Anyone completely ditched fairway woods in their bags?

[funkyjudge]

On 8/17/2023 at 10:43 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.  

In the fairway wood slot, I generally carry only a 4-wood and it is used mostly off the tee. Until this year, I had also carried a 7-wood, but my 18* Callaway Paradym X hybrid fills the 5/7 wood slot very well.  My next club is a 21* Sub 70 949X hybrid, which I hit anywhere between 205-220 yards from off the deck. I have often thought about ditching the 4-wood, which has been in my bag for more than 4 years, and maybe putting a 16* hybrid in the bag in its place. If the recently-introduced Paradym Super Hybrid were not so darned expensive, I may have ordered one in 16* loft already.

[pwbrenden]

With great success of my 3-hybrid and inconsistent results with fairway woods, I added a 2-hybrid and love this new approach.

[Zman56]

I struggle with long irons so not one in my bag.  I love my 3, 5, 7 woods!

[NickJJ]

I still play my 3 wood because I hit it well but went through numerous hybrids and 5 woods and was never comfortable with any of them. I ended up ditching 5 wood, hybrid and 4 iron. I'm playing 26 and 20 degree New Level Utility Irons and love them!   

[dinomack99]

I went through a phase where I eradicated my woods from the bag. I was using the Callaway Super Hybrid #2 at 15-degrees and it was maybe 5 yards shorter than a 3-wood. I really like the concept of a 2H, but I never really liked the feel of the titanium Super Hybrid. I don't know why, but the face felt dead. I then had the PXG 0211 3-wood (2022 model) and liked it, low spin and consistent. THEN I went to Dick's and started hitting last year's Stealth woods and was blown away. They had a couple of demo clubs available so I replaced both my 3H and 3W and couldn't be happier. Those Stealth woods are bombers! I know Cleveland has some super-sized hybrids as well that could replace a 3W or 5W.  

[roger91941]

I did! Have driver, 3, 4, 5 hybrid rescues and irons. Hit hybrid as far as woods.

Roger

[Billy MacGregor]

At the beginning of this season I had a 3w and 7w in the bag.  I hardly ever hit 3w from the fairway and I'm more consistent with my driver off the tee.  So I replaced the 3w with a 13.5 degree driver that's turned up to 15.5.  It's a fairway finding machine that I can also draw pretty consistently when needed.  I fade my driver.  I also pulled an old titleist 910 hybrid out of storage to replace the 7w that was a little too unreliable.  

[lacou19]

I got rid of my 3w but I replaced it with a 5w (so not exactly what you asked for). So much easier to hit high and straight. I don't hit it that long but I can get 225-235 with my 5w so it's used primarily on second shots into par 5 or off the tee when I absolutely need to hit a fairway.

[jbsap]

Thanks everyone for all the replies.  My 3 wood is going to hang around the garage for a bit, but I do think I'm going to look for another option.  It very well could be an entirely mental issue at this point, but we all know that might be the worst kind of equipment problem.  Nevertheless, I do like seeing how other people manage similar issues.  Thanks again.

[Golf Dawg]

I have a love/hate thing with my 3 wood. I hit my 3H better and as long as the 3W. I throw a 4H in to cover for a 5W, and then go to 5I. 

[Dweed]

Nah. I can't hit a 2-4 iron worth beans. My 3W,5W and 4H will stay.

[WaffleHouseTour]

Last summer my Skillest coach had me take my FW out of my bag until I could hit them reliably. Looking at my Arccos recaps (I’d send her a quick screen grab of my round) she determined I was losing too many shots off those clubs - I’d be better off hitting a longer iron into the green on the par 5s - the only time I really used them. So I worked hard on them and they are back in the bag this year. But I definitely saved some strokes last fall.  If you end up hitting a 100 yard ground ball, you might as well pull them. 

[golferguy2727]

Yes - with my swing speed and consistent, my hybrids vastly outperform any fairway woods I have ever owned - and for me, they are far more versatile 

[Coachbutt]

Live in Tampa area,picked up an old Cobra baffler 16° and 23° at T&D golf for under 80$. Never looked back. Cut them down to my size. At 75 consistency not length is my mantra. Can't reach any of our par 5s in two, get me to 100yrds,get it on the green, 2 putt and move on. 190 with the 16°. New 5i is 21° took over a year to master it.

[ChuckZ]

Nope.  Play a Driver, fairway, and two hybrids as listed below in my profile.  I normally hit my driver straight or with a butter cut.  But there are occasions when I need a draw and that fairway will come into play or on some short par fours.     

[RoyN]

Dumped all FWs a while ago. Use a 2 Super hybrid turned down to 15* plus a 3hy at 18* and 4hy at 22*. So much more control with the shorter shafts and versatility out of thicker rough and even chipping with some long bump and runs.

[Slight shank]

Just pulled the trigger myself. Got a rogue st max hybrid. Haven’t even hit it yet. It can’t be any worse. If I have success with it I’ll consider going to a lower loft as well. 

[jmschaffel1]

Yeah, sorta.  I now carry:

D

16° Super Hybrid 

19° Utility Wood (this replaces my 3h, so I do not consider this a fairway wood)

4i-PW

three wedges

putter

[dabigkahuna]

I cannot hit a 3w off the deck to save my life.  When I do make contact it turns into a horrendous fade and usually OB.  A friend gave me a Ping G5 5w around 19 degrees, and I've pured it straight up the pike to around 200 yards.  If I'm in the rough, my Callaway 4h is the go to club in my bag.  I'm considering a TM M3 3w to complement my M3 driver, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

[BMart519]

2-4 Hybrid are clubs below driver for me and sometimes I also drop the 2H leaving a 19* 3H as my club after driver. I tried to make a 5W work this season and it started off well, but if my swing isn't at it's best my misses are worse with a wood versus hybrid. As someone who's primary shape is a fade with longer clubs, the draw bias of hybrids also helps to minimize my faults even compared to using the maximum draw settings on a fairway wood. 

My 3H is 230-240 off the tee and up to 250 on best strikes. About 10-20 yards less off the ground and any approach shot longer than this is probably not something I should be taking on at my skill level anyway. 

[elight]

As a newer player, I have really liked my 5w off the tee (on very short par 4s, very tight fairways, or because my driver just isn't behaving), and off good fairway lies. I find it launches easier and higher than my hybrids. It is more susceptible to bad shots, both pulls and slices, and both fat and thin shots - I do really need to catch it pretty clean to get a shot I'm pleased with. At the distances I'm hitting it, I'm usually not thinking much about soft landings on the green, though.

I like my hybrids out of the rough, or when a straight shot is really important (i.e., green protected by bunkers on both sides). I play two used Titleist hybrids, both of which I picked up used for about $60 each, and am continually impressed with how straight and forgiving they are. When greens are soft, they will hold the green; when they're not, I'll usually try to stay short to stay out of trouble and hopefully run it up.

My longest iron is a 6. I thought about getting a 5i as well, but ended up getting a 5h that matched my existing 4h. So far, I'm very pleased with the decision. I have so much more confidence standing over the ball knowing that if I deliver the clubhead to the back of the ball, I'm going to get a decent shot that's likely not different than what I envisioned, even if I don't strike it perfectly. With long irons, I do not have that confidence.

At some point, I will probably need to consider whether to round out the bag with either a 7w or a 3h, but right now my gaps are close enough (and my distances inconsistent enough) that I don't think it makes much sense. One a good strike, I get about 200 from the 5w, 180 from the 4h, and 160 from the 5h.

[Just_the_Chip]

I did until this year. I have an inherited set of clubs from my father in law, and I received a 2004 Taylormade R580XD driver.  I have been hitting the driver pretty well for a player of my level, and so I've just kept in the bag. I had some older fairways woods that have never felt right, so I went on the Fleabay and found teh matching 3,5,7 wood with the exact same shaft as the driver. I've since been able to finally make good contact 5 and 7 wood fairly consistently. My 3 wood was always a a club I would top the hell out of the ball, but now I'm starting to make some contact with off the fairway.  I do feel like I would benefit from having a modern hybrid in my bag though, as I tend to really pull/hook my woods. 

[Bradka13]

2 hours ago, Shakeyfly said:

I did until this year. I have an inherited set of clubs from my father in law, and I received a 2004 Taylormade R580XD driver.  I have been hitting the driver pretty well for a player of my level, and so I've just kept in the bag. I had some older fairways woods that have never felt right, so I went on the Fleabay and found teh matching 3,5,7 wood with the exact same shaft as the driver. I've since been able to finally make good contact 5 and 7 wood fairly consistently. My 3 wood was always a a club I would top the hell out of the ball, but now I'm starting to make some contact with off the fairway.  I do feel like I would benefit from having a modern hybrid in my bag though, as I tend to really pull/hook my woods. 

I would be careful thinking a hybrid will help the pull/hook.  I have had major issues trying to find hybrids that I don't hook the heck out of.  I have tried many different ones and pretty much the only ones that I didn't hook were the Taylormade Rescue knockoffs I still carry in my bag.  If you find some modern ones you don't hook please let me know... I would love to try them myself!

[pigeon]

Love my 3 wood, it's a go to off the tee on tight fairway courses, can launch it 275 carry with a fade or draw, high or low.  But always go with what you feel comfortable with!

[JimmyS]

A couple years ago I was unhappy with my driver and it was tough to do any fitting (pandemic) so I just started hitting 3-wood instead.  It worked pretty well, I was only losing about 10 yards (hence the driver unhappiness), and it was more consistent.  Fast-forward to the back half of last year, and I  couldn't hit it at all, tee, fairway, didn't matter, it was a low hook if I was ever able to find the center of the face.  I ditched it and now the longest non-driver club is my Callaway UW 19*, works much better for me, but I never really need anything longer.  If you still need a club that gets you more distance than your hybrid, look at a higher loft or a little shorter shaft in a 3-wood, or both!

[RTH1]

love, hate relationship with my 3 wd over the years, It's been my favorite can do anything I want with it, to sitting in the corner with the other unloved clubs, presently in the bag but might not be for to much longer, It is the clubs fault, right?

[Donn lost in San Diego]

I have 2 three woods, and a driving iron, a 2018 model Mizuno MP 18 MMC 18 degree 3 from a fitting.  My strength is NOT distance.  I like the Mizuno.  A lot.  It was a fitted choice at a multi brand demo day and the shaft is my fav, UST Mamiya Recoil.  Good luck.

[kcchiefs]

I’m thinking of going to 2,3and 4 hybrids but I’m still a traditionalist and carry my 3 and 4 wood. I can see a drop off in my distance with the 3 wood and it’s hard to hit off the deck 

[ZackS]

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 ditched my 3 wood for the same reason as you. I carry a 17 degree driving iron and a 22 degree hybrid. Despite the hybrid technically be a 4 I still have a 4 iron as I carry it 210 to 215 and the hybrid about 220 to 225. I am considering getting a 19 degree or a 5 wood an 1 inch under standard length to be interchangeable with the driving iron depending on course or weather conditions. 

[Don O]

I ditched my 3w in favor of my 2h. Hit it almost as far and have much more control. I rarely needed my 3w, especially on my home course, and if I want to hit something shorter than driver off the tee the 2h does just fine.