5 wood, hybrids, no 3 wood

[jmanbooyaa]

So I have had a nice little merry go round of drivers, woods and hybrids going on. I "think" I am finally content with the set up but have a basic question that may or may not have been answered already(most likely). When do you use a 5 wood and does it make sense not to have a 3 wood? Does it make sense to have a 3 and 4 hybrid set up and a 5 wood?

[golf4fun12]

i usually play a 3 wood and 3-hybrid. 3 hybrid is my 200-210 club. 3-wood is my 220-250 club. I have a 4 wood and 5 wood, but, I don't really use them at all when playing. on 220 yard shots, I just hit my 3 wood at 75%. I could smash my hybrid, but it can get ugly. haha.

just my opinion, I would keep the 3-wood in your bag. 5-wood distance is similar to a 3-hybrid. maybe a 10-15 yard difference. that's my yardage difference at least.

as for making sense on the 3 and 4 hybrid. makes perfect sense as long as it works for you. get rid of your 3 and 4 iron and switch them out with hybrids. easier to hit from rough.

[max power]

I've been leaving the 3 wood or equivalent hybrid out of the bag more and more often.  I realized that the 19.5* FYbrid (not sure if it qualifies as a 5 wood or hybrid-looks more like a 5 wood) carries just about as far a 3 wood off the fairway, and I haven't really been using the 3 wood off the tee.  I'm not a tremendous hitter by any stretch, but I hit an approach shot into a par 5 on Monday with the FYbrid from 245 out that ended pin high.  I don't think I can do any better with a 3 wood, and the 2 inch shorter shaft on the 5 wood just makes it feel a lot more point and shoot.  This has allowed me to carry 2-PW + SW and LW, 3-PW + GW, SW, and LW, or 1-PW and SW/LW, or even 2 drivers.  I'm sure in a week or two I'll play a course/round where I realize I miss the 3 wood, but hasn't been an issue the last couple weeks.

[mdl]

Depends on how strong your 3H is.  I've got what I consider a 2H (19˚), and it's 100% replaced my 5W and my 3i.  I think I'd lean towards keeping the 3W over the 5W unless your 3H is either generally a shorter club or one you don't find you can hit very far and you'll have a HUGE yardage gap between the 3H and the 3W.  If you hit the 3H 200, the 5W 210, and the 3W 230, I'd keep the 3H in the bag if you're deciding whether to yank the 3H or 5W.

[Kujan]

See how much further you hit the 5-wood than the 3-hybrid.  If there's not much difference then decide which club you prefer and trade the one you don't need in for a 4-wood or possibly a 3-wood.

[ghalfaire]

I guess I would be lost without my 3 wood.  I use if off the tee on tight and/or short holes as I can be less than accurate with my driver at times.  But to be honest I probably could use a 4 wood and get rid of both the 3 and 5 woods I carry.

[slabm7]

My 3 wood is my most valuable club in my bag, I use it alot off the tee and second shot on par 5's. I carry a 5 wood and 3 hybrid as well. I hit the 5 wood about  20yrds further but they just have different situations for each to be used. I use the hybrid for bringing the ball in high and holding greens and the 5 wood for approaches to shorter par 5's to roll the ball up.

[jmanbooyaa]

Thanks for all the responses. I did have a 3 wood but gave it(traded it or whatever) to my father for his 2 hybrids. Next time to the range or course I will try and see if I can get in the 5 wood or 3 hybrid to see the different distance and what I do with each.

[zeg]

First question: as a moderately high-handicapper (it's lower than mine, so I certainly don't mean any offense by that), did you hit your 3W consistently?  How about your 5W?  A 3W that you don't hit well doesn't belong in your bag.  If you only very occasionally catch a 3W well, you may be better off just accepting that you don't have a way to hit the ball that far rather than hoping against hope that you hit it when you need it.  If you hit the 5W well, you may well be better off with that instead.

The other reason not to get hung up on the 3W vs 5W difference is this: how often are you accurate enough with a full 3W shot to actually hit a green, versus hitting 20 yards shorter then pitching?  While there's a lot of raw benefit to being closer, it's only very recently for me that I've been accurate enough with the 3W for it not to be so likely I'd hook or slice so badly that I may have been a bit closer, but was virtually guaranteed to have a pitch through trees to reach the green after a miss.

Ultimately, none of us can tell you if you need a 3W.  Just play, and take stock of how often you have a shot you can't make with your 5W that you could have made with your 3W.  My personal suspicion is it'll be rare, but if not, then you know you need one.

[Gerald]

I've never been a great lover of the 3W, but I recently bought one second-handed........ I've never beeen able to hit a 3 wood consistently, but I've hit it 3 days in a row now at least 100 balls and I even can gat some draw on it now......... it is about now my driver from the fairway .....

[shortstop20]

I don't carry any fairway woods. I have my Driver, and then 3 hybrids. 2, 3 and 4.

A good shot for me with my 2 hybrid goes about 240, off the tee. With the courses I play and the way I play, it works for me.