What is your fairway finder club/shot

[Gehly]

Mini Driver at 12-14* with upgraded shaft at 3 wood length----->shoot

[NorthTXGolf]

about a 70%~ power swing with my driver.

 

will carry it 240-250 with a little fade.

 

(but this is also the time where the small devil on my shoulder says F it blast that baby 300 as I proceed to turn my baby fade into a full on slice)

[breakfree40]

Three iron/driving iron. Whichever is in the bag. Stock swing but hold off on the release. I know it’s going to fade by holding it off and if I don’t try to kill it then I know it won’t fade too much.

 

Not to thread jack - but I’d love to hear what you guys do when your stock safe shot doesn’t fit the hole. In my case if I need a 220-40 yard fairway finder but there’s a load of trees near the tee on my left or if there’s water right etc etc.... do you hit the comfort shot anyway or do you play the hole first and foremost? I often get stuck between the two in those situations.

[lefty1978]

Frankly, I don't see how there's so many people that can say driver when some of the best players in the world wouldn't.

I agree with this. I wonder how many would still say driver if you said up 2 strokes on the 18th. Virtually every pro would hit an iron or 5 wood in this scenario. I can see if you're a high cap player and you are not confident with any club so it doesn't matter.

[jwhite86]

3 wood cut... and if I'm laying up... i'll hit the 22° hybrid with a baby cut

[ctsgolf]

T-MB 3i. Grip it and rip it.

[Ripper859]

21* 4 Iron straight to slight fade.

[NRJyzr]

For me, it's the 1 iron*, or either my Stage 2 Tour 2h or 3h, if I'm carrying one of them in place of the 1 iron. For the most part, though, on my "home course" it's not about fairway finding so much as distance. The back nine has several fairways squeezed with hazards or in one case, a left offset tee box with OB right and trees down each side on a short par 4.

 

 

*I play old irons, you guys would call these clubs a "3 iron" LOL

[jokerusn]

UDI 3 with a little draw. Stock shot with that club and gets me out there about 210.

[gvogel]

PIng Rapture Mini driver 13*.

[puttingmatt]

Depends on what distance I want to to play to,

Driver, Fairway wood ,iron, reliable with all of them.

[chonkoa]

For me, they are my driving irons 1, 2 or 3.

[MelloYello]

Back when I was a crappy driver and swung really aggressively, I would routinely resort to my X-flex-equipped 13⁰ fairway with which I'd hit low stingers. That club simply wouldn't go left. But soon enough I improved my driving and went in search of a fairway I could elevate from the turf...

 

Then there was a period when it seemed to be a 2- or 3-iron. Both were good options that seemed to provide penetrating trajectories with adequate distance. But then I started playing courses where I couldn't really lay back off the tee and I looked at all those long irons in my bag and figured there was a smarter way to play...

 

So now, I don't really have a "fairway finder." I hit driver as often as I can and scale back as necessary for the holes that don't allow it. I'm definitely not gaining accuracy with a fairway wood (aside from being a little shorter), nor am I long enough to bash a long-iron 240-yards like the pros.

 

So there's really no point for me to even have a "fairway finder" anymore. I'm very intrigued by the guys saying they just tee their driver down and hit a punch-y, bunt-like shot. I'm going to try that!!

[jaredt22]

Nike Vapor Speed 3W. Bought it off the BST here, and it is the absolute best club I've ever played. It has a beautiful trajectory, stays on a line (maybe a slight fade, every once in a while), and just goes for days. It is, by far, the longest 3W I've ever hit. Love the consistency of this club!

[tcutshaw1723]

a smoothy 2 yard draw with my ping stretch 3 wood. I can hit it about 240-250 with that shot and guarantee a fairway. Ever since I put the Kuro Kage in it it's been my go to club with a tight fairway. It gets me enough distance to not have a mid iron into the green too. I am very very much in love with that club

[Lip1337]

Last season: straight 2i

 

Maybe 2H this season, lets see which club is more consistent

[Titleist_PT23]

Frankly, I don't see how there's so many people that can say driver when some of the best players in the world wouldn't.

I agree with this. I wonder how many would still say driver if you said up 2 strokes on the 18th. Virtually every pro would hit an iron or 5 wood in this scenario. I can see if you're a high cap player and you are not confident with any club so it doesn't matter.

I think the difference is the pros hit the center of the face with the shorter club the vast vast majority of the time and the shorter distance means the same degrees offline is not as far left/right.

 

Honestly, I don't think my 5 wood is much "safer" than my driver off the tee. There is still some benefit from the same degrees offline = less the ball goes left/right due to more loft. However, the mishits with the 5 wood lose more distance (relatively speaking) and the worst strikes (toe, low, or high but still a square face/path) are much worse than a similar strike with a 460cc driver.

 

I would hit less club if hitting driver brings stroke costing penalties into play or if the shot requires some sort of carry with limited run out (i.e. carry bunker but stop before hazard or sharp dogleg in fairway). Other than that, for me the bunt driver is more effective.

[lefty1978]

Other than that, for me the bunt driver is more effective.

Give you credit, I could never bunt my driver. It's a club, for me, that I have to go at it.

[Titleist_PT23]

I'm definitely not gaining accuracy with a fairway wood (aside from being a little shorter),

I think this is true for most players (especially non-pros/elite amateurs unless you just can't hit a driver).

 

I'm also of the belief that scoring isn't any better over the long-run by hitting a FW. I may be in the fairway 1 more time out of 10 with the FW but when you consider a) I am farther back when in the fairway and b) the bad shots with the FW are both way back and crooked I don't think it's a benefit playing the averages.

 

Lastly, I can see why some people may find the fairway more with a FW/hybrid/driving iron on a shorter hole. But often I think this has to do with swinging in a more controlled/relaxed fashion than the club selection. Hence, try swinging the same controlled way with the 460 cc driver!

[BDoubleG]

Z U65 3 iron. Baby fade.

[K13]

Cobra LTD 3 wood. Swing hard and it's either straight or a baby draw.

[dubbelbogey]

Independent of what I do, I see plenty of mid to high handicappers try to hit a 3w or 5w off the tee thinking it's a "safe" shot, partly because that's what the pros often do. The thing is pros 1) practice this shot and 2) they're crazy good anyway. The mid/high handicap guys seem to never practice this shot, and the small clubface and relatively longer shaft just punishes these guys. Plenty of flat out mishits where a corner edge of the clubface comes into play. Score destroyed.

 

The pros don't practice a bunt driver because they don't need to - they flush their 3w/5w/3i all day long.

[Anthonymn]

Tm m3 3 wood never fails for me

[herdman]

When you absolutely need to get a ball in the fairway what is your go to club and shot? For me it is my 2 hybrid (Callaway x hot pro 18* 2H). The shot I try to hit is a little draw starting up the right half of the fairway and curving back slightly... if all goes as planned that is. I am interested to see how many still hit driver and how many choose draw vs fade.

 

Choked down sawed off 3/4 swing with the driver. Nice little cut. Give us distance, but it is the biggest club in the bag. Just tee it down and little and bam. fairway finder

[herdman]

A bunt driver. Grip down 1-2 inches, tee ball lower, and swing easy. Style points, no. Reasonably effective, yes.

 

I just think the 460 cc head is a lot easier to hit (covers up mistakes) than a small headed fw or hybrid (I can still hit these clubs but when something goes wrong then you are in the rough and way back from where you expected).

 

That is it exactly. That is what I call it . the bunt driver. Might goes out there about 200 to 210. Usually a little fade for me and it sits down, right center field.

[golftejas]

Ping G20 4W ... hold it off a bit to keep the draw/hook at bay

[Fiddlesticks]

23* 5 iron... Aim a little right and let it draw back in.

[MarkAJones]

Frankly, I don't see how there's so many people that can say driver when some of the best players in the world wouldn't. The only reason I could see is if you hit driver under 230 yards where then you need the distance. For me, it's Tiger's shot - stinger long iron (would be a 2 iron when I get one but currently my 20 degree 3)

 

Frankly I don't see how you can say a 2 iron stinger is easier to hit that a bog standard driver.

 

For a start, most don't have the speed to get a 2 iron up in the air and then you're telling them to de-loft it even more!

 

Wow...

[MarkAJones]

Frankly, I don't see how there's so many people that can say driver when some of the best players in the world wouldn't.

I agree with this. I wonder how many would still say driver if you said up 2 strokes on the 18th. Virtually every pro would hit an iron or 5 wood in this scenario. I can see if you're a high cap player and you are not confident with any club so it doesn't matter.

 

Not sure why people can't understand why some people are more comfortable hitting driver than they are a long iron, when they'd happily accept that some people are happier hitting wedges than irons, or vice versa.

 

Given that lots of people pound the driver at ranges more than any other club, seems pretty reasonable that plenty might be happy hitting it off the tee

[knickerbocker]

3 wood of the deck in middle of stance. Stinger swing produces low cut. It was a money shot for me in Scotland.