Driver then 16.5 4 wood 21 Hybrid or Driver 15 Deg 3 Wood 19 Deg Hybrid???

[themasters78]

Hello All,

I'm building a new bag for 2020. Im set on 3-PW 52 56 60 (I will shelf the 3 iron except for practice / non posting rounds)

Should I go 4 wood 21 deg hybrid or 3 wood 19 deg hybrid? I never used my 3 wood off the deck but started to last year with some good success. I fear I will hit the 21 deg hybrid too high but the 19 Deg too far...

Decisions, decisions ,. ....

 

 

[setter02]

Lots of variables. Loft of lowest iron, design and shaft in the 21* hybrid. Play the same courses to have an idea of shots/distances needed or play a large variety.

I've been running this for the past couple of years and like it now. Can still hit the 4wd well off the tee and then gives a bit more playability with the extra loft in the rough.

 

If looking for more tee shot options tho, I'd run 15* fairway and 19* hybrid.

[Old Fashioned Cowboy]

Simple, hit them in the simulator and distance gap for yourself. I personally hit a 19* 5 wood much further than a 19* hybrid or 3-iron. So, its all about the gapping and knowing how far you hit them is key. I stopped carrying a true 3-wood a while ago because the 16.5* 4 wood was much more versatile and gapped well between my driver.

[tgoodspe1991]

At the end of the day, you’re talking about 1.5-2* of loft. Dynamically you might fluctuate that much naturally from shot to shot.

I’m always of the mindset that it’s better to naturally be able to flight something high, and then hit it low if you need to. It’s a lot harder to do the reverse; I.e. a club that naturally hits it lower to try and work it a lot higher effectively. The golf course is always trying to take launch and spin away from you, so don’t automatically give that away if you don’t have to.

Also, there’s no real reason why a 21* hybrid would go too high, but a 19* hybrid wouldn’t. You might have height differences, but marginal ones. Again, it’s just 2* of loft. However, if you are finding that to be the case, then just bump that 21* ball position back 1/2 a ball and dynamically take 1* of loft off and impact.

I think the 4W + 21*H is more versatile and blends the top end of the bag better. It gives you a 3i loft to match your irons, but a hotter face of a hybrid to blend into the wood. The 4W is enough loft to easily elevate off the fairway, but not so much that makes hitting it off the tee difficult. If you go with an adjustable fairway and hybrid, then you can always take the loft of both down a touch if you feel like you need to over time.

I personally am going back to very old school gapping with my clubs:

60/56/52/48/44/40/36/32/28/24

Then I’ll go a 20* utility iron (or a hybrid if this doesn’t prove versatile enough for me) and then a 17* 4W. I have tried numerous 13.5-15* 3W and I just hit them too far and they don’t get the elevation I want off the deck when hitting into greens.

[Chadwickog]

I actually do 16.5 4w then 19* 3h then 4 iron and it works very well.

[buckrogers71]

I go 17* 4 wood, 19* and 23* hybrid. The 4 wood GOES, not super high but it's hot and gets me to where I need to be. The hybrids are nice and high.

[GeauxGolfLSU]

I go 16.5° 4 wood, 19° hybrid, 22° hybrid then 5 iron at 25°. The gaps seem pretty tight just looking at the degree difference, but the difference in shaft lengths between the iron and the hybrid and the hybrid and 4 wood are such that the gaps work well for me.

[sbjinx]

just to echo what everyone else said but it all depends on the gap. I’m not a long hitter so having a 3 wood (230+) is a must for me to go for it on the short par 5 and from there a 19* hybrid (210 ish) made the most sense. I prob could use a 21* hybrid as well for a 190-200 club but I rarely find myself in that distance and can choke my 19* if needed.

 

[Jut]

I've played around with these set-ups quite a bit. Long story short, at my swing speed (approx. 100 mph driver), the 16.5* fairway wood works for me. I then like the 21* hybrid leading into my 25* 5i. I've carried a 19* hybrid and a 22* hybrid at the same time, but again at my swing speed, just didn't see enough of a gap to carry both. Plus, I like the simplicity of one fairway wood and one hybrid.

[jah7838]

I agree with those that have said to look at gapping that you need. I have my 19* Adams Super Hybrid that has been in the bag for years, followed by my 23* Adams Super 9031 and I can cover the gaps between 185-210 yards. My 3/4 wood slot has rotated between a few clubs in the past. I'm currently messing around the a Cobra F9 Tour 3 wood set to 15*.

I was previously using a Cobra F6 Baffer between 16-17.5*, and depending on how this 3 wood works out, it may get used as an option for a higher launching club than my 19* Super Hybrid when I set it to 18.5* or 19*. I have my yardages covered for up to 210 yards with my hybrids thru wedges, but it's that 3 wood slot that is hard to fill for me because I don't hit the ball as high. I hit it high enough with my irons and hybrids, but not as high as some people with similar swing speeds.

[bvanlieu]

I have been tinkering this fall into winter with these gaps. Right now I have landed on benching the 3w.

 

Current bag goes 17 4W, 2/3H (can range it 17-20) and 23H. 25.5 5I is a 180ish fly club. I'm not dropping dimes from 190-210, but the gaps are there and if I am 230+ out the 3w is such a rare club for me to hit off the deck. I am more likely to want a controlled 200-220 shot, and look for the up and down then the risk/reward of a green in 2.

 

If I was to properly work on that shot with a 3w, I would do so with a 42" shaft for accuracy...which is where the 4w today sits :)

[NDIrish423]

Right now I'm going from a 16.5° fairway wood, then a 22° Jetspeed hybrid and then 4 iron. The spacing works well because the Jetspeed is as long as the Ping G30 19° I was using but has a higher ball flight. With that being said, I would agree with some of the other posters who suggest hitting the clubs first to nail down the gaps.

[SMBWRX]

I used to be 15* then 19* but went down to 21* to get a higher flight and lost no distance.

 

[ex0dus]

A friend of mine who is a low spin player went the 4 wood/ hybrid route finally after I had been telling him to do it for years lol. Wouldn't work for me because I spin the ball a lot. He had trouble hitting 3s off the deck because he is pretty shallow at impact.

[Z1ggy16]

Depends, you need to test to figure out out. I currently go d, 16.5*w, 19.75*w, 23*h, 5-pw but the new Sim hybrid is so long for me I may be able to go d, 16.5*, 22h, 4-pw.

[ChipNRun]

Can you hit the 3H out of the rough OK? If so, the 3W + 3H might work well.

Or, you could always consider a 4W + 3H. A 16.5* 4W + maybe a 20* hybrid (can you tweak loft) might give a good distance gap going into 4 iron./ 4W more useful on days when "A game" swing is absent.

For starters, do a side-by-side with a 3W and 4W. Which is best? (You may find the 4W is more reliable, and the distance about the same).

Then, find a hybrid that plugs the gap. (You may have to trade in your two existing hybrids if adjusting doesn't work)

[OrangeCrush]

I play a 16.5* 4W and a 21* 7W for gapping reasons. I want a 25-30yd spread between woods and this works perfect.

[wely324]

I'll be trying a 16.5 ts2 in about 2 weeks. I'm coming from a 13*, which I really like, but at my home course I don't use it often. I'm hoping to bring the yardage down closer to my 2 iron, so depending on conditions or course I can choose between a higher softer flight of the 4w, or a low penetrating flight of the 2 iron. I just see more possible uses with having the 4w in the bag, along with an adjustable hosel I'll be able to add or decrease loft to help fine tune the gapping after my 3 iron.

[groach]

Play the appropriate club for gap needs. I'm planning to play a 4iron and a 4 hybrid, then a 5W and driver. Even though the lofts on my 4i and 4h are only a degree apart, my hybrid is also 1.5 inches longer and it carries 15 yards further than my 4 iron. It's a perfect gap between 4i and 5W. You should be looking at the same. Just get on a monitor and see what is shows you. Be open to different combos you didn't think would work.

[rjp322]

I just had this issue and solved it. I go 4 wood (16.5), 7 wood (21) and then 4 hybrid which is 22. I replaced the 17-19 hybrid with the 7 wood and not only is it easier to hit due to more loft but goes just as far as a 17* hybrid. I get about 235 carry and 250 out of my 4 wood and then I get about 220 out of the 7 wood and 205 out of the 4 hybrid so its nice

[geochitown]

I don't hit many shots off the deck with fwy wood, so it's mainly a tee club for me.

Standard length courses

15* is too long for me off the tee, and I'm happy with 16.5* for that purpose.

My next club is a 21 or 22* hybrid, and that is because of gapping off of my lowest lofted iron, which is 27*.

I bag 52,56,60, so I can only have two clubs between my 4 wood and my 5 iron (27* - older set).

I choose to carry a 22 and 25* hybrid, or a 21* and 24* hybrid.

Shorter league course

I can get by with one driving club in the 13-14* range (I have a wishon driver head built to 42.5-43.0* for that purpose).

I then carry 19, 22 and 25* hybrids (tour edge xcg7 beta) (which gives me yardages up to 220 or so), as opposed to 205 with 22* hybrid.

Might try 18*, 21* and 24* hybrids (Wishon 775hs)

[azgreg]

D, 4w, 3h, 4i is a solid top of the bag.

 

[tigerfan23]

I played strong 3 wood and 4 wood last year back and forth - crushed the 3 wood off the tee but hit the 4 wood better off the deck. I guess it depends what you want.

 

[themasters78]

did a bunch of testing - the 21 deg hybrid lands so soft i think it's the way to go.

same with the 16.5 v the 15

 

 

[wknomi]

Think it all comes down to a mix of gapping, conditions, and what your shot preferences are. In the winter I swap my 3 iron for a 2 driving iron due to needing something with a little more distance/lower trajectory off the tee as it gets cold/windy (I play in the PNW). Used to have a 19* hybrid in the bag but kicked it out for lack of use and having better options with my irons

[DShark1]

Does it really matter what number is on the bottom of the club? It comes down to the distance you hit any particular club. I personally play a 16.5 FW and a 19* FW then 4 iron. The gapping is perfect and none of the clubs are the same brand. I tend to test clubs and buy the one that I have the best results with. My bag consist of clubs by Callaway,  Ping, Taylor Made , Vokey, Scotty Cameron. All fit nicely into a Mizuno stand bag. Unless your sponsored get off the brand train and play what helps you best. 

[Rbsiedsc]

Glad I found this. Debating a sub70 4w but then don’t know if I should pair it with my 939 3H at 18* or move to a 7w or 4H? I like the flexibility of a hybrid but not so much off the tee. Hence wanting to off load my super hybrid. My carry with the 18* is 220-230ish and actually flies pretty high for an 18*. 

[Bobb3rdown]

Im running that exact setup right now.

 

Driver 9° 44.5"

4wd 16.5° 42.5"

4hy 21° 40.5"

5hy 25° 39.75"

 

Gapping is pretty good imo. 240yd driver, 215-220yd 4wd, 200yd 4hy, 185yd 5hy. 

 

I go right into a 25° 5i.

Edited June 20, 2022 by Bobb3rdown