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My current Maruman set comes with a driver, 4W, hybrid M4, and irons 5-9 (and PW, SW and putter). My question is more on the longer clubs. I am missing and usual 3i, 4i and 3W. So with my current configuration, am I missing out on some particular distances? Do I still get 10yd differences moving from driver to 4W to M4 to 5i? I wonder if it would be a good idea to get a 3W and/or a 3i??
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Re: Should I buy an additional club?
More important than the number stamped on the bottom of the club is this:
Does the next club you buy fill a yardage gap in your bag?
The problem with simply buying a 3H or 3i is that it may actually be the same loft as an existing club.
My personal theory (as you can see by my signature) is to carry more clubs in your scoring range than at the far end. I carry a driver, then my next longest club is a 3H (19º). My 5W was 21º - close to my 4H at 22º. So you can see, carrying a club marked 5 wood wasn't beneficial to me - I already had a club that had the same loft.
Now, that said, if you're still interested in some longer clubs, find out what the loft of your 4H is. Then buy something that is 3 or 4 degrees stronger (ie if it's 22º, buy something that's 18 or 19 degrees).
But what about club length, you ask? Doesn't that effect distance? Well, short answer is yes with a but. Long answer is no with an explanation.
The primary function of loft is to launch the ball different distances. Length augments that a bit. I had an older hybrid (a Nike CPR clone) at 22º that I took to the range one day with my Innovex hybrid at 22º, and brought along the laser rangefinder.
The CPR was 2" longer than my Innovex club. The yardage distance between the two was 5 yards - or 2.5 yards/inch. Since most clubs are built on a 1/2" slope, the gain could have been more like 1.25 yards. The only drawback to a longer club is it's tougher again to find the sweetspot.
So the long answer is that length affects distance, but not as much as loft. So make sure that your new club fits the gap - and doesn't duplicate a club in your bag already! -
Re: Should I buy an additional club?
Thanks! That's very informative! At first glance, would there not seem to be a yardage gap if I have a 1W, 4W, 4H, 5i etc? To my rookie knowledge, it feels as if there is quite a gap between the 1W and 4W (and especially since I might not be that consistent and comfortable to use the 1W (driver?) all the time. Would a 3W be a good addition in this case, so that I can at least practise and get at least some more distance in my tee off?
I'll need to check my clubs for their loft, don't really recall seeing them. And there doesn't seem to be much information on the net on the Maruman Proliner G1 set :PComment
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Re: Should I buy an additional club?
You can check the loft with a protractor, or take the club to a clubmaker. There will be no loft marking on the club itself, most likely.Comment
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Re: Should I buy an additional club?
Was hitting a par 4 hole yesterday. Didn't want to use my driver as I'm still not so confident using it. So my only other choice was the 4W. Think I hit it about 150m, and it landed on a slight slope with half the ball buried. So now I am left with about 300m more to go. Would be great if I could use the 4W two more times to reach the green in 3 strokes, but this particular lie was horrible. What could I have done in this situation? My only other option again here would be to use my 4H, or my 5i. Not sure if this is more about course management, or would an additional club have made a difference?Comment
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Re: Should I buy an additional club?
If the ball was plugged, you could have picked, cleaned and placed it back.
If it was just a horrible, horrible lie, you wouldn't have wanted to 'have a go' at it anyway. Take your medicine, pitch out with the club you're most comfortable with, then take a shot from the short grass.Comment
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Re: Should I buy an additional club?
You're allowed to pick a ball up and clean it off the fairway/rough etc.? I thought you were only allowed to touch a ball on the green after putting down a marker for the reason that you might improve your lie.Originally posted by LowPost42Comment
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Re: Should I buy an additional club?
Any ball embedded in its own pitch mark can be lifted, cleaned, and placed no nearer the hole.Comment
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Re: Should I buy an additional club?
The ball was on the fairway. There was a slight downward slope towards the target, and the ball was somehow slightly buried a bit deeper than you normally see it on a flat fairway with very short grass.
I'm not quite sure what it means to be plugged or embedded in its own pitch mark? But I'd sure like to know so I won't shortchange myself of a stroke or two!
So given the situation above, I should have gone with a short iron? Would a 5i have been inappropriate when the ball is on a downslope towards the target?Comment
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Re: Should I buy an additional club?
You might have rolled into someone else's pitch mark - in which case, I think you're SOL.
If my ball was sitting down hard like that in the fairway (and I have to assume it's NOT my pitch mark), then I would most likely play a low bounce wedge, get it out of that hole, and work out my next shot.
Ball in the earth, downhill slope, there's no way I would have taken a swing for the green, unless there was no trouble AT ALL. The problem is, especially with a downhill lie, you have no idea how hot that ball will come out. That's not even taking into consideration the fact that the ball is sitting down - so now you have to chop hard.
Layup would be the answer, to me.Comment
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