Anyone else ditching fairway woods for low lofted hybrids

[jafstar]

I was all about hybrids when I started, but eventually you start trying to go for par 5s in two shots and fairways will get you closer. Plus fairways are a bit bigger off the tee. It's worth the investment.

[tsecor]

Hybrids all day long

[txgolfer45]

I went with 2 fwy and 2 hybrids. A 5 fwy adjusted to 17 degrees, 7 fwy adjusted to 20 degrees and a 4 and 5 hybrid adjusted to 23 and 26 degrees.

[zarro84]

I used to think that switching out 3wd for a similar loft hybrid, then I got fit for an M6 w/ mitsubishi C3 blue. Will have to be pried out of my cold dead hands.

 

I do love my g410 3 hybrid though, absolutely killer.

[afrodyma]

Last year I was using a 16 degree Mizuno JPX EZ hybrid and loved it. The only reason I switched it out was to upgrade to the Mizuno CLK 16 degree which I can adjust the loft on to get the flight even lower on windy days. No need for fairway woods when I've got this long of a hybrid. At standard loft setting, it goes a little over 85% of the distance of my driver.

[DONNYWOOD]

I am doing the opposite. I am contemplating dropping the 3H (19) for a 5W. Big tim hook with Hybrid.

[PowerCobra98]

I ditched my fairway woods this season and went to both a 2H and 3H instead (17 and 20 degrees). It was the best move I ever made.

[pgetzen]

Interesting and timely topic for me. I was playing a 15 degree 3 wood and a 19 degree hybrid (both TEE CB2s, great clubs by the way) and recently bought a set of irons (Mizuno JPX Hot Metal Pro) where the lofts are strong enough to render the 19 degree hybrid duplicative with the 4 iron. So, thought I would try a low lofted hybrid just for fun. Bought a used TEE CBX 16 degree hybrid, and figured with the low spin, it might be as good as my older 3 wood. The data set is small (only 1 round), but it looks promising. The CBS is pretty easy to hit off the deck, and really easy to hit off the tee. Might be a confidence thing with the shorter shaft, but so far so good. I’ll keep it in for a few more rounds and see if it looks like a good permanent solution.

[BirdieRoll]

I've added a couple of G400 hybrids to the bag. They have been money, especially the 3h on par fives. Length + accuracy for me.

Where the hooks have come in for me is if I go at it hard I tend to cast over the top with my right shoulder, shutting the clubface. A smooth swing with my right shoulder 'back' (I'm a righty) keeps the hooks at bay. My 3 wood is spending a lot of time in the bag...

[Jifmoli]

Yeah, man totally agree and have done for the same reason: hybrids are easier to hit from off the deck and certainly rough. I find woods ok from nice soft lies and off a short tee but even a slightly buried lie dramatically reduce my chances of a good hit (am 24HC so no talent here I am afraid..). Used to have a 5 wood and even a 7 but gave them away once I got a 3 and 5 hybrid. Got a 16o 2 hybrid later on and hit that as long as a good 3w hit - mind you I do think it had a longer shaft than normal (had, as I broke it :'(). I probably loose a bit of distance with an equivalent lofted hybrid normally but the advantages are too big to care about that. Still plenty length left.

Am hitting a 3 wood at the moment (dug it up from somewhere in the garage) to get the length my 2 hybrid had but it is only possible because we have to use 'preferred lie" to keep the fairway from getting wrecked with the dry conditions we have now. Soft lie = OK for woods. Now I have recently said that once my driver breaks I won't buy another because I am better (more accurate and still good length) off the tee with a 3 wood. So that would mean once the 3 woods dies I would just be hitting hybrids... Makes the bag nice and light!

 

[avgjoe88]

I have a love hate relationship with my 3 wood. There will be days when I hit it off the deck perfect almost every time. Then there are days I get the greatest workout of my life swinging it. My hybrid always seemed to treat me right though. I'm currently in the market for one. I bought new irons a couple of weeks ago and when I sold my old ones they took the hybrid with them.

[chafita]

I relegated my 3W to tee only. Off the deck I'm too inconsistent with it to trust it. My 3H is easier to hit off the deck so I have way more confidence making shots. I score in the high 80's to low 90's so I need all the help I can get.

[evilelf]

I can smoke my 3 wood pretty darn straight off a tee; however, off the deck I tend to fade it too much so it ends up equal to the total distance of my hybrid. Now if I am going for a long par 5, I need that 2 wood to have a chance, but the odds are low that I will pull it off, so I rarely attempt it. Hell, I have been laying up on par 5's to 100/120 regularly this season and my scoring has gone down using the wedge to attack the pin. I will say that upgrading from knock-off hybrids to King F5's was well worth it. The ball screams off the face. At times, I can't believe I am the one that hit the ball.

[asw7576]

I settled with hybrids #3 and #5 after using driver for tee off. I feel better that way, score is more consistent.

[scratch67]

I just bought a TS2 1H (17*) today. Plan on replacing my TS2 16.5* FW wood. I have a TS2 3H. My most consistent club in the bag.

[ConstantineJr79]

Quite the opposite for me. Never hit a FW wood because I was too inconsistent. Hybrids were also inconsistent but they didn’t veer off as far as FW woods. Decided this year to commit to a 3 wood. Best change I ever made and I have a 21* 7 wood on the way to fill the 225 yard gap from my 4 iron. Was a pain finding a Diamana white board and a 7 wood head.

[evilelf]

The biggest factor in making the decision for me (and may help you) is your angle of attack. I like to hit down on every ball, even slightly with my driver; thus, my 8*. I am just so comfortable with that attack. Even though I continue to work on shallowing that out, I still gravitate towards it and it feels comfortable. For me to flush a 3 wood, I have to come in fairly shallow, which is not in my comfort zone. When I do, I bomb it, but when I don't, I would rather have just hit my hybrid. TLDR: If you tend to get a little too steep, IMHO, go with the hybrid.

[BogeyUh_FindsaWay]

Ditched my 5w for a 3 hybrid long ago and have more recently even replaced 4 iron with a hybrid for the ease of hitting it out of rough after an errant drive. I'm only a once a month bogey golfer so I'm in the rough enough to plan for it but haven't yet spent the time, or money, on the PGA pro lessons to avoid it.

 

The length of a 3w is hard to give up though, so have just been tinkering with a 2 hybrid now and then when course and/or conditions warrant. The main decision point is course set up, particularly if the par 3's are long, because the gapping of my conditional bag set up of 2, 3, 4 hybrids is better from 185 to 225 yards. Secondary to that is if the par 5's are either short enough that the 2 hybrid can get within scoring club range or so long that the 3w can't anyway. Thick rough and wind can play into it but they have to especially bad to make change from the 3w if the course set up dictates 3w length helps.

[Celeras]

I carry both right now but I find that my 3W doesn't get taken out of the bag very often. That being said, I do have trouble getting my 2H in the air sometimes. But the bad shots are much less bad than with the 3W, so I don't find myself risking it too often.

[mukster]

I’ve been playing around with this. Currently driver, 17° hybrid, 22° hybrid as my 3 longest clubs.

I have a strong 3 wood and recently bought a nice 5 wood, but the above currently works.

[braincramp52]

I've played this whole season with 17,20,and 23 hybrids. My bad shots went down a ton and I might have lost 10 yards over my 4 wood I used to have. I don't miss my fairway woods at all.

[Kale_m]

I acquired a tensei pro white 80tx the other day. Going. To try and build a fairway wood over the winter. Thinking g410 5 wood down to 16.5 and flat. Hopefully fit the bill. If not then the search will continue. Have the 2hy for not and will be the one to test against

[Winged Wheeler]

Had 3H and 4H in my bag....could hit either one with any consistency....went back to a 5w and 4 iron.

[Grizpharm]

Took my 3 wood out and put in a 16* hybrid I built. Lost about 7 yards of carry, maybe 10 total yards but I can smoke this hybrid in a much straighter line. Never use 3 wood off the tee FYI since I am a good driver of the ball. Didn’t lose much going at par 5 since I’m a lot more accurate.

[Hoselrocket08]

I rotate.

 

Right now I have the following:

10.5* driver with TX shaft

13.5* 3 wood with X shaft

18* 5 wood with X shaft

24* hybrid with S shaft (5 iron replacement)

 

I also have an 18* hybrid and a 15* weak 3 wood that I rotate in depending on the course and conditions.

 

Right now my driver is not cooperating so I hit a lot of that strong 3 wood off of the tee. It's honestly only 10 yards shorter than my driver a lot of times.

 

 

[mawbell1]

Ping G 19° & 22° replaced 5 wood & 3 iron in my bag 3-4 years ago. I still have a 3 wood just because I fell in love with the G410 this spring. It bails me out when my driver “G410 LST” is misbehaving, which can be often. I wouldn’t trade the 2 hybrids thought I may increase the gap between the 2 when I upgrade to the 410’s. Great posts all around & I appreciate the different views!

[Shakespeare]

> @mawbell1 said:

> Ping G 19° & 22° replaced 5 wood & 3 iron in my bag 3-4 years ago. I still have a 3 wood just because I fell in love with the G410 this spring. It bails me out when my driver “G410 LST” is misbehaving, which can be often. I wouldn’t trade the 2 hybrids thought I may increase the gap between the 2 when I upgrade to the 410’s. Great posts all around & I appreciate the different views!

 

I have the 410's in 19 and 22...you'll love them

[j.a.]

3 wood stays in the bag but 5W was replaced by a TEE EXS 3H 19º that is working very well. Gap problems solved.

[bulldog48377]

I have been reading many articles here but this is my first time commenting.

 

I have the same concern. I carry a 0 handicapped and played in college in the early 90’s, but I have always struggle with a 3 wood off the grass. I only use 3W once or twice per round and a ball has to be sitting up Perfectly for me to hit it.

 

I am thinking of getting either a Ping G410 5W (17.5) or G410 2H (17). The carry distance of G410 5W is 230 yds and G410 2His about 220.

 

I think I could hit the Ping G410 2H more consistently and even when a ball is sitting down.

 

What do you guys think? All opinions are greatly appreciated.

[Chuck905]

> @"Crazy About Golf" said:

> > @bhorlings said:

> > I am set up the same way. Glad to see I am not alone! Outside my driver, I have been gaming a 16, 20, & 23 degree hybrid versus using woods ever since the Callaway X Hot Pro hybrids came out. I have done a few 3 & 5 wood tests lately to see if I could put the woods back in and I just cannot find anything that makes me want to change. I see a 5-10 yard difference between my 16 degree hybrid and a 15 degree 3 wood. My dispersion is so much tighter with my 16 degree hybrid.

> >

> > I think it boils down to confidence.

>

> Assuming a good strike on both clubs: the 3-wood, with the longer shaft and less loft, should hit the ball farther than the hybrid.....however, we all know that "strike is king". The shorter shaft of the hybrid gives me a better shot of putting a good strike on it....and by extension, I have more confidence. I do find it interesting that there are some who avoid hybrids like the plague......just goes to show that we're all different.

 

It’s funny how that is. I’ve experimented with low lofted hybrids and drivings irons when I was getting back into the game.

 

After many swing lessons, nothing comes close to my 13.5* Epic SZ fairway wood. I totally agree you on “strike”.