What is your go-to fairway finding club off the tee?

[MelloYello]

 

My tee club selections are decided based on things like:

(1) The presence of hazards and what clubs take them out of play

(2) The difficulty of hitting the "aggressive" shot

(3) The penalty involved with not pulling it off

(4) The overall distance of the hole

(5) Whether the preferred shot is a draw or fade

(6) What distance I can afford on my 2nd shot

(7) The wind

 

You should NOT expect 1 particular club in your bag to be inherently more accurate than the others. You should expect to gain accuracy as distance drops off. So it's a sliding scale with trade-offs.

Neither should you expect that hitting it shorter will necessarily give you easier shots into the green. That may not work on certain holes. That's what makes certain holes difficult.

 

Here are a few examples of how I decide what to hit:

#1 - On 2 holes at my course the tee shot cannot be a fade. Since I only fade my driver, I choose 3w on those holes. Luckily, that distance works for those holes.

#2 - On 1 hole at my course playing conservative will only lead to an uphill long-iron approach to a difficult green with a massive bunker protecting it's front. So I have to hit driver. It's just a difficult hole.

#3 - On 1 hole at my course I hit 3w because the trouble that comes into play both right & left can be a 1+ shot penalty. 3w seems to stay short of all of it so it's a safer play.

#4 - On 1 hole at my course every (good) tee shot seems to hit a particular down-slope and funnel to the same collection area. I've found a smooth 3w goes as far as a driver with some added protections.

#5 - On 1 hole at my course I hit mid-iron because it leaves me far enough back that I have a flat lie. Getting too close leaves one below the green, fight the slope and sometimes blocked out.

[jholz]

I like to be confident with pretty much any club off the tee, and which one I choose is totally dictated by the layout of the hole. Having said that, driver and 3h are my no-doubters.

[uglande]

2 iron. I don't always stripe it but even mishits generally stay out of trouble. Otherwise, 4 wood or 5 wood depending on what I have in the bag.

[groach]

My Titleist 816 H2 Hybrid, 21*, Fuji Speeder 8.8x shaft. That's my absolute go-to fairway finder, often times for a difficult Par 5, I'll take that off the tee to stay out of trouble with the driver, or, to force myself to play 3 shots knowing the second shot has trouble, etc. I carry it around 220, so with roll, etc, usually ends up around 235 ish. I will also play it if there's trouble or tight fairways on a shorter Par 4. It's the only club I refused to change out when I re-did my entire bag this winter.

[NoTalentLefty]

3 hybrid but not wise enough to use it as often as I should.

[Hougz79]

20* Hybrid. 240 all day long.

[getitdaily]

It really depends.

3wood if I need more than 230

4i if need less than 230

I hit a good bit of off the deck drivers on holes that are a bit tight and are less than 420. Just kick up a grass tee and hit it hard. As long as you rotate it's a natural easy fade that carries about 230 and runs like forest gump.

[Davidv]

2Hybrid.

[m d g]

Driver...220 in the fairway almost every time. I don't have the clubhead speed (as a 7 Hcp) to get too crooked. If I miss more than one fairway per round I get pretty mad : )

[Mizzoujames]

Right now its the TM P790 UDI. I can hit that thing 240 right down the middle. My driver on the other hand has a mind of its own.

 

 

[GLF4EVR]

For me it would be to either choke down on the driver, or use the 2 iron.

[scooterhd2]

Adams Super XTD Hybrid at 17*. Straight, low bombs.

[EaglesGolf99]

18° 2 Hybrid

10 Yard Draw

250 Yards

[JohnKHawk]

Cobra King OS 3-4 hybrid set at 20.5 degrees. 210-215 yards.

[JPG44]

Taylormade 2 UDI.

[Seidinho]

3hybrid. The thing flies straight and rolls to 210yards. Keeps me in play!

[jons1]

wedge ... hit the fairway 100% of the time, no matter what the conditions.

 

[brew4eagle]

Most courses have at least 1 hole where wedge won't get you to the fairway, what do you do then?

[steel09]

Titleist 915f 3 wood. It’s like a unicorn club

[Duffner's Waggle]

I play a Srixon 545 3iron with an old school Speeder graphite shaft and that thing is money from the tee and from the deck. 235 and usually high and straight. I love it. When I absolutely need to be in play that's my stick. Even if I mis-hit it, it's usually straight, just shorter than I'd like. Driver can be a weapon or can go off the planet. I don't hit fairway or hybrid enough to be comfortable with them.

Used to be a Fairway fanatic. Now it rarely leaves my bag.

[LUXOR54]

Callaway X2hot 2 deep, 12.5 degree. Bomber off the tee, easy to hit it high, low, or in the middle. Not the easiest off the deck, but it's great for getting it under the wind and having a ton of roll on par 5's

[jons1]

 

9 Iron

[MinimalistGC]

u510 but I’m stupid and will still hit driver.