Opinion & Analysis
Swanson: How to choose the 14 clubs in your bag
Meet new GolfWRX Senior Expert on Everything, Swanson. We recently spotted him playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with Al Czervik, David Simms and the “Tiger Woods” from Dan Jenkins’ Golf Digest Interview. Swanson asked to write a few articles for GolfWRX’s Front Page. We told him if the readers like his stories, we’ll let him keep writing. If not, he’ll have to go back to trolling the forums.
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By far my least favorite part of playing tournament golf has always been deciding which 14 clubs to put in my bag, but I’ve learned a few tricks over the years.
During normal rounds of golf, I’ll have anywhere between 20-24 clubs in the bag; that includes drivers with different shafts, long irons (I don’t play fairway woods or hybrids), backup wedges and a few different Scotties.
Practice rounds are for testing equipment, not for playing by imaginary rules contrived by the USGA. But when it comes time to play in a USGA-sanctioned event, 14 clubs is the maximum they allow.
And this is a topic that really hits home for me.
You see, a few years back I qualified for the U.S. Senior Mid-Am Junior event in the second position after firing 71-68 (I hit 18 greens in regulation and had 44 putts in the first round), but a rules official saw I had 17 clubs in the bag after the event. I still have no idea how he saw the extra wedges hidden beneath my driver head cover, but I learned a lesson that day – the 14-club rule penalizes you two strokes for each hole played with more than 14 clubs, for a maximum of two holes. Safe to say, I didn’t qualify.
But now I’m an expert on selecting clubs for my tournament bag. And if chosen, they should be honored and thankful, and perform accordingly during the tournament. So do yourself a favor, print this out, put it in your bag and read it every time you’re deciding what clubs are going to make the cut for your next event.
Driver
Compile all of your driver heads and shafts, and head to your nearest Trackman facility. I have one in my basement, but you may need to go to a custom-fitting shop or a top teaching pro in your area. You don’t actually want a fitting or a lesson; you just want to rent the Trackman for an hour or two. Hit every driver head/shaft combination possible, and then print out a sheet of the averages.
Listen carefully, because this is the important part. You want to play the driver that has the lowest spin rate. No matter what. You can figure out how to launch it higher and make better contact (therefore increasing your ball speed) another time. I don’t hook or slice the ball, but if I did the low spin would help the ball curve less, and of course, it maximizes distance.
People say a 17-degree launch angle and 1700 rpm of spin is optimal, and I can do it every time with my forward-CG, low-MOI driver. You’re probably not good enough to play one, but maybe one day you will be. So buy the hottest low-spin driver every year on the off chance you start striping it one summer.
Editor’s Note: Swanson’s opinions on club fitting are his own, and don’t reflect the opinions of GolfWRX (at all).
Fairway Woods/Hybrids
Personally, I don’t use fairway woods or hybrids because:
- I don’t see the point.
- I don’t have yardage gaps big enough to need them.
I hit my driver 315 yards (on average), and carry my steel-shaft, hand-ground, muscleback 1-iron 275 yards. When would I hit a three wood or hybrid? From 290 yards into a par 5? And what par-5 in America would require me to hit a shot 290 yards on my approach?
None. The answer is none of the par 5s.
Irons/Driving irons
In making the decision on what long irons to carry, you’ll want to check the wind for the day, the par-3 distances and how many irons you’ll need off the tee on par-4s. I usually carry my 1, 2 and 3 irons during tournament play because it intimidates my competitors, and I can launch my 1-iron off the deck really high.
Most golfers will probably need to play irons that are more forgiving than the one-piece forgings I use, but you should test both. Blades are a huge advantage if you can play them, because they’re so much more workable and so much better in the rough.
Also, you may notice I use iron covers; you would too if your irons were hand ground from the same guy who forged Tiger’s Miura irons.
Wedges
This is the trickiest part of the equation. In my current practice bag, I have eight wedges: 50 degrees (bent to 49.5), 54 (bent to 53.5), 54 (bent to 54.5), 56 (bent to 55.5), 56 (bent to 56.5), 60 (extra heel grind), 60 (v-grind) and a 63 (bent to 63.5).
I know how far every one of them flies to a dime, but predicting exactly what yardages I’ll need during a round used to be difficult for me. That’s why I started getting my hands on a yardage book of the tournament course, and picking my targets for each hole. Since I rarely miss my target, especially under tournament pressure, all I have to do is decide which wedges I’ll need most often. One time, through my preparation, I found out I wouldn’t need a club from 197-203 yards, so I didn’t need my 8-iron. I played with six wedges that event and won the National Ultra-Private Country Club Championship.
For beginners, I suggest letting your long iron/fairway wood/hybrid setups dictate the wedges you choose, and simply fill in the yardage gaps appropriately.
Putter
I sleep with both of my Tour-Only Scotties the night before any event; one on my left side and one on my right. Whichever putter I wake up facing is the one that goes in the bag.
Choosing a golf ball
Just kidding. They make other balls than a Pro V1x?
Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.
Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.
First, meet Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.
Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter
The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.
Third, meet Martin Kaymer
Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.
Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler
Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.
Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger
Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!
On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.
I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.
To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.
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Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s
5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour
Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag
Justin Rose WITB 2026 (April): Full WITB breakdown with new McLaren irons
RBC Heritage Tour Report: More minis, course-specific setups, Spider & GTS launches
What’s the story behind Webb Simpson’s custom-stamped irons?
Cadillac Championship Tour Report: Spieth’s sizable changes, McLaren Golf launches, and more
Kristoffer Reitan’s winning WITB: 2026 Truist Championship
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2026 Cadillac Championship
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Nelly Korda WITB 2026 (April)
Justin Rose on the switch to McLaren Golf, learnings from previous equipment moves
Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship
Patrick Reed WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Titleist GT3 (9 degrees) Buy here. Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 130 M.S.I. 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (15 degrees)...
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Driver: TaylorMade M6 (9 degrees) Shaft: Aldilda Synergy Blue 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue...
Michael Block WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore+ 5 X 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees @14.25) Shaft: Mitsubishi...
Bryson DeChambeau WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Krank Formula Fire Pro (6 degrees) Shaft: Project X Prototype 3-wood: Krank Formula Fire (10 degrees) Shaft: LA Golf BAD...
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Whats in the Bag3 weeks agoKristoffer Reitan’s winning WITB: 2026 Truist Championship
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Whats in the Bag2 weeks ago
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
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Tour Photo Galleries3 weeks agoPhotos from the 2026 PGA Championship
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Equipment2 weeks agoGolfWRX Launch Report: 2026 Titleist GTS drivers
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Equipment2 weeks agoPGA Championship Tour Report: Fitzpatrick, Koepka among big-name putter switches for Aronimink
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Tyler
Apr 20, 2016 at 1:25 am
Hilarious! Best part was the trackman in the basement. I guarantee someone on here convinced the wife to spend $20k on a trackman for the basement.
Timbleking
Apr 16, 2016 at 3:44 am
Jiiiiiiiiiizzzzz ! Swanson, the 8 iron comment made my day! ROTFL!!!
Jason
Apr 15, 2016 at 11:42 am
Coming out of the gates strong…I love it.
Boomshaboom
Apr 15, 2016 at 11:00 am
Wow, God wrote an article about how to select your 14. Suprised he needs a putter.
Cyd2293
Mar 30, 2016 at 8:53 pm
Great Article.
Loved it.
A little humor goes a long way.
Martin
Mar 28, 2016 at 2:15 pm
Hi Swanson!
I always support anyone who wants to be funny, and I think you did ok for the first time. BUT you have to train harder and score better if you wanna make the cut!!! 😉
Good Luck!
Mike Honcho
Mar 21, 2016 at 1:37 pm
So bad Spaulding Smails gave it a shank and two nose picks.
Junior
Mar 21, 2016 at 12:49 pm
where can I get a set of those iron covers?
northgolf
Mar 21, 2016 at 11:11 am
Effective satire requires actually being humorous. This is just old, tired, and worn out. Iron covers in the top photo was the highlight and it went downhill from there.
insider
Mar 21, 2016 at 9:45 am
is this a stab at early ian poulter when he was a club pro?????????????
Mike Honcho
Mar 21, 2016 at 1:38 pm
Go easy or IJP will tweet (whine) about it to your employer and get you fired.
nath
Mar 21, 2016 at 7:33 am
Back to the forums buddy, cmon, you have had your fun!
The front page is no place for you.
I’m glad I just wasted 15mins
Double Mocha Man
Mar 21, 2016 at 11:09 am
Slow reader, huh?
Nath
Mar 21, 2016 at 9:35 pm
Umm Yeh
Jim
Mar 21, 2016 at 5:19 am
I learned nothing, finally.
Steve
Mar 19, 2016 at 3:39 pm
What a dumb article, what was the point? To fill space? Sometimes less is more. Definately less of this guy
Double Mocha Man
Mar 19, 2016 at 12:00 pm
Relax! The guy actually has a 17 handicap and is trying to be funny. Though I did appreciate the part about all his wedges… I carry 5 of ’em in a 14 club bag. Inevitably, the one I want to use is hidden from sight under the other wedges. This a Murphey’s Law, even if the wedge is the longest of the bunch.
The red booties for his irons in the photograph should have been a dead giveaway.
Mill Fickelson
Mar 19, 2016 at 6:13 am
Wow “Dufner” do you even know how to read? You must be from the south if you don’t understand satire!
Ps- nothing funnier than internet outrage, relax everyone it’s just an article and it accurately depicts 99.9% of you
ryan
Mar 19, 2016 at 3:14 am
those who are butt-hurt from this article probably just realized that it’s about people like them and how ridiculous they can be. A+
Jim
Mar 19, 2016 at 1:29 am
This could have been a funny article if it had been done correctly. The manner in which it was written and came out, was lacking and wasn’t funny at all. The only slightly amusing part was the wedges bent by like .3 degrees. Other than that, a waste of what could have been a really funny article.
Cptdot
Mar 19, 2016 at 2:31 pm
10000% agree.. Beat it Swanson
paul
Mar 19, 2016 at 11:20 pm
i have to admit i laughed out loud when i read this article. all parts of it are funny even the disclaimer from Golfwrx . made my day
DB
Mar 19, 2016 at 12:03 am
I haven’t read such a good laugh in a while. I would swear I know this guy in real life. hahahaha, Keep the articles coming!!!
Marc
Mar 18, 2016 at 8:41 pm
Loved the wedge lofts .
RHJazz
Mar 18, 2016 at 8:40 pm
Serious or satire? It’s a fine, line to get right. Problem I had with this is, for some it’s kind of true – over thinking one’s needs and ability and the elitist attitude of some narcissistic players we may actually encounter. For others, it’s just rubbish and so fantastical it almost makes no sense. Good try with high level of difficulty, but failed to stick the landing. I’d judge it “m’eh.”
Kevin Hawkins
Mar 18, 2016 at 7:41 pm
Waste of time reading this. It wasn’t even funny.
PAUL CLARKE
Mar 19, 2016 at 10:53 am
He must be writing about you!!
Kyle
Mar 18, 2016 at 6:53 pm
This is probably the best article I have ever read on this site.
The funny part is that I opened it actually looking for some good advice.
JustTrying2BAwesome
Mar 18, 2016 at 6:38 pm
Hahaha this was great. Thank you.
EO
Mar 18, 2016 at 5:32 pm
The article made me chuckle, the replies gave me a nice belly laugh. Funny article. Of course it’s pointless.
JustPlainCarpe
Mar 18, 2016 at 4:57 pm
Hilarious!
Nolanski
Mar 18, 2016 at 4:44 pm
Lol! I about lost it after the muscleback 1 iron part. You shoulda said something like “I have my putter shafts pured weekly”. Keep em coming.
Tom
Mar 18, 2016 at 4:39 pm
“I sleep with both of my Tour-Only Scotties the night before any event; one on my left side and one on my right. Whichever putter I wake up facing is the one that goes in the bag.” Some golfwrxer’s should try this with their Scotties.
Tom
Mar 18, 2016 at 4:34 pm
6 wedges..ROFLMAO….ya got me.
Scooter McGavin
Mar 18, 2016 at 3:55 pm
Wow, this was dumb. I’m sad I wasted my time reading it. If you’re going to post something meant to be funny and satirical, at least make sure it’s actually funny.
Bishop
Mar 18, 2016 at 3:17 pm
If you didn’t realize this was a satire by the second paragraph “During normal rounds of golf, I’ll have anywhere between 20-24 clubs in the bag; that includes drivers with different shafts…” you may want to lighten up a bit. If you have 20-24 clubs in your bag at one time, you deserve to have to carry your bag 18 holes once per year…. This was funny, albeit a waste of 10 minutes…
Birdie?
Mar 18, 2016 at 2:14 pm
April 1st isn’t for another 2 weeks or so. WTactualF
RG
Mar 18, 2016 at 2:12 pm
What a loser! 8 wedges? I don’t carry a wedge because I never miss a green and I can reach any par 5 with a 2 iron or less. I haven’t been in a bunker since Clinton was in office. Heck 50% of the time I don’t need a putter, I just tap in with whatever club is in my hand. I know your thinking “Why isn’t this guy on tour?” My answer is to much travel, not enough prize money.
Random Reader
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:51 pm
Ha! Good for a smile.
Marc G
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:45 pm
Worst article I’ve read here
Philip
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:42 pm
Too funny! However, can you now write a proper version of the article that gives up a nugget or two? Or are you hoarding those for yourself?
ca1879
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:40 pm
Oh my… some of the comments. I am now certain that it’s impossible to write a satire that’s too obvious.
Wow123
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:34 pm
Funny! But that is because I speak sarcasm.
Clowone
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:29 pm
1st of April is soon this year..
Weekend Duffer
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:16 pm
GolfWRX – The article
michael johnson
Mar 18, 2016 at 12:46 pm
this is the most pointless article ever. it is not a good troll, it is not funny and it is uniformative. booh!
mvandy
Mar 18, 2016 at 12:34 pm
This is a joke right? wtf is this
duffer
Mar 18, 2016 at 12:27 pm
Wow. Send this guy back to trolling. This article was just a forum for him to brag about how he can hit a 1-iron unlike us mere mortals. Completely useless article if you are a normal human being who hits their driver 230 like 95% of us. Get off your high horse buddy! Write an article this isn’t all about how great you are.
Mike
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:49 pm
You do realize it was a tongue-in-cheek article, right?
mhendon
Mar 18, 2016 at 8:24 pm
Lol and someone thought this was serious
Greg V
Mar 18, 2016 at 12:12 pm
I can’t believe I read the whole thing.
Satire
Mar 18, 2016 at 12:02 pm
Enjoyable
Bobtrumpet
Mar 18, 2016 at 1:23 pm
Someone gets it.