Advantages of a fairway wood over a 4 iron?

[Comeback]

Well i am finally back golfing after a 8year break ( I had a very serious shoulder injury, shattered shoulder, broken arm and my rotator cuff was torn in half). I see that fairway woods and hybrids are very popular now. I can consistantly hit my 4iron 220 yards accuratly, what advantages would a fairway wood give me? Are they better out of the rough?

[jamo]

A more direct comparison to a 4 iron is a hybrid, which is much more forgiving, hits the ball higher and (in some cases farther), and usually has a graphite shaft. They also have larger soles to prevent digging, and are more stable out of the rough.

[Incognito]

if you hit your 4 iron accurately, your question may be "whats the advantages of a hybrid over a 3 or 2 iron?"

if it aint broke, dont fix it.

[WUTiger]

Building on what jamo said...

Fairway wood would give you more power and distance - have longest shafts + lower loft. 3W maybe 14-15* | 4W maybe 16-17*.

Hybrids in between in shaft length, irons are shortest. Some hybrids are billed as iron replacements. Basic advice: Test hit them, see where your yardage gaps are, see what you like and don't like.

If you go with a single fairway wood, you might consider a 4W | could probably still find one in FT if you like that club design. Decent players can usually hit 4W out of light rough, or off fairway. With a 220-yd. 4i, sounds like distance is on your side.

If you're not wild about your 3 iron, consider dropping it and adding a hybrid or maybe a 19* or 22* Taylormade Raylor; new-era Raylor has boathull sole that lessens friction as it goes through rough.

Lots of cool toys. Check 'em out!

[senorchipotle]

i hate hybrids.

[Woters]

if you hit your 4 iron accurately, your question may be "whats the advantages of a hybrid over a 3 or 2 iron?"

That is actually really good adivce, do you use a 3 or 2 iron? If so how well honestly do you strike it? If not as consistantly as the 4i then a hybrid over a fairway woOOD for most people is a good idea. I'm toying with the idea of the new Titleist hybrid myself, if I can bear to part with one of my 4 wedges....

[UPPandDOWN]

The reason I carry a 3 and 4 hybrid instead of irons is because, for me, they are way easier to hit the ball out of the rough with, and they get the ball up a little quicker.

[slabm7]

I used to use a 3 hydrid for everything from 170-210 yards and just control my swing speed because I was deathly scared of my longer irons. I could always hit my hybrid well and get good distance but it was not consistent. I would either pull it or slice it and it was anyones guess which one would come out at any given time. So this spring I took a couple lessons and really put in time with my 4,5,6 irons and they are now my most comfortable clubs in the bag. I haven't played a hybrid in my last 6 rounds and my scores are dropping. I will also sometimes play a 2,3 iron off a tee but not off the ground, I'm not that confident yet. I like hyrids for ease of ball striking but find irons a lot more accurate.

[very handicap]

Is it true that comparing a 4 iron with a 4 hybrid, the 4 iron will have better accuracy compare to the hybrid? At least this is my experience.

[MMISCHENKO]

Update:  7/22/2011

Changed/replaced the following:

Diablo-driver with -- FT-5/draw, graphite,stiff ...longer, straighter, lower flight.

Diablo-3W with -- 3W/X-HOT, graphite, stiff, 1"-short ... really long & straight.

Rife-putter with -- Odyssey, DF-soft, +1"-long

For me, the 3-4-5 hybrids are always in my bag ... Consistency!

The remaining clubs -- woods, hybrids, irons -- always subject to change.

Overall, it's the results!  The day-to-day 'consistency' ...

===========================================================

Overall, I've got these clubs available:
Driver: DIABLO-D ... 11' - G/STIFF
Woods: DIABLO-D ... 3W-15', 5W-18.5' - G/STIFF
Hybrids: HEAVENWOOD ... 3H-20', 4H-23', 5H-26', 6H-29' - G/FIRM
Irons: BIGBERTHA'2004 ... 4-5-6-7-8-9-10-W-S-L; 3'-upright; steel; standard length/grip.
Putter: Rife, 2-Bar Original

Depending upon the course conditions, tee set-up, &/or how I'm swinging -- I'll pull what I'm comfortable with for the day.
That said, I've been inconsistent with the DRIVER & 4-5-6 irons -- so, rarely in the bag.
I've found the hybrids to be the 'the go-to-club' ... easy-to-hit, long, straight, nice landing.
Generally, I'll carry the ... 3W-4H-5H-6H-7-8-9-10-W-S; then, make a decision on the 5W or 3H, and the LW.
...

[Comeback]

That is actually really good adivce, do you use a 3 or 2 iron? If so how well honestly do you strike it? If not as consistantly as the 4i then a hybrid over a fairway woOOD for most people is a good idea. I'm toying with the idea of the new Titleist hybrid myself, if I can bear to part with one of my 4 wedges....

I really dont use a 3 or 2 iron, If i am that far away i would rather just lay up for an easy wedge shot. I would rather play a wedge 70 yards out than have a possibility of hitting out of a greenside bunker.

[sean_miller]

I really dont use a 3 or 2 iron, If i am that far away i would rather just lay up for an easy wedge shot. I would rather play a wedge 70 yards out than have a possibility of hitting out of a greenside bunker.

That might be your answer - a hybrid (not really a valid comparison - a 4 iron v. a fairway wood) could give you the confidence to go for the green. I flip between a 19.5* Hybrid (Wilson Staff "Fybrid") and a 19 degree 5-wood instead of a 2-iron. They both allow me to go for more par 5s in 2, but I suspect the Fybrid is a tad more accurate.

[slabm7]

I used to use a 3 hybrid for everything from 170-210 as well, but as I got better with my long irons and I now prefer them. I still carry a 3 hybrid for long shots that I have to get up quick or shoot out of the rough but if I'm in the fairway or in the first cut I will use a 4-6 iron just for better control and feel. There is no better feeling than striking a 4 iron solid and watching it fly 220 yards, stick the green 15ft from the pin. Its the feeling of getting better.

[Uncle Peter]

For me, my hybrids work best in light-mid rough conditions. I can't seem to get them to work properly on fairways, yet.

An advantage of a fairway wood, opposed to a 4-iron, is that a fairway wood looks more driver-like, so you'd expect to hit it farther. But, if you're hitting that far with a 4I, then maybe a hybrid would be better.

Plus I'd only use a fairway wood in the rough if you've got an insanely good lie.

[ghalfaire]

Hybrids are more useful and more forgiving out of bad lies/rough than fairway woods.  I carry two (22 & 26 degree) instead of long irons.

[Chas]

Originally Posted by slabm7

I used to use a 3 hydrid for everything from 170-210 yards and just control my swing speed because I was deathly scared of my longer irons. I could always hit my hybrid well and get good distance but it was not consistent. I would either pull it or slice it and it was anyones guess which one would come out at any given time. So this spring I took a couple lessons and really put in time with my 4,5,6 irons and they are now my most comfortable clubs in the bag. I haven't played a hybrid in my last 6 rounds and my scores are dropping. I will also sometimes play a 2,3 iron off a tee but not off the ground, I'm not that confident yet. I like hyrids for ease of ball striking but find irons a lot more accurate.

We're probably roughly in the same space in golf and my own experience is similar except that currently I don't play a 3i or 2i.  I introduced a 4i about a year ago and carry a hybrid which I do like mostly for longer shots out of light to medium rough but I also have been working on my longer irons and I feel much more in control with them.  There is nothing like the feel of a crisply hit shot with a 4i, I never quite get that with a hybrid even when well struck.  Don't ask me why exactly.  From what you say maybe I should introduce the 3i and leave the hybrid in the garage.

Maybe it's the difference in overall clubhead weight, weight distribution or something, but I definitely have more "feel" with a long iron in my hands than with a hybrid.  This helps me with rhythm, which is something I'm working on now.  IMO there is no good rhythm without good feel - just not gonna happen.

[Chas]

Originally Posted by slabm7

There is no better feeling than striking a 4 iron solid and watching it fly 220 yards, stick the green 15ft from the pin. Its the feeling of getting better.

Exactly.  The problem for me is that when I really hit a 4i pure with just a slight divot - ahhhhh - the ball just keeps on flying on a beautiful trajectory and sometimes ends up 10-20 yards through the green.  Still a most gratifying shot of course, but disappointing as well because I'm now chipping back instead of looking at a birdie putt.  Maybe I should just play for the "correct" (purely struck) distance and take my lumps if I end up short.

What do you guys think about this quandary that I'm in?

[slabm7]

Originally Posted by Chas

Exactly.  The problem for me is that when I really hit a 4i pure with just a slight divot - ahhhhh - the ball just keeps on flying on a beautiful trajectory and sometimes ends up 10-20 yards through the green.  Still a most gratifying shot of course, but disappointing as well because I'm now chipping back instead of looking at a birdie putt.  Maybe I should just play for the "correct" (purely struck) distance and take my lumps if I end up short.

What do you guys think about this quandary that I'm in?

I find that when I hit my longer irons over the green its a not a bad thing. I don't mind chipping back on shots like that because that means that I struck the ball better than I expected to. One thing I've learned to do on longer shots like that is what ifs, take a look at the area around the green, slope of the green etc, and ask yourself if you do miss would you rather miss it long or short, which would be easier to recover from? For instance if you 210 to the hole , hit your 5 iron 200 and 4 iron 220, would you rather take a chance and purely hitting a 5 to get to the green and deal with the consequences of coming up short. Or take a chance on hitting the 4 long and chipping back? Which do you have an easier chance of getting up and down from? Thats how I play those shots.