Help with club selection for long fairway shot

So I am a high handicapper who is finally taking his golf game seriously. So my question is that I have found that I lack the ability to close the distance on a long second shot on a par 5. I can consistently hit my driver straighter now but have cost myself 25-30 yards. (Drive around 215-225 now) I feel like I am punting on birdie opportunities and find myself over swinging again on longer holes. I have 2 old fairway woods from my youth that I can't hit worth a lick, and am not even sure why I carry them. My driver is a Cobra SR-1 which I love and my irons are Titleist AP1's. I am looking for the right type of club to get me in the range of 180-190 yards from the fairway. I find myself hitting back to back high iron shots before I am using a wedge for an approach shot, (which is usually where I am at my best.) I am afraid to spend money on new woods and not be able to hit them either. So should I look at a hybrid, 1 iron, or just dedicate more time to the fairway wood part of my game? On a side note looking to add a wedge or two to my bag. I have a Titleist PW and SW. Which degree wedges would be best to look to adding?

You could try a 4 or a 5 wood. 19 or 22 degree hybrids might help also. Whatever you do you should get fitted or at least demo clubs until you find ones that work for you. There are a lot of choices you should be able the right clubs to help you.

At a 30 handicap stop thinking about Birdie. Think about Bogey with a couple of pars. There is absolutely NOOO way you are going to land a green at 190 yards consistently. Use a 6 iron land it in the fairway right in front of the green, and use a wedge to get close to the pin. The closer you get to the pin the more chance for PAR, if not.. then Bogey. 18 Bogeys is a 90, that is your next challenge.

First welcome to The Sandtrap.

I'd say look into a hybrid. They are bit more user friendly off the turf and rough than a fairway wood. They fly higher and land softer, all a benefit for you.

Still, being a 30 handicap means your swing will be the biggest cause for concern in your ability to get closer to the green in two. In the end distance is primarily a function of your golf swing. Better golf swings produce longer and more accurate shots.

I would also look at what tees you are playing at. Look at it this way. PGA Tour players are averaging 180 on their approach shots, that includes par 5's, does not include par 3's. It's probably closer to the 160 range on par 4's. For them is hitting a a mid-iron into the green on average.

So, if you are playing a course you should be playing the tees that give 7-8 iron's into the green on average. You'd probably end up with a few holes with longer irons and a few holes with wedges. Also the par 5's would be shorter as well.

For you, I would probably stick to 5700 to 6000 yards tee boxes.

Welcome to The Sand Trap! I am a high handicap kind of guy ... I sometimes will use a 5/6 iron for my second shot on par 5's. The alternate approach for me is 5/7 wood. Wedges ... well seems to me you only have to 2 options ... a gap wedge or lob wedge ... I use a gap wedge a lot.

Welcome to TST!!

Another vote for trying out a hybrid.

As a 22 HC, I can count on one hand the number of times I have hit the green from 190 and over. I have a 17 degree FW I can reach somewhere around 200 yds. and will only hit that if there is no trouble near the green. If there is trouble near the green and I'm 190 - 200 yds out from the trouble , I will hit my 5 or 6 iron, then hit a wedge shot onto the green. I have a 4 hybrid and I've rarely hit it, but if you need one for par 5s, that's the way I'd go. Callaway, Adams, and Cobra make some nice hybrids.

I can't add much; there are no bad suggestions posted above.

I have a pair of hybrids, a 20 and a 23, labeled 3H and 4H. The 20 yields around 190-210 and the 23 around 175-190. I have an old Taylor Raylor 16* that is around 190-220.

Hard to say exactly.  But I know that a little used club now a days that was a life saver for me when my handicap was higher was a 7 wood.  Not as common any more but easy to get a nice high launch, which translates into more distance for most people in that range.  I used to hit mine 190yds with what looked like a pitching wedge trajectory.  If the dang face wasn't so shut I would probably still have it in the bag right now....great club.

7 wood is a highly underrated club.  I used to carry one also and it was the easiest club in the bag to hit.  If the rest of my game had gone completely to hell, I could pull that thing out and get a decent shot out of it.  Callaway made one that they called the "Heaven Wood", could probably find one of those for next to nothing on eBay or a used club retailer.

I have good results with a 15* 3w or 19.5* 3h. Usually leaves a short to mid wedge (less than 100) on par fives. Easier for me than a three or four iron.

For starters, consider a 4W and a 4H. Get comfortable hitting these, and then you can think about fine-tuning your club mix. A 4W has a couple more degrees of loft than a 3W, and the little extra lift really helps average players.

For a 30 HDCP and someone with average driver length, your best chance on a par 5 is to be hitting your third shot off of short grass. On shorter par 5s, you might get an occasional birdie by laying up short of the green - especially if there's trouble around it - and hitting a half wedge or a chip shot in close.

Or, a par isn't so bad either.

I added a Taylormade RBZ Stage 2 HL 5-wood ( note: HL= high launch) to the bag last year.  It's my 'go-to' club for: a) eating up second shot yardage on par-5s; b) getting close to the green on long par-4 holes; c) par 3 holes in the 180-190 yard range.

Just did 'net search on the same club.  It can be had brand new for $99.  Might be a lower-cost item to try.  Works for me and I suck at hitting fairway woods off the deck.  The HL 5w really launches it high and consistently rolls out to 180-190 on most swings.

dave

This is an area of the game that I am always having a club carousel with. I go back and forth between 5W and 3H constantly. I just got an 18.5* RBZ Tour Hybrid off of eBay for 20 bucks INCLUDING shipping (when I got it it had a DEMO CLUB sticker but very little wear). Haven't brought it to the course yet but performed very well at the range the other day.

Enough about me though, you need to go to a Golfsmith, Dicks, Golfgalaxy etc and pick out a few 5 Woods and Hybrids in the 18-22* area and hit them on the simulator. Simulators at stores often seem longer due to increased roll (I hit a thin shot the other day at NY Golf Center in midtown.....438 YARDS with a 5 Wood!!!!!!!) but you can just compare the clubs to each other. You can google 5 Wood vs 3 Hybrid and get a million different opinions but you need to see what works best for you. I personally think hybrids are MUCH easier to hit but you need to be careful with ones with very low lofts. At our slow-mediumish swing speeds (I only hit it slightly longer than you) hybrids under 18/19 degrees are so have diminishing returns. I was skeptical of the 18.5* club I just got but I think the whole RBZ speed pocket really helps. I wouldn't try lower than 18* but see what works for you then buy it used off of globalgolf.com. THey have a solid collection of clubs that have always come in great condition.