Anyone else not carry any fairway woods?

[Jesus g]

i still carry a 3W and 5W, but then i transition into a 4i, the 3i for me became obsolete but i carry 4 wedges. i love hitting the 3w and 5w off the deck or tee. 

[me05501]

Of interest to this thread:

 

 

 

 

[Multipass613]

To anyone avoiding hitting fairway woods, you guys are really doing yourself a disservice. In my opinion there's no reason why anyone capable of breaking 100 can't bag fairway woods. Here's my tips, for what it's worth:

 

1. PRACTICE, these are often the least used clubs in our bags and get very little practice. I spent two seasons hitting a second ball on any reachable par 5, just to see what the results would have been with a fairway wood. At the range hit them off the deck, not a tee.

2. Any 3w can be hit off the tee, off the deck is a whole different story, more than any other club (except maybe wedges) get the right kind of club for your swing. I'm a tall flexible steep swinger, for me cutting a cobra 3w with baffler rails down to 42" gave me the control and forgiveness to be a reliable fairway wood player. There are tons of previous year models out there to be had for cheap, try them.

 

Name me a single pro who doesn't have a fairway wood in the bag, you will get yourself some eagle putts but even on par 5's you can't quite reach, the advantage is being within 20-30 yards for a higher % birdie chance. If you want to play to the best of your abilities, you must have a reliable fairway wood.

[Scorin Warren]

In my younger days I used to use a 4 wood off the deck and a 7 wood.  It was a real strength of my game. Also years ago fairways were not cut as tight as they are today which makes it harder to hit fairway woods. Now I’m 69 years old and really can’t get any satisfaction out of hitting fairway woods. I was and still are carrying a 5,7 and 9 wood off and on but since my left side gets weaker and weaker with age the hybrids are the answer. Have gone to 3,4,5,6 and just added a 7 hybrid the other day. All new version of Big Bertha OS. Ridiculous how easy they are to hit and flight. I was thinking of trying a Ping G 410 5 wood with the low profile I have been told is very easy to hit off the deck and saw an earlier commenter made the same observation. Interesting to read that a lot of guys like me are in the same boat when it comes to fairway woods. 

[Ripken08]

21 minutes ago, Multipass613 said:

To anyone avoiding hitting fairway woods, you guys are really doing yourself a disservice. In my opinion there's no reason why anyone capable of breaking 100 can't bag fairway woods. Here's my tips, for what it's worth:

 

1. PRACTICE, these are often the least used clubs in our bags and get very little practice. I spent two seasons hitting a second ball on any reachable par 5, just to see what the results would have been with a fairway wood. At the range hit them off the deck, not a tee.

2. Any 3w can be hit off the tee, off the deck is a whole different story, more than any other club (except maybe wedges) get the right kind of club for your swing. I'm a tall flexible steep swinger, for me cutting a cobra 3w with baffler rails down to 42" gave me the control and forgiveness to be a reliable fairway wood player. There are tons of previous year models out there to be had for cheap, try them.

 

Name me a single pro who doesn't have a fairway wood in the bag, you will get yourself some eagle putts but even on par 5's you can't quite reach, the advantage is being within 20-30 yards for a higher % birdie chance. If you want to play to the best of your abilities, you must have a reliable fairway wood.

Theory is flawed.  Most people who have moved from fairway woods to hybrids (myself included) hit them just as far (and sometimes farther) as the fairway wood on a perfect strike.  So if distance is the same and it's easier to hit, then why even try to practice with woods?  

[trex858]

On 11/24/2020 at 6:31 AM, rjp217 said:

????

Haha, I was thinking the same thing.  There are plenty of elite ams, former college players, and others that have these kinds of numbers.  Doesn't mean they can score like guys/gals on the big tour 🙂

[ewe8523]

I currently am not carrying a fairway wood. I have a driver then a Callaway Epic 3 hybrid with a Kuro Kage black in it that I can hit just as far off the turf as a fairway wood but with better consistency. I also have a Cobra Utility iron at 19.5 with Kuro Kage red and a Callaway Apex UT at 24 with Recoil. 
 

I haven’t encountered any scenarios where I miss the fairway wood. 

[steventoo]

6 hours ago, rickybooby25 said:

How is it hitting the u510 1 iron?  Is it easy/hard?  Do you use it off the fairway at all?  What are your 1 iron specs?

 

Sorry for so many questions! haha.  I currently have a Sim Max 3 wood but I rarely use it.  I was thinking about switching to the u510 1 iron since I never hit the 3 wood off the tee.

 

No worries re: the questions - happy to help out when I can. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this club.

 

The U510 has the HZRDS Smoke 80g/6.0 in it. I have never really liked or gotten along well with the HZRDS Smoke and this is no exception - I really wish I had specced it differently, probably with an EvenFlow White 6.0 to match (well, a flex softer) the shaft in my driver. My main criticism is the feel - I have this weird thing where it feels both too soft and has no feel at all, at the same time. Impact from the middle feels great, but it feels awful when you're outside the sweet spot.

 

Buuuut it performs pretty well, though it took a while to figure out how to hit it. Teed up about 1cm, I can get them out to about 250m on the regular - sometimes further, sometimes not quite as far. Dispersion is pretty good, but it's easy to accidentally push fade and it's also easy to hit massively left. But it's mostly straight down the middle, 240m to 270m (that may have ben down-wind). I don't think the U510's forgiveness helps seriously off-kilter swings.

 

It's a bit more difficult to hit from the fairway and I find I get best results if I grip slightly down the shaft. 220m is no problem and it's easy enough to work left or right, and to hit straight. It can come in a bit shallow, but it's usually high enough and spinny enough to hold greens.

 

It would be a very difficult club to hit without reasonable/good swing speed, which is probably its biggest problem: you need to be swinging well to use it properly, and the way my back has been most of this year it feels like it's the club in my bag that I have the least amount of confidence with. Not because of the club, but because of my stupid body.

 

Try to spend some time with one on the course before you make a decision. I really like mine (usually) but my friends who have tried it don't like it at all.

[Mark McCall]

I'm 63 still work out and most importantly a golf stretch program for the last 15 years, still have 119 clubhead speed with a 44" driver, clearly down 8-10 mph over the last 20 years. The point is I haven't used any fairway woods since Snake eyes made their hybrids. Been using King Cobra baffler hybrids 18 degree to replace my 3 wood for about 13 years. I may give up 10 plus yards to a modern fairway wood but it still carries 240 plus easier from the rough. Most importantly very straight, my bad shots still always in play. Plus is much easier to go hi and low and very usable with the shorter length around the green. So my humble opinion unless you are playing golf for a living why use a 3 wood. That being said why use a 3 wood if u are playing golf for a living.

[PINGRebel]

Driver then 17,20,23 degree hybrids...haven’t had a FW wood in years.  
 

my 17 degree hybrid is a machine off the tee and in the fairway.

[nitram]

3 hours ago, Mark McCall said:

I'm 63 still work out and most importantly a golf stretch program for the last 15 years, still have 119 clubhead speed with a 44" driver, clearly down 8-10 mph over the last 20 years. The point is I haven't used any fairway woods since Snake eyes made their hybrids. Been using King Cobra baffler hybrids 18 degree to replace my 3 wood for about 13 years. I may give up 10 plus yards to a modern fairway wood but it still carries 240 plus easier from the rough. Most importantly very straight, my bad shots still always in play. Plus is much easier to go hi and low and very usable with the shorter length around the green. So my humble opinion unless you are playing golf for a living why use a 3 wood. That being said why use a 3 wood if u are playing golf for a living.

 

Great first post and welcome to WRX. 🍻

[golfinrig24]

I carry driver then 2I had a 3 wood I loved 3 years ago face cave. Haven't been on a hard hunt to replace it last two seasons as I have not needed that spot filled. I throw in a 5 wood I have used in past for practice sessions but never sticks as shots and distance with 2i are too similar to keep both.

[Eagleblitz]

Ok, lets establish 2 things.  First, In my opinion, the three most difficult shots in golf are Drive with today's driver, fairway shot 225-250 into par-5, and the 50 yard wedge to pin.  Funny how 2 of the 3 relate to the two longest clubs in bag.  Hmmm...

 

Second, todays driver at 45-46  inches are some 2-3 inches longer then the driver of 30+ years ago.  Yes the head is way bigger which inherently provides more forgiveness BUT you now have the added challenge of putting the center of the face on a ball which was challenging enough before adding 2 inches of total lenght!!  Today's 3 woods have grown in length also and are now the length of the driver of 30+ years ago.

 

So, does anyone else NOT CARRY A DRIVER LIKE ME??  I have turned to today's 3-wood as my driver.  I'm 54 yrs of age, 13 handi, and I consistently get 235-265 with my three wood.  No it's not 275-300.  But I rarely loose a ball on my T-shot and almost always playable.  I even got 282(sky caddie confirmed) out off a drive this August slighty downhill and some wind at my back.  But it was center-cut 282 3-wood!!!  I use a larger headed 3 wood(190 cc), 16 degree, stiff graphite shaft.  You can call this weak 3 or strong 4 in terms of degree, but the length of the shaft is what typical 3 woods are today.   

 

Which brings me too the authors question.  Fairway wood in the bag.  YES.  My 5 wood, 18 degree, which again, is really yesterday's 3 wood, gets me 210-240 off the deck consistantly.  I even teed this up on a hole this summer and got 247  uphill center cut.  My 3 wood swing speed clocks in around 88-93.  I'm on the board between stiff and reg shaft.

 

The problem isn't fairway woods, its the added length of the shaft in this century in the search for distance that is the true problem.  

 

Gear down with your gear, and enjoy the great tech found in these heads and shafts.  Put the center of the club face on the back of the ball.  The shorter the shaft, the more often you will do this.  Period!! 

[rickybooby25]

14 hours ago, steventoo said:

 

No worries re: the questions - happy to help out when I can. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this club.

 

The U510 has the HZRDS Smoke 80g/6.0 in it. I have never really liked or gotten along well with the HZRDS Smoke and this is no exception - I really wish I had specced it differently, probably with an EvenFlow White 6.0 to match (well, a flex softer) the shaft in my driver. My main criticism is the feel - I have this weird thing where it feels both too soft and has no feel at all, at the same time. Impact from the middle feels great, but it feels awful when you're outside the sweet spot.

 

Buuuut it performs pretty well, though it took a while to figure out how to hit it. Teed up about 1cm, I can get them out to about 250m on the regular - sometimes further, sometimes not quite as far. Dispersion is pretty good, but it's easy to accidentally push fade and it's also easy to hit massively left. But it's mostly straight down the middle, 240m to 270m (that may have ben down-wind). I don't think the U510's forgiveness helps seriously off-kilter swings.

 

It's a bit more difficult to hit from the fairway and I find I get best results if I grip slightly down the shaft. 220m is no problem and it's easy enough to work left or right, and to hit straight. It can come in a bit shallow, but it's usually high enough and spinny enough to hold greens.

 

It would be a very difficult club to hit without reasonable/good swing speed, which is probably its biggest problem: you need to be swinging well to use it properly, and the way my back has been most of this year it feels like it's the club in my bag that I have the least amount of confidence with. Not because of the club, but because of my stupid body.

 

Try to spend some time with one on the course before you make a decision. I really like mine (usually) but my friends who have tried it don't like it at all.

Thanks for the info! Very detailed and informative answer. Based on your feedback I’m just gonna stick with my 3 wood. I probably will end up getting the Ping G410 3 wood cause it’s supposed to be the easiest to hit off the turf. Right now my Sim Max is great off the tee but a little difficult off the turf.

[Rangehero1]

I was hybrid only for years.  Then I found the Callaway Big Bertha Fusion. They are ridiculously easy to hit off the deck or tee. 

[ccssid]

I am the opposite. I carry a 3, 5, 7, and 9 fw. As my body gets older, 69 now, my iron play went sideways.

[herkyjerk]

What’s a 2 iron ?

[RJ_MJ_JJ]

Depends on the courses you play, imo. If you belong to a club you play 90% of the time, your bag should fit what you need most for that course. The course I typically play is fairly short, relative to other courses, so my bag goes Driver to a 17* 2i. But if I play a longer course, I might throw the 3w in the bag to replace the 2i.

[AndersUK]

Same.  LW to 2i, driver and putter.  Too loose with fairways and hybrids.  

[RoyalMustang]

I played yesterday and hit my 19 degree Srixon hybrid (with Smoke 6.5 80g shaft) twice.  That club is nearly like fairway wood in distance and easier to hit off of the deck.   Downwind I had a 285 yard drive with it; probably 265 w/o the wind, leaving it only about 15 yards short of the 4 wood in the same conditions (I had a 300 yard downwind drive with the 4-wood on the next hole).  It is a weird club: if I force it I can have a really bad miss, but if I am simply relaxed and complete my backswing, it is the easiest club in the bag to hit. 

 

If fairway woods aren't your thing, you should check out the right hybrid.  The only thing I have found with this hybrid is a propensity to draw whereas the 4 wood gets played to a fade.  If I had to get one, I would say Hybrid as it is more versatile and easier to hit out of deep rough.  The 4-wood can be tougher to get off the deck as well; I really need a great swing to get loft on it, whereas the hybrid lofts on every swing.  The 4-wood will still roll forever, but if you need to clear a hazard, the Hybrid might be the better bet.

 

I have been primarily using my 4-wood off of the tee, for what it is worth.  I only used it twice yesterday; one was as noted above and the other time was the "shot of my life" which was a 290 yard (downhill) thread-the-needle tee shot on arguably the toughest hole within a 20 mile radius.   I basically needed the ball to stop within a 30 yard by 30 yard window at 280 out or I needed to lay up with a 5-iron.  As I had just recorded a triple bogey on the previous hole, I went for it!  Got my first par that wasn't an up-and-down on that hole.     

[azgreg]

I've never been very good with a 3w off the deck. A 4w is a little better. Since I started doing the minimalist thing I've gone to a 5w/3h combo and it's working quite well. On a side note I've seen a number of PGA pros (teachers, not tour guys) who don't carry fairways. They like the 2h/4h combo and shoot in the 70's all the time. It helps that they can all chip and putt.

 

[JAM01]

This was me (for about 5 years) - driver then 3 hybrid. For kicks bought a G410 SFT 3 wood mid-summer. It’s firmly in the bag now. 

[Jeisn]

I have D, 2h, 2i, 4h, 5i-pw, 52°, 54°, 60° & putter, and it's been that way for 6 years. If I miss it of the tee bad enough, a driver off the deck maybe in play, I can hit that as well as o have ever hit a 3w. Length isn't usually my issue it's having the gaps filled at the bottom of the bag. 2h and 2i go upto 250 yds in the right conditions, 220-230 is common, so what is the necessity for more? When I can have more scoring clubs.

[Archiegoggles]

No fairway woods or hybrids here.  Driver, 3iron, 4iron, 5-9,PW, 52,54,56,60,putter.  Went with more wedges instead.  3i and 4i are both plenty long and forgiving. 

[ND2005]

22 hours ago, RJ_MJ_JJ said:

Depends on the courses you play, imo. If you belong to a club you play 90% of the time, your bag should fit what you need most for that course. The course I typically play is fairly short, relative to other courses, so my bag goes Driver to a 17* 2i. But if I play a longer course, I might throw the 3w in the bag to replace the 2i.

 

I think this is part of my problem. Before I moved, I was regularly playing a course where I pretty consistently used 3 wood off the tee 3-4 times per round and off the fairway on at least 1 if not 2 par 5s frequently. So the frequent use breeds confidence in the club. 

 

Now the courses I typically play I either am hitting driver or I need a true 200-230 "layup" shot not a 3 wood. 

[NRJyzr]

On 11/25/2020 at 9:59 PM, Eagleblitz said:

Ok, lets establish 2 things.  First, In my opinion, the three most difficult shots in golf are Drive with today's driver, fairway shot 225-250 into par-5, and the 50 yard wedge to pin.  Funny how 2 of the 3 relate to the two longest clubs in bag.  Hmmm...

 

Second, todays driver at 45-46  inches are some 2-3 inches longer then the driver of 30+ years ago.  Yes the head is way bigger which inherently provides more forgiveness BUT you now have the added challenge of putting the center of the face on a ball which was challenging enough before adding 2 inches of total lenght!!  Today's 3 woods have grown in length also and are now the length of the driver of 30+ years ago.

 

So, does anyone else NOT CARRY A DRIVER LIKE ME??  I have turned to today's 3-wood as my driver.  I'm 54 yrs of age, 13 handi, and I consistently get 235-265 with my three wood.  No it's not 275-300.  But I rarely loose a ball on my T-shot and almost always playable.  I even got 282(sky caddie confirmed) out off a drive this August slighty downhill and some wind at my back.  But it was center-cut 282 3-wood!!!  I use a larger headed 3 wood(190 cc), 16 degree, stiff graphite shaft.  You can call this weak 3 or strong 4 in terms of degree, but the length of the shaft is what typical 3 woods are today.   

 

Which brings me too the authors question.  Fairway wood in the bag.  YES.  My 5 wood, 18 degree, which again, is really yesterday's 3 wood, gets me 210-240 off the deck consistantly.  I even teed this up on a hole this summer and got 247  uphill center cut.  My 3 wood swing speed clocks in around 88-93.  I'm on the board between stiff and reg shaft.

 

The problem isn't fairway woods, its the added length of the shaft in this century in the search for distance that is the true problem.  

 

Gear down with your gear, and enjoy the great tech found in these heads and shafts.  Put the center of the club face on the back of the ball.  The shorter the shaft, the more often you will do this.  Period!! 

 

Apologies up front, this could get a little TLDR

 

I loathe modern driver and fairway wood club lengths.  I've done similar to what you're doing, but without dropping back a club.

 

I play my driver at 43.5", sometimes even 43".  I've done a couple different things to bring the head weight up, using the TaylorMade moveable weight clubs, replacing the weights with heavier ones, or the old standard of lead tape.  Some of my clubs are completely safe from all radiation, there's so much lead on them.

 

Which brings us to fairway woods....  if im using a 3w, I want it at 42", maybe 42.5", due to my length preferences/prejudices; it also happens to be the classic fairway wood length.  With modern fairway woods, it's a bit harder to find places to add lead tape.  Not a fan of tip weights or hot melt.  Currently using a King LTD 3w that I've opened up and stuffed silly to get the weight up.  Unfortunately, I'm approaching the time (just turned 57 yrs old) where a 14.5* club isn't as useful off the deck.

 

Which is where a long hybrid replacing a fairway wood comes in.  The club heads are heavier, the shafts tend to be heavier (another preference of mine), seems like a good idea.

 

Off and on, I've used a TM Stage 2 Tour 2 hybrid in that fairway wood slot.  I've got both a graphite iron shaft and DGS400 for it.  The loft is 16.5*, and it can be tuned lower if I feel the need for that.  Because of its rep (hot), considering picking up a G410 2h to plug in here.  Again, iron shafts will be the preferred choice, even up to something like a Steelfiber i125.

 

3 woods of yore were in the 17* range, what is now called a 3w was then called a 2w, and few used them.  Combine that with the club length issues, it seems a good option for some.  Hybrids aren't as forgiving as fairway wood heads, but it doesn't matter as much when the longer club length doesn't let you use them effectively.  😉

 

This post brought to you by your local insomnia clinic....

 

Edited November 27, 2020 by NRJyzr

[Rich Douglas]

I don't play any fairway woods. I have a TM Original Mini-driver that functions like a 2-wood, followed by 3- and 4-hybrids. 

 

The Mini-driver is longer than a 3-wood. I use it for tighter holes or to avoid close fairway bunkers. I can hit it off the deck, if necessary, but that's so rare. Usually, if I can't reach the green with a hybrid or an iron, I lay up. I might use a fairway wood--if I had one--maybe once every couple of rounds. But I use that Mini-driver on every course I see.

[cw1209]

On 11/25/2020 at 11:40 AM, Multipass613 said:

"Name me a single pro who doesn't have a fairway wood in the bag"

 

Cameron Champ and Wyndham Clark. It's rare on tour, but there a few bags out there with no fairway wood. 

 

https://www.golfwrx.com/631092/cameron-champ-witb-2020-tour-championship/

https://www.golfwrx.com/639590/wyndham-clark-witb-october-2020/

 

 

I would put myself in this category as someone who struggled with fairway woods for a long time. High spin, late release swing, negative AOA. I do better with clubs that have CG positioned low and forward. By design, hybrids and driving irons have CG positioned more forward versus a fairway wood. Took awhile to find a fairway wood that was fit for me. When I read that the Cobra SZ Big Tour was the update for the Cobra LTD fairway, I knew I had to give it a try. Perfect fit for me. Keeps spin in check and can actually use it for more accuracy off the tee. 

 

Edited November 27, 2020 by cw1209

[Strategery]

On 11/25/2020 at 5:40 AM, bmos21 said:

I went from 137mph SS to 89-91 mph SS

 

Avg PGA tour SS is 113, that is, the best 200 players in the world.

Add 7 to get to DJ at 120 who is #25.

Add another 7 to get to Cameron Champ at 127 who is #1.

Then... add another *10* to get to @bmos21 at *137*, some random poster on golfwrx forum. 🤪

Edited November 28, 2020 by Strategery
Link.

[steventoo]

On 11/26/2020 at 10:56 PM, rickybooby25 said:

Thanks for the info! Very detailed and informative answer. Based on your feedback I’m just gonna stick with my 3 wood. I probably will end up getting the Ping G410 3 wood cause it’s supposed to be the easiest to hit off the turf. Right now my Sim Max is great off the tee but a little difficult off the turf.

 

Maybe try the 2 iron instead - it's almost certainly more friendly and probably goes just as far as a result. I have to admit that part of the reason why I bought the 1 iron was because... 1 iron.

 

I only used it once during 9 holes last night and had a pitching wedge into a par 4, whereas I'd usually take a 3 iron from the tee then hit an 8 iron. So in that sense, there's little material difference. But on the same hole, into the wind as it often plays, my 3 iron will balloon and go nowhere while the 1 iron will go nearly as far as it did last night.