Anyone else not carry any fairway woods?

[NRJyzr]

35 minutes ago, Strategery said:

 

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. 🤪

 

[A.Princey]

You just need to start looking at low-profile, forgiving models, and likely a 4w. Ping's as of late are great options, as are some of the older TEE Exotics options. The XCG-7 series is one of the most "dummy-proof" fw's I've ever hit. They are super easy to launch, very forgiving, and have a nicely blunted leading edge.  That extra bounce almost guarantees you can hit down, through the ball with little worry about chunking it. Seriously, the XCG7 and E8 models are fantastic.

[lefthack]

If only I could hit my driver off the tee like I hit my 3w off the deck. I am working on it, but I love my 3w and 5w.

 

Maybe you just haven't found the right club. My first fairway wood was an OG Tight Lies 3w that I could hit ANYWHERE.

[rjp217]

On 11/23/2020 at 8:23 PM, rjp217 said:

I’m somewhat in the same boat here. I carry a 9* driver and 15* driving iron. My next club is a 3i which sits at 21*.

 

Driver - 290

DI - 250

3i - 230

 

One problem I have is my DI is long but the flight is super low, which has its positive and negatives. It is also very difficult to pick off the turf on a par 5. The other issue I have with this setup is I rarely need my 3i. What I am personally thinking of trying this offseason is removing the 3i from the bag and tossing in a 5 wood. This should solve my issue where I need a higher ball flighted shot with distance and also if I need it off the fairway on a par 5.

Well, to follow up with this I just grabbed a 17.5* Cobra Speedzone Tour 5 wood thanks to Black Friday. Little nervous about it being a low launch but I’m a natural high ball hitter and the adjustability is nice. We shall see.

[Rosco1216]

I don’t carry any fairway woods. I finally just ditched it and went with a 2hy as a replacement.

[dubbelbogey]

I played without a fw wood for many years. Driver then 2h (18*). It was very functional for me, though certainly some par 5 holes were not reachable in 2 with that combo. But overall, it was not a big sacrifice.

 

I used to play a course where a 64* wedge was pretty useful, so I chose to keep that in the bag over a 3w and I was just fine without it. Since I don't play that course very often anymore, the 64 is out and I've found a 3w that I'm reasonably happy with. Like a lot of other players, I think a reliable 3w might be the most difficult club to find. I also think it's the most difficult club to hit reliably - long shaft, low loft with a relatively small clubface.

 

I do have fun hitting the 3w to give me a shot at hitting par 5s, but if I'm honest, it really doesn't help my scores very much, in general.

Edited November 28, 2020 by dubbelbogey

[SwingMan]

I don't have enough speed to go without a fairway - so I've doubled down on them. But I usually grip down to 42.5 in on a 4 wd and go 42 in on 5 wd. Shallow face and low kick shaft to get ball up on high mid trajectory. I may throw a 7 wd at 41 in depending on course. I don't trust a  3H or 4HYcompletely yet. Working on it.

 

But if you want a more fwy looking hybrid for more confidence and great ball speed, try Tour Edge EXS 220.

Edited November 28, 2020 by SwingMan

[Clubhoe]

I play a % golf, fairway finder set up. with reach to par 5s in two.

 

Mini Driver 13.5° - 2 hybrid 16° - 3 utility 20° 

 

Edited November 29, 2020 by Clubhoe

[RoyalMustang]

On 11/27/2020 at 5:13 PM, steventoo said:

 

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.

 

I second this-I bought a Mizuno mp18 hi-fli here (2-iron) and it is a great club.  Easy to hit off of the tee and goes a long way.  

[pinestreetgolf]

I read through the whole thread, and I'm startled by the casualness by which some just conclude they'll never be able to hit it and pull the 3 wood.  I'm not sure how anyone could look at this as anything but a huge disadvantage, unless you're short enough that you are not getting to 5s in two anyway.  I'd rather play without my 6 and 7 irons and make do than the 3 wood.  6 and 7 irons don't turn 3 shots into 2.

 

"The secret to golf is turning 3 shots into 2" - Bobby Jones

 

There are two ways to do this that are relatively easy.  One is chipping, pitching, and bunker play from standard situations.  The other is hitting the green on a par 5 in two shots.

 

I'm not saying that you need to carry one no matter what but it seems like an insane sacrifice to just shrug off potentially two-putting for birdie four times because you can't be bothered to get your swing a little less steep.

 

If its 30 versus 55, that makes some sense.

 

If its green/green complex versus 30 yard pitch, put the 3 wood in your bag and learn to hit it.  Its the second-easiest way to turn 3 shots into 2 for almost everyone.

[Bye]

I think the biggest mistake people make with 3 wood is to try and hit it like a driver. Ball too far forward in the stance, trying to hit up on it and lift the ball in the air.
 

imagine it’s a 3 or long iron of your choice, set up to it in the same way. The AOA should be slightly down. 

 

[johngalt312]

No.  I carry a 3-Wood and oftentimes a 5-Wood.  Allows for eagle opportunities on 550y+ par 5s.

[rkillian]

I have a 5 wood turned to 17*. That so far has been the best fairway for me but if I took it out of my bag, I'm not sure I would miss it much. I have only hit it off the deck on course maybe twice and niehter time was on a course I play often. It is not a frequently used club for me. If I have to worry about going long off the tee I will usualy hit my hybrid instead. My miss most often with driver and my 5w is a terrible hook. Oddly enough I am less likely to hook my hybrid. I know its a swing flaw, With a fairway or driver length club I sometimes shallow my take-a-way and swing around my body, hooking th ball wildly left. I'm working on it. So I have thought about going to a 2H 4H setup instead. Or trying a callaway super hybrid at 17* instead. 

[QuigleyDU]

I technically do not. I have not for a very long time. 

[jah7838]

I don't play a traditional 3 wood or 5 wood.  The clubs I use for those slots in the bag are a 15* and 19* Adams XTD Super Hybrids.  I probably lose 10-15 total yards, but I'm more consistent with them because of the shorter shafts. 

 

I may try and rework my 4 hybrid/4 iron slot for something a tad bit longer and replace the 15* & 19* with the 17* XTD I have in the closet.  I would then get an actual 3 wood for off the tee on certain Par 4s that I play.  What I have in the bag now works, but winter time is when I tinker a bit.  

[DaveGoodrich]

22 hours ago, pinestreetgolf said:

I read through the whole thread, and I'm startled by the casualness by which some just conclude they'll never be able to hit it and pull the 3 wood.  I'm not sure how anyone could look at this as anything but a huge disadvantage, unless you're short enough that you are not getting to 5s in two anyway.  I'd rather play without my 6 and 7 irons and make do than the 3 wood.  6 and 7 irons don't turn 3 shots into 2.

 

"The secret to golf is turning 3 shots into 2" - Bobby Jones

 

There are two ways to do this that are relatively easy.  One is chipping, pitching, and bunker play from standard situations.  The other is hitting the green on a par 5 in two shots.

 

I'm not saying that you need to carry one no matter what but it seems like an insane sacrifice to just shrug off potentially two-putting for birdie four times because .

 

If its 30 versus 55, that makes some sense.

 

If its green/green complex versus 30 yard pitch, put the 3 wood in your bag and learn to hit it.  Its the second-easiest way to turn 3 shots into 2 for almost everyone.

 

Indeed, many of us are short enough that the rare chance of getting to Par 5's in two really isn't a significant factor in terms of long term scoring impact.  And its not just hacks that are in this situation.   I'm a 5 handicap.  A good drive for me goes 250 total, and a good 3-wood goes 225.  So as a practical matter, I need a Par 5 to be less than about 470 for me to have a chance to do anything but get lucky and run it on between the bunkers.   Even playing the relatively short tees (6100ish) I play in my men's league, very few Par 5's are this short, and even when the are, the risk vs. reward isn't going to add up to much difference in scores over the long run.   

 

I have played thousands of rounds of golf, including many with low single digit guys.  In all those rounds, I have not seen more than a handful of 3 wood shots that were carried onto a green and held that green.   I have literally never seen anyone have 4 two-putt birdie chances in a round.   When I do see two-putt birdie chances on Par 5's, it is almost always the result of a hybrid or long-iron approach, or lucky bounces with 3-woods.   I don't plan my bag around the chance at lucky bounces.    

 

Stats are clear that, for an individual shot, "closer is better" in terms of strokes-gained.   But just because I can hit a 3-wood 225, and my 2-hybrid 210, doesn't mean I am necessarily mean I will end up 15 yards closer to the hole with the 3-wood (on average).   For most Par 5's, I am trying to turn 5 shots into 4 by placing my layup where I have the best angle into the hole with a 58* wedge.  For that, I need a club I with a the right balance between distance and control.  For me, that is a 16* hybrid.  

 

And your statement "you can't be bothered to get your swing a little less steep" has to be offensive to lots of folks here.  Personally, if I really worked at it, I might be able to hit a 3-wood enough better to drop a shot every few rounds, but I would have sacrificed practice time on parts of my game that matter much more (hitting more fairways, hitting more greens from 140-170, dialing in my wedge distances, putting).  

[swagee]

On 11/23/2020 at 5:10 PM, nfogle said:

I would love to carry a fairway wood to help me reach long par 5s but it just hasn’t worked out for me. I carry driver then u510 2 iron. I rarely need a fairway wood and when I do I usually end up with a penalty or just not hitting a good shot. My misses with the 2 iron keep me in play I just don’t get quite the distance out of the fairway I need. Anyone else have this problem and if so what do you do?

Same here, mate. I leave quite a gap between my driver and 3 hybrid, but just can’t seem to hit the 3w consistent enough to stick it in the bag. It’s my trouble club...

[pinestreetgolf]

25 minutes ago, DaveGoodrich said:

And your statement "you can't be bothered to get your swing a little less steep" has to be offensive to lots of folks here. 

 

Why would that be offensive to anyone here?  If you have the swing speed to reach a par 5 in two but you're going to carry a 2 hybrid instead and not reach it, that's lazy.  If you can't reach it anyway I wasn't talking to you.  Obviously I don't mean some guy with a 90 mph driver speed is just lazy if he doesn't groove his 3 wood.  That would be pretty stupid.

 

Your post acts as if we all play in placid conditions at sea level, which isn't the case.  The last time I hit a par 5 in a meaningful round was #11 at TPC and I had a pre-tropical depression wind at my back.  I hit the right fringe and the hole was playing around 510.

 

My post is this -

 

1. If you have the swing speed to hit and hold greens on par 5s in two shots and you can't be bothered to work out a three wood swing, you are leaving a ton of strokes on the table.

2.  If you are a "tweener" - you can hit it sometimes if the wind is behind you or you are above sea level - then it makes sense to work on (But not always carry) a 3 wood.

3. If you are neither, then you will see very little difference between a 3 wood and a 2 hybrid.

 

I'm not sure why this would be controversial or "offensive".

[flavorlesstreeboi]

I never use my 3W and almost always hit my 3H. For those that go Driver, 2H, then 3H, how often do you actually hit 2H and 3H in the same round? Wondering if it’s worth it to add another hybrid or throw in another wedge since the 3W is probably getting tossed. 

[ihocky2]

I don't know where I would be without my woods. I struggled with some old Adams Tight Lies I started out with. I got a good deal on a used Taylormade RBZ Stage 2 3 wood and a Cobra Bio Cell 5 wood and fell in love. I look for a reason to play these clubs most rounds. I am about to kick my hybrid out of the bag because of these. Thick roughs I still play the long irons over a hybrid and a nice lie in the rough I'll play the woods. Probably my only complaint is the low spin off the woods when landing on the green. I had two shots off the woods make the green yesterday a little short of pin high but they rolled out another 10-15 feet away from the hole. An iron would have been more likely to one hop and stay, but my long irons wouldn't have covered the distance either.

[steventoo]

On 11/30/2020 at 3:46 AM, RoyalMustang said:

 

I second this-I bought a Mizuno mp18 hi-fli here (2-iron) and it is a great club.  Easy to hit off of the tee and goes a long way.  

 

Those two extra degrees over the U510 would make a huge difference 😄

 

On 11/30/2020 at 4:06 AM, pinestreetgolf said:

I read through the whole thread, and I'm startled by the casualness by which some just conclude they'll never be able to hit it and pull the 3 wood.  I'm not sure how anyone could look at this as anything but a huge disadvantage, unless you're short enough that you are not getting to 5s in two anyway.  I'd rather play without my 6 and 7 irons and make do than the 3 wood.  6 and 7 irons don't turn 3 shots into 2.

 

I think the opposite is also true - I ditched my three wood years ago because I didn't need the distance it gave me. I still don't. At my club,  the longest par 5 is about 500m long and assuming I don't spray the ball into the trees off the tee I usually hit a driver and a 4 or 5 iron, or driver/iron/wedge depending on where the pin is. In the right conditions (firm and down-wind), with a big drive, I can have an 8 iron in. It's rare, but possible. I genuinely can't think of a single hole where I'd like to hit the ball further from the tee but not use my driver, or hit the ball further from the fairway as a second shot. It just doesn't match the course or the way I play.

 

Even when I play longer courses, I never miss having a 3 or 5 wood. I played Barnbougle Dunes (6150m) and Lost Farm (6500m) earlier this year and the longest par 5 is only 55 metres longer than those at home. In theory I can get there in two with a good drive and a good 1 iron, but the reality is that I'll almost always need a third shot in there anyway and I'd rather have that in circumstances that I control rather than being short-sided in a bunker or on the side of a hill or under some bushes or whatever.

[DaveGoodrich]

29 minutes ago, pinestreetgolf said:

 

Why would that be offensive to anyone here?  If you have the swing speed to reach a par 5 in two but you're going to carry a 2 hybrid instead and not reach it, that's lazy.  If you can't reach it anyway I wasn't talking to you.  Obviously I don't mean some guy with a 90 mph driver speed is just lazy if he doesn't groove his 3 wood.  That would be pretty stupid.

 

Your post acts as if we all play in placid conditions at sea level, which isn't the case.  The last time I hit a par 5 in a meaningful round was #11 at TPC and I had a pre-tropical depression wind at my back.  I hit the right fringe and the hole was playing around 510.

 

My post is this -

 

1. If you have the swing speed to hit and hold greens on par 5s in two shots and you can't be bothered to work out a three wood swing, you are leaving a ton of strokes on the table.

2.  If you are a "tweener" - you can hit it sometimes if the wind is behind you or you are above sea level - then it makes sense to work on (But not always carry) a 3 wood.

3. If you are neither, then you will see very little difference between a 3 wood and a 2 hybrid.

 

I'm not sure why this would be controversial or "offensive".

 

Well, fundamentally, I think it is offensive because you use terms such as "can't be bothered" and "lazy" to describe people's approach to their games.  Even if true, that is going to offend people.  Seems pretty obvious. 

 

But looking again, I do see you carved out an exception for folks like me who really don't have a lot of chances to hit Par 5's in two, even with a 3-wood, so I apologize for missing that aspect of your post.   But even with good speed, I don't think you are necessarily lazy if you don't devote time to working on a 3 wood swing.  Prioritization is not laziness.   "Grooving" a 3-wood swing is not an easy task.   Unless the rest of your game is pretty well dialed in, it is not likely to be the most effective use of your practice time.   

 

So, I agree, if you are a low-cap, high swing-speed player, you should probably carry a 3-wood (but you probably already do, because you need it off the tee).   I don't think most folks in this thread (and other's like it) who don't carry a 3-wood meet those criteria.   They are either high-speed/low control guys where a 3-wood just goes farther in the wrong direction, or they are lower-speed guys like me, where a 3-wood won't get there anyway, so they are wondering if a 3-wood is worth a spot in the bag.   

 

[pinestreetgolf]

30 minutes ago, steventoo said:

 

Those two extra degrees over the U510 would make a huge difference 😄

 

 

I think the opposite is also true - I ditched my three wood years ago because I didn't need the distance it gave me. I still don't. At my club,  the longest par 5 is about 500m long and assuming I don't spray the ball into the trees off the tee I usually hit a driver and a 4 or 5 iron, or driver/iron/wedge depending on where the pin is. In the right conditions (firm and down-wind), with a big drive, I can have an 8 iron in. It's rare, but possible. I genuinely can't think of a single hole where I'd like to hit the ball further from the tee but not use my driver, or hit the ball further from the fairway as a second shot. It just doesn't match the course or the way I play.

 

Even when I play longer courses, I never miss having a 3 or 5 wood. I played Barnbougle Dunes (6150m) and Lost Farm (6500m) earlier this year and the longest par 5 is only 55 metres longer than those at home. In theory I can get there in two with a good drive and a good 1 iron, but the reality is that I'll almost always need a third shot in there anyway and I'd rather have that in circumstances that I control rather than being short-sided in a bunker or on the side of a hill or under some bushes or whatever.

what did you average on par 5s before and after the switch?

[pinestreetgolf]

25 minutes ago, DaveGoodrich said:

Well, fundamentally, I think it is offensive because you use terms such as "can't be bothered" and "lazy" to describe people's approach to their games.  Even if true, that is going to offend people.  Seems pretty obvious. 

 

I mean, OK.  I think someone who cares enough about golf to post here, has the swing speed to reach a par 5 is two shots, hits a two hybrid really well but can't be bothered to work out the 3 wood is lazy.  I don't know what else you would call it.  If you can hit a 17* hybrid but you can't bother yourself to go to the range and max out with a 14.5* wood (but you are long enough that it would really matter for your score) then you are, well, lazy.

[DaveGoodrich]

2 hours ago, flavorlesstreeboi said:

I never use my 3W and almost always hit my 3H. For those that go Driver, 2H, then 3H, how often do you actually hit 2H and 3H in the same round? Wondering if it’s worth it to add another hybrid or throw in another wedge since the 3W is probably getting tossed. 

 

I use both in the same round all the time, similar to the "old school" 3wd and 5wd roles.  The 2h is mostly my "as long as possible off the deck" club and when conditions allow, I often flight it down significantly to maximize roll out and total distance.  The 19* 3h is for shots into the green.  For me, the gap between driver and 3h would be too large, and my scoring would be worse because I'd be hitting longer shots into the unreachable Par 5's.  

[steventoo]

38 minutes ago, pinestreetgolf said:

what did you average on par 5s before and after the switch?

 

I genuinely have no idea. I didn't keep stats and this was 12+ years ago - my 3 wood became a 2 hybrid. My handicap was higher before I switched than it is now, and fell to 5 (from 11) after I switched. I think I'm a better golfer now in terms of my knowledge of the game and how I think my way around the course, but I'm playing about ¼ as much and not really practising anything. So I suck relative to how I know I have played in the past, but I'm more confident in my own head - if that makes sense.

 

Arccos tells me that I'm averaging 5.2 shots per par 5, which is a bit better than my par 4's (4.7) and par 3's (3.8). But I also don't trust those stats because of the way Arccos gets very confused with the routing changes we've been playing, and two temporary holes to spare greens (one par 3, one par 4 and it still thinks I'm playing a par 5) while some holes have been renovated this year. I haven't bothered to fix the errors manually post-round and I've only been using Arccos since the beginning of the year.

Edited November 30, 2020 by steventoo

[DaveGoodrich]

23 minutes ago, pinestreetgolf said:

 

I mean, OK.  I think someone who cares enough about golf to post here, has the swing speed to reach a par 5 is two shots, hits a two hybrid really well but can't be bothered to work out the 3 wood is lazy.  I don't know what else you would call it.  If you can hit a 17* hybrid but you can't bother yourself to go to the range and max out with a 14.5* wood (but you are long enough that it would really matter for your score) then you are, well, lazy.

That doesn't address why you would choose words that offend, when you could choose words that don't.  Or the fact that few, if any, of the folks posting in this thread are the player you describe here.

[pinestreetgolf]

9 minutes ago, DaveGoodrich said:

That doesn't address why you would choose words that offend, when you could choose words that don't.  Or the fact that few, if any, of the folks posting in this thread are the player you describe here.

I literally asked which word I should use.

[DaveGoodrich]

21 minutes ago, pinestreetgolf said:

I literally asked which word I should use.

 

You didn't ask anything, you literally said "I don't know what else you would call it."   I suggested "prioritization of limited available practice time" as an alternative, but you doubled down on "lazy."  That's OK I guess, I'm only "some guy with a 90 mph driver speed," so I know you aren't talking to me.  

[pinestreetgolf]

13 minutes ago, DaveGoodrich said:

 

You didn't ask anything, you literally said "I don't know what else you would call it."   I suggested "prioritization of limited available practice time" as an alternative, but you doubled down on "lazy."  That's OK I guess, I'm only "some guy with a 90 mph driver speed," so I know you aren't talking to me.  

 

I like to make watching TV the prioritization of my limited available living time.  *huge eye roll*

 

Look man, evidently I got a bee in your bonnet by pointing out that people who are not you should consider carrying 3 woods.  Its unfortunate I offended you by telling other people they are leaving strokes on the table by putting away the three woods but that for most (including you) its fine to carry the two hybrid.  I don't see how "if you can get at 5s in two, work hard lazybones and don't give up on the club its really worth it, and, if you can't, you should work on other parts of your game and carry a 1/2/3 hybrid" is offensive or even controversial.  It seems like common sense, especially given tour statistics about where birdies come from for longer hitters (spoiler alert: its not 140 in the fairway).