Anyone completely ditched fairway woods in their bags?

[Krls032022]

I’m a senior, 73, and my 3 wood is not leaving any time soon. I also carry a 4 wood & 3 hybrid then 5 thru SW irons.

[Rheustess]

After trying to use fairway woods for years with limited success I have removed them from my bag and replaced them with hybrids. The result has already lowered my handicap by 4 strokes. I may have lost a little distance, but keeping the ball in the fairway makes a huge difference.

[Golf Dawg]

I’ve had a like/hate relationship with my 3W for years.

My Callaway BB 3H is a gamer, but my Cobra 2H isn’t the answer. I have a GBB 3W, but that’s more miss than hit. 

My best luck has been with an Adams Speedline Super S 3W. It rotates in/out of my bag. 

[Sherlock]

On 8/17/2023 at 9:43 AM, jbsap said:

As the title would suggest, I am toying with the idea of ditching my 3 wood and adding an additional long iron.  Distance is one of my strengths, and I play my 3 hybrid 19.5 deg. to 240 carry.  My next iron is a P770 4 iron that I play to about 210 carry.  I am horrendous with my fairway wood, but when it does stay remotely straight it is a 270 club and is rarely used for one reason or another.  Thinking about getting a p790 3 iron and adjusting my hybrid to 18 degrees in the hopes of filling that 225 range and having the hybrid jump a few more yards.

Anyone else done something similar?  My gapping towards the bottom of the bag is pretty good so an additional wedge wouldn't help me.  

I was in the same boat for a while. I didnt have a 3 wood in my bag. Got one finally a few years ago and didnt use it because of the inconsistency. I got 18 degree hybrids instead and just had large gap issues beyond 250 yards. I got a 3 iron to match my set (Titleist T200) but that didnt work out for me despite being a good iron striker. Decided to get custom fitted into that p790 utility iron, but you really cant hit that club out the rough and barely out the fairway. It was really a useless club for me even it was a beastly fairway finder off the tee. I ditched that p790 for the U505 utility as you can hit that out the rough. It worked for a while but it didnt have the same distance as the p790. Then i decided to get custom fitted for a tsr3 4 wood. Game changer!! I could get that 235-240 with consistency. I liked the fit so much that I decided to get a 5 wood as well, and that has been great. I still had that 250 gap in my bag and still didnt want to get a 3 wood, so I recently purchased the callaway paradym super hybrid 16 degrees (sold my p790 and got double the trade-in credit for a 21 degree hybrid that I didnt need to pay for super hybrid) and dialed the super hybrid down to 15 degrees!! LOVE IT!!! Played in a scramble this past weekend and we reached all the par 5s in two from 240-255 out, even out of the rough. So right now im gaming a callaway paradym super hybrid 15 degree (240-250), titleist TSR3 4 wood 16.5 degrees (230-240, tee), titleist TSR3 3 hybrid 18 degrees (200-220, long par 3s), titleist 2021 T200 5 iron (190-200, axiom shafts). All my woods and hybrids have the custom fujikara ventus shafts which have helped me tremendously. Depending on the course, I may switch out the hybrid for my 5 wood. My bag is finally set after many years of tweaking!!

Edited September 18, 2023 by Sherlock

[Wozgolf]

I got rid of my 3 woods. 
The only club in the bag that would slice all the time (must be the club).

I went to a 17 deg hybrid (2). 
Now my mis hits will go straighter.

Maybe its the shorter length that helps.

[US_Navy_Retired]

Short answer, yes

I'm not long off of the tee so I rarely have the opportunity to get after par 5's in two anyways. I'm a strong iron player and take no shame in laying up with my 7 iron or whatever to 100'ish yards.

I do carry a 5 wood and it rarely if ever comes out of the bag.

[RwsGolf1]

Although still in my bag, the 3 wood is a waste in my bag.  I use my 3 hybrid which is adjusted to a stronger loft for almost all long fairway needs.  No, maybe not as long but much easier to hit and better out of the rough.  I need to take some time and determine how to best replace its position in my bag.

[billybogey]

Congrats on being a Long Hitter!! Wish I was as am a Legend in my own Mind & now Hit from "Reds" as need all the help I can get to keep "close" to young guns!! So 1-3-5Woods + 4Hybird are staying in my Bag.  Even a 7W has made an appearance. It is the "Head" that is made of Wood ["Bright" Shine has seen Better Day's] that is more the problem!! Just sayin' Sports Fans.

[Forbes]

Buy the g430 2 hybrid. 17* and you can deloft it to as low as 15.5*. I just did and it’s great. 

[wely324]

I’d go with the stronger loft hybrid and add a 3 iron in your case. I’ve been thinking of taking out my 3w and adding a 2 iron as I rarely get to play courses where a 3w is used off the deck. 

[RwsGolf1]

26 minutes ago, Forbes said:

Buy the g430 2 hybrid. 17* and you can deloft it to as low as 15.5*. I just did and it’s great. 

You are not the first that has recommended the G430, I need to go to a fitting to see how I can make it work.

[MCMSR]

Currently, carry the 3w (tee-shots only) — Using 4-5x/ round, on shorter par-4/5s. Otherwise, driver then 4/5h from fairways/rough. Years ago, carried 3-5-7w; swing changed & much better/ consistent results with the hybrids. 

[BMDubya]

I have switched from a std 3wd, to a 3HL. I got the ball fairly long, and hardly use my 3wd. I play an older Adams idea proto 4h @20°. I’ve had 2 3 wood, the past 10,11yrs. Had the TM RBZ 14.5°, which was an absolute cannon! But I generally would only hit it every once in a while. So a few years back, I started keeping stats & noticed that I didn’t really need it, but could use a 4/5wd. So I sold the RBZ & went with a TM M3 3HL. Still play it! But iykyk! A fairway wood is something you just can’t part with, once you find one that works! I would definitely look into the “High Launch “ options. 

[d0m41n]

I've done the same. I cannot get my swing down with the 3 wood (or others). Went to a 2 hybrid. Much more consistent with it and like you mentioned, I like that I can keep my shots down if necessary. I really want to keep the 3 wood in my bag but need to figure out what's going on.

[Dilly22]

I think this is a unique question and one I have played with over the last couple years… previously I had up to 4i and 3H with driver at the top. I was finding I was limited on longer par 5 so I liked the idea of a 3W when necessary. In this process i also found a 2i that I custom made and it’s a weapon off the tee. I have occasionally hit it out of the rough or FW when I need less than 3W and more than 4i. I will say hybrids are definitely more versatile. Still comes down to user preference. 

[McGolf]

I have had a fairway wood in the bag for years. Doesn’t fit my swing

[chris_]

On 8/17/2023 at 7:43 AM, jbsap said:

As the title would suggest, I am toying with the idea of ditching my 3 wood and adding an additional long iron.  Distance is one of my strengths, and I play my 3 hybrid 19.5 deg. to 240 carry.  My next iron is a P770 4 iron that I play to about 210 carry.  I am horrendous with my fairway wood, but when it does stay remotely straight it is a 270 club and is rarely used for one reason or another.  Thinking about getting a p790 3 iron and adjusting my hybrid to 18 degrees in the hopes of filling that 225 range and having the hybrid jump a few more yards.

Anyone else done something similar?  My gapping towards the bottom of the bag is pretty good so an additional wedge wouldn't help me.  

I'm curious about your gapping. I hit a 770 4 iron about 220 carry and a G430 3 hybrid about 235-240 carry. Fills the gap for me perfectly. Seems like you should be getting a few more yards out of that 4 iron if you hit that hybrid that far. That said, I carry a TSR 2 4 wood. I struggle with a 3 wood, like most people, and feel that I hit a 5 wood too high. 4 wood is about 250 carry for me and is the perfect long par 5 second shot club or driver replacement. 

Edited September 18, 2023 by chris_

[funkyjudge]

I had thought about dropping my 4-wood in favor of the new 16* Callaway Paradym Super Hybrid that I recently purchased. However, I also managed to snag a nearly-new Tour Edge Exotics C722 3-wood that had been built to -1" in length (42.5") with a Diamana D+ 80-S shaft.  I hit that Exotics FW wood so well that I have only played the Paradym Super Hybrid one time, so for now the C722 "4-wood", which I have set to 15.75* loft -- exactly the same length and loft spec's to the damaged 4 year-old, and much used Titleist TS2 4-wood that I had to remove from the bag due to a crack in the crown.  It's possible that the Paradym Super Hybrid will find its way into my bag at some point, but for now the C722 has that spot locked-down.

[funkyjudge]

5 minutes ago, chris_ said:

I'm curious about your gapping. I hit a 770 4 iron about 220 carry and a G430 3 hybrid about 235-240 carry. Fills the gap for me perfectly. That said, I carry a TSR 2 4 wood. I struggle with a 3 wood, like most people, and feel that I hit a 5 wood too high. 4 wood is about 250 carry for me and is the perfect long par 5 second shot club or driver replacement. 

You hit a 4-wood slightly longer than I do (the Titleist TS2 was good for about 235 yards all day long, with an occasional tee shot closer to 240-245 yards). While I was getting used to the Exotics C722 "4-wood", with the exact loft and length spec's to my retired TS2 4-wood, I was averaging 225 to 227 yards from off the deck and in the low-mid 230s from the tee. Now that I have gotten the C722 FW dialed-in, I'm averaging a bit more than 235 yards with it, so almost exactly what I was getting with that TS2 4-wood.

Last Thursday, I played golf with a couple of friends that I hadn't seen since late May of this year. My one buddy, who travels with me to Myrtle Beach every spring and knows my golf game (and the equipment that I use) quite well, was surprised that I had taken the Titleist TS2 4-wood out of my bag until I told him that a deep scratch in the crown had turned into a small crack in that clubhead. After seeing me hit the Exotics C722 FW off the tee on several holes, he said, "Considering the way that you hit that fairway wood, I'm surprised that you even hit your driver."  He may have a point there, but occasionally I unleash a 265+ yard drive in the fairway, which I could never do with the C722 "4-wood".

[MattWillGolf]

I carry a 16 degree 3 wood. I'm a bit inconsistent with it off the fairway but works quite well off of the tee. It comes in handy on my home course that is tree lined and has some tight driving holes. 

[jbern]

I use a pretty traditional setup. Dr flies 265, 3w - 240, 5w - 225, 4hy - 205. At the beginning of the season, I had trouble getting any of them off the ground, but I found that it was a ball position issue for me and since making that adjustment, I’ve been hitting them all pretty decently.

I can’t imagine using 2i or 3i and having much success. I could see using a 4i instead of the 4hy, but I’m having success with the high straight flight of the hybrid.

[RwsGolf1]

3 hours ago, US_Navy_Retired said:

Short answer, yes

I'm not long off of the tee so I rarely have the opportunity to get after par 5's in two anyways. I'm a strong iron player and take no shame in laying up with my 7 iron or whatever to 100'ish yards.

I do carry a 5 wood and it rarely if ever comes out of the bag.

I agree, most people do not know how to move their second shot to a yardage they are most comfortable (especially on par 5s0 with.  As I am no where near as long as i used to be, this is my strategy most of the time.

[Badgermc76]

I love my 3w. Hell NO.  

[RwsGolf1]

5 minutes ago, Badgermc76 said:

I love my 3w. Hell NO.  

Used to love mine too, now it does not like me.

[RwsGolf1]

1 hour ago, funkyjudge said:

I had thought about dropping my 4-wood in favor of the new 16* Callaway Paradym Super Hybrid that I recently purchased. However, I also managed to snag a nearly-new Tour Edge Exotics C722 3-wood that had been built to -1" in length (42.5") with a Diamana D+ 80-S shaft.  I hit that Exotics FW wood so well that I have only played the Paradym Super Hybrid one time, so for now the C722 "4-wood", which I have set to 15.75* loft -- exactly the same length and loft spec's to the damaged 4 year-old, and much used Titleist TS2 4-wood that I had to remove from the bag due to a crack in the crown.  It's possible that the Paradym Super Hybrid will find its way into my bag at some point, but for now the C722 has that spot locked-down.

I have the Super Hybrid as well.  Looks more like a FW wood but plays like a hybrid.

[JPDELGADO]

5 hours ago, Dweed said:

Have to admit, the 3W isn’t my “best friend” but I generally do OK with it and really need that gap filler.  Welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy. Welcome.

Thanks for the warm welcome @Dweed still figuring my way around here! Totally agree with you....

[TylorJudd]

I'm diving even further into FW. With the addition of the Stealth 2+ 3w, I'm going to drop my 18° TSi2 Hybrid in favour of a 5 wood. Not sure what kind yet, TSr3 or Stealth 2+ preferably. As I progress lower in my index, I find these as better options, more forgiving, and a little more user friendly now

[funkyjudge]

1 hour ago, RwsGolf1 said:

I agree, most people do not know how to move their second shot to a yardage they are most comfortable (especially on par 5s0 with.  As I am no where near as long as i used to be, this is my strategy most of the time.

Absolute fact! If you cannot comfortably reach a green (par 5 or otherwise) with a high enough trajectory on the ball to achieve a soft(ish) landing, lay up!  And as a pro once told me, "lay up means LAY UP".  If you are truly comfortable hitting a 40-60 yard partial wedge shot into a green, and can stop the ball from that distance, then it's OK to lay up to 40-60 yards; however, most golfers are not comfortable hitting the partial wedge shot.  Furthermore, most golfers can't get a shot of that length to check-up. If that is the case, then you should lay up to whatever distance you comfortably hit a full PW (or AW or GW).

[buckpillar]

2 hours ago, McGolf said:

I have had a fairway wood in the bag for years. Doesn’t fit my swing

I would rather play a fairway wood than a hybrid. Seems better contact for me with a fairway wood.

[BallsLeon]

I haven’t figured out hybrids quite yet, wish they worked better for me, but I’ve also only tried a few (Rogue ST Max OS, Stealth, 949x, and some Epic variety).

So far liking fairway woods and have good success from tee/fw/rough, specifically my 0311XF 7-wood. Have had good success with a 3-wood as well before, and considering buying one for next season.