Four Wood/Five Wood Difference

I recently decided to add either a four or five wood to my bag.  I have never played anything between a driver and hybrid before (my one round with a 3W ended in disaster.) Is there any difference between the two, and if so, how pronounced is it?

The enough difference for the manufacturer to put a 4 on the bottom of one club and a 5 on the other.

The 4 wood (compared with the 5 wood) will have less loft and a slightly longer shaft perhaps - making it go longer like for like compared to the same 5 wood. The distance will be specific given your swing speed and ability - you need to decide how that distance fits into your game and the rest of the clubs in your bag. If you already have a hybrid of around 17-20 degrees in loft, it may not be necessary to have a 4 or 5 wood in your bag if the distance is comparable. As stated, you need to decide what suits you best.

A couple of years ago, Golf Digest reported on 3W vs. 4W tests. Turns out the average golfer can hit a 4W more reliably, and sometimes farther, than a 3W. The extra couple of degrees loft makes a difference in favor of the 4W.

I have been playing a 4W + 7W instead of a 3W + 5W for three seasons.

For a single FW, go with whatever works.  Modern 4Ws are around 16 or 17*, while 5Ws are around 18 or 19*.

Check out the used club bin - you'll find 4Ws and 5Ws. Also, look for Cobra Baffler T.Rail FWs from a couple of years back - the low-profile wood gets the ball up nicely, and came in 16* and 18* heads.

My question is a little off topic but if you are going by loft and ease of hitting, wouldn't a 2h and 3h be just as good of a choice if you cannot hit the 3w?  I have been thinking of making a change and adjusting my 3h to a 2h at 16, grabbing an easy to hit 3h like a Mizuno hi-fli and just ditching the 3w all together as I cannot hit it.

Is having a 3w or 4w more beneficial than a 2h or is it just personal preference.  I would think having that long iron for punch shots/rescue shots would be a good tool and you wouldn't give up much losing the fairway wood but because I just dont hit the 3w well, maybe my opinion is off.

Also, I have never tried a 4w so maybe I need to hit one

Last years cobra amp cell hybrid goes from 16 through 19 so I was thinking about putting that at 16 and adding another hybrid between that and my 4i.

I understand that a 4w and 4h are not interchanging clubs so my thought was really more 2h vs 4w.  Either way I am going to drop my 3w as I just dont hit it well and it is a 14.5 degree head.  I think I need more loft

Honestly, I'm just a lowly mid capper & I love the 3 wood.    I have had several 4 & 5 woods - they're no easier for me to hit than the 3 wood.     I choke up on the 3 wood an inch or so from the fairway and keep it simple - swing easy & in control, keeping the head down - swing it like any other club (forget the notion of having to change your swing & sweep it) & it's becomming one of my confidence clubs.    Don't give up on the 3 wood - no doubt, you'll need to put a bit of time getting comfy with it ... the other fairways are not THAT much easier to hit IMHO.

According to both Callaway and Adams reps, a 2H can be rather difficult to hit unless you have a fair amount of clubhead speed. Also, 2Hs tend to have pro or tour type heads, with less offset and stiff shafts. You can get an R.flex 2H, but it probably will be special order.

4W vs. 2H can get confusing, because both have about 17* loft. The 4W has a longer shaft, however, and if you can hit it, will likely get you more distance.

Again, this is a case of go with what works best for you.

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Brian : I'm across the river from you, and my wife is an Affton Cougar. Consider joining the St. Louis Archland Golfers on the Groups page.

Interesting, this is likely why I struggle with the 2 hybrid (and not nearly as much with the 3 wood).     I'm way more comfortable with a 3i than a 2h for some reason ...

The lines have definitely blurred over the last few years.  What  4W means on the bottom of the club, is that is in between the 3W and 5W in the same line of that OEM. From one OEM to the next or often even one line to the next of the same OEM, the lofts, lengths, and gaps may vary.

One of my most treasured clubs is a 16* Taylor Raylor from about 1991-92. I bought it to replace a Hogan persimmon 5 wood that cracked. I had made a decision to start using the 5 wood more from the fairway to be more consistent than the 3 wood, then it broke. I sought out a club that was slightly stronger and the Raylor was suggested. If you are not familiar, this club has a small head, almost as small as some hybrids, and has some rails on the sole that help with turf interaction and add a bit of weight to the bottom. To me, this was the forerunner of the hybrids that came along later.

So as others have suggested, I would also recommend  a club around 16-18 degrees with a fairway shaft in whatever head shape looks good and performs for you. I don't know your skill level, but a little loft and a little weight down low generally make for a fairly easy to hit club from the fairway. The old Raylor is still in my bag when I play with modern stuff; it seems to fill the gap between my driver and my 20* hybrid quite nicely.

...I feel like I hijacked this thread.

Thanks for the input.  Maybe I will just get the Cobra FW so I can hit a "4w" until I get some confidence and then push it up to the "3w".  I just have a lot of confidence in my 3h right now.  You both are right though because when I first got the 3h, I didn't hit it well and preferred a 3i or 4i because that is what I was used to.

I played without the 3w for many years in my previous golf life as I just didn't hit it well but my swing at that point was god-awful.  Now to decide on this year or last years model of the Cobra 3FW.

WUTiger-I just joined the group.  Thanks for telling me about it.  I play alone most of the time or occasionally with a work friend or father in law (working on my brother in law for my create a golfer tag) and would love to play with some people around here