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Hitting a 5 Wood off the tee


MrSandman
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Picked up a new 5W recently and used it off the tee a bit in a round last week.  Very pleased with the results.

Probably hit my driver 260-270 on a good drive, but 10 good drives probably average out to about 250 (meaning some of them are in the 240 range)

Think I hit the 5W about 210-220.  However, I think a mis-hit 5W is going to still be closer to the correct distance while a mis-hit driver for me will be more of a hooded hook that doesn't get nearly enough distance.

On some holes, particularly some simple doglegs, those extra 40 yards don't mean much.  Who cares if you are 40 yards down the fairway if the approach shot is only 10 yards shorter?  Sure, on some holes I might be hitting a 6I instead of an 8I, but a solid swing with a 6I will have a similar result to a solid swing with an 8I, and a bad swing with either is still going to be a similar result.

Found the 5 wood was a very relaxing club to hit, much less stressful, and had me in play a bit more than the driver had me recently (getting over a back injury and my ball striking has been terribly inconssitent).  Hitting seven five woods and six drivers off the tee really took pressure off my driving and I found that my six drivers were more consistent than if I had just gone with 13 drivers.

I found the 5W was even a better option than a 3W, as a 5W is just so easy and relaxing to hit.

Course I was playing was about 6300 yards.

What's in the bag
Driver: FTI
3W: 15 Degree
2H: X
4I-7I: X-188I, 9I, PW: X-Forged52 Deg: Vokey Oil Can, all rusted out56 Deg: Vokey, Chrome 60 Deg: Black PearlPutter: Catalina Two

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Averaging 250 with the driver and 215 with the 5W sounds to me like you need more consistency with the driver or you picked up an awesome 5W for you!  Doesn't happen to be a Tour Edge Exotics 5W, does it?  I got a 3W of theirs and it easily goes 10-15 yards further than others I've hit.

Matt

Mid-Weight Heavy Putter
Cleveland Tour Action 60˚
Cleveland CG15 54˚
Nike Vapor Pro Combo, 4i-GW
Titleist 585h 19˚
Tour Edge Exotics XCG 15˚ 3 Wood
Taylormade R7 Quad 9.5˚

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For myself, I replaced my 5W (and 3i most rounds) with a 19˚ hybrid.  I bet I lose a few yards versus what a good 5W for me would go, but I love that club.

Matt

Mid-Weight Heavy Putter
Cleveland Tour Action 60˚
Cleveland CG15 54˚
Nike Vapor Pro Combo, 4i-GW
Titleist 585h 19˚
Tour Edge Exotics XCG 15˚ 3 Wood
Taylormade R7 Quad 9.5˚

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I bought a used FT 5 wood earlier this year. I LOVE IT! I'm a little scared at times to pull out my driver, my distances are very similar to yours it looks like. I learned yesterday not to underestimate the power of my 5 wood, after hooking 2 consecutive shots OB I hit my 5 wood pure and it came to rest at 258 yds! (measured with my sky caddie) That's longer than I normally hit my driver! I know it's only a fluke shot, but I do have alot of confidence in that 5 wood!

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Very true.  I often hit 3-wood or 3-hybrid off of the tee simply because my misses are much smaller with those clubs.  Especially in the case of my 3-wood, its still a 240-yard club thats more more reliable than my driver.

On courses with a lot of tight fairways, I'll leave the driver in the bag and hit 3-wood off the tee all day long.

Whats in my :sunmountain: C-130 cart bag?

Woods: :mizuno: JPX 850 9.5*, :mizuno: JPX 850 15*, :mizuno: JPX-850 19*, :mizuno: JPX Fli-Hi #4, :mizuno: JPX 800 Pro 5-PW, :mizuno: MP T-4 50-06, 54-09 58-10, :cleveland: Smart Square Blade and :bridgestone: B330-S

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I have a buddy that used to hit a Patty Berg 4-wood off the tee and he'd smack it 280 wearing mocassins.  It was completely unreal, he was in a great position at the top and just unload on it.  He was doing some Long Drive stuff for a while but his neck is messed up these days(unrelated)

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I hit my 5I about 175-185, and my 4H can get me home from 200 most of the time.  The 5W goes about 15 or so yards longer.  I don't think that is a particularly small gap between my 5W and driver.

My driver could definitely improve in consistency.  But not much I can do about that but play more (and that option is limited).  I find that win I am less than solid with a driver, the decreased distance is more pronounced than if I am less than solid with a 5W or hybrid off a tee.

I think the added loft of the 5W allows for more consistent ball flight and distance, even on less than solid strikes.

I found, especially on holes with any sort of dogleg, that the difference in irons for approach shots wasn't that drastic.  2 clubs would be a lot.  If I could get the 5W just short of the 150 marker, that wasn't too much different a shot than getting the driver to go 20 yards past the 150 marker but due to the dog leg not that much closer to the green.

What's in the bag
Driver: FTI
3W: 15 Degree
2H: X
4I-7I: X-188I, 9I, PW: X-Forged52 Deg: Vokey Oil Can, all rusted out56 Deg: Vokey, Chrome 60 Deg: Black PearlPutter: Catalina Two

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I used to really be against hitting something other than a driver off the tee.  My thought was that the driver was so big and forgiving, why wouldn't I just use that.  I do think that the distance loss for hooding one a bit is much more drastic on the driver than I was finding on the 5W.  Both poor swings would hook, but the 5W would still get a nice trajectory and go a decent distant.  Kind of like how a 5I out of the rough can go further than a 3I out of the rough.

What's in the bag
Driver: FTI
3W: 15 Degree
2H: X
4I-7I: X-188I, 9I, PW: X-Forged52 Deg: Vokey Oil Can, all rusted out56 Deg: Vokey, Chrome 60 Deg: Black PearlPutter: Catalina Two

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While everyone loves hitting a great drive with a driver it doesn't always pay off especially if you can take hazards out of play. If it is a shortish hole then I will hit less unless it opens up to where my driver will land. Many times will hit 3W from 360-285 and 2H from 320-360 with my ideal drive ending up inside 150 yards. There is one hole that comes to mind that I don't follow this rule on because it is a par 4 that plays @365 and the farther you hit it, the bigger the landing area becomes. You have a much larger margin for error from 110-80 yards in than you do between the 150 and 110 so less than driver doesn't make sense. You really have to weigh your options.

Cobra LTDx 10.5* | Big Tour 15.5*| Rad Tour 18.5*  | Titleist U500 4-23* | T100 5-P | Vokey SM7 50/8* F, 54/10* S, SM8 58/10* S | Scotty Cameron Squareback No. 1 | Vice Pro Plus  

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I played a round last week where I hit my 5 iron off the tee every time just to try and change up a fairly easy course.  I shot my average for the course.  Hitting off the tee comes down to where you leave yourself on the second shot, and how well you can hit that one so I say who cares...its drive for show and put for dough right?

My brother in law pulled all his woods out of his bag and only hits a  3 iron off the tee and has been doing it that way for the past three years....
t

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I hit whatever is working at that particular time off the tee and I don't care what anyone thinks. I just recently picked up a driver so really haven't worked it enough to feel comfortable but I did use it for 9 holes and it didn't derail me. If for no other reason than I really paid attention to how I setup with it in an attempt to control it. Most of the time I just whack away. Anyway my only concern is how I score and sacrificing a little distance to be consistently in the fairway and how that affects my 2nd shot is how I dress for success. I'm better hitting a 7i off the fairway from 180 out than I am trying to recover from the rough on either side of the fairway from >150 out. I hit more greens from the fairway than I do from the side no matter how close I am. More often than not me missing the fairway results in my 3rd shot being a chip.

Dave :-)

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On some shorter courses, 5800'ish yards, I have played irons only.  I have some good scores from those rounds too.  One time I hit 3I off every tee, and hit all but one fairway.  It was a great scoring round.

There is just something about a stress free tee shot that sets you up with a playable second shot that makes the round enjoyable and takes a lot of pressure off the rest of your shots, even if the second shot is a bit longer than you have had in the past.

Even a 370-390 yd hole is fine for a 5W.  Hit the tee shot 210, have 160-180 in (and probably only 150-170 to the front of the green).

What's in the bag
Driver: FTI
3W: 15 Degree
2H: X
4I-7I: X-188I, 9I, PW: X-Forged52 Deg: Vokey Oil Can, all rusted out56 Deg: Vokey, Chrome 60 Deg: Black PearlPutter: Catalina Two

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Yardage isn't always how I make the choice. Some holes are just easier to play safe, what hazards are in play etc. Not uncommon for me to approach a par 5 by hitting 4i-6i-8i.

Dave :-)

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Originally Posted by mdl

Averaging 250 with the driver and 215 with the 5W sounds to me like you need more consistency with the driver or you picked up an awesome 5W for you!  Doesn't happen to be a Tour Edge Exotics 5W, does it?  I got a 3W of theirs and it easily goes 10-15 yards further than others I've hit.

We can't make up our minds. If he posted 270 as his driver average people would be calling him a liar.

Mizuno MP600 driver, Cleveland '09 Launcher 3-wood, Callaway FTiz 18 degree hybrid, Cleveland TA1 3-9, Scratch SS8620 47, 53, 58, Cleveland Classic 2 mid-mallet, Bridgestone B330S, Sun Mountain four5.

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I've been hitting a 7W on any that needs to be 190-220.  I was just awful with my 3I-4I for a while so I figured I would try something else and grabbed this older Mizuno 7W off the web for like $25 just to see if I would take to it, and it's been great for my game.  I was thinking about getting a new one to replace it, but it's hitting absolute bombs for me.  I've hit 5-6 just ridiculous shots with it just in the last few rounds.  I've got no shame in hitting this fairway wood off a tee.

Nike SQ MachSpeed Driver 

Calloway RAZR Fit 3W  

Taylor Made R7 Irons 

White Ice #1 35" 

Mizuno F50 5-7W 

Bushnell Medalist Range Finder 

 

 

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Originally Posted by sean_miller

We can't make up our minds. If he posted 270 as his driver average people would be calling him a liar.

If I connect with the driver for solid contact, it probably goes about 260, with 270 being the high end.  But on average, the driver probably goes 250 (some of the ones that are less than solid contact only go about 240, or even 220 if they lack height).

But the 5W seems to be more consistent in its distance at the 210-220 range even with some mishits.

What's in the bag
Driver: FTI
3W: 15 Degree
2H: X
4I-7I: X-188I, 9I, PW: X-Forged52 Deg: Vokey Oil Can, all rusted out56 Deg: Vokey, Chrome 60 Deg: Black PearlPutter: Catalina Two

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I don't see many courses with more than 1 or 2 par 4's that are more than 400y. Most are in the 330-380 range. Hitting any club off the tee 210-220 and landing on the fairway is good position IMO. Funny how often I see guys going the other the direction, the shorter the hole the more club they reach for.

Dave :-)

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OP: That's so funny that you say all that because I've been doing the exact same with almost exactly the same yardages lately. Driver can get out there, but mis-hits end up anywhere from 225-240, where as a clean 5W is gonna be more accurate and just a little bit shorter. On most of the par 4's, and even par 5's really, your next shot will still be similar to what it would have been had struck a driver well. And I'm just playing with a cheap stock Tommy Armour 5W.

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Note: This thread is 4212 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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