The idea came out of conversations with my friend, Paddy. It was also etched into my mind when I witnessed it firsthand at Machrihanish Dunes. We watched from the 19th-hole patio as he teed-off, taking it back slowly, almost contorting his body (a la Charles Barkley) and trap-drew the ball about 240-yards with his hickory!

I call him Mr. 3-Clubs. As the story goes, he walks with three hickories, and no bag. A Driver, Mashie (7-iron) and a Niblick (wedge). Amazing. He putts with the Mashie turned around backwards, a la Kevin Costner in Tin Cup. How cool is that! We said hello to their threesome as their dog, Foogles, came up and greeted us. He is an ex-pat from Michigan that wanted to get away from the rat-race and gun violence and raise his family in Scotland.

Paddy was not with us on that trip, but every time we get together, he poses the question.

“Hey, Red, how many are you bringing today?”

I am now at the point where I have evaluated it, both at home and in Ireland on our recent trip. I hope to put it on my next trip. Why not?

My process was this. I came up with the core two clubs that I use the most when on links courses (either overseas, or on link-like courses in the States). I call them my 5 + 5. The five wood and five irons.

On my last trip to Scotland, they were both my go-to clubs. I did an informal study over three rounds and concluded that next to my putter (25-35 shots per round) the 5 + 5 together came-in 2nd place for number of shots.

It made sense. I can hit my 5-wood (metal) off the tee up to 220+ yards, and straight as an arrow I might add. I can also use it off the fairway hitting it anywhere from the same 220, to a knock-down in the wind anywhere from 180 to 200-yards.

My five iron, similar strategy. I can hit down wind up to 185, normally 170-175, and sawed-off knockdowns anywhere from 130 to 160 yards depending on the wind. The bonus round? I can punch and run it low into a green from up to 50-yards out.

So how do I fill in from there, you ask? Follow the yardages and fill in any blanks. Could I add a driver to the top end? Sure, I can, but do I need to? Not if I am playing five clubs. If I am playing seven or nine, like I do at home, I would, thereby adding on the ability to hit it another thirty to sixty yards off the tee.

So, I go back down the line to fill in my remaining three clubs. Whereas I could get creative and putt with one or two other clubs, I am spoiled. Putting is easily my favorite part of the game. I enjoy it, and I do not want to sacrifice a club that I use for +/- 30 times per round.

That leaves me at 3 clubs (5-Wood, 5-Iron, Putter), two more to go. I can live without my 6 or 8 iron. The 7-iron is the next obvious choice. It has been one of my favorite clubs for years, and, more importantly, it is also very versatile. I can max it out at 155-yards and go down to 100-yards by flighting or hitting into the wind. In addition to my punch and runs around the green that might need enough loft to get over the fringe if necessary.

Four clubs, one to go. Simple choice, a wedge. If you are like Mr. 3-Clubs, you can flop a 7-iron out of a bunker. I am not that talented. I need at least one wedge, to get out of bunkers, especially the deep, riveted bunkers of England, Scotland and Ireland, or anytime you cannot punch a low approach into the green. So, my R-90 is (~56 degrees)

I only typically carry two wedges anyway. A 48-degree, and a 56-my old Wilson R-90 from the 1970’s—a classic, I love it.

So, there you have it. My first-string five. 5-Wood, 5-Iron, 7-Iron, Wedge, R-90 (56-degree) and a Putter. I have a small/light Sunday bag that has room for a rain jacket and water bottle. Bring it on!

Playing golf, especially Links golf, is not just about the score, it is also about making shots. Manufacturing shots. Most times, I get more or as much enjoyment out of executing a great shot—from anywhere—as I do making a birdie putt. It is all about being creative.

"For the average golfer, playing a coarse and a vulgar pitch that stabs a hole in the green is not an effective strategy in a links course." -Alistair Mackenzie

I will leave you with this. One of my top three favorite shots on our recent trip to Ireland, came on the round at Ballybunion. Our caddie, John, was clubbing me on the first three holes, and I told him coming up Number 4, a par-5 The Cottage, “let me go it alone on this one, no offense, I just like to feel the shots myself.”

I had made a bit of a mess of my third shot from the gorse on the right and had an approach of 40-yards to the green, then another seventy-five feet to the back left pin. My mind immediately said “5-Iron.”

I walked up to the green and read the line and entry point I needed to hit. I then took four to five practice swings and let it rip. It was low and solid, and on the third and last bounce it was ten feet onto the green, tracking on the line I envisioned. My playing partners and caddies just looked up as they saw the ball approaching fifty feet-I was still forty yards short of the green on the spot where I hit it. They realized I had punched it on the ground.

It broke left and kept on going and going. They raised their collective arms in unison as it tickled the edge and stopped one foot past for a knock-in par.

I could hear the words from the three caddies as I walked up to my ball.

Golf Shot!!

Which one of the five clubs would you use here, Royal Portrush? Punch a 5-iron ten yards right of the pin?