Driving Iron, hybrid, or fairway… for 200+

[doubleduhric]

Driving Iron, hybrid, or fairway… for 200+
 

Which, why, what factors did you consider making the choice?… was it performance? personal preference? a tip from a friend or a pro? do you carry both or a combination of sorts?

[KOG]

200+ needs to be broken down.

These are what I would use currently.

200y = 25 degree exotics hybrid (go to for 200y) or Ping Anser 23 (trusty) or 23 degree Adams pro dhy (if windy)

200- 220y:  19 degree exotics hybrid for me (more consistent than my 21* wood)

220+ at that point I carry an GBB Epic 3w set to 16 degree

found that I carry my 5 woods between 215-240 and the scatter plot was more varied.  

Luckily I have regular access to trackman and have tried so many different clubs and collected data

19* and 25* exs 220 hybrids plus a single 3 or 4 wood 16-17* works best for me

Edited January 3, 2023 by KOG

[cnosil]

6 hours ago, doubleduhric said:

Driving Iron, hybrid, or fairway… for 200+
 

Which, why, what factors did you consider making the choice?… was it performance? personal preference? a tip from a friend or a pro? do you carry both or a combination of sorts?

I'd suggest you start here:

 

I play hybirds.  Don't hit driving irons well enough for it to be a consideration and I never got really comfortable with fairway woods so performance was the basis for my selection. 

[RollingGreens]

I play a mixture of fairway woods, hybrid, and iron. I like to use my 3 wood for 220+ espescially where I may try to roll something up. 225 and I need to land something in the green my 3 hybrid works well, and my 4 iron for something not on a clean lie 200+, ball flight is lower and could even be used for stingers to advance the ball as close as possible. 

[heavygolffeels]

This is the hardest spot in the bag to fill and is the most prone to rotation. There will never be consensus here. Completely depends on the conditions you are playing in, your swing, especially in terms of speed and attack angle, and the ball flight you prefer to see. Often home course is a consideration as some courses you maybe hitting 200 yards into several greens on long par 3s or shortish par 5s where height and spin are needed. And other courses, 200 yards might be a tee shot on tight par 4s, or as a safe advancement club on a long par 5. Just so many different needs here.

For myself, I've opted to generally play a hybrid as my 210 club. Warm air, little wind, and hard, dry greens in Arizona lends well to height and spin. I've experimented with 7 wood as well, but the hybrid is just more versatile from a variety of lies. Fair amount of desert shots, hardpan, dry fairway bunkers out here. I tend to be more consistent with the shorter shaft as well, so my misses are less severe. I do keep a utility iron in the backup bag though, and am actually testing several more for a Scotland trip. In the past I've been killed at Spanish Bay and Pacific Dunes on windy days when I realized my game, my ball, my clubs are not conditioned well for it. I'll be better prepared this time. 

[KevB_44]

This is tough and depends on a lot of factors--lots of choices.  I have a few clubs can fill the slot, but can't have them all in the bag:

• 3 Wood which is always there and has the longest reach, but needs to have a comfortable lie
• HeavenWood which is quite versatile--light rough, can be launched with high flight/shorter carry, piercing flight impressive carry approaching that of the 3 Wood.  I suppose it is my substitute for a 5 Wood.  Straight or Fade typically.
• This is where it gets interesting:
  • 3 Driving Iron which can be difficult for me at least but it really impressive when I hit it well, but have to be careful as it can run with a low flight
  • 4 Iron which I wish I was more consistent with but it too can run if the trajectory is low
  • 21 degree hybrid which is also versatile like the Heaven Wood--not quite as long, but similar in that I can hit it high or low and perhaps a little better from the thicker rough and I know it will draw (or hook)

As someone else said, subject to rotation, but the default is 3W, HW, 21 Hybrid, 5i when looking at 200+

[Hoyoymac]

Over the last 6 years this part of my bag has changed quite a bit.  My 200 yard club has been either a 4 hybrid, 4 utility iron or 7 wood during that time.  Hybrids have tended to draw or hook for me, so the driving iron and 7 wood have duked it out. 

The last three years I’ve settled on a 16.5 Degree 4 wood (225+ yards) , 21 degree 7 wood (200-210 yards), and 24 degree 5 hybrid (185-195 yards) setup.   

This past year I replaced my Taylormade SIM Ti 5 wood set @ 17 degrees with a Cobra LTDx 3 wood set at 16.5 degrees.  The Taylormade was great off the tee but not so much off the turf.  The Cobra is the best 3 wood I’ve ever had.  It is so much better off the turf that I find that any long shot of over 200 yards I am reaching for it more and more now.   Before my 7 wood was my go to club.  As a result, the 7 wood is only getting use now on long par 3s and when a very specific yardage is needed.  

So I’ve been dabbling with a 4 utility iron again because at my home course there are many instances where a low running shot might be needed to get under trees.  The 7 wood is not as useful for the low shot.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

On 1/2/2023 at 8:02 PM, RollingGreens said:

I play a mixture of fairway woods, hybrid, and iron. I like to use my 3 wood for 220+ espescially where I may try to roll something up. 225 and I need to land something in the green my 3 hybrid works well, and my 4 iron for something not on a clean lie 200+, ball flight is lower and could even be used for stingers to advance the ball as close as possible. 

My approach to this distance range is almost identical to @RollingGreens, anything greater than 220 with a clean lie and I am pulling my 3 wood. If is is 200-220, I am going for my 3 hybrid, and anything greater than 200 out of a less than ideal lie I'll go for my 4 iron and keep it low. 

[hartrick11]

205-220 I will hit 4i (stock carry is 210)

220-240 has been my nemesis zone! I messed around a lot over the past 2 years with a TSi2 hybrid, a King Tec Hybrid, and a P790 UDI, but those are all sitting in the garage collecting dust after I got a RadSpeed Tour 5w a couple of months ago. It's only been 5 live rounds of golf and maybe 25 total shots, but I have used it off the tee and off the deck in various lies; I have found it both more versatile than a utility and more forgiving than both the utility and the hybrids.

240+ is 3w

[Micah T]

Top end of my bag(carry):

Driver -287

3 wood - 268

2 iron* - 255

5 wood* - 245

4 iron- 227

I can’t do anything but hook a hybrid off the planet. I’m sure I could fine tune an adjustable hybrid to mitigate that, but I hit driving irons well off a tee: but not off the deck. So what does this club need to accomplish @doubleduhric? I’m in the process of auditioning a 5wood to add to the quiver.  For 2 of the courses I play regularly, the 2 iron will go in, as these courses are tree-lined/OB heavy. For the other 3 courses, they feature longer par 5’s and forgiving fairways: no need for a tee shot only club like a 2 iron. Do you need to limit your options to 14 clubs? Can you put a driving iron in for certain courses and replace with a hybrid or wood for others? 

[202]

From the fairway, I prefer a hybrid. I hit them much better.

[Parshooter36]

I use 5 wood for 200+ because thats the only club I can het 200 off the deck.

[Stuka44]

I didn't "really" put much thought into it.  It was a matter of need at the time.  Had 3W at 215ish, and 4I at 190, needed a 200 yard club.  The 18degree(2H)  slotted right in and figured to be @ 200 yard for me and it was.  And for the record I bought it at a knockoff place 15 years ago for $36(including shipping and handling, same for 3W!).  At $179-$250 for new name brand ones, I won't be replacing them any time soon with anything else.

Edited January 25, 2023 by stuka44

[saz0418]

The last couple of months of the season, I was gaming the Cleveland Hy-Wood (18 degrees-- hybrid head on a FW wood shaft).  I have struggled with a 3w for the last couple of years, and while the HyWood was not ideal, it was certainly better.   I actually have a 3W (Ping), a 4W (Tour Edition), a 5W (Titleist circa 2017), and a 7-wood (Titleist 915 that I bought as an experiment).  The 3W will go the farthest (say, 195 - 215 depending on strike).  The rest of the clubs have trade-offs with consistency and distance-- and playability from differing lies.  All of them can go betwen 185 and 200.    I would just carry the 3w if I trusted it to be consistent, but miss hits and bad shots were costing me too many strokes.   The HyWood seemed like a nice compromise, and that's why it's in the bag.    I will mention that I shot an even par 72 and a 69 (-2) in the last month of the season with the HyWood in the bag.   But, that was probably more about wedges, short game and putting than what I hit 200 yards.   

I purchased a 3H (used)  to match my 4H, the 4H being my most consistent longer club.  It's a Callaway XR from circa early 2010's (2012, maybe).   I like that set up, too (matched 3h and 4h) , for consistency of strike and fewest bad shots.   I used that some in the  Fall, season, too.  

Ultimately, I just need to learn to hit my 3w better and have confidence to put it in the bag.   That is a goal for early this coming year. 

I can say that you can find really good used clubs for not a lot of money if you want to experiment.  The make and loft will have more to do with the performance than how new the club is.   You can (and should) see what suites your own game the best.  Good Luck.  

[Everardo]

200 yard par-3 where I need it to land/stop on a green, then 21° fairway or a hybrid

200 yard tee shot on a tight par-4 or par-5 then a driving iron/4 iron

[GolfSpy SAM]

2 hours ago, saz0418 said:

The last couple of months of the season, I was gaming the Cleveland Hy-Wood (18 degrees-- hybrid head on a FW wood shaft).  I have struggled with a 3w for the last couple of years, and while the HyWood was not ideal, it was certainly better.   

Yeah, the Hy-Wood gets a LOT of love 'round these parts (where you at, @ole gray??) - interesting to see it's only so-so for you.

 As for me, I realized this is a huge pain-point for me in my bag.  I stopped playing my 4/5 iron early this year - when I hit them well, they cruised, but I was so inconsistent with them, and the launch was not ideal (read: I hit a lot of ground balls to right field...).  Instead, I put in the 5-wood/7-wood that I have (from an ill-advised "trial period" from Warrior golf (insert giant eye-roll emoji here)).  They're VERY easy to hit, but I've discovered a few things.  One, they spin like CRAZY.  Two, they're lofted more like a traditional 9/7 wood - my 7 is 24 degrees, and my 5 is 21 degrees.  What's weird (to me) is that the 3-wood (that came with the set) that I don't usually have in the bag is lofted to 14 degrees.  So ... it goes 14/21/24?? Anyway...

  I typically carry the 5 wood about 200, with very little roll out (balloons up (spin) and drops out of the air), and the 7 about 190 (same flight characteristics).  So I have nothing in my bag that goes anything approaching 210-230, which is where I find myself on most Par 5s (and a few long 4's we have around here).  I've been trying to figure it out, and suddenly it struck me that the 5 should (realistically) be at 18 degrees, and the 7 at 21. 

  I had a fitting last week and hit a 3-wood (the new Paradym was an absolute rocket with perfect launch/spin for me), and sure enough, there's the missing numbering in my bag - flying 225, rolling out to 240.  Like magic.  

  So...I'm either going to put the 3-wood (that came with the set and just see how it goes) in the bag and then find an ACTUAL 5 wood, then play *my* 5-wood as my "190-200" club, or just scrap the Warrior stuff altogether and audition some new 3/5/7 combos (Sub-70, possibly, or PXG if I can get a fitting scheduled).  

  Either way, it'll be nice feeling like I have a (small though it may be) chance to hit a green in 2 after a good drive. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

4i for me will be about 205-210 my Apex UW 21* around 220-225 and my 4w at 235-245 depending how clean i catch it. That UW is a cheat code

[GolfSpy TCB]

Fairway.  No hesitation (unless I need to play to an approach distance - which I should do A LOT more often than just pushing my ball as far down the fairway as I can get it, then playing whatever distance I have left).  Honestly, once I hit the 200 yard mark.. the choices to cover the distance get pretty slim.  

[vandyland]

This part of the bag turns over a lot for me so I shouldn't say it's set but....I feel like it is set (for) now. I have a 22* iron that carries right up to about 200 yards. It is a game improvement iron for sure while my mid and short irons are in the players distance-y category though on the smaller side. The next club is an 18* hybrid that can carry 210-220 from the turf and 225+ off the tee. And that's it. The next club is a driver. 

I have always *wanted* to be able to play a 3W, 4W, 5W in that spot but I just don't get along with them off the turf for long periods of time. Maybe my swing sucks, maybe I suck, but I have hit cobra fairways, titleist fairways, ping fairways and taylormade fairways and they all fall out of favor rather quickly. I am a hybrid guy and I especially like my hybrid now which has a taller face (Callaway Rogue ST Max) and squared off toe. It looks like an iron on the face but has the low CG and launch that I need. So now that I have given up on fairway woods altogether I am much happier. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

On 1/2/2023 at 7:15 PM, doubleduhric said:

Driving Iron, hybrid, or fairway… for 200+
 

Which, why, what factors did you consider making the choice?… was it performance? personal preference? a tip from a friend or a pro? do you carry both or a combination of sorts?

This spot is a revolving door in my bag. If and when I ever figure it out I'll be sure to post, but for now I have a wide Selection and altho s few have had longer stays I just haven't found that club I am truly comfortable with. 

4 crossover is a 200 Club that i use off the tee a good amount. I also have my trusty 3 wood, but it has been used less based solely on the courses I've played. 

[Preeway]

I use a Mizuno Fli High 3-iron as my driving iron which gets me 235-240 consistently. My 4 wood is around 265 and is used more as my driver when I need some distance but also need accuracy. My driving iron is mostly used on short par 4s.

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

I have a fairway wood, driving iron and hybrid all over 200.

depends on what I am trying to do but love them all for specific things. My SIM 3 wood is very consistent off the deck and tee. 

Driving iron is the Newest and I love it. It’s a little more versatile than the hybrid and wood IMO

hybrid again is versatile and like it out of the rough more than the driving iron. Draw biased as well for me

[Merlin1313]

I have a few choices dependent on total distance, weather, ground conditions, what I've got to carry (bunker/water .....) you know- the same concerns everyone else has. My 5I/4 Hybrid is 205-215ish, 3H is 225ish UW is 240ish.

The Iron/Hybrids are a little bit better out the thick stuff. The UW still does a pretty good job unless it's REALLY thick/wet. They all work reliably off the deck or tee.

 

[russtopherb]

Fairway wood for me, more mental than anything else. The head shape gives me more confidence from the fairway vs a hybrid, same if it's off the tee.

[Andrew75]

There's a single club in my bag that regularly carries 200+.  I carry my driver 215 pretty consistently. Next in line is a 5 wood at 190ish.  

[GregGarner]

I take the Mark Crossfield approach to this part of my bag and have intentional overlap so that I can let my circumstance/lie/conditions help inform my decision. I've got a 2i driving iron, 5-wood, 4-hybrid, and 4i and I'll play two of the four in any given round. 4i and 4hy are very, very close in distance, but the 4hy is a little better out of the rough and flies a little higher. Stock 4i is 195 carry and the 4hy is about 200-205 carry.

5w and 2i are the same loft, but extremely different flights. The 5w is very high and floaty with a ton of spin and it's perfect for holding any green, no matter how firm. I can deloft it and get it out there about 240 off a tee or play it stock around 210. The 2i flies flat with very little spin and is absolutely terrible into a green but is an absolute beast off the tee and in the wind.

[scubahoops]

I just went through this debate myself and used some of the same tips and ideas mentioned above.  My recent iron set purchase was 5 - PW and I already had a Ping 7 wood I found at a garage sale that I really like.  The problem is that I can't hit the 7 wood off the ground very well.  So I went through this to see if I wanted a 4 iron, a hybrid or keep the 7 wood and ultimately I purchased a 4 Utility iron.  I demoed a hybrid and I hit it better than I thought I would but to me a portion of it comes down to looks and I just haven't found a hybrid that I like the look of.  I hit irons better off the ground than I do the hybrid or woods and I am really happy with my decision so far, I just played my first round yesterday with my 4U and I had a couple of good shots.  So now the 7 wood will be a choice depending on the course and conditions.  I will keep the 4U in the bag but I may pull the 7 wood and add another wedge if conditions dictate it. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Fair to say I really have a goal in figuring out this section of the bag this season. Kinda hoping we see a long game test that can provide some member reviews for some additional insight!

[Franc38]

For me 200 yards is a (very) solid 6i, more likely a 5.

Then 205 is a 5, for 215 yards, that's my 4i.

225-230 yards I use my 21° old Nike hybrid.

240-255 yards that would be my 4 wood...

 

Except that's very theoretical and unless there's miles of empty bail-out space around a green, I'll never attack anything further than 215 yards (i.e. my 4 iron). I find that both hybrid and fairway-wood tend to curve too much (I play a draw mostly... they very often hook fairly viciously and if I attempt to correct that, sometimes they go straight-ish, but then again they'll often end up fading a bit too much). Plus, lets be honest, my very short game from deep rough, or my bunker play, are not the strongest part of my game so I'm usually better off with 150 yards layup then a 70 yards approach from the middle of the fairway than after 220 yards and a 15 yards chip from a dubious lie.

And that's not much of a question in my game... I'm not long enough (or I do play too long courses) that attacking par 5s in 2 is often a reasonable choice, but I'm long enough that even beastly par 4s have me approach the green with nothing longer than a 6 iron (and most par 4 are Driver+wedge or 4wood+wedge, "wedge" being most of the time a partial 52°)

[wanabe]

At 73 I can't hit anything off the deck 200yrds (ha ha) but for me the long shots have now almost all gone over to woods.  I find I can hit my 7wood about as far as anything due to my being able to get it into the air better.  I carry a 7, 9, and even an 11 wood/5 hybrid for the longer shots.  I have also cut down a couple of woods for more control.  At my age I find distance, although important, has now receeded in importance relative to accuracy and control.  My scoring is more dependant on the short game as I can't reach long par 4's in two anymore.  However, the woods help me get close in order to try to pitch/chip it close and putt.  I generally shoot in the 80's but haven't kept a handicap in a few years now.  As I have aged my game has changed and so has my perspective -- had to let go of the constant search for distance and try to figure out what I could do to continue to score with the body I have now -- had spinal fusion this fall so will see what that means come spring : )