Nellie1 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I have gone in the other direction after years of fairway wood failure. I stopped at a club fitting at a local club and found a 3 wood I could hit with consistency. Now it is my money club on par 5’s and short and narrow par 4’s. I have since added a 5 wood same brand with equal success. William P, TJ Hall, gingerbeast87 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment
Bfoster06 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I got rid of my 3 wood and replaced it with a 5 wood. One of the best decisions I've made in my bag. I can hit my 5 wood consistently off the tee or deck. Past few rounds I have benched my driver and just used 5 wood. It's straight and long enough when the driver is acting up. I've debated on swapping my 4 hybrid for a 7 wood but not sure yet. TJ Hall, HikingMike, EnderinAZ and 1 other 4 Quote Driver- Taylormade Aeroburner 9 degree Woods- Taylormade RBZ 3W Hybrid- Taylormade RBZ 3H Irons- 2021 T-300 irons (5-GW) Wedges-Cleveland RTX 588 54-10, 58-08. Putter-Ping Sigma 2 Anser Link to comment
Frozen Spy Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Ever thought about a 7 or 5 wood? These things are remarkably easy to hit and with the adjustability could fill those gaps in your bag. With the gap you have between your 3 hybrid and 4 iron you might be able to go with a 4 hybrid and narrow that gap, might give you a little more versatility as well. Just a thought. I've been toying with the idea but my woods are such a weapon in my bag it's hard to take them out. I carry a 3 and 5 wood. TJ Hall, EnderinAZ and William P 3 Quote Link to comment
BigJerry Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 bit late to the party but I saw this forum pop up in my mails. Describes the exact problem I'm having at the moment - hit my 3w once over the weekend which felt like the first time in probably 4 months. Its not because I can't hit it - I'm just having enough success and distance with my driver, hybrid and 4i. I find my 3w to be quite weak into the wind so have considered potentially a driving iron as a swap to help lower the ball flight but haven't mad the move yet. Driver: Cobra LTD-X Ls - xstiff 3wood - taylormade sim - 15 deg - stiff shaft hybrid - srixon 19 deg - stiff shaft irons - mizuno jpx800 right through the bag William P, TJ Hall and EnderinAZ 3 Quote Titleist driver, Sim 3 wood, Srixon hybrid, mizuno irons and a 3 ball putter - I’ll play anything Link to comment
taylorjonasher Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I currently have D, 5W, 4i at the top end after selling my 3W to a buddy this year. I just couldn't hit it very well, and I also struggle with pulling / snap hooking my 5W. However, when I DO hit my 5W flush it's an absolute missile launcher, usually around 250. It only comes on when I have lots of room left and right to play with; I weaken my grip aggressively (the only club in my bag that I do this with) and try to visualize a 45* in to out path to be able to hit it straight. If I forget to do this it's a guaranteed new ball coming out of the pouch! I am currently exploring new FW woods and a utility / driving iron; leaning towards TSR's and the U505. Going to get fit as soon as my kids stop getting sick! TJ Hall, William P and EnderinAZ 3 Quote Titleist TSR3 // Tensei 1K Black 65g Titleist TSR3 3W 15* // HZRDOUS Black 70g Titleist U505 2i // HZRDOUS Black 85g Taylormade P770 4-PW // Nippon NS Pro Modus 3 105g Callaway JAWS MD5 50* Callaway JAWS Raw 54* / 58* Taylormade Spider GTX Single Bend Splitback / Ping Zing 2 Titleist ProV1 // Srixon Z-Star XV (Depending on how much money I want to lose any given swing) Link to comment
funkyjudge Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 5 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said: I'm the opposite and I have added more over time. Me, too. I often carry three fairway "woods" these days. Dead Solid Bogey, GolfSpy_APH, EnderinAZ and 1 other 4 Quote DR - Callaway Paradym AI Smoke TD, Newton Motion 4-Dot 4W - Callaway Paradym 3HL, Newton Motion Fairway shaft, 4-Dot HYB - Paradym X 18*, HZRDUS Smoke Red 80S; Sub 70 949X 21*, same shaft 7W (if played) - Sub 70 849, ProForce Black 80-S Irons - Callaway Paradym, HZRDUS Silver Gen 4, S-flex Wedges - Edison 2.0, 53* and 57* (bent to 58*), KBS TGI 100 Putter - (currently in flux, but usually an Evnroll 8V Ball - Maxfli Tour-X CG (2023) Bags - Ghost Golf Maverick Black Ops Cart - MotoCaddy M7 Remote (without the remote) Spoiler driver / off the tee is no longer a weakness for me! Link to comment
Mark.Anderson Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Ultimately I think it comes down to your comfort level in not carrying a 3 wood. With your distance I honestly don’t think you would even need another long iron. I got rid of my 3 wood this off-season and moved to a stealth 2, 3 hybrid that I got fitted for when I got fitted for the new P790s when they launched in September. I’ve only hit simulators since I got the clubs because Indiana golf sucks this time of year, but I’m averaging 260-265y with 3 hybrid, so no real need for a 3 wood in my opinion. EnderinAZ, TJ Hall and William P 3 Quote I've actually had a hole in one! Link to comment
Zman56 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I struggle with my long irons and love my 3 & 5 woods. I was fitted for both of them over the last two years. Both long and straight! Ping G425 3 wood and Cobra AeroJet 5 Wood. EnderinAZ, William P and TJ Hall 3 Quote Zgolfen Link to comment
Erin B Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Interesting title and topic. I did remove my fairways about 15 years ago, but in the last two years have added hybrids. I am thinking about going back to long irons. I currently do not have a 3 or 5 wood. I do have the mini driver though. TJ Hall and William P 2 Quote I could play golf every day and learn something new each time. Driver: Callaway Paradym TD 9* Driver- Steadfast S Jupiter 45” shaft Ping 425-6 Dot Newton tipped 45" shaft TaylorMade 11.5* Mini Driver-Steadfast S 45” shaft Hybrids: PXG 0317 17*, 19* Steadfast S Jupiter shafts, PXG 211 22*-Project X Even Flow Riptide X shafts Irons: New Level 6-PW 902PD 6.5 ProjectX IO shafts Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 50*, 52*, 56* (TW Grind) Putter: TaylorMade Truss Heal PXG Bat Attack Ping Anser Ball: OnCore VeroX Titleist Pro V1X Callaway Chrome TourX https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/63746-motocaddy-m-series-carts-2024-forum-member-review/?do=findComment&comment=1042686 https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/63748-bridgestone-mindset-golf-ball-testing-sampling-and-shot-scope-ops/?do=findComment&comment=1046248 https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/62621-forum-member-reviews-callaway-whitebox-testing/?do=findComment&comment=1020558 Link to comment
Fatshot Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Mine is a SENIOR perspective, as I'm 78 years old.....several years ago, I read a similar discussion on another forum where a guy said in his opinion seniors should carry nothing stronger than a 20 degree fairway wood, b/c their swing speeds usually aren't fast enough to get a 15* 3 wood up in the air. I decided to try that approach, and have since gone to carrying a 20, 23, and a 26. I also have a 25 degree hybrid that bridges the gap between my 26* wood and my 6 iron. Just my .02 cents worth, but his approach has worked pretty well for me. William P, Dead Solid Bogey, HikingMike and 1 other 4 Quote Driver: Ping G, 12*, Senior Flex Woods: Orlimar Trimetal +, 20* and 26* /Taylormade 300 Series 23* Hybrid: Maltby STi, 24* Irons: Maltby PTM, 6-PW Wedges: Indi SuperGap 49* Maltby M-Series 54* and 58* Putter: Maltby PTM-5 mallet Link to comment
sandwedge59 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Me and fairway woods have been a 35 year plus love / hate relationship with it being mostly hate because for every 10 times i tried to use them from the fairway / rough i would hit them solid 2 maybe 3 times so it was a no brainer to not use them off the grass period however the 3 wood off the tee i would hit solid on average 7 out of 10 which i call acceptable and for the most part it was the reason to keep a fairway wood in the bag but with me at 67 years old i have been moving up to the senior tees and i can get solid / quality ball striking with a hybrid so for the 2024 golf season i will permanently stop using fairway woods and go exclusively with hybrids only , i have more confidence with a hybrid so it is time to make a permanent switch , golf is meant to be a fun experience and i will move in a direction to have fun this year moving forward . William P and EnderinAZ 1 1 Quote Maltby KE4 tour TC 11 degree driver Maltby KE 4 21 and 23 degree rescue hybrids Ping I 525 forged irons 5 thru pw black dot Ping glide 4.0 47 degree gap wedge Ping glide 3.0 eye 2 54 and 58 degree wedges / all irons /wedges have tensei AV series senior flex graphite LAB golf MEZZ 1 custom broomstick putter with Accra grapite shaft lie angle 79.5 length 46 inches Link to comment
pwhite150 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I did late this past summer. It started with me trying to prep for a trip to Ireland a couple years ago and I ditched my 7 wood for a 3 driving iron. It's been a fairway finder for me ever since and is a confident club. This past fall I looked at my Arches data and hadn't hit my 3 wood since June due to my miss of a high spinny right miss with it, so I went and picked up a 2 driving iron. U505 but bent it to 17 degrees from the 18 to fit the gap between the 3 iron and it. It's been good thus far. I know some hit fairway wood better but I'm a better long iron hitter than fairway wood player. If it works for you it works! EnderinAZ, William P and TJ Hall 3 Quote A middle aged guy working hard to lower his handicap and have as much fun doing it. I'm typically a Titleist guy but last year put Srixon irons in the bag and have loved them. I've been lucky enough to play 3 times in the UK as well, just getting back from England and Ireland in July so I can help with questions on that front as well. Link to comment
EnderinAZ Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Pulled the 3, 5, and 7 woods out and replaced them this spring when I was fitted with Ping 2, 3, and 4 hybrids. I have to say I really miss my 7 wood. An off the shelf Tour Edge, it is my favorite "oh crap, that is a terrible lie" long club. But, the 4 hybrid does the same thing and I can play it low and straight in a wind. The 7 NEVER went low. I had a love hate relationship with my 3w and that depended upon golfer had his hands on the club that day -slow and steady or wired up and excited. Wired up and excited always pushes right with a fade, and tended to show up on the course more often. The 5 wood was just a place holder in the bag. It might get used twice a year., so it came out. I could honestly do the same with the 3 hybrid today. It really is just a club to put in an empty slot. TJ Hall 1 Quote Driver Sim Max2 Hybrids G430 2, 3, 4 Irons ZX4 6-PW Wedges Hi-Toe 50, 54, 58 Putter 2Ball Ten ArmLock Golf cart MGI Zip Navigator Link to comment
Byrnzee Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I ditched my 3 wood this past season and opted for a 2-iron and a 3-hybrid at the top of the bag. I couldn't really hit my 3 wood well so I figured might as well get rid of it. As I've become fond of the 2-iron (especially off the tee), I've ditched the 3-hybrid and I am returning to a 3 wood (albeit a new one with a better-fitting shaft) for this upcoming season TJ Hall and William P 2 Quote Current WITB: Bag: MV2 Golf Bag Driver: G425 Max 9.0º,Ventus Blue Velocore 6S Fairway: TSR2 3 wood 15º,Ventus Red Velocore 7S Driving Iron: U505 2-iron, Graphite Design Tour AD DI-85S Irons: MP-54 (4-P), Project X 6.0S Wedges: 50.09 SB, 54.11 SB, 58.11 SB Putter: California Del Mar, 34.5 Sweet Rollz "Safari" Midsize Grip Ball: Tour B XS Link to comment
Preeway Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I game a 16.5° 3-wood that I use primarily off the tee when I need something shorter in distance because my driver will reach potential trouble. I will occasionally hit it into par 5s if the situation is right. It is possibly the least played club in my bag but I will guess my 4-iron and 5-iron are also played minimally as well. Just don’t hit a lot of shots over 200 yards that aren’t drives. TJ Hall and William P 2 Quote Driver: Aerojet LS, Ventus Blue Shaft - 6S 4 Wood: Rogue ST Max 16.5, Tensei White Shaft - 7S Utility Iron: Fli Hi 3-iron, HAZARDOUS Smoke Black Shaft - S Irons: JPX 921 Tour 4-P, Project X Shafts - Stiff 125g Wedges: 52º, 56º, 60º Putter: Ai-One 7 T CH, 34" Preferred Ball: Z-Star Diamond Pushcart: Nitron Rangefinder: Tour V5 Shift Link to comment
Julius Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 No and wouldn't think to. I have a 3,5 and 7 wood, and would keep them (I might drop the 3 wood only because my 5 wood also gets very good distance and is slightly more consistent). I carry one hybrid which is more for taller grass (I play mostly Links courses). I cannot hit a long iron to save myself, I start with a 5 iron that I usually only use to get out of trouble if I am under a branch or something and need to keep it low but get roll. My iron use really starts at a 6 iron. I tried irons from 2 to 4 in the bag but I just could not hit them consistently and it was hard to see a distance/consistency/accuracy tradeoff that made sense. TJ Hall, Fatshot and William P 3 Quote 425's- 5i to PW, UW G400 Driver, G425 3W, G425 7W, G425 3H 56 degree Hi-Toe wedge Glide 60 degree Evnroll ER3 Link to comment
vandyland Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I still keep my Sim 2 Max 5 wood and I look at it longingly every now and then. For some reason, I really WANT to be able to play a fairway wood. I am not sure if it is vanity or conformity or just the frustration of not being able to do something golf-related. It is almost like the final level to any swing improvement or change...when I am playing good sustained golf I always pull the 5 wood out...take it to the range...and then hit it like crap. I don't think it is a setup issue, the shaft is known and comfortable to me and I have a 4W as well that I sometimes try to hit and it is similarly bad. Maybe that will be a goal some year is to "hit 5 good shots in a row at the range with a fairway wood". Haha. I don't know what is about them but I cannot get along with them. TJ Hall, William P, Fatshot and 2 others 5 Quote STZ 230 9.5*/STZ 230 Hybrid 21.25*/ Pro Fli-Hi 21* MALTBY TS1-IM 5-GW Equalizer II 54* / Carnoustie 60* L.A.B. Directed Force 2.1 Maxfli Tour X Official Review -- https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/63068-testers-announced-maxfli-tour-x-golf-balls-with-max-align-technology/?do=findComment&comment=1021832 Link to comment
StrokerAce Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) On the contrary! I've realized after trial and error and missing too many shots that my best chances for lower scores are by starting at a 6 iron. That leaves me with a 23* hybrid 19* hybrid 16* 4w 14.5* 3w The fact that the center of gravity can be moved in these makes them more forgiving for me and I don't see anything changing soon. FWIW: I think the term "fairway wood" is a little misleading. I probably use the 3 and 4 wood more off of the tee than the fairway. I might use them off the fwy once a round if I feel like going for a long par5 without many hazards. Edited January 8 by StrokerAce TJ Hall and William P 2 Quote Driver- Cobra Aerojet LS 9.5 Woods- Cobra LTD 3w 15*, 5W 19*, F9 24* Irons- Titleist 718 AP2 (6i-50*) Wedges- Callaway Jaws Raw (54/58) Putter- Axis1 TourHM Ball- Maxfli Tour X Buggy- Motocaddy M7 GPS Remote Electric Caddy Bag- Motocaddy Dry-Series Proudly testing for 2024: Link to comment
d0m41n Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I actually just added the wood back to the bag. I couldn't hit it worth anything and I finally got my swing with it now. Now my conundrum is, at the 3 courses I sort of cycle play, I can really only use it on maybe 3-4 holes or replace my Driver to use it more? I have a long iron but I was struggling with it as well but I like the idea of less roll out with the iron. I'm torn. William P 1 Quote Damien--Titleist & TaylorMade enthusiast. Bag is feeling betrayed with no TaylorMade items in it currently. Former College golfer. Callaway Paradym AI Smoke Max 10.5 Titleist 816 H1 Hybrid 19* Byrdie Golf Designs OG Collection Irons 4-PW CG14 60 degree T22 Copper C Grind 56.06 Degree Pinemeadow EGI Chipper Cleveland Cleveland Golf HB Soft Premier #10.5C OS 35" OnCore Vero X2 & X1 balls Red Rooster Testing Review: Titleist White Box Testing Review: Link to comment
Another Steve Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 From 1999 a 2012 i played Driver, putter, 2i-pw, 51*, 56*, 60*. In 2013 I pulled the 2i and added the 5w back in. In 2017 I pulled the 3i and added a 3w. I am long overdue for a new set of irons but will probably keep the 3/5w in the bag as I never had much success with hybrids. There IS a good chance that the current 5w might get replaced since it dates back to the mid 1990’s. William P and TJ Hall 2 Quote Link to comment
Iowa Hacker Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I am down to just one, a 4 wood. Typically, it hides in the bag except for a couple tims a round on par 5's and long par 4's depending on the lie. I started playing with a 3 and 4 Hybrid last year and they became go to clubs that I hit consistently. The 4 wood is kind of a feast or famine club for me. William P and hoppman 2 Quote Mavrik 9 Degree Mavrik 4 Wood Mavrik 3 Hybrid Mavrik 4 Hybrid CBX 52 Degree Smart Sole S White Hot #5 Link to comment
Divescribe Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 As an older “gentleman” with bad hips and a bad back, my distances are significantly less than the OP. Driver is about 200 so my 3 wood is indispensable. I hit with that club about 180. Next down is a 7 wood (love this baby) at 170. Yes, I know the gapping is off. it took a while to learn to use the 3 wood but I am not sure a low iron will provide the same results. Dead Solid Bogey, William P and Donn lost in San Diego 2 1 Quote The Big Man Link to comment
ElmMan Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I don't have your swing speed. I added a 7 wood to my bag. Fairway woods are a key part of my game to make up for my lack of length. Dead Solid Bogey, Donn lost in San Diego, Fatshot and 1 other 4 Quote G400 Max driver, Alta CB shaft R heavenwood Hybrids - 3 and 4 set to different settings depending on course. Sometimes a Taylormade 4 Maltby STi2 irons 5-GW, Fujikura Shaft 54, 58 Ardmore 3 putter Link to comment
Dead Solid Bogey Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 38 minutes ago, Divescribe said: As an older “gentleman” with bad hips and a bad back, my distances are significantly less than the OP. Driver is about 200 so my 3 wood is indispensable. I hit with that club about 180. Next down is a 7 wood (love this baby) at 170. Yes, I know the gapping is off. it took a while to learn to use the 3 wood but I am not sure a low iron will provide the same results. I am almost with you in distance. I am afraid that the only time I will ever see a 200 yard drive again, will be on mid-August cement like sun baked caliche based fairway, with a 30 mph wind, going downwind. William P 1 Quote Link to comment
hoppman Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Down to a TSR 4wd for long par 5s, I have, 3, 4, 5 Cobra LTDx hybrids that I seem to hit long and straight, along with my 6-P irons. I tend to get more rollout on the courses I play and the hybrids tend to launch a low so it works for me. Having back surgery in a couple of weeks and have no idea how that might impact my swing. William P 1 Quote Link to comment
pdr747 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I did years ago. Carry a 19.5 hybrid carry of 250 off tee 240 off the ground use a 4 iron crossover for 225 and then 4 iron. Quote Taylor Made M1 Driver Sub 70 3 hybrid Ping Crossover 4 iron i10 Ping Irons Vokey Wedges 52, 56, 60 Link to comment
dinomack99 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I had tried for many years too ditch my fairway woods. I typically defaulted to a 2 hybrid to replace my three wood with mixed results. It was very difficult to hit and always came up about 10 to 15 yards shorter than the 3-wood. This didn't put it much further than my 18° 3-hybrid. After getting the mega hot Stealth 3 hybrid, I splurged on the 3-wood shortly after and have no regrets whatsoever. I just need to swing within myself and the results are typically about 230 to 240 yards. Donn lost in San Diego 1 Quote DR: PXG 0311 Gen 5 with Tensei White Extra Stiff 3W: PXG 0211 with Tensei White Extra Stiff 3H: Tour Exotics EX221 with HZRDUS Smoke Black Stiff IRN: 2021 PXG 0211 with MMT Mitsubishi Stiff 54/58: Cleveland CBX P: Wilson Infinite Buckingham Link to comment
Jeffthechef23 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I actually think fairway woods are becoming harder to hit as the technology has moved on . Over the last 5/6 years I have bought various Callaway , Ping , PXG and Titleist fairway woods and have struggled with all of them after initial success . I have now gone back to my old faithfuls Callaway FTiz 3 and 5 woods which must be at least 10 years old . Once again I am loving them and usually hitting them past most of my peers Drivers . I plan to stick with these as long as they stay in good health . Donn lost in San Diego 1 Quote Jeffrey Patterson Link to comment
LinksgolfFever Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Over the past two seasons I've bounced around on either side of this. Played 3 and 5 wood, dropped the 5 replaced with a hybrid º19, dropped the 3 wood, replaced with a 2 iron, etc. Last season I went to a course specific setup. I tend to play the same 6-10 courses on a mostly regular basis and since I know what I need where I adjust my bag depending on the course. Drop the 3 wood for a 2 iron, pull the 5 wood and add a 4th wedge. Playing in the wind, carry a driver º9, drop the 3 and 5 wood carry a 2 and 3 iron, pull a wedge. trying to maintain as consistent of club gaps as possible. Dead Solid Bogey 1 Quote B_LinksGolf "Any day golfing is better than a day in the office" What's in the Bag: Driver: Callaway Rogue ST 3diamond LS: Tensei raw blue 65g stiff 3w/5w: Callaway Rogue ST LS: Tensei raw blue 65g stiff 4i-6i: Callaway '24 Apex CB/Modus 3 130 X-stiff 7i-10i: Callaway '24 Apex MB/Modus 3 130 X-stiff Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (matte black) 50ºs-grind/54ºs-grind/58ºz-grind Putter: Callaway AI-one Jailbird mini DB 35" Link to comment
Wu1f Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I returned to golf last summer after 15 years away from the game (I'm now 67). Once I ironed out some swing issues, I decided to do a full bag fitting to replace my 20-25 year-old clubs. I ended up with the latest Titleist T200 irons (6-iron through gap wedge) and a Titleist TSR1 driver. I wanted to try hybrids to fill that gap in between the driver and the 6-iron. At that time, the gap was small enough that the fitter felt I really only needed one hybrid, a 23-degree Titleist TSR1. He predicted that as I grew accustomed to my new clubs, larger gaps would start to form on one or both sides of the 23-degree hybrid. He suggested that until then it didn't make much sense to spend the money for additional hybrids. (Wow, a fitter who recommended spending LESS money!) At first, I really struggled with the hybrid. Off tight lies, I hit it like I would a fairway wood, using more of a sweeping motion. With the lack of success and the gapping distance hole between my driver and 6-iron, I was desperate to find a solution and started to experiment. Eventually I tried hitting the hybrid like I hit irons, slightly down on the back of the ball, leaving a small divot just forward of the ball. It worked great and I was even starting to hit the greens in regulation on long par 4's that were previously played like par 5's for me. I was hooked on hybrids! As the fitter had predicted, the gap between my driver and my 6-iron grew and it made sense to add a 26-degree hybrid. It has been a very good addition to my bag. Later in this comment, I give a more detailed explanation of my results with it. NOTE: The gap between my driver and the 23-degree hybrid is also increasing. It may eventually make sense to fill that gap with a 20-degree hybrid. So what do I mean when I say I hit the hybrids better than fairway woods? - I have far fewer mis-hits. - I hit the hybrids consistently straight, much better than I better than I ever did with fairway woods. (Except off the tee, which I describe later.) - I have had excellent performance hitting hybrids out of the rough. This is probably due to the more downward strike rather than the sweeping motion with fairway woods.) - In addition to hitting them straighter, I also hit the ball much higher with a hybrid. The angle of descent with my hybrids is much steeper than I had with the equivalent fairway wood. The steeper angle of descent also results in a shorter and more predictable rollout. (Golfers who routinely have to deal with high wind probably won't like the higher ball flight, but that's not usually an issue here in Ohio.) The benefit to me of the steeper angle of descent is really evident on a nasty, long par 3 on my home course (long for me and my 67-year old game). I need my 6-iron to cover that distance, but on the infrequent occasions where I managed to hit it straight at the green, the lower descent angle and longer rollout usually sent the ball off the back of the green and into a situation that typically led to a bogie or worse. The new 26-degree hybrid has the right distance and I have a much better chance of hitting it straight at the green. The higher descent angle and shorter rollout means that when the ball lands on the green, it sits and stays there. My former nemesis is now a (somewhat) routine par. I have even had a couple birdies - NEVER did that before. By the end of the season, the more consistently straight shots with more predicable roll helped me save a stroke or two on other holes. According to my Arrcos data, approach shots are my greatest opportunity to gain a few strokes. The data also shows that I hit a lot of 7-irons on approach and that I am considerably less successful with it than with my 8-iron and up. The distance for a 29-degree hybrid should be equivalent. Even higher loft than my current hybrids should be even easier to hit on target, and with even less roll. I don't get much height off my 7-iron and the roll upon landing is long and often difficult to predict). A 29-degree hybrid could be the solution to getting back a few of the strokes I am currently losing with my approach shots. Stay tuned. I've written about how hybrids are working for me, but how to I hit fairway woods? Prior to my fitting, because I couldn't hit my older driver, I was teeing off with my old 3-wood. I consistently hit it very straight and only lost a couple yards off what I got in the rare occasions that I managed to hit the old driver straight (my swing speed is in the low 80's). As I mentioned above, this was a 20-some year old club, and Mr. Murphy struck (no relation to Mr. Mulligan). I snapped the head off the 3-wood. It had the old bore-through technology and no one, including the manufacturer was willing to repair it. I tried replacing it off the tee with my old 5-wood. I hit it straight even more consistently than the 3-wood, but I lost so much distance that subsequent shots got much more difficult. I ended up buying a new model of 3-wood hoping I could use it off the tee. Unfortunately, modern 3-woods have a much lower profile, less than half the face height of my old 3-wood. With the shallower face height, most of the time I either topped the ball or undercut the ball sending it into orbit. Good tee shots were almost nonexistent. The new 3-wood was expensive, and on a few occasions I have tried to find a use for it in my bag, but as I wrote above, I have more success of the fairway and in the rough with the hybrids. I need to accept that I don't really have a need for the 3-wood and should sell it before it loses any more value. Although I had great success with my old fairway woods off the tee, my success with them off tight the fairway or out of the rough was so low that rather than attempt it, it made more sense for me to hit a couple of irons. On par 5's, I had far fewer mis-hits than with the fairway wood, the even if I managed to get a decent fairway wood shot, I got more overall distance out of the two irons and the short game was easier. On par 4's, I was so likely to muff the fairway wood and need at least one more iron, that I was more likely to save a stroke by just hitting two irons. So hybrids allow me to play much better than with fairway woods. But keep in mind, I'm 67, have a low swing speed and a high handicap. Josh Parker 1 Quote LEFTHANDED Titleist TSR1 Driver Titleist TSR1 23 and 26 degree hybrid Titleist T200 Irons (7-GW) Cleveland RTX-7 Wedges (52, 56, 60) Odessey 1.5 putter Bridgeston Tour BRX-S, Srixon Q-Star Tour Link to comment
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