Is it better to replace my fairway woods with Hybrids that have the same loft?

[Lizzyboy]

Being a high handicapper and new player, I wondering if it would be better to replace

my 3 and 5 woods with the equivalent hybrid that have the same loft.

Get a 15 and 19 degree hybrid as opposed to 15 and 19 degree fairway wood.

The thought is they would be easier to hit and at my level and a consistent hit is

more important than distance.

Actually I only have a driver and 5 wood now.

I am not consistent with the 5 wood but that the case with all my clubs.

What are the pros and cons?

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[CrossGolfPro]

Lizzyboy,

That's a toughie to answer but my suggestion would be to find a store where they can let you demo the hybrids before you purchase them.  Usually what happens is they'll charge you a small fee and if you buy the clubs they'll apply that fee to the price.  With golf, there's ball flight laws and most everything else is simply preferences on your part.

I hope that helps

[Lizzyboy]

Thanks for the advice

[joekelly]

Shorter clubs are easier to control. The driver is the most difficult, for nearly everyone, because it  is the longest club in the bag. Since hybrids are generally shorter than fairway woods seems likely that the hybrid will be a bit more agreeable to play.  That's the way it is for me. I find a vast difference in 'swingability' and control between the 23* hybrid and my 4 iron (the one i carried before i met the hybrid). Suggest you buy an inexpensive, 2nd hand,   hybrid, few years out of date, and give it a good long try.

[WWBDD]

I swapped out my 5 wood with a 19 degree Cleveland XLS a few years ago and never looked back.

[Gresh24]

Depends if you are more comfortable with an iron swing or fairway wood swing.  The most effective way to hit a hybrid is swinging down on it like an iron.  If you like the longer iron swing compared to a fw, a hybrid will be better.

I second giving a hybrid a try.

[rustyredcab]

All else being equal, a hybrid will launch higher and land softer than a fairway wood. You should get more roll with a fairway wood. Neither is better -- just different.

But all things are not equal. As said earlier, hybrids often have shorter shafts and that makes it more likely that you'll hit the club face near the sweet spot. They are designed to get the ball in the air so many of us find confidence that does not exist with fairway woods. Hybrids are just easier to swing well. If you are new to the game, get rid of your long irons and your fairway woods, and get a hybrid or two. If you can find a driver that you can get on the fairway, keep it. If not, consider a fairway wood (3 or 5 wood) as a replacement for your driver on all but the most open of holes. Most people who are new to golf find that they hit a 3-wood as far as a driver because it launches higher and they hit it better.

[Leftygolfer]

My experiences with Hybrids have been inconsistant.  I find that most really promote a hook.  I'm yet to have one I felt confortable with.  Fairway woods, I've had some I really loved.  They seem to hit it higher and farther than anything else with similar loft.  Out of the rough they are no good, but when I'm in a situation where I can't reach the green with an iron and i'm in the rough it doesn't matter.  I'm not that good.  I just look to get myself in a good place that I have a chance at hitting my next one close.

But this is all preference.  The fairway wood will be longer because it is longer.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by Leftygolfer

My experiences with Hybrids have been inconsistant.  I find that most really promote a hook...

I've heard that many hybrid promote a draw bias -- read "make your misses big hooks." Not all do. I think many do because they are made for guys who slice the ball and by having lots of offset hand a closed face, they hope to correct the slice.

My pretty old Cobras (still in my bag) seem pretty neutral. Visually, I seem to want to set them up a bit closed. If I ever replace them, I'll go with something that sets up easier for my eye. I like my 190F and would give a hard look at the 910H's. But lots of hybrids set up well now. If they dod have a built in draw bias, I'd be happy.

[tshapiro]

My recommendation would be 5wood, 7wood, with either a 4 or 5 hybrid. One of the best tips I picked up years ago was a from a Bobby Jones book: hit whatever club you can comfortably control. The long hybrids feel heavier than a 7 wood. A 7 wood is a very easy club to hit with easy height and good distance because you'll make good ball contact. In addition, the shorter hybrid is pretty easy to swing where you have an otherwise long iron shot and/or a tricky lie.

[anthony]

I've had success replacing long irons with hybrids, but not woods. I've replaced my 3 and 4 iron with 4 and 5 hybrids respectively. It was probably the smartest move I've made with my equipment. My 4h is my favorite club in the bag behind my gap wedge.

With this in mind, I thought I'd try to replace my 5 wood with a 2 hybrid as they were about the same loft. Although I could hit the 5 wood well enough, I thought I would benefit from having it as a hybrid. I couldn't have been more wrong. I couldn't hit it at all. I did stripe the ball with it a few times, but for the most part I struggled with the club. It seems to me that once you get under 20 degrees of loft, the benefits of a hybrid decrease quite a bit (in my opinion of course). The 4 and 5 hybrids have much shorter shafts than the 3 and 4 irons they replaced and feel more like a 7 iron when playing them. So, the advantage is obvious with those. The 2h, however, had a much longer shaft and seemed more like swinging the 3 iron I couldn't hit in the first place.

Hitting woods off the deck takes practice like anything. Good luck!

[GaijinGolfer]

No because hybrids have a shorter shaft.  To have the same distance with hybrids as with fairway woods, you need a stronger loft.

[glock35ipsc]

Here you go:

http://blog.hirekogolf.com/2012/02/hybrid-confusion/

[Wingover718]

I have played a 3 hybrid 19 degrees for two seasons. I spent time practicing with it and built up a confidence. This year, I bought a 5 wood. A 19 degree five wood can definitely go further than a 19 degree hybrid. But, at a high handicap, straight and consistent are a better focus. Look online or locally for a good used hybrid so you are investing heavily if you want to try it out. Callaway pre-owned has been blowing up my email address with all sorts of sales, they might be overstocked.

[saevel25]

Find a club that fits your gaps. Lets say you hit your 5 iron the best of the long irons, find a 4 iron hybrid and 3 iron hybrid replacements. Also, think, does this extra distance matters,  because if you had a good gap in clubs, now you added more, now you created a no mans land were your older club would have gotten you that yardage.

[glock35ipsc]

From the link I posted above:

[k-troop]

That's a decent chart.  I think most mid-cappers (15-25) benefit from a driver and a fairway wood.  If the driver shaft and loft are fit properly, the driver can be the best club in the bag due to the forgiveness of massive heads.  Fairway wood should be a 4 or 5, in the 16-20 degree range.  Beyond that, at least two hybrids before you get to the mid-irons.

Not a strict formula for everyone, of course, but that's my two-cents based on observations of playing with thousands of "average" golfers over the years.  I play once or twice a week, more often than not as a single paired with two or three "average" golfers.  The average guy, hitting his 5-iron 165-170 and his 3-wood off the fairway about 200, is going to benefit from more loft and 3/4 hybrids.

[DocParty]

Don't know what new to golf means. One month, one year, ????? My advice would be to get a putter you like the feel of, a pitching wedge you like the feel of, a 7 iron you like the feel of and either a 3 wood or driver that feels good to you. Feeling good to me means it really feels good to me and I can hit the ball regularly with it and keep it in the fairway. That's trick number one to search out for in your 'new to golf' game. I know lots of people are going to tell you to buy a full/new/used set and go on out and fight with them, but believe me, if you can hit these clubs regularly on a golf course (I'm one that does not feel driving ranges give a golfer a true feeling for hitting the ball, but are necessary in the early throws of learning the game or a new club. just stay off the mats) then you can start getting a feeling on what type/brand/style/type of clubs you may really be able to benefit from. And don't shy away from the hybrids for your higher irons (2-5). If you can master the fairway woods then the hybrids should be a snap for you if you have trouble with high irons. My 2 cents.