Is having a fairway wood in the bag necessary?

[JPW75]

Played 18 yesterday and used the 16.5 degree 4 wood one time. Made great contact hit it 250+ but blocked it dead right straight as an arrow. One stroke for an unplayable to pull it back into the grass...

 

I can hit my 18 deg 3 hybrid 210-230. Next club is 22 deg hybrid I use from 190-210.

 

Honestly it is almost a waste to have the 4 wood but it does serve a purpose. I have never used it more than twice in a single 18 hole round.

[hybrid25]

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.

this is pretty good advice here. I took my 3 & 5 Fairway Woods out of the bag and put in a 4 fairway wood and that's all I go with. Now I am a higher handicap golfer, and I game for hybrids along with the fairway wood because they're so easy to hit. I can't imagine for myself taking all the Fairway Woods out of my bag because it's so useful for me. You got to decide for yourself, and nobody else can, what you want to do with your Fairway Woods.

[SetTheBarrHigh]

I played most of 2017 without a fairway wood due to lack of consistency off the deck. I had a 17° hybrid in the bag for that period and can honestly say I did need tow distance of a fairway metal on occasion. I recently picked up an M2 HL and love it, it was the perfect blend of additional loft and distance.

[Juice1121]

I'm curious how long the courses you are playing are. If they are 5500-6000 there should be little to no need for a fairway unless you have one you like hitting off a tee. A 2 or 3 hybrid should do the trick. Or even a driving iron.

 

If you start getting into longer courses, say 6500+, you will most likely need a fairway. There is just no way to get home in 2 on some of these par 5's on the courses I play. I play a course that has a 655 yard par 5 that is all uphill. I can hit my driver, then hit a sold 3 wood and still have a full 7 iron in to the green. You could feasibly go driver, 3 hybrid, 3 hybrid and still be 30-50 yards short. Then, two holes later, there is a par 3 that is 230 yards uphill from the blacks. I can hit my 3 hybrid all day there and still not hit one on the green.

[Tex1986]

My 3wood can reliably get 230 off the tee/deck. I truthfully don't hit it that often because there are simply better plays 90% of the time for us weekend hacks.

 

If I'm 230 out on a par 5, I'm pulling a mid-iron and getting it up close to the green complex and flicking a wedge on. That's what works best for my mid-80s scoring game.

[dan360]

Is having a fairway wood in the bag necessary?

 

No

 

Or would an equitable degree hybrid suffice?

 

Yes

 

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.

 

TL;DR You answered your own question(s)

 

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?

 

Magic 8 ball says, "quite likely"

 

Any thoughts is greatly appreciated!

 

It's all about gapping and hitting it well. IDGAF what the clubs are, as long as they work, and neither should you. :)

[rmgatl]

3 wood can be problematic, hardest club in the bag to get right.

 

I have x2hot 3deep/5deep plus 19* and 21* hybrids and a 4 iron; total of 5 clubs with 3 slots in the bag. 3 wood is probably most likely left out...right now I'm hitting my driver well so little need for 3 wood off tee.

 

I've reached some par 5s recently hitting driver and hybrid. Can't remember last time I hit a green with a fw wood but so what...low percentage shot with questionable risk/return (for most).

 

Get driver in play, no O.B.s, no short side misses, no 3 putts and make a couple 5-10 footers, shoot low stress 76 with few if any great shots. Fail to do these things, might be lucky to break 90. Everything matters but hitting fw wood or not is down the list for me.

[yebritas]

in my opinion is esential. I use it from the tee to secure fairways and to get some par 5 on 2... I normally use it more than my driver

[nanosg]

seems like a common thread. So many variables. there are always gaps at the higher end, so just have to figure out where to have them. For me, the 3 wood helps me score better on long par 5s and short par 4s.

[lil'mike]

I'm curious how long the courses you are playing are. If they are 5500-6000 there should be little to no need for a fairway unless you have one you like hitting off a tee. A 2 or 3 hybrid should do the trick. Or even a driving iron.

 

If you start getting into longer courses, say 6500+, you will most likely need a fairway. There is just no way to get home in 2 on some of these par 5's on the courses I play. I play a course that has a 655 yard par 5 that is all uphill. I can hit my driver, then hit a sold 3 wood and still have a full 7 iron in to the green. You could feasibly go driver, 3 hybrid, 3 hybrid and still be 30-50 yards short. Then, two holes later, there is a par 3 that is 230 yards uphill from the blacks. I can hit my 3 hybrid all day there and still not hit one on the green.

 

Yeah this! With any course around the 6000 yard mark, most times a FW isn't needed unless you are hitting it off the tee to a tight fairway or maybe the driver isn't working. I carry a 4+ FW at 16 degrees and if I use it twice in a round I am lucky depending on the course as some have longer par 5's so I hit it cause I can. I have played a course this year a few times even that has alot of dog legs so I can use it off the tee on them but I also have a 4H so that will accomplish almost the same thing and I seem to use it more during a round.

[canthitathreewood]

I wish my bag didn't have a fairway wood. My home course has very long par 5's and reaching them in two requires a second shot of 250+yds, for me that means 3 wood. I'd love to see a 14-15 degree hybrid hit the market and be readily available. I had something close to this when I was in college. In 2003-2004 Taylormade sold the Rescue TP in a 16 degree model. That thing was hot and did not perform like a most hybrids. It produced a flat, boring ball flight, opposite of what most hybrids are designed to produce.

[dunn]

Mostly about swingspeed and contact.....

 

Only only on golf forums do i read or hear about so much uncertainty in equipment choices....seems so many are so concerned about what every one else is doing or gaming

 

You should know what works or doesnt if your decent player and if you don't, than maybe should put in the time and effort so you do......they're are alot of bag setups that get job done, up to golfer to find out which works for him/her

 

Its skill 95% of the time.

[bag302]

I stopped carrying a 3w a while ago. It keeps me from going for par 5s in two, which was killing me. I try to lay up to 100 so I can take a full swing. I get a lot more birdie putts this way and less blow up holes. If I regularly striped a 3w, I would bag it, but I try to avoid that weak part of my game.

 

Normal bag setup is:

9* Driver 45.5"

10.5* Driver 43.5" for tight fairways

18* hybrid

4-P,G,S,L

 

I'll put a 3w in the bag for scrambles

[LexHair]

Until yesterday, the top of my bag was 10.5 i25 driver, 17 and 22 i25 hybrids. My home course has a premium on being straight and is punishing (hazards, OB) for left misses (my common miss, especially with the hybrids).

 

It's rather short so there are a bunch of holes that ask for something less than driver off the tee so I dug out my old i3 3 wood to pair with a newly obtained 19 degree G30 hybrid with a Tour 90 shaft. The i3 3 wood is flat out tiny compared to today's equipment so after wondering if I could actually hit the ball somewhere on the clubface, Heck, it's a lot smaller than the 19 degree hybrid. Anyway, I was able to work the ball with a slight cut off the deck and off a half tee which made me happy to no end.

 

@bag302 uses a shorter, lofted driver for tight holes and I will now use the 3w for the same effect. I will not use the 3W on Par 5s but I expect to swing it 3-4 times per round.

[Gh05t]

I feel like I can hit my 3w or 3/4 hybrid pretty well. I would have gone with 2 woods, but couldn't find the degrees I was looking for so got a hybrid. really could go either way, when I don't swing right I usually top both of them which is all me not the club. but strikes are usually pure and on line so ya can't really say I like one over the other.

[getitdaily]

3wood is a must for me. I'll use it on 2-3 par 4 tees a round and at least 2 par 5s a round. It's a dead straight 260 club off the tee for me and i can get 260 off the deck with the right conditions.

 

I carry a 3h that get 230-235.

[sheppy335]

Different Needs for different golfers. Me i love my fairway woods, does that mean you should, no way. Pick what gets you the best score possible.

[North Butte]

I sure hope it isn't necessary. I'm giving up on finding the "right combination" of clubs in that 15-20 degree range. My driver has 12 degrees of loft and the 4-iron is 21 degrees. Anything in between those clubs, the strokes lost by the bad shots far outweigh the strokes gained by the occasional good ones.

 

Bah! Good riddance. If I want to carry more than 12 clubs I'll just grab a fifth wedge or a second putter or something useful like that...

[getitdaily]

I sure hope it isn't necessary. I'm giving up on finding the "right combination" of clubs in that 15-20 degree range. My driver has 12 degrees of loft and the 4-iron is 21 degrees. Anything in between those clubs, the strokes lost by the bad shots far outweigh the strokes gained by the occasional good ones.

 

Bah! Good riddance. If I want to carry more than 12 clubs I'll just grab a fifth wedge or a second putter or something useful like that...

 

Have you tried any of the high launch 3woods? Tmade m1 at 17 degrees is super easy to hit. The new steelhead xr 4+ should be as well. I say should be because I only hit the 15 degree but it was easy to launch.

[North Butte]

My only current fairway wood is a 16-degree Ping SF Tec set to 17 degrees. It launches pretty high, at least the one time out of three where I make decent contact!

[getitdaily]

My only current fairway wood is a 16-degree Ping SF Tec set to 17 degrees. It launches pretty high, at least the one time out of three where I make decent contact!

 

Ahh, with no disrespect intended, I'll venture a guess that you're a relatively high handicapper?

 

If so, and you get along well with your driver then I'd say you don't need to worry about that 3wood or 18-20 degree hybrid. If any hole plays longer than driver-4iron for you then keep working the short game. As you get better and your ball contact improves then maybe branch into that 3wood.

[North Butte]

My only current fairway wood is a 16-degree Ping SF Tec set to 17 degrees. It launches pretty high, at least the one time out of three where I make decent contact!

 

Ahh, with no disrespect intended, I'll venture a guess that you're a relatively high handicapper?

 

If so, and you get along well with your driver than I'd say you don't need to worry about that 3wood or 18-20 degree hybrid. If any hole plays longer than driver-4iron for you then keep working the short game. As you get better and your ball contact improves then maybe branch into that 3wood.

 

Yep, exactly what I've concluded.

 

Although I very much doubt I'll be getting any better or significantly improve my ball striking. At this point in my life my game is what it is, although I'm always hopefully nibbling away for a stroke or two around the edges here and there :to_become_senile:

[doctordwaynewilliams]

I don't carry any fairway woods or hybrids. Just irons 3-LW and a driver. I like hitting irons.

[NorwichBanana]

I've been playing the best golf of my life this year, and havent' used a fairway wood.

 

I am off to get one fitted up, as well as a hybrid tomorrow for those long par 5's! But do I NEED a fairway wood to score well, nope.

[Moonlightgrm]

Rather than spending money on various clubs, I would seek out a qualified instructor and learn how to correct the issues you've described. You'll soon be hitting every club better and finding more enjoyment from this great game.