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