golf excercise questions

[M2d]

I haven't played much this summer, so it's been a throwaway season for me. About a month ago, i started playing a bit again, and was horrified at how badly I play. I had my index down to about 11, but it's zoomed up to 16 in the past year (no time to hit the range).
Anyway, my life should get a lot easier next year, when I finish grad school, so I'm already planning on hitting the links hard next summer. With that in mind, I decided to shelve my woods for the rest of the season. I don't even put them in my bag at the range.
I see a couple of benefits to this. First, I'll be forced to hit my long irons more consistantly. As with most mid to high handicappers, the long irons are a sore spot.
Second, I'll learn more course management. I hit it pretty long in general, so, if my driver's on, most par fours (up to 440 or so yards) are driver, wedge, or less. Now, I have to actually pay attention to landing areas, and other goodies like that.

Third, and most importantly, my index should go up without sandbagging. I post the honest number that I score, I carry 14 clubs, I play legal clubs. nothing underhaded about the way I get the score at all. Nothing in the rules of golf dictates that i have to carry woods.

Now for the good part. For the past three weeks that i've done this, my irons only scores have fallen about eight strokes, as I get more used to playing smart. I actually shot my handicap yesterday, (easy course, but it's a start) on a short track (6200 yards).

To all the golfers out there (HDPM, Pokerbabe (aka), etc: Is this a good idea? Will I fall in love with the "click" of my two iron and never go back to the "ping" of my woods? is it ethical to raise my handicap this way?

[HDPM]

I don't pay a lot of attention to the requirements of handicaps, so I'm probably not the one to ask. I just got one this year for the first time in a long time. But I don't see how it is unethical. You can hit a 2 iron off the tee if you want even if you have a sackful of woods. You can try stupid shots like hitting 3 woods from knee high rough over water. If you are doing this only to sandbag I guess it is unethical, but you could do it any number of other ways. Call the USGA maybe. I think anybody who posts honest scores will be viewed as enough of a sandbagger by a lot of the people out there. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif One thing Nicklaus used to do to get ready to play long courses is reverse his clubs. Say a hole was 3-wood wedge, he might hit 8-iron 3-iron or something. Or he'd play his kids' tee ball and they'd play from his. He wasn't posting for a handicap though. What you bring up is one reason why I think handicaps are a little bit ridiculous. It helps at clubs to match up, but if you play with people enough you can match up anyway. I am not concerned with paying a bunch of money to play local tournaments for big "money" i.e. merchandise credit. As far as I can tell that is what handicaps are used for mostly. Maybe someday I'll enter a member guest or somesuch and actually win a pair of shoes or something, but I've never won anything in these little tournaments. I have 2 more tournaments on tap this year - a stupid bragging rights tournament between lawyers from 2 different areas of the state and a benefit scramble with a whopping $35 entry where first place gets a towel or headcover or bag of tees maybe. I don't figure to make waves at either.
But if I could hit driver wedge to 440 yard holes I would be out there banging away, scores be damned. I'd NEVER hit an iron. /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif

[M2d]

HDPM, thanks for your ideas. Notice that I said "If my driver's on" Then it's 140 in and that's a pitching wedge. it it's off, it's driver, long iron punch out of heavy rough, long iron punch out of trees (other side of the fairway), 9 iron (probably fat), sand wedge (sculled over green), pitch back (chili dipped), putt from the fringe, three putt.
that's why I'm interested in hitting more irons. it'll be the only experience I get hitting full mid to long iron shots.