore left!
Oof. Jesus, right. The next club you
need to get out of your bag, and
probably one of my biggest pet peeves
for anybody who's seriously trying to
lower their scores, get rid of this
thing. It's time you finally realize
that the three wood has no place in your
bag. It doesn't have a place in many
people's bag, to be honest with you.
It's got so many issues with it that
there are so many other possibilities
that offer you a far better result, far
more forgiving, and far more versatile.
Let me tell you what's wrong with it
first of all. Well, the first thing to
notice it's got 15° of loft, or
generally they do anyway, which means
there's not a lot to help you get that
ball airborne. It's on a small head. And
to be honest with you, you can use it as
a tee shot alternative from driver, but
after that, it's pretty useless. Let's
deal with that first major issue, loft
or lack of it.
15° on a small profile means that CG
isn't too far back, and we're dealing
with not a lot of loft.
Club head speed is an issue for most
average golfers.
Meaning that we don't generate enough of
it, then we ain't going to launch the
ball high enough in a 3-wood off the
tee.
Well, there's certainly better
alternatives. And that's the first
reason I would opt for something with
more loft and more versatility. And the
first port of call would be a 5-wood.
So, now I'm looking down at a 5-wood,
and I can see some visible loft. That
visible loft gives me a bit of
confidence that I'm not trying to swing
at something and trying to
force it into the air. The club is going
to do it for me, and I'm going to
slightly shorter shaft, meaning I've got
a little bit more control
than I did have with that 3-wood.
The ball flight is so, so different.
And down in that fairway, maybe 10 or 15
yd shorter than a 3-wood alternative,
but the most important bit is I'm not
shouting fore left. The second issue
with 3-wood is lack of versatility,
because when I end up in a situation
like this, which is I would call
semi-rough, sat down a little bit, do I
want to use a club with 15° of loft to
finally get that down the fairway on
this par five? Well, the answer is no, I
wouldn't. I'd rather have something like
the 5-wood, which is going to help me
get this ball airball. I'm still happy
to get the benefit of the distance this
thing can get.
But the ball flight just fires the ball
up in the air.
The little bit of light rough there
doesn't bother it whatsoever, but I've
also got a ball flight that's going up
and landing soft. Even if I do get that
3-wood out there, chances are that ball
is scootling down the fairway, got no
chance of landing on a green and
stopping on it. [snorts] So, in every
aspect for me, 3-wood is out the bag,
and 5-wood is definitely in.
Yep.
Oh, we've got spin as well. So, we're
all impressed with a bit of spin. We've
come way short, and
it's a bit of a badge of a shot. Seems
straightforward enough. 50 yd to the
flag, I'm going to reach for my most
lofted club.
A 60° wedge with 8° of bounce. Both
things are a complete no-no and need to
get out of your bag immediately. And
these are the reasons why. So, what do I
have against 60° wedges? Well, I love
them to look at and I love it when it
comes off right, when it floats up in
the air, lands soft, right by the flag,
you're looking an amazing golfer. But,
the question you've got to ask yourself
is how many times you actually pull that
shot off?
Well, the answer is probably very few.
And I know for me, when I'm in that
position we've just been in, it's all
about consistency and it's all about
percentages. How often can I get the
ball on the green and give myself a
chance of getting that putter in hand.
And I've got two options with a 60°.
Generally speaking, I'll flop it up in
the air and I'll misjudge distance cuz
it's very hard to control. The second
option is I'll thin it because I'll look
up and that blade with no bounce is just
going to rifle me right through the back
of the green, which was shot number two.
So, the alternative for me is first of
all, play a wedge with a lot less loft.
I would say 54° is the maximum amount of
loft you need on a club. Simply because
you can play that flop shot still,
but you can also play that chip and run.
You can also have a lot more bounce on a
54° wedge than generally speaking you
can on a 60. And that bounce is going to
help you when things aren't quite right.
This 60° with 8° of bounce requires my
ball and turf contact to be absolutely
precise and no room for error. And
that's why it's not the type of club you
should have in your bag if you seriously
want to start lowering your scores. So,
get into a 54, get a lot more bounce
onto your wedge and give yourself a bit
more of a chance. So, next up a tight
par four and I'm reaching for, in the
past, the longest iron in my bag that I
carried, but
all things have changed. You see, the
problem is irons have got stronger and
stronger in their loft. So, a five iron
that I'm carrying in my bag right now
well, that's 24°.
That used to be what my four iron was.
Meaning once again, that loft is getting
tougher and tougher. Meaning this club
is now no longer needed in my bag
because same as the three wood, I'm not
generating the club head speed to make
benefit of the loft and therefore,
everything is working against me.
And that's before we even get onto the
versatility of this club, which is
pretty again one-dimensional. So, what's
the alternative?
And there you go.
Ball flight, perfect. Right down the
middle.
Easy swing
with a far different club that's got far
more versatility. It is, of course, a
hybrid, but which hybrid and why? Well,
first of all, it's a five hybrid. It's
got 25° of loft. So, similar in loft to
the five iron, but far different in ball
flight. And that ball flight is due to
the fact we've got a bigger mass in
terms of the club size, meaning CG is
helping me and not working against me,
where it is in that five iron
equivalent. Now, it's important to note,
I said in the intro of this video, it's
not about clubs that you can't
necessarily hit. It's about alternatives
that make the game easier. And the five
hybrid is a case in point. I can hit my
five iron on a good day, there's no
better feeling. The question is, how
much more often do I hit the five hybrid
better than the five iron? And that's
when we start to get some real answers
and solutions to our problems.
That's certainly not a shot I'm
attempting with a five iron.
Much like that three wood, five wood
alternative,
I'm getting that ball flight from the
rough with a five iron. So, I said at
the beginning of this video that I would
save my best until last, and this has
become
one of my favorite clubs in the bag.
And that's why.
Now, this is where there comes a bit of
a contradiction because I was telling
you to put one certain club in the bag
of a similar type, and now telling you
to take it out. It is a hybrid, and I
think it's long overdue that we start
seriously considering moving a three
hybrid out of the bag and replacing it
with something that is far more
forgiving.
And
that club
is a nine-wood.
And it's chalk and cheese compared to a
three hybrid in terms of everything it
does and its versatility and its
forgiveness. You see, the thing is,
nowadays for me, there are far more
forgiving alternatives and far more
versatile alternatives, which is
ultimately the theme throughout this
video. The problem with a three hybrid
is again that lack of loft. There's not
a huge amount of CG either in terms of
how we can get this ball airborne with
the lack of loft. So, combined, they
don't offer that versatility nor the
forgiveness. And I'm suggesting you grab
yourself a wood with a bit of a
difference. So, 200 yd up the hill into
the green. A few years back, I'd have
had a three hybrid in the bag, and
that's what I'd have been reaching for.
The issues I would have faced were ball
flight predominantly, and also being
able to pick that ball up off that
fairly tight lie that we've got today.
And this club resolves both of those
issues. It is a nine-wood. Now, a
nine-wood has 24° of loft. That's key.
But, it also goes a long way because of
the mass and profile of this club. It's
also got a bigger face than you'll see
on hybrids. The bigger mass means the CG
is further back. So, it's helping with
forgiveness. It's helping with ball
speeds across that club face. And it's
also helping with launch. Now, I would
hate this club this shot.
It put the fear of god up here. But,
with a nine wood, I'm just looking at
swinging easy.
The ball flight is ridiculous.
I also know it's going to come down,
it's going to land soft. So, if I'm
playing into long par threes, second
shots on par fours, or in this case
getting it back down there on a par
five, it's doing everything I need it to
do without a great deal of effort that I
might have to put into a three hybrid
alternative with that five, six, maybe
degrees less of loft that just isn't
working for me. It's working completely
against me. So, that's it. Five clubs
that you need to get out of your golf
bag if you really want to start lowering
your scores.
Well, at least that's my opinion anyway,
and don't forget this isn't a real book,
it's just simply some of my ideas that
may translate into your game and may
make sense. But, of course, if one of
these happens to be the favorite club in
your bag, then of course you keep it in.
The shots that you've seen me play with
the alternative clubs, well, they've not
been perfect either. This game isn't
about perfection, it's about minimizing
errors and making the game as easy,
which is a phrase you'll use fairly
loosely, as possible.
And the clubs that I've removed, the
clubs I've replaced them with are far
easier options in my opinion. Give you
far more versatility, offer far more
forgiveness, and offer you a real chance
of lowering your scores. So, whether you
take on board any of these five options,
that's entirely up to yourself. But,
either way, thank you for watching. Hope
you enjoyed that one, and I will see you
all very soon.