Which club is your Fairway Finder?

[StrokerAce]

When you absolutely positively have to do it.  Par 5/Par 4, all square coming into 18, about to have your best round ever....

 

whatever it is, do you have 1 club in your bag that is your fairway finder you can use off the tee when the pressure is on?

 

 

A short anecdote that got me thinking about it and was apropos:

 

You must have a fairway-finder: Altitude necessitated many pros opt for driving irons and fairway woods off the tee at the WGC-Mexico Championship, because their driver shots risked going too far on par 4s. The pros know there are times when sacrificing distance is the right move. The first time I played Winged Foot Golf Club's West Course, I missed the first three fairways. Badly. From that point on I hit my 5-wood off the tee on par 4s and par 5s. I hit the fairway nearly every time, and while I was 30 yards farther back, playing from the short grass was much better than contending with rough and trees. Humble pie is not tasty, but if you don't have a fairway-finder – a club you trust to get you off the tee and onto the short grass – you need one. It could be a new fairway wood, hybrid or even a long iron with a graphite shaft, like Rickie Fowler's 19.5-degree Cobra King Utility iron that has a Matrix Ozik HM2 shaft. Working with a good custom-fitter will help you find the perfect club that can deliver some piece of mind.

 

Unofficial tally so far...

 

 

Driver	15
Fairway Wood (3/4)	8
3 hybrid	2
2 iron	1
3 iron	2
4 iron	5

[Mr_Theoo]

I like hitting my 3i off the tee on shorter par 4s. Still gets me out there pretty well but in the fairway. I also have a cobra 4 wood that worked well the one round I put it in play.

[null]

I'm pretty confident in my driver and 3 wood so it would have to be a very short hole or lots of trouble for me to drop down to an iron

[JudgeSmails]

3 Hybrid for me

[GolfSpy Dave]

Driver for sure. Spent the most time practicing with it and it finds the short stuff more than anything else.

Not a bit hitter, so going too long on a par 4 not really an issue...

[Liberty Ball Markers]

Driver here too - not a different club, just a controlled swing.

 

 

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[StrokerAce]

just curious for those who hit the driver.  is there anything you do a little differently?  

choke down a bit, change your stance, don't swing quite as hard, shorter backswing??

 

are you able to manipulate the ball enough with your driver so that you can move the ball left or right on the doglegs when necessary?

[cnosil]

I am pretty consistent with the driver and would not be afraid to pull it on a hole that requires that I hit the fairway. I just focus on tempo and not over swinging like I do on all my tee shots.

 

I can manipulate the ball but I would not consider trying to shape a shot in a must hit fairway situation. I would play to the ball flight has been working on that particular day

[fozcycle]

I generally use my driver every chance I get...which gets me In the fairway or first cut. There are four holes where water comes into play so I use a 3W or 4-5W.

 

 

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[JBones]

Really it's situational for me. If it's open-ish, I hit driver, because I hit it long. If it's tight and I have to hit the FW, I'd go with 4W.

 

 

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[hckymeyer]

Driver for me as well, it's one of the best clubs in my bag and one of the most consistent.  I'm not good enough to try and work the ball consistently one way or the other, I just set up for my stock shot and hope for the best.  

 

I've been working for the past two seasons on shortening my back swing on every shot, so I wouldn't be manipulating my swing at all.

 

I also try to use the rule of 80% when selecting any club in my bag.  If I can't hit the club well (for my ability level) 80% of the time then it shouldn't be in my bag.  That's why I ditched the FW in the first place.  So dropping to a different club isn't going to really increase my ability to guarantee a fairway.

[Eseay32]

4i knock down for. Any hole less than 400 yds and I need to be safe I'm hitting a knock down 4 for about 200 yds

 

 

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[PAgolfer2017]

It seems that whenever I try and play smart and use a 3 wood off the tee or a 4 iron, I end up in a worse place than if I hit my driver. Lately I've been choking down on my driver if it's a tight hole and it's seemed to have worked.

 

 

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[Putting Trent]

I most will hit my driver with a 3/4 swing. Might only get 220/225 but it's gonna be in the short grass.

 

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[Undershooter]

It really depends on the day and the situation for me. I'll go with the hot hand if I'm hitting something particularly good that day. Generally, I would say it's my 3w, 1i, 3i but some days it could be the driver. It really just depends. 

 

My biggest thing is that I must commit to the shot if its one that matters. If I don't, then I'm toast. 

[PlaidJacket]

Like others.... depends.

If I've been playing confidently most of the day I'll hit driver if the hole calls for it. Perhaps even tee it down a bit and hit it lower. Other times I might hit my 4w or even 4i. It all just depends.

[Severtheties]

I'd have to say 4 iron - only because I don't carry a 3 iron anymore.

[MattF]

3 wood if I HAVE to be in the fairway. I hit that thing a far way and damn near straight 95% of the time.

[Kenny B]

Driver... it's as straight as anything else.

[BIG STU]

Well it was my 99 Hogan Apex 2 iron but lately I have went to a Callaway UTX driving iron at 24* bent back to 22*. For some reason I can draw it and it runs like a scalded ape. I guess my next choice would be my 5 wood

[jaskanski]

Long irons were always my forte and I always used to have a 690MB 2-iron in play. Nowadays, I get by with a CB 3-iron, a 5 wood or if it's really windy - a putter.

[silver & black]

I usually just dial down the driver and make a nice smooth swing. I'm always shocked at far it still goes. It seems there's a lesson in there some where...lol.

[Kor.A.Door]

All square on the 18 tee box in a tightly contested match. XCG6 3wd without question. Dance with the one that brung ya. I think the biggest thing in these situations is to not overthink what you have been doing. If you have been hitting driver well all day, and are confident with it, that's what you should use. If you have been struggling all day, hit the club you have confidence in. Whether it's 3w, 5w, 3h, 3i, it could even be 6i or 9i, if it is a must hit fairway situation, do what you gotta do. Be confident in the shot, and execute.

 

 

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[fsucrna]

My favorite club in my bag, and my "fairway finder" is my driver! I'm usually 12/14FIR , and usually not that far off the other 2... I know that it sounds like I'm bragging but I rather hit that off any tee than anything else!

 

 

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[logicalone]

When I was playing a lot of golf, which was years ago, I used my trusty Orlimar Trimetal 13 degree. Loved that club!

 

 

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[tony@CIC]

My 3 hybrid - most consistent club in the bag!

 

 

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[BigtazzGolf]

Some days this is a very good question. Which club will find the fairway for ya.

For me percentage wise, I'll have to pull my 4i

 

Tazz

Grip n Rip it

[Canucklehead]

It really frustrates me most days because I can absolutely rip my 3w and I can tell pretty much tell you where it will land. Usually good for ~250 (total not carry). For some reason I can get really handsy with my driver. And the more wide/open a fairway is it usually the worse the result is. Almost considered dropping it for a wedge. Gonna practice a lot this year and hopefully it will be a different story come fall!!

 

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[CFrazier]

4 iron. I usually get about 215-225 with it. If I don't get to warmup on the range before a round, it's usually the club I hit off the first tee.

 

 

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[StrokerAce]

4 iron. I usually get about 215-225 with it. If I don't get to warmup on the range before a round, it's usually the club I hit off the first tee.

 

 

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Wow... nice... not many people can hit a 4 iron after warmup and you do it cold, straight out of the car.  Cool.