5 wood vs. 7 wood vs. 3 hybrid

[thl9077]

Along with a Driver and 3 wood...

 

Whay would be the case for choosing one of the following as your 3rd wood?

 

5 wood 

7 wood 

3 hybrid

[dalillama47]

Distance, height.  The 7 wood if at 21* and the hybrid if at 19* should go approximately the same distance with the 7 wood having a higher trajectory than the hybrid.  5 wood  should be longer than the other two with the height just a tad lower than the 7 wood.  Really depends what yardage you may be looking for out of the clubs.

[Aviador Naval]

Lots of threads on this.  Use search function and limit your search to this forum to screen all the BST ads...

 

That said, depends on your needs, desires, and swing.  I played a 3h for years and liked it.  Recent swing evolution (and age...) have me struggling to hit it high enough.  I tried the 21 deg 7w during the off-season.  Had to put in some time to up my fairway wood game and develop reliable contact.  That work paid off huge not only in allowing 7w to become usable but also in making my 16.5 deg wood useful from fairway vice just tee.

 

Stated a bit differently and more succinctly, for many people, a stock shot with the 7w goes higher and the 3h lower.  If you find it easier to knock-down a 7w when needed, it’s a good choice.  Alternatively, if you can comfortably hit a 3h high enough when needed, it may be a good choice.  Everybody is different.

Edited April 25, 2021 by Aviador Naval

[JDIL]

I got a Heavenwood. I'm a low ball hitter, esp with woods, but even then the HW launched a little too high when struck well. So I took 1 degree off the loft. I don't think Callaway offers adjustable HW's anymore unfortunately. 

 

However, I am afraid to use it if the ball is in the first cut or rough, and sitting below the blades. That's when I prefer a hybrid. 

[ChipNRun]

2 hours ago, dalillama47 said:

The 7 wood if at 21* and the hybrid if at 19* should go approximately the same distance with the 7 wood having a higher trajectory than the hybrid.

 

With my prior set of long clubs, the two behaved as dali says above.  From about March to October the 7W was in the bag: carried higher, and blasted ball out of rough superbly. In cold weather, The 3H got out of thinner rough OK, and launched lower in the winter wind.

 

That said, I am now in my tenth season of some combination of 4W + 7W. I've talked to several fitters, and they encourage 4W + 7W if a person doesn't have the clubhead speed for 3W + 5W.

 

You'll just need to do side-by-side comparisons so see which launch characteristics and gapping distances work best for you.

 

For an adjustable Heavenwood, it appears you have to go back to the GBB Epics.

 

[Wolfhammer]

29 minutes ago, ChipNRun said:

For an adjustable Heavenwood, it appears you have to go back to the GBB Epics.

 

 

Cobra makes an adjustable 7-8 wood.

[Radeon962]

I vote 5w or 7w.  I don’t get along with hybrids no matter how many I buy and try each year.

 

PXG hybrids were the closest I came to unseating my 7w and 9w this year but fairway woods just fit my sweeper swing.

[Texas Golfer]

On one course I play, the second shot to the green is typically from a downhill lie, over water, and fairly long.  I take a 7 wood just for that hole.  It’s also a good “trouble wood” in medium rough.

[nac]

It depends on what you want/need for your bag or course your playing.

 

For instance my bag, I have my driver(10.5°) and then a weak 3w/4w(16.5°) and then a 3udi(20°). Right now I'm considering a 5w or even a 7w to change out with my 3udi depending on the course or conditions. My wife currently does this with a 5w and 2udi I put together for her.

[phizzy30]

I have a 2 hb in my bag that fits that spot.   Launches high, spins enough to land soft and hold greens.  Only issue I have with it is that it's tough to hit low stingers with it and it can turn into hook city when my swing is off.  I'm not a big fan of using fairway metals off the deck, so no to the 5 or 7 metal for me. 

[rickybooby25]

If you like hybrids, get the hybrid.  But if you can't stand hybrids, then go with the 7 wood.  5 woods nowadays creep too close to 3 wood yardages (unless you have a strong 3 wood).  I had asked this question before on a thread and found out the 7 wood works best for my distance gaping.

[Mostly]

I’d try them all first.  I went in for a fitting yesterday looking to replace Ping G30 3W and 3H.  I was thinking 3 and 5 wood or 4 and 7.  On the monitor it was clear that I hit the 5w much more consistently than the 3W and (90% of the time) just as far.  After our session it looks like I’m going to go with a Ping G425 5w set 1* strong on a 3W shaft and a 4H also set 1* strong.  No real distance loss compared to my current 3W but much more consistency and good gapping.

 

So, might be that your solution is to leave the 3W out and get two of the others!

 

Don’t you love it when you ask a simple question and someone complicates things...

[driveandputtmachine]

It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish.  I have no need for a 5 wood.  I have a 16.5 turned down and open, if I needed a club that goes longer then I probably hit a bad drive, or it is a really long par 5 and I shouldn't be going for it anyway.

 

In the winter I play the hybrid.  Ground is much wetter and the high flying 7 wood would plug off the tee and get no run out.  The hybrid flies a little lower and it is easier to play a stinger off the tee.   Plus the greens are super soft so it works for second shots into par 5's.

 

In the summer the greens get harder, so I need something higher launching to hold, and the 4 iron runs far enough to get to the dogleg corners that I needed the hybrid for in the winter.

[Z1ggy16]

On 4/25/2021 at 5:23 PM, thl9077 said:

Along with a Driver and 3 wood...

 

Whay would be the case for choosing one of the following as your 3rd wood?

 

5 wood 

7 wood 

3 hybrid

when it comes to 5w vs 7w, it's about what distance you need. When it comes to a wood vs a hybrid it's somewhat about distance but also about what shape to the club head you like and what flight you prefer, and possible which club works best for your swing, with slightly steeper players doing better with a hybrid.

[me05501]

I have never been a "go for it in two" kind of player so it's rare that I find myself hitting a fairway wood off the deck. I'm trying to learn that shot, but it's not going to be a feature of my game. 

 

With that in mind, I carry a driver *and* a SLDR Mini Driver, which is my "safe" tee club for shorter or tighter par fours and long par threes. 

 

The next spot in the bag varies depending on the round. I have a Big Bertha 3 hybrid that is adjustable from 18* to 21/22*. Sometimes I play it strong and use it for 200-205 distances. Sometimes I play it weak and it kicks my 4 iron out of the bag. It is never not in the bag because I also use it for punches and chip-and-runs. 

 

When the hybrid is set strong I'll have a 4 iron in the bag. With it set weak I put a Rogue 4 wood in. 

[PEI_Golfer]

As others mention, it depends.  For me, it is about trajectory and not having an issue elevating a ball, so I stick with hybrids in the 18*-20* range and it suits my needs as primarily an off the tee option first and then approach shot club second.

 

If you need help getting the ball up, obviously loft is going to be your friend.  If you don't, than it can be your enemy, unless you feel the burning desire to have to manipulate the club all the time.