Is having a fairway wood in the bag necessary?

[NetBogey]

Is having a fairway wood in the bag necessary? Or would an equitable degree hybrid suffice? The reason I am asking, I recently put a ping G crossover 4 in my bag, this as been my go to club for any shot over 200 yards. Now I am an 18 handicap so whether I hit it good or bad it remains in play, distance wise is all over. So if I am moving the ball forward and keeping it in play is currently what I need. Now for my fairway wood, every time I pull it out at 230 or more I am guaranteed losing strokes. My miss is deep left and I am in trouble.

 

Would it make sense to remove the fairway wood and add another crossover to the bag, like a 2 or 3 for the longer distances?

 

Any thoughts is greatly appreciated!

[HatsForBats]

Seems pretty cut and dry. Go for the hybrid and see if you get better results than 3 wood. There is no one right setup for all players.

 

Since you already have a 4-hybrid my suggestion would be to get a 2-hybrid. You can always take a shorter swing to get the distance of the 3-hybrid.

[third-times-a-charm]

nope

 

my bag is 1D-3H-4H-5i-etc

[NetBogey]

Thank you for the information! third-times-a-charm, what made you take the fairway wood out of the bag?

[Z1ggy16]

It's whatever works and feels best. I keep a 3w, but it's pretty much used for tight fairways or for when a bunker around my driver distance is in play. Otherwise I'm a hybrid guy all day long. Much easier to control flight and distance for me than a wood. With a wood I can either hit a low punch that carries maybe 60 yards, then rolls another 100-120, or a full shot, that's it. With hybrids I can hit full shots, low punches, knock downs and from more lies.

[iGuy]

Check my sig...I don't even own a driver because all they do is get me in trouble and make it hard to score. Hit my PING 3 Crossover off the tee and much more consistent. Recently came back to the game after 3 yrs And played my first 18 holes on a real golf course this past weekend. Hit over 50% of the fairways and put two drives with my Crossover out there around 250.

 

Strength of my game back when I was a 6hc was iron play and short game. So this time around I want to find a club I can keep in play off the tee and play to my strengths. Oh btw birdie a par 5 this past weekend. 245 off the tee in fairway. Layup (due to trouble in front of green) with 7 iron...then hit GW to 6 ft...made the putt ?

[q-school]

I had no fw for a while but found the hybrid to be quick to hook and ultimately put a fw back in bag. I found I needed a club when driver was misbehaving. I didn't trust hybrid off tee. Ymmv

 

[third-times-a-charm]

Thank you for the information! third-times-a-charm, what made you take the fairway wood out of the bag?

 

never liked them and the way they feel/hit. honestly I've never put one in the bag and never personally purchased one since I've started playing, the hybrids have always worked well for me.

[jol]

May sound like a wise-a** response, but play what works for you.

For me, I prefer fairway woods. Most hybrids just go left on me and don't fly high enough. On the other hand, a playing buddy of mine only carries hybrids, no fairway woods.

[Bad9]

May sound like a wise-a** response, but play what works for you.

For me, I prefer fairway woods. Most hybrids just go left on me and don't fly high enough. On the other hand, a playing buddy of mine only carries hybrids, no fairway woods.

 

A real wise-a** response would be, yup you have to have a fairway wood in the bag. Its the law :sorry:

[overparfornow]

Ever thought about taking a lesson and learn why you are not hitting fairway woods well?

[BlkNGld]

Your scorecard doesn't care how, just how many.

 

In general for a given distance a FW will come in at a steeper angle than a hybrid and with its larger head should be more forgiving and easier to hit than a hybrid provided the shaft length, etc works for you. Perhaps demo a 4, 5, or 7 wood and see if any of those help.

[rcain1us]

Whatever works for you, there are no rules to bag set up.

 

Personally I hate hybrids but somehow I can hit a fairly consistent high cut with my Heavenwood set to 19* and can use it anywhere between 190-220.

 

I also carry a 3 wood that gets used mostly off the tee on days when my driver gets a little too loose

[Bush Pilot]

I haven't had a 3-wood in years, in fact it was back when they were 7-wood sized. :)

 

I have driver, 3H, 4i, 5i and so on. The 3H is about a 230-235 yard club for me and it's also good out of the rough, so I figured why bother spending dough on a 3W.

 

I also have a wedge fetish and would have to drop one to add it, so that'll never happen. LOL

[ekinwang]

have tried 3 woods from pretty every manufacturer and could not get on with one. have a 19 deg titleist hybrid, adjusted a bit and am loving it. it is shorter than my old 3 wood by 20ish yards, but i am hitting it solid a lot more and more importantly, my misses isn't as punishing.

[North Butte]

I have played for a couple of periods (maybe a year or so each time) with nothing but one or two hybrids between my irons and driver. I can't say I scored any better or worse with that unconventional setup. A 17- or 18-degree hybrid certainly does not go as far as a 3-wood but with my low clubhead speed the difference is maybe 10-15 yards not enough to worry over.

[NetBogey]

Ever thought about taking a lesson and learn why you are not hitting fairway woods well?

 

Yes, I have been taking lessons this year, and every time on the range I hit my fairway wood well, but as soon as I get on the course it fails. It is probably more my swing, less of the club. But it costs me strokes. Where if I have the same swing fault with my hybrid, I am not deep left and in trouble!

[Hat Trick]

No, not necessary. I'm a 5 hcp and I know the odds of me hitting a green drop considerably when I'm more than 185 yards out (5 iron for me). I carry a 22 degree HB that I hit about 195-200 yds which I use just about any where after 195 (even par 5 second shots). It sure beats blasting 3 and 5 woods all over the place. Plus the 22 HB usually stays short of trouble around par 5 greens. Just carried Driver, 22 HB, 5-PW, 54, 58 and shot 76.

[BForrester]

I went a long time with a 3w in my bag that didn't get any use. Then, after some range time, I found confidence with it from the tee box. Lately, I've contemplated shelving the driver for a while. I get 250 - 260 out of it consistently off the tee, which is about all I need at my home course, without a lot of the issues I've had lately with driver.

 

Outside of the tee box, I don't use a FW.

[Sean2]

Is having a fairway wood in the bag necessary? Or would an equitable degree hybrid suffice? The reason I am asking, I recently put a ping G crossover 4 in my bag, this as been my go to club for any shot over 200 yards. Now I am an 18 handicap so whether I hit it good or bad it remains in play, distance wise is all over. So if I am moving the ball forward and keeping it in play is currently what I need. Now for my fairway wood, every time I pull it out at 230 or more I am guaranteed losing strokes. My miss is deep left and I am in trouble.

 

Would it make sense to remove the fairway wood and add another crossover to the bag, like a 2 or 3 for the longer distances?

 

Any thoughts is greatly appreciated!

 

Depends on what works for the individual. For example, I have 3 fairway woods. I don't much care for hybrids. I know some folks that only have 1 fairway wood and then all irons. I know others that have 3 or more hybrids.

 

The only right answer to your question is what works best for you. None of us here can tell you that.

[cdn]

No, I don't think they're necessary, but that's just my personal experience.

 

Never got along with them after they started getting longer and more upright. I go 22° hybrid then into the irons and still score well. Without them, it eliminates those few flared or hooked shots that end up off the course.

[SoloShot84]

I thought 3w and Driving Iron were requirement for this website.

 

but seriously, I only use 3w for tight fairways or off deck if lie is absolutely perfect.

[dmeeksDC]

I find a 16.5 degree 4 wood strikes a nice balance. A Callaway X2HOT pro head is not much bigger than a hybrid anyway and I hit it longer due to the longer shaft. One FW does it for me.

[mantan]

Thanks for the thread OP. I'm going through the same thing myself. I've been playing well this summer, but absolutely can't make peace with my fairway wood...on the course or the range. The primary objective for my 4W is to be a 'safe' option off the tee. Nothing is more frustrating than 'playing it safe' and getting into the same trouble I could have with a driver.

 

I'm pretty confident with my driver off the tee. I absolutely love my 23* hybrid. I'll hit that off the tee in a minute. I'm debating replacing the 4W with a 17* hybrid. If I could have the same confidence as my 23*, but with about 15 more yards, I'd be fine.

 

Everybody says the G20 FW is one of the easiest fairway woods you'd hit - but we just don't get along.

[judgemartin]

Is having a fairway wood in the bag necessary? Or would an equitable degree hybrid suffice? The reason I am asking, I recently put a ping G crossover 4 in my bag, this as been my go to club for any shot over 200 yards. Now I am an 18 handicap so whether I hit it good or bad it remains in play, distance wise is all over. So if I am moving the ball forward and keeping it in play is currently what I need. Now for my fairway wood, every time I pull it out at 230 or more I am guaranteed losing strokes. My miss is deep left and I am in trouble.

 

Would it make sense to remove the fairway wood and add another crossover to the bag, like a 2 or 3 for the longer distances?

 

Any thoughts is greatly appreciated!

Matter of finding what works for you. I replaced 3(14.5*) and 5(18*) fairway woods with a Taylormade 2017 M2 16.5* HL. Working well, easy to hit straight and good distance. I go from that to 3 and 4 hybrids. I have tried 3, 5, 7, and 9 fairway woods, but my current set up is working well for me.

[EKELLY]

I'd say it is necessary to have a 3-wood. MOST of the guys I play with, even a few low handicap, should leave the driver home. They can't hit it well enough to score, at least maintain a low handicap. BUT, they bomb 3 or 4 drives every sound, so they gotta have it. Even though it costs them 5-6 shots a round....

[nicoy3k]

Anthony Kim gamed a 17* hybrid instead of a 3 wood for a while

[erock9174]

Last year I played to around a 12-13 cap and had a 3w in the bag for most of the year.

 

This year took the 3w out and added a Tank chipper. My longest club after driver is a 20* hybrid. Driver gets me 230 on a decent hit. My 3h is usually 190-200.

 

I'm playing to a 9.5 cap right now.

 

[Juice1121]

Do you need one, no. I played last year without one. I can tell you that if I had played on longer courses there is no way a just hybrid would have cut it. Now, if you can't reliably hit your 3 or 4 wood, then it may be better to leave it out for the time being.

 

But I would guess there's a reason why almost every professional player bags a fairway. If you want to optimize your chances for shooting lower; having a fairway be your 2nd longest club should do that. It will put you closer to the hole on more par 5's and with give you a better chance for making birdies over the course of the season.

[Santiago Golf]

One of the best players in D2, he turned pro this summer goes Driver, then 2 iron. He will occasionally use an 18* hybrid. He hits driver about 290, but can easily hit it 300+ when he wants to. He can hit his 2 iron 240-260. He said he can hit his driver straight enough to need to layup on tight 4s and if he sitting on par 5 250+ there is no real advantage for him going for it, so he normally just layup to 60-80 yards