Hybrids good, old woods not

I was going through my old GOLF magazines the other day, and I came across a cover article from 2006 called 4 Shots, 1 Club , or something like that. They were talking about the benefits of using a Hybrid for pretty much every shot from tee to green.

Now, why is it socially acceptable (well, among golfers, anyway), to ditch a modern driver and use a hybrid twice on a par 5 for your approach, or once on a reachable par 4, but you're a pariah  or an idiot if you want to play your old wooden driver and 3 wood to do the same damn thing?

Please comment.

I use a driver, a 3 wood, a 5 wood, and a 7 wood. The hybrids I do have, I keep some where (??)  collecting dust. I don't mind being an outcast as far as equipment goes. Just the way I roll these days. Old school is still viable, and it still works, for some golfers. I am not inclined to let others tell me what to do, just to be socially acceptable in anything, with out checking their stuff out first.

To me, and I take heat for this from my younger golf buddies all the time, I feel like I'm cheating or something by using clubs designed to put the ball where it's supposed to go, regardless of how I hit it. That said, I also just like playing my old MacGregor woods. They're not long, always shorter than the R5 driver I have, but I just like hitting them. More often than not I hit a low fade about 240 yards, and that's my drive. I'm happy with it. Also, most of the courses I play have been around for years and are still set up for those clubs. If it's a new course (and no one's looking) I'll play from the senior's tees and it's do-able.

To each his own, I guess.

A lot of folks play only for score or want to play the latest gear or techniques.They want to play the absolute best they can play and use what they think will help them accomplish that. I have no problem with that or their opinions if that is their desire for themselves.

See my sig, I certainly don't have a problem if you want to use your old wooden clubs! I really have come to enjoy a more relaxed game played with vintage gear. I still put my best effort into every shot and get my satisfaction from the well-played ones, not letting the less than perfect ones get me down too much. Except for 3 putts. And 4 putts.

I have a "scramble bag" that has metal woods, hybrids, and a wedge that is the epitome of a "shovel". I actually like those clubs fine, and play them in the rare scramble or team event where I feel I need to contribute and want that safety/performance margin.

When I am playing "for me", I prefer wooden woods and forged blades. I just enjoy it. The driver and 3W in my sig are persimmon, the 5W is laminated maple. The driver does have a graphite shaft, albeit around 43.5". I also have the 1 and 3 PING Eye2 laminated maple woods that rotate in from time to time, as well as a couple of other persimmon drivers and fairways. I plan to play in an individual stroke play tournament this summer using vintage gear.

Most people play for enjoyment, right? If you hit clubs you enjoy, who cares about being called a 'pariah or an idiot'? If someone called me that because they don't like my equipment, I'd rather not play with them because they obviously have issues...I love my 30-year-old Palm Springs irons and have no reason to replace them - I play for my enjoyment, nobody elses!

Hey, how do I add an "In the bag" entry at the bottom of my messages? Is that something that's automated, or do I just type it in?

Hold the cursor over your log in name in the upper right of the screen--should give a menu and click on "edit my signature".  I can't remember if you have to have a certain number of posts before that is available or not.

Thanks. Apparently, you need something, because it says it won't let me change it.

Try clicking on "My Profile" at the top menu, then on your profile scroll down to "my signature" and see if there is an "edit signature"

I seem to remember that you have to have posted a certain amount of times before it will let you, but that could be memory fog.

You need 10 post's to add that.

Thanks.

June 2004: The U.S Senior Open comes to Bellerive CC in St. Louis. One of the big fan questions is who is playing the higher lofted fairway woods, the 5W and the 7W. Probably about a third of the field carried a 7W A few also carried a hybrid on the top end.

In the ensuing years, everyone went gaga over hybrids. The original, or traditiona l hybrids, fell between woods and irons in shaft length. Then, about 2010, we start seeing the iron-replacement hybrids. These were paired with specific iron models, and these IR hybrids had pretty much the same shaft length and loft as the longer numbered irons in the set. The Mizuno JPX FLI-HI fit the IR mode. An earlier post discusses this:

http://thesandtrap.com/t/27814/what-14-clubs-do-you-carry/54#post_884697

Recently, there's been a big return of high-loft FWs: 5W, 7W and 9Ws are back. Some golf watchers think the hybrid had reached limits on whether its best for everyone.Here's an article from Chris Nickel of GolfWRX on what hybrids can and can't do:

http://www.golfwrx.com/51227/are-hybrids-on-the-way-out/

I figure whatever you feel comfortable using is good enough for me. Personally, I carry a driver, 3w, 5w, 3h, and 4h and typically all of them get used at some point during any give round depending on the situation and how I'm hitting the ball that day. The driver and 3w are my go to clubs off the tee but I'll occassionally use the 5w or one of the hybrids for shorter par 4's. The 5w or hybrids get used for approach shots between 180 - 200 yards and the choice usually comes down to the lie (I hit the hybrids much better than the 5w out of the rough, but LOVE hitting the 5w out of the short grass). I recently purchased a new 4h (to replace an older one) and now debating whether I also replace my 3h or retire it for a 7w instead. For me, I think either club would cover the same distance gap but I'm leaning toward the 3h since I tend to find myself in less than ideal lies more often than not.

I carry a Tour Edge XRail 4W and 7W, and own Adams V4 hybrids (3H an 4H). From April to October, I carry the 4W, 7W and 4H. I find the 7W blows the ball out of medium rough a lot better than the hybrids. Also, the 4H launches a bit lower, and is more stable in the wind.

In the colder months, I swap out the 7W for the 3H (about the same distance carry). The 3H is better in the wind, and the rough is less a problem from October on.

Thanks! Maybe I'll give the 7w a try, we've got a golf expo coming our way in a few weeks. It'll be a good chance to try some clubs out side-by-side.

As long as you're whipping their a$$, they have no room to talk. If not, just tell them you like to play from the fairway. I didn't realize I'd be a pariah for playing vintage equipment. I'm thinking of breaking out my old Big Bertha (first model with steel shaft). I hit that baby well. I must have fallen to the hype of needing a graphite shaft in my driver. In fact, I'm going to rummage in my garage right now for that driver. :-)

Xaxctly!