Need a club to fill a gap in my game, ideas?

[bphage]

Thanks in advance to any who can provide some insight into finding a club that matches the rest of my game.  Long story short, I use some draw biased clubs and have a gap that I need to fill between my driver 200-220 yards on the fly and my 5H 140-150 yards on the fly.  I can hit my 3H 170 but it’s much more inconsistent and I need a club I can hit 200 Yards accurately from the fairway.  Basically I am costing myself a stroke on long par 4 and par 5’s due to this gap and could use recommendations for a club that would fill this gap.  Below are more details of how I got to where I am, what clubs I am using, and what I think I should use.

I recently picked up golfing again after a long 7 year break and have had to rebuild my swing and golf clubs to match.  My default swing produces a dramatic slice (surprise)… with some hard work at the range and some new clubs I have improved my game.  I started by switching to Power Play System Q Hybrid’s AW – 4H with UST iRod shafts.  I was able to quickly improve my swing to play from AW-5H straight and true 90+% of the time.  The 4H I am only 70% with.  I then turned my attention to my driver… which I have never been able to hit even when I had a HC of 8.  I looked at the Acer Thriver and Acer Draw drivers and even though the Acer draw was the driver I should have selected based upon my severe slice ball path… I went with the Acer Thriver at 44” on a UST V2 shaft.  It is amazing, I have never been able to hit my driver and now I can put it where I want when I want; all this has brought my score in to the low 90s on a bad day and low 80s on good days (which I am very happy with)…. But as I mentioned I am costing strokes on the longer holes for no good reason. I recently bought the 3H to match the rest of my Hybrids and hoped with some practice and a few changes in the weights I can get the 3H and 4H into the 90+% range and bridge this gap, but it has been more challenging than I thought and I can’t hit it as far as I need; given how easy it was for me to select the right clubs Thriver etc… and drop me from 120 stroke games (sigh…don’t ask) to 90s with a few days at the range, I figure I should be able to pick the right 200 yard club to fix my gap for the long fairways.

What I would like ideally is another Thriver but designed as a fairway wood (if the Thriver is a 3 wood with a longer shaft and redesigned head than why not a 4 wood or 5 wood with a longer shaft and redesigned head? – a FivER per se?).  I haven’t found my dream club so what I figure as ideal is a 17 deg fairway wood (more loft than a three to help give more backspin and reduce slice) with a strong draw face (what can I say I love the heal of the club) and 43” shaft. To do that I guess I would need to start with a 4W with draw face and reshaft...Okay any ideas or do I need to call Acer and see if they want to make me a FivER because I just don’t have the time to really improve my game much more.

[WUTiger]

Any chance you could visit a golf shop midweek when it's not too crowded?

You could get on the launch monitor and get some data hitting different fairway woods and with different shaft combinations. A 17-degree 4W would be worth trying. Golf Digest circa 2009 reported a test on fairway woods: The average golfer hits a 4W better than a 3W. Not only easier, but the 4W often flies longer.

For both drivers and FWs, you need to get the ball up into the air to get maximum distance. Again. launch monitor data can tell you the best head loft and shaft combinations for your swing.  One tip from this summer: if you're hitting the FW from a tee, you can probably hold it at full length. Otherwise, choke up some so you get better control.

If you shorten a FW shaft after you buy it, the trim will decrease the swingweight about three weights per half-inch. If you get a custom-fit club, the swingweight can be readjusted when the shaft is trimmed.

[superfly777]

I would probably agree, but personally I've found that while I'm very good with my 3Hy (21 ° ) my (18 °) 5 wood is not as consistent of the deck. I've only had it a couple of months so I'm not concerned and I'm already loads better with it. I'm about to have my first lesson as well so it might be worth this for you 3Hy.

I personally reckon a 3Hy is easier to hit than a Wood because the shaft is shorter and much closer to your iron equivalent, though some people find its the other way around.

[HmtGolfGuy]

I've got a similar issue with a gap in yardage.  Mine's between my 3-iron (not quite as accurate as I'd like, but steadily improving to match the other irons) and my Driver.  Different yardages than yours, but same large gap.  Since I carry 4 wedges, I've only got room for 1 club.  I'm trying to find something that's easily controlled, enough distance to use as an alternate driver and go for some par 5's in 2, yet has a a high enough ball flight that it doesn't run right through the green.

During my "Holy Grail" like quest, I've experimented with several different head/lofts/shaft length/shaft kick-point combinations, so my suggestion is based to some degree on experience with a similar club.

Since the Thriver is essentially a full-sized driver head with a shorter shaft and 14 degrees loft, your best bet is to try and replicate the same type combination in a fairway wood.  These are usually more forgiving than a hybrid, usually with a somewhat higher ball flight than a similarly lofted hybrid.  I'd recommend you go with look for a 5-wood - 18 degrees or so - if you can get one with a larger head, all the better.  A few options off the top of my head would include the Callaway Big Bertha Diablo (18.5 degree),  Ping G10 (discontinued but still available in many places, also an 18.5) or an Adams Speedline (18 degree).  All three are available with a draw bias if you're so inclined.  If you want to go with a larger head, check out the 2006 Cleveland Launcher 17 degree 3-wood, a little less loft but bigger head (no draw bias available that I'm aware of).

Get the same shaft flex you currently use in the Thriver.  Hit it at a range a couple different times to see if the trajectory is what you're looking for.  If it's good as is, great - if not,have a fitter recommend a similar performance/feel shaft with a kick-point that will give you the right trajectory.  Once you're happy with the ball flight, have the shop cut it down 1/2 inch, then put a Winn Lite grip on it to get the swing weight back around what it was originally.

Based on the yardages you cited for your 5h, 4h and Thriver, my guess is you'll end up with an in-air carry of around 170-175 yards and not too much roll-out.  Once you're confident in it, you could probably muscle it out another 10 yards if you need to without losing much accuracy.

Whatever you end up doing, make sure you come back and post some results!