1 Fairway Wood instead of 2

[Howie]

Hey guys,

I saw a similar posting in the past, but I thought I would revisit the topic. After getting custom fitted, I thought it was best to carry a few extra wedges rather than 2 fairway woods, as for me the key to lowering your score is improving the short game. In my older set, I carried the standard 3 and 5, but rarely used the 3. Now in my new set, I've gone for what I consider a combo wood, the 4. Easier to swing but more distance than the 5.

For those of you carrying a single fairway wood, how is it working out for you? Do you find much of a gap between your driver and long irons? I figure if it's wide open, I can use the driver. For tight fairways, the wood is a better option, and the variable loss in distance can be made up by hitting the fairway.

Just gathering information to see if I made the right selections. Thanks!

[Taylor Shrake]

I only play a 3 wood at the moment, I used to have a 5 wood but I really never used it. I carry a 19 degree hybrid now which also serves as a rescue club. It easier to hit out of the rough and I have no problem hitting it in any lie. With modern clubs I really dont see a point to more than 1 wood.

[kpaulhus]

I have my 3 wood for hard dog legs drives where I want to get it right into the turn without flying it with my driver, and for off the deck on a few really long par 5's. My 4 hybrid is my gap filler between my 3 wood and 5 iron. I am going to be getting some new wegdes hopefully with my birthday comming up soon. I need to learn my distance with each, but I think it will be beneficial vs having a 5 wood or another hybrid.

[enis750]

I have always carried one or none
Lately i have found a sweet Mizuno F-50 4w that i can hit really well

it fills the gap between my 4i and driver
which is anywhere from 220-245 or so
i hit it better off the deck than off a T

if i need to hit into a tight par 4, i will pull 4i

[uttexas]

No more 3W or 5W. I'm currently carrying a 17 degree 2 hybrid, which I really like. I use it primarily off the fairway for 220-240 yard shots. I use it off the tee on short par 4s where driver puts you through the fairway or on very narrow par 4s.

don't see myself going back to carrying two fairway clubs for shots >220 yards unless my handicap gets significantly lower.

[TN94z]

I have always just carried a 3w but there is a pretty big gap between my 3w and my 3i. I hit my 3w very long (usually around 250 with roll) and my 3i only carries 200. I have thought about getting a 5w instead and ditching the 3w to see how that works.

[GaijinGolfer]

A 4-wood is a nice compromise and for more people its easier to hit than a 3-wood because the shaft is shorter and the added loft makes it easier to get up in the air. A 3-wood can be one of the most difficult clubs to hit because the shaft is almost as long as the shaft on a driver, yet the clubhead is much smaller.
I used to carry a 4-wood (Mizuno F-60) but my hybrid is almost the same loft (16.5* for the 4-wood vs 17* for the hybrid) and the hybrid is a lot more versatile, so I went back to a 3-wood and added the 17* hybrid.

[18 Birdies]

I carry a 3 wd and a 3 hybrid to fill the gap. works out pretty well.

[alf174]

I carry a 3 wood, replaced the 5 wood with a 19* hybrid, and still carry a 9 wood. My 9 wood has a unique trajectory that starts low then balloons and drops with hardly any roll; comes in handy.

[WUTiger]

Howie,

Back when three or four wedges became the rage, several tour pros carried a 4-wood as their single fairway wood. The original Adams Tight Lie fairway wood was 16 degrees, approaching a 4-wood.

At 17 degrees, you should be able to it out of light rough, and off the fairway.

I carry both 3 and 5-woods, but I probably don't get as much distance as you do. Also, I have trouble hitting hybrids.

Sounds like you have a good plan. Lots of other good players have done the same thing.

[meenman]

I only play with a 3 wood and it took me 2 years to find one that I could consistently hit off of the fairway.

Honestly I use it about twice per round (the 2 long straight par 5s that have no place that I need to lay up)

I use my 2 hybrid quite a bit more - alot depends on which club that I seem to be hitting better that day.

[enis750]

I also want to add that my 4w carries awesome
what i mean, is that if you need to softly land that high cut on the green, it will stick
it doesnt roll out hardly at all
could also be a combination of my swing and the club, but its nice knowing it wont roll out on you
I can stick it as good as a 6i on approach shots

[Howie]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys. I just picked up the 4 wood (as it was back ordered) to complete the 14 clubs in my set. I went with 2 hybrids instead of 1 because I felt that there would be more shorter yardage scenarios that required them than 2 fairway woods. And as we all know, they are easier to swing.

My only concern is that I may be restricting myself distance in the long run.

I am going to be honest, I am not a long hitter. I am lucky to hit the driver 200+ yards, but only this year (after 4 years) have I started using it regularly. I assume I will only get better at it. That is also why I went with 1 wood, since I'm better at the irons and hybrids.