Fairway wood 3 or 5?

[Klutten3]

Ok, here's the thing, I got a fair amount of short par 4's on my course but not as short so i can use my 4 iron off the tee. And most of them are dog legs so i can't really use my driver either, so I'm thinking about buying a 3 wood or a 5 wood. Which club is the best option if I want something inbetween my driver and my 4 iron?

[djackson89]

It really depends...What are your yardages with the clubs? I myself prefer a 3W, but I also carry a 2H that takes place of a 5W so essentially you could use both.

[Klutten3]

I average 185 with the 4 iron and 270 with the driver. So something that would go about 210-220 would be the best i think.

[GJBenn85]

I replaced my 5w and 3i with a hybrid.  I found I almost never used my 5w on the courses I played.  Personally think a 2 hybrid and a 3w is a more versatile setup than having both a 3 and 5 wood.

[Cman13]

If you like woods go with a 4-wood...easier to hit off fairway than 3W and longer than 5W...but still good alternative to driver off the tee on tight driving holes.  Another option is to go with a 19 degree hybrid as that provides similar yardage as 4W (at least for me).

[mdl]

I agree with GJBenn85.  If you're not carrying a 3i or any woods, then even if you're gaming 4 wedges you've still got room for two more clubs.  I'd vote for 2h and 3w.  I have a 19˚ 2h that I use instead of a 5w all the time and my 3i on days when my irons aren't hot.  I hit my strongly lofted 4i 195-200, and my 2h goes ~215 off the deck and 225-230 if I tee it up 1/8" and strike it well.

What are your driver and 4i lofts?  I'd guess given your distances that you'd do fine with a 19˚ 2h, hitting it maybe 210 off the deck and 215-220 off the tee.

[Mr. Desmond]

I'd say a 17-18 degree fairway (typically a 4 or 5 wood). If you want 2 clubs, add a 21 degree hybrid.

The shaft is the key to a good fairway wood. WIth a 4 wood, you typically want it to get up. With the 5 wood, you don't want it to balloon.

Typically, unless you're a strong player with a consistent swing, a hybrid below a 21 is normally a tougher club to hit consistently well.

Good luck.

[GaijinGolfer]

For something in the 210 yard range, you are probably looking at a 3-wood.  It wouldnt hurt to carry a 20 degree hybrid though.

[Jmdmbike]

4 wood is a good option - does the job of both 3 and 5 woods - really versatile. If you have room, you could also add a hybrid of around 20 degrees to give you more options. Good luck.

[dmnoland]

Originally Posted by TitleistWI

For something in the 210 yard range, you are probably looking at a 3-wood.  It wouldnt hurt to carry a 20 degree hybrid though.

That's a pretty short 3 wood. On a good day I hit my 7 wood 210 and I am anything but a long hitter.

This year I dumped both my 3 and 5 woods and added a 4 wood (17 degrees), awesome club!

[Klutten3]

The loft of my 4i is 24 and driver is 9.5. The thing is that I don't think i can get a hold of a 4 wood for a lefty where I live. Only got one big golf warehouse and not that good websites in Sweden. And I would prefer not ordering from the US and go through customs and all that. So all I got to choose from is essentially a 5 wood or a 3 wood although the 4 wood sounds like a good option.

[LankyLefty]

I hit my driver around 280-290 my 3 wood is at least 265 my 5 wood is at least 250. If you want 210 your probably looking at either a 7 wood or a 18-20 degree hybrid. Even those might have you more in the 220 range.

[permarkc]

Originally Posted by LankyLefty

I hit my driver around 280-290 my 3 wood is at least 265 my 5 wood is at least 250. If you want 210 your probably looking at either a 7 wood or a 18-20 degree hybrid. Even those might have you more in the 220 range.

250 on a 5 wood!..wow

[WUTiger]

You might go with a 4W and a 7W, if you have room for two more clubs. 7W gets ball up well from tough lies, and being a wood has more bulge and roll on its face than a hybrid does. Bulge and roll creates gear effect , which spins ball back toward center on hits toward heel or toe.

With a recent Golf Digest article on efforts to upgrade fairway woods, I expect a big Christmas push from OEMs for 5W and 7W as alternatives to hybrids.

[inthehole]

3 wood fersure if you're talking off the tee yardages.      I like a 17* hybrid - I'm about 20-25 yards shorter than the 3W, but still longer than the 3i.

[Klutten3]

Ok, so I tried out the 2 clubs the shop had for a lefty in my price range,the i15 3 wood and the Burner 3 wood. I liked the i15 better which is also the club I use as a driver. I hit it in the trackman at the shop and I had an average of about 210 yard distance without a tee but I'm mostly going to use it on the tee for shorter par 4's. Will be deciding tomorrow whether I'm going to buy it or not!

[pbyrne02]

My averages are very similar (4iron 185 to 195, driver 285) and over the past few years picked up some options.  I have a 18 and 22 degree hybrid, which I use when I want my ball flight a bit lower.  I have the 3 and 5 woods.  My 5wood is about 225/235 and by 3 wood is about 245/250.  My five wood gives me more of an advantage when I need a higher ball flight and the ball to sit softer than with the hybrid but all of this depends on the types of course you are playing. I will only hit driver on 4 to 5 holes on my home course and would pull the driver completely but those holes are very long.

[Hitman]

I personaly use a 16.5 degree 4 wood and two hybrids a 21 and a 24 degree which allowed me to put another wedge in the bag to have a 4 degree sepperation across 4 wedges