3 and 5 wood

Should your 3 and 5 wood be the same or is it just preference with each club?

Well, you are a 6 so I feel kinda funny giving advice, but here goes. I think it depends on what you are trying to do with the 5, what your distances are, how you play(do you prefer to hit full shots all the time, etc) and what the rest of your bag looks like. I think some folks look at the 5 wood as a shorter range 3 wood and use it like that. Stay short of trouble or straighter off the tee etc. In that case I think it would be beneficial to have at least a similar shaft to your three wood and maybe the same make of head so that if you swing them the same, they feel the same but just cover different distances. Others might look at the 5 wood as more of a trouble or specialty club, and in this case I think it would matter less that it matches the 3 wood; it would be more important to have a shaft and head design for what you are trying to do with this club. Also playing into the decision would be what if any hybrids you carry.

It depends on player preferences. The same model and shaft for a 3W and 5W lends to consistency of feel, and set-up.

For better players, the differing models and/or shafts may be a way to get different things out of different clubs; not necessarily using the clubs as a "team."

Also, you may see casual/beginning players who piece together their sets - just find a club that works and add it in the bag.

From 1982-2008, I played matching heads and shafts in persimmon-headed D, 3 and 4 of MacGregor MTs; then component FWs; and later Tour Edge Bazooka 3W and 5W.

Then I had Callaway X Tour 3W (R.flex) until 2012, paired with an odd assortment of Hs and FWs.

Then I went to matching RBZ 3W.HL and 7W (dumped after one season), and now have Tour Edge Exotics XRail 4W and 7W, very happy with this matched set! Best FW pairing since the Bazookas.

A quick look at GD's What's In My Bag (Golf Digest online). Thompson has matching shafts, and Watney has matching everything. H and P, very creative.

Player	Long FW + Shaft	Next Long Club + Shaft
Russell Henley	Nike SQ Sumo 3W 13* - Mitsu Rayon Diamana Blue Board	Nike VR.Pro H 18* - Mitsu Rayon Fubuki
Michael Thompson	Ping G25 3W 15* - Grafalloy ProLaunch Red, X.Flex	Akira M117 5W 18* - Gr. ProLaunch Red, X.Flex
Nick Watney	Nike VR_Covert Tour 3W 14* - Graphite Design BB-8X	Nike VR_Covert Tour 5W 18* - Graphite Design BB-8X
Carl Pettersson	RBZ 3W 14.5* - ???	Nike VR Pro Limited Ed 19* - ???

Others: Scott Stallings and Gary Woodland carry a single FW (3W) and no Hs, and Charlie Beljan carries all irons and wedges except for a putter and Driver.

I have matching 3&5 fairway woods, same shafts and make, the 5w being an inch shorter at 42", i think it helps with consistency, i can hit them both as badly as each other! ;-)

Would a 2 hybrid be more beneficial then a 5 wood I do have a 3 hybrid?

A couple of years ago, I hit Callaway and Adams hybrids at a demo day. The mfgr reps from both companies discouraged mid-HDCP golfers form loading up 2Hs. They said you needed a lot of clubhead speed to be able to get a 16* or 17* H out of the rough.

Also, most companies only make the 2H in the Tour or Pro models.

Mack, as a 3.5 HDCP, it depends on what works for you. If you have a 3W and one hybrid, you might want one with a bigger margin of error.

But, what do I know? I did an online fitting for Ping, and got this suggested mix for long clubs:

• Ping G20 5W (18*)
• Ping G20 2H (17*) and 3H (20*)

Final verdict: If you feel at all iffy about a 2H, go with a 3H. If you have any distance concerns, go with a 5W if you can hit it.