When did you give up on traditional fairway woods? What was your ultimate replacement?

[ZacharyHayden]

This year I started gaming the Callaway utility wood which is a cross between a hybrid and a 3 wood. I purchased this club for something "safer" off the tee and to have a better success rate than my 3 wood off the fairway. I have to say this club is my favorite in the bag and has made my 3 wood irrelevant. It also works wonders out of the rough. I would really consider testing this club out because if you hit your 4 hybrid 205 you can get this club at 19* (hybrid 3 loft) and should be able to get to 220+. Thats a great par 5 club distance as well as a more conservative/strategic tee shot. 

[Chadvb]

Oh the old 3 wood issue! When I had my son and stopped playing as much this same problem crept into my game. (big left miss for me). I tried quite a bit to fill that 14th spot in the bag:

• I built a 7.5 deg 5 wood length driver (I didn't necessarily need a club for going for par 5's or laying up, needed more of that "3 wood length" off the tee) and loved it for stroke play. 
  • I do play a decent amount of match play/team best ball where I want that 250 option to go for the green though, so that club was out
• Sub 15 deg hybrid - I tried 2 of these, both adams (an XTD and a Insight XTD hybrid fairway) At less the $50 to try it was worth a shot. I liked them both but I didn't get much more out of them then my driving iron so I kept looking
  • I would recommend this you give this a shot, I shortened them about .5 of an inch and liked it. for the purpose of just getting one down the fairway, they are a good option.
• I'll spare you the details, but I tried quite a few fairway woods from 18 - 15 deg at various lengths, styles, etc. 

The fix for me:

• A 3 wood! lol. A mizuno st200 15 deg set at 14. The key was Swingweight. When I set it to D6 the big left miss was gone and the club now has a solid place in my bag. 

[Shinnman]

Absolutely, could be the shaft as well.

[BMDubya]

I too, used to struggle off the deck with fairway woods. I could tee it up all day, and it would be fine. But couldn’t really consistently hit one off the deck. Around 5/6 yrs ago, I switched to a 3HL. Best decision I’ve ever made. Can hit it off the tee & from the fairway. I’m fairly long, so don’t really need it all that often, but when I do, it’s money. I’m playing the TM M3HL. I think it’s lofted at 17°, but I have it turned down to 16°. I seen where you tried the 4wd option earlier. I tried a Cally XR16 4wood. For whatever reason, idk if it was the shallow face or what, I struggled off the tee with it. Off the deck was fine though. Tried the M3HL at a demo day & haven’t looked back. Turned 2 of my buddies into 3HL players now as well. Albeit they’re playing TSR3 16.5 & a stealth HL. If you’re happing with your scoring the way your bag is now, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, Middler said:

Or at least a different shaft.

 

5 minutes ago, Shinnman said:

Absolutely, could be the shaft as well.

While it’s possible unless he is in a bad fit of a shaft it won’t make as much difference as golfers expect. 
 

Difficulty with hitting woods or hybrids off the deck is typically a swing issue. Based on the OPs swing he posted not long ago he has similar swing issues I face and it makes hitting lower lofted clubs harder. Typically suggestion would be to use a higher lofted wood but as the OP posted he has tried some 18° woods with no success. This leads it to probably be more of a swing/technique issue 

[Middler]

4 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

While it’s possible unless he is in a bad fit of a shaft it won’t make as much difference as golfers expect. 
Difficulty with hitting woods or hybrids off the deck is typically a swing issue. Based on the OPs swing he posted not long ago he has similar swing issues I face and it makes hitting lower lofted clubs harder. Typically suggestion would be to use a higher lofted wood but as the OP posted he has tried some 18° woods with no success. This leads it to probably be more of a swing/technique issue 

I agree, that's why I noted earlier the OP could probably learn to hit a 3W. My shaft reply was in only response to someone who suggested a different brand - brand and shaft are less likely as causes for the OPs issues with fairway woods IMO. I seriously doubt brand alone would change anything...

[RickyBobby_PR]

39 minutes ago, Middler said:

I agree, that's why I noted earlier the OP could probably learn to hit a 3W. My shaft reply was in only response to someone who suggested a different brand - brand and shaft are less likely as causes for the OPs issues with fairway woods IMO. I seriously doubt brand alone would change anything...

Correct neither will probably make a difference. The problem is more than likely face control issue. Not able to get it square or holds off to avoid the hook/pull. 
 

This type of issue gets worse with longer clubs as it becomes harder to get the face square with a steep downswing and room for the arms to swing. Changing the brand won’t change that

[IONEPUTT]

On 10/3/2022 at 4:04 PM, vandyland said:

I have a 55 yard gap at the top of my bag between my driver (260 yds on a good strike) and my 4hybrid (205 yds on a good strike). I have tried to fill this gap with the following:

Cobra 3W (15*)
Callaway Epic 4W (16*)
Off brand 3W (16*)
Taylormade Rescue Fairway (from 2003 thereabouts) (17*)
Taylormade Sim Max 2 5W (18*)

None of these have proven to be reliable so I have been playing with this gap in my bag for the last few months. It has been largely fine. I have been tempted by the King Tec Hybrid and the Callaway UW but I know those will likely be a road to nowhere. Have others given up on fairway woods entirely? How do you fill (or not fill) that spot in your bag? Utility irons? Strong lofted hybrids? Crossovers?
 

Simple answer to your question is that I did NOT give up on fairway woods at all. Just the opposite in fact. I currently carry 4 fairway wood in my bag. 3-9. This gives me a nice 15 yard gap between all my clubs, from driver down to LW. 

[Middler]

3 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Correct neither will probably make a difference. The problem is more than likely face control issue. Not able to get it square or holds off to avoid the hook/pull. 
 

This type of issue gets worse with longer clubs as it becomes harder to get the face square with a steep downswing and room for the arms to swing. Changing the brand won’t change that

And on second thought, it appears the issue is not with the brand/shaft or club - as the OP has used quite a few different clubs. It's more likely a swing issue of some kind, or a mental block? WADR I know quite a few players who have one or several clubs they're convinced they can't hit, it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. I don't like my 3H, but I refuse to give up on it, I know my problem is not the club itself. When I catch it right, it fills a gap in my bag, it's up to me to figure out how to do it more consistently...

[RickyBobby_PR]

4 minutes ago, Middler said:

And on second thought, it appears the issue is not with the brand/shaft or club - as the OP has used quite a few different clubs. It's more likely a swing issue of some kind, or a mental block? WADR I know quite a few players who have one or several clubs they're convinced they can't hit, it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. I don't like my 3H, but I refuse to give up on it, I know my problem is not the club itself. When I catch it right, it fills a gap in my bag, it's up to me to figure out how to do it more consistently...

It could be a combo of the mental and swing as you mention about how the brain works.

The op doesn’t specifically say he has issues with hybrids but based on how he worded his post saying when he catches it good leads me to believe it’s a swing issue with longer clubs. He’s a five handicap so he’s able to navigate around the course pretty well but in another thread about his swing I recall he mentioned he has some rounds in the mid upper 80s so he has good and bad days.

He also posted about his swing on wrx and got some feedback there from some good people and they pointed out some of what I saw in his thread on mgs

[IONEPUTT]

you might want to try a different shaft, one designed just for a faireay wood, and not for a driver.  All my woods have fairway wood shafts that weigh 85 grams and are made just for woods. You might want to try one and see if that helps. 

[vandyland]

22 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The op doesn’t specifically say he has issues with hybrids but based on how he worded his post saying when he catches it good leads me to believe it’s a swing issue with longer clubs. He’s a five handicap so he’s able to navigate around the course pretty well but in another thread about his swing I recall he mentioned he has some rounds in the mid upper 80s so he has good and bad days.

This is all true. For the most part I have settled into less volatility since I shrunk my bag down to 11 clubs. I have that nagging thought in my head that I need a long range club between my 4hybrid and driver but with all the clubs I threw out in the initial post, none of those have gained strokes for me typically over just laying back. 

On WRX I have been getting help implementing the NTC swing from Monte and that (along with getting me to stop crowding the ball) has made me fall back in love with my 5iron. So for a long time I struggled with longer clubs (just from a length of the club perspective) but as I improve I guess I expected the fairway wood to improve as well but it hasn't. 

[NC Golfer]

Done with fairways off the deck. Why are modern fairways so shallow and small. The hy-wood works well for me as a replacement club off the deck.

[Hacker Milt]

I have a Callaway Rogue 7 wood 215 yds and 5 wood 230 yds.  My driver is around 260 on a good strike on firm fairway.  The 7 wood flies extremely high with a carry of around 200 yds.  The 5 wood is great for second shots on par 5 holes.  It has a respectable carry and a good rollout.  I struggle with it from the tee but am working to understand the changes needed to manage it from the tee.

[Shinnman]

Take lessons if a swing issue.  Watch swings with fairway woods on instagram after you take the lessons so you can equate to what you learned and identify what you are doing wrong then to make those changes.  

[vandyland]

17 hours ago, NC Golfer said:

The hy-wood works well for me as a replacement club off the deck.

I am intrigued by the Hy-wood. I was reading the reviews on Golfwrx where they had a members testing run. I think it is getting short listed to try along with Callaway UW, Callaway Super Hybrid and similar clubs in the 17*-18* range. I don't think I can go much lower than that. 

[NC Golfer]

6 hours ago, vandyland said:

I am intrigued by the Hy-wood. I was reading the reviews on Golfwrx where they had a members testing run. I think it is getting short listed to try along with Callaway UW, Callaway Super Hybrid and similar clubs in the 17*-18* range. I don't think I can go much lower than that. 

 

I like my hy-wood. The good shots are great and the mishits are playable. I have a senior shaft. Haven't hit the Callaways.  

[PankaGolf]

Callaway Utility Wood. 
 

Honestly it’s a ridiculous club, teamed with a Tour AD DI 8X it’s probably the best club I’ve ever played. 
 

just want a 15 degree one now. 
 

*** Also learn to swing like Nelly Korda. Game changer from the deck. 

Edited December 29, 2022 by PankaGolf