The 'Five of Clubs' Golf Tournament Format Explained
A "Five of Clubs" tournament is one in which each golfer has to choose only five of his or her clubs to use during the tournament. Leave the rest of your clubs at home.
The biggest variation in the Five of Clubs format (which can, of course, be called a "5 of Clubs" tournament), depending on who is running the event, is how the putter is treated. Many tournament organizers say that the putter does not count as one of your five clubs. In that case, you get your putter plus five other clubs.
But it is probably more common for tournament organizers to stipulate that the putter does count as one your five clubs. And since, in that case, every golfer playing is going to pick the putter, then Five of Clubs becomes putter plus four other clubs.
Which clubs should you pick? Obviously, the putter. And your favorite club. If you just love hitting your 7-iron and have great confidence in that club, then you better include the 7-iron in your bag. Only you know which clubs you are most confident in, but you want clubs that offer some versatility, too.
It might be best for most golfers (unless you are a great driver) to forego the driver and instead pick a driving club you can also hit from the fairway. A 3-wood or 5-wood, for example, or a 3-hybrid. Those are clubs you can play from the fairway and even use around the greens for bump-and-runs. Again, versatility is a key consideration for a Five of Clubs tournament.
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