Woods vs. hybrid

[dagolfer]

will a wood and a hybrid of the same loft go close to the same distance? Within 5 yards of each other? If not, how come? Lenght of shaft? The only reason i ask is, that i love my hybrid now and my woods not so much so if i can play all hybrids except maybe a 3 wood for par 5's that would be great... it would just be replacing my 5 wood and then replacing the hybrid i already have.

[Petden]

Shaft length will make a difference. Look at a 4 wood, its longer than a 5 and easier to hit than a 3 wood. The 4 could replace the 3 wood and the addition of hybrids would make for a nice, long, accuarte set, give it a try.

[GaijinGolfer]

Woods typically have a longer shaft, so while you get more distance, its more difficult to hit the ball solidly on a consistent basis, so you lose some accuracy.
Another option would be to replace your 3-wood with a 15* hybrid. I think Ping makes one.

[dagolfer]

The only comment i have on this is that 4 woods aren't that easy to find and i don't have a golfsmith or anything near by to try one out at so i can't buy it off the internet.

[PiKapp23]

Below would be a rough chart of hybrid to wood comparison. Bear in mind these are approximations and are not exact. Different models and brands of hybrids and woods may be different. Also, the lofts listed for hybrids are the most common ranges, but are not always the same. Again, different brands can be different:

3W or 4W = 1 Hybrid (14-16*)
5W = 2 Hybrid (17-19*)
7W/2I or 3I = 3 Hybrid (20-22*)
9W/3I or 4I = 4 Hybrid (23-25*)

[Stacey_E]

Also consider the center of gravity when comparing a wood to a hybrid. If you are talking pure distance, and not ease of hit, imagine this...

If you take a hybrid and fairway wood of the same loft and install identical shafts with identical lengths, you may still see a difference in distance performance on equally well struck shots. The fairway wood with it's deeper center of gravity should make the ball go a little higher. For some with slower swing speeds that could mean more carry distance. For others with faster swing speeeds it could lead to a loss of distance due to balooning the ball.

Of course the two clubs with the same loft do not have the same shaft length usually. But this is something to consider as well when comparing which is better for your game.

[GaijinGolfer]

The only comment i have on this is that 4 woods aren't that easy to find and i don't have a golfsmith or anything near by to try one out at so i can't buy it off the internet.

You can typically buy 4-woods pretty cheap off of Ebay. I recently bought a Mizuno F-60 4-wood for less than $100 on Ebay and the only signs of wear it has are some slight ball marks on the face.

A lot of times you can get clubs that wear shop display models and only test-hit a few times for next to nothing. Plus, if you try out the club and dont like it, you could easily put it back up on Ebay and get what you paid for it.

[Big_M]

my 2H which is 18* replaces a 5-wood... and I actually get a hair more distance out of the 2H, but my last 5-wood was steel shafted and probably a touch shorter than todays 5-woods...

like others have said... a 2H 17*-19* should probably fill that 5-wood gap, but it all depends on the club and the person swinging it.

just for the record... dropping the 5-wood is something I have never looked back on, both hybrids I have used are much better than the 5-wood, especially off the tee (for me at least).

[Snake]

I replaced my 5W with a 2H with the same loft. I probably lost a little distance, but I hit the 2H more consistantly. You might try choking up about an inch on your 5W and see if that helps.

[dagolfer]

From my research you will lose roughly 3 to 4 inches in shaft length inbetween woods and hybrids. 75 bucks for a nickent hybrid though sounds like a pretty good deal and i don't know if i can pass it up so should I get like 23 degree to replace current 24 degree hybrid or shoudl i get 18.5 degree to replace 19 degree 5 wood.

[hamletsdead]

I dropped my 5- and 7- woods for a 2H and 3H, but still have my trusty 3-wood. On days when I can't hit my 3-wood and crush my hybrids, and vice versa. If I can ever manage to hit them all well the same day I'll sing some Hosannahs.

[hamletsdead]

I hit my 2H as far as I used to hit my 5-wood -- 220/230 yards.

If you're looking to comparison shop, TGW just posted a hybrid/fairway wood sale today -- lots of good stuff under $100.

[dagolfer]

another reason i am thinking about going to the 18.5 degree hybrid is that i am normally a little long with the 19 degree 5 wood so i am thinking with the .5 less loft and shorter shaft it will put me at the 215 yards i want to hit the ball. Plus i think i will have nice gaps in the upper part of my bag. Driver to 3 wood probably a 15-20 yard gap, 3 wood to hybrid probably 10-15 yard gap, and lastly about another 10-15 yard gap between hybrid and the other hybrid.

[RocketSauce]

The only comment i have on this is that 4 woods aren't that easy to find and i don't have a golfsmith or anything near by to try one out at so i can't buy it off the internet.

why cant you buy one off the internet? ive bought several clubs off the internet before and if i dont like them, i just resell them on ebay for what i paid and sometimes even more. ive been looking at 4 woods myself lately to replace my 3 wood and 5 wood so i can just carry a driver, a 4 wood, and a hybrid, and ive been looking at the Mizuno 4 woods and the Sonartec 4 woods. Proshopwarehouse has several Mizuno 4 woods in stock

[Stacey_E]

If you aren't afraid to go retro, I'd check out the Big Bertha 2004 or Steelhead 4 woods & strong 5 woods (still 17* of loft). There is a Nike 4 wood out there, which model I can't remember. Also Mizuno is making a 4 wood. Cobra made a 4 wood recently. If you aren't really grinding over 1* there are a lot of 18* 5 woods on the market. Ping G10 I believe comes in a 4 wood, although the shaft length is a little long. Bobby Jones had - and maybe still has a 17* "5wood". Just some ideas.

[RocketSauce]

If you aren't afraid to go retro, I'd check out the Big Bertha 2004 or Steelhead 4 woods & strong 5 woods (still 17* of loft). There is a Nike 4 wood out there, which model I can't remember. Also Mizuno is making a 4 wood. Cobra made a 4 wood recently. If you aren't really grinding over 1* there are a lot of 18* 5 woods on the market. Ping G10 I believe comes in a 4 wood, although the shaft length is a little long. Bobby Jones had - and maybe still has a 17* "5wood". Just some ideas.

yeah, those Steelheads are money. awesome clubs

[dagolfer]

I like to hit the clubs before i by them not the other way around. Also, i like to support the pro shop at the local club or the local indoor golf store. They sometimes get some awesome deals. Another reason i am looking into the indoor golf store this time of year is that i can't hit it outside (snow and brrrr). The indoor place will let me demo any of there clubs before i buy. If i buy online i will have to pay to use the club to test it out so then if it doesn't work i have the price of sending it back and the indoor golf place. I don't do ebay or anything like that.

[DaveLeeNC]

I've got a Wishon 321Li 21* hybrid and a 21.5* fairway wood (Wishon 949MC - 21* actual loft as best as I can measure it). The 7w is a few yards longer from a carry perspective, but a tad less roll-out (higher trajectory).

These clubs are identically shafted (same shaft, flex, tipping, length, and swingweights). The length on both of these clubs is 40.5" (SK Fiber PE shafts - S flex).

dave