Carrying your sticks

[Tirvine]

Anyone else like to walk the golf course with their sticks slung over their shoulder? What makes it better? Favorite bags? Ideal downsized set of clubs? Especially good shoes? Stand up with legs or just a simple sack? Backpack straps or single?

I like a no legs bag with a single strap and carry driver, 3 wood, 4,6,8,PW,SW, and putter. My spiked, fake leather Foot Joys are ok, but I am thinking of shifting to spikeless and real leather.

Walking up to your ball instead of driving up to it really helps you build rhythm and visualize the shot, and then deciding between PW or 8 for a 125 yard shot destroys it all (but makes you better).

 

[BanjoCowboyMartaTobes]

I was lucky enough to play 4-5 times a week for 5 years. First tee, always walked. Glorious exercise in zen while stretching one’s legs. Bag with kickstand, barefoot or my Johnston & Murphy plastic spikes (half hippy half raised by 50’s IBM’er lol) and if it was raining, all the better. Golf is life and will be again in the future I’m predicting. Fun thread!

 

[Lightcs1776]

I played golf for a few frustrating years. I finally gave away my clubs and bag. No could slice right better than I could. I had to point my body solidly left to get the ball to go straight. God bless all of you who have the patience.

 

[ajkel64]

I have bad knees, one is really bad. I used to carry the clubs around when I was a junior and just had a wood, 3,5,7,9 and a putter. Nowadays when I play it’s a driver, 3 wood, putter and full set of irons 1 through to SW. These days it’s a cart most times or a tough 9 holes on foot with a pull along for buggy.

 

[timetofly]

My ball always sees too much real estate for me to walk a course.

I was asked once as to what my golf handicap was. My reply "My clubs!"

 

[BanjoCowboyMartaTobes]

It takes a lot of balls to play golf like I do.

 

[rudygu]

I like to walk with a reduced set - driver or 3 wood, putter, every other iron. sometimes odds, sometimes evens. My 16 year old son will carry a full 14 clubs, half dozen balls, countless tees and who knows what else. His bag is so heavy I groan just lifting it into my truck. He plays pretty much every day. Played a 2 day tournament this weekend and jogged a couple hundred yards on the 17th hole hole today (day 2) to get a better look at the green. I’d like to say it’s youth, but I don’t think I’d have done that at his age!

 

[Tirvine]

My knees are a mess, but I like to keep plugging, carrying the bag. I think I play better, and two players in a cart are going to be all over the place unless they are both pretty goof. I hate Army golf (left, right, left). I also think using alternate clubs makes you think more about how hard or soft to hit it, meaning your head isn't junked up with all those nasty swing path thoughts. I tend to hit straighter and work the ball less playing with alternate clubs.

 

[SharpieB]

I am fortunate to work for a company that has a golf membership at a great course. I play at least a dozen times a year with customers and coworkers. Also, a bunch of tournaments. They don’t allow you to walk the course, so I always take a cart. I may walk once or twice a year on weekends with friends or for a quick 9, but it is rare.

I carry a light Sunmountain bag, but lots of balls and D, 3W, 5W, Hybrid, 5-9i, 3 wedges and a putter.

The new New Balance spikeless shows are fantastic. It is easy to forget you are wearing golf shoes and I have driven home still wearing them.

Plus without a cart, I have nowhere to put my beer!

 

[Tirvine]

Too often I would carry the whole 14 and at the end of the round I had only used about nine of them, but the question when loading the bag was "Which nine will I use today?" I used to play at Barton Creek, almost always with a cart, a big bag, and all fourteen. I must confess I miss the luxury of two more wedges. I am learning to open my SW for lob shots, but that gap between 48 and 56 gets challenging. I need to find a way to get in more short game practice. (Don't we all?) But as @BanjoCowboyMartaTobes said, "Golf is life." Even when the game is at its worst, it beats most things by a wide margin.

 

[SharpieB]

I am learning to open my SW for lob shots, but that gap between 48 and 56 gets challenging. I need to find a way to get in more short game practice. (Don't we all?)

You are 100% right. If I actually go to the range and practice my wedges, I am deadly with them. I can blast a 60 straight up and anywhere between 50-70 yards as an example and rarely miss a green within 120 yards or so with my longer wedges. If I haven’t practiced in a while, I can hit a 60 120 yards… about 5 feet off the ground flying over the green. It’s all touch with wedges IME. First part of my game that falls apart if I don’t practice.