Which fairway to get? I have a 3 hybrid

[hookemhorns612]

I have this hybrid/rescue in my bag and love it: TaylorMade Raylor Rescue - It's a 3 (http://www.usawholesalegolf.com/gallery.php?id=452)

I want to add a fairway wood to my bag....thinking either the TaylorMade Jetspeed or the RBZ Stage 2, but I'm not sure what I need or what's more reasonable...should I get a 5 wood or a 3 wood? which would make more sense with my 3 hybrid/rescue?

Thanks! Probably going to go out and test em tomorrow and buy.

[mvmac]

Hi welcome to the site. I think it would make more sense to go with a 3 wood since the Rescue is 19 degrees and a JetSpeed 5 wood is also 19.

[PirateJim]

I have this hybrid/rescue in my bag and love it: TaylorMade Raylor Rescue - It's a 3 (http://www.usawholesalegolf.com/gallery.php?id=452)

I want to add a fairway wood to my bag....thinking either the TaylorMade Jetspeed or the RBZ Stage 2, but I'm not sure what I need or what's more reasonable...should I get a 5 wood or a 3 wood? which would make more sense with my 3 hybrid/rescue?

Thanks! Probably going to go out and test em tomorrow and buy.

One unanswered question that pops into my head is whether or not you have a driver in that bag?  Assuming you do, you might also want to try out a 4 wood since it would tend to be easier to hit off the fairway than a 3 and should fill the gap between the driver and hybrid nicely.  If the hybrid is currently you longest club, then a 3 wood might be a good idea since you could use it off the tee.

[hookemhorns612]

I do have a driver in my bag. It's a TaylorMade R1 that im just starting to hit straight (about 70 percent of the time :-))

so yeah that's why i'm jumping into a fairway wood...i just have a driver and that hybrid/rescue and feel unequipped on par 5's since i hit my average shot on that hybrid about 190 to 200 yards.  looking for something a little in between the driver and hybrid...but wasnt really sure what makes sense to round out my tools.

[johnclayton1982]

I think its actually a fairly important decision, depending on what you are going to use the 3 wood for and what else is in your bag.  Your info says you are a 1 handicap, so you may not even need one if your long enough.

I have 16 clubs that I make 14 out of depending on the course I play.  All courses but 1 here there is no reason to play  3w.  One one of the courses (the longest) I need 3w to reach 3 out of 4 par 5s in around 2 shots.  On all the other courses the 5s are either too long / with too much trouble to go in 2 or are short enough that I don't need 3w.

If you are going to be hitting 3w off the tee way more than off the deck (my case), consider a "driving" 3 wood (like the X-Hot 2 Deep or the SLDR Mini) or a high-lofted driver.

I play two drivers on most courses (a 46" 9.5 with an ultralight shaft and a 42.5" 13 with a heavy shaft) because there are few shots were I'm 218-235 from the green AND the green is trouble-free enough that 3w is the right play.  The 460cc, short 13* driver is a really nice for hitting 230-245 off the tee reliably.

Think about the course you play and what shots you hit.  If your 3w is off the tee and not off the ground there are better options than the "standard" 3w IMO.

That said, as a 1 handicap, you probably have a fairly good idea what you are doing anyways.

I also have a lofted 26* hybrid I bring in instead of the 3w on a few courses with 170-190 yard par 3s, as that club is very easy to hit middle of the green off the tee and I struggle with low-irons more than any other clubs.

I think its important to really think about it rather than just play a standard set.  Just IMO of course.

[hookemhorns612]

haha my mistake. the 1 handicap was a rush for me to set up an account...just to bypass that field. Sorry for the misleading info and thanks for taking the time to answer based on wrong info!

i don't know my handicap!

that change advice?

[dbuck]

that change advice?

Probably for most responders. How long have you been playing and what is your average score for 9 or 18? If you are playing a hole that has water in front of the green, how far away would you go for the green with the 3 Rescue and be reasonably sure of staying dry?

[johnclayton1982]

What are the courses you typically play like?  How far do you hit your 3w?  How many of those shots are you going to need in a round?

My home course has two short, twisty par 5s I can reach with long irons, one really long par 5 that I can't reach with a perfect driver/3w, and one with a carry over water that makes 3w way too risky.  I'm long enough off the tee that unless something goes seriously wrong I'm not hitting 3w into a par 4 green.

How does your distance line up with the courses you usually play?  Are you going to be hitting 3w off the deck 2+ times a round?

[mvmac]

that change advice?

Not for me. Not offense but I didn't really think you were a 1 handicap based on your question and how it was worded.

My advice is the same, there's no point in getting a 19 degree 5 wood when you already have a 19 degree Rescue.

[Golfingdad]

I think its actually a fairly important decision, depending on what you are going to use the 3 wood for and what else is in your bag.  Your info says you are a 1 handicap, so you may not even need one if your long enough.

I have 16 clubs that I make 14 out of depending on the course I play.  All courses but 1 here there is no reason to play  3w.  One one of the courses (the longest) I need 3w to reach 3 out of 4 par 5s in around 2 shots.  On all the other courses the 5s are either too long / with too much trouble to go in 2 or are short enough that I don't need 3w.

If you are going to be hitting 3w off the tee way more than off the deck (my case), consider a "driving" 3 wood (like the X-Hot 2 Deep or the SLDR Mini) or a high-lofted driver.

I play two drivers on most courses (a 46" 9.5 with an ultralight shaft and a 42.5" 13 with a heavy shaft) because there are few shots were I'm 218-235 from the green AND the green is trouble-free enough that 3w is the right play.  The 460cc, short 13* driver is a really nice for hitting 230-245 off the tee reliably.

Think about the course you play and what shots you hit.  If your 3w is off the tee and not off the ground there are better options than the "standard" 3w IMO.

That said, as a 1 handicap, you probably have a fairly good idea what you are doing anyways.

I also have a lofted 26* hybrid I bring in instead of the 3w on a few courses with 170-190 yard par 3s, as that club is very easy to hit middle of the green off the tee and I struggle with low-irons more than any other clubs.

I think its important to really think about it rather than just play a standard set.  Just IMO of course.

For the record, I would say that you have one driver and one "2" wood.

A lot of pros carry 3-woods with 13.5* of loft.  I tried hitting one at a fitting once (Callaway xhot pro) and even though I absolutely loved the xhot 15*, I somehow couldn't get the 13.5* up in the air.

[inthehole]

Definitley a 3 wood.   A 5wood @ 18 degrees won 't be much longer than your 3h.

[clutchshot]

I have driver, 3w (15) and 3hy (19) works perfectly. 5w got replaced because basically the same club, but harder to hit out of rough, etc. Would recommend 3 or 4 wood. Or 2 hybrid

[johnclayton1982]

Quote:

For the record, I would say that you have one driver and one "2" wood.

A lot of pros carry 3-woods with 13.5* of loft.  I tried hitting one at a fitting once (Callaway xhot pro) and even though I absolutely loved the xhot 15*, I somehow couldn't get the 13.5* up in the air.

Fair.  I can't hit the 13* off the deck really, except maybe once in a while if I need to hit a really long ground ball (Which has happened).  But having that tee shot in my bag with a 460cc driver head is really nice to have.

To the OP, the key question here is (1) how far do you hit your 3w and (2) how many of those types of shots do you have in a typical round?

While its obvious to tell him to get a 3w, my impression is that there are quite a few players (myself included) that don't hit them very often off the ground.

[Hardballs]

To the op, I'm having a similar dilemma! I was struggling a bit with both my 5&3w so I got myself a 3hybrid, (cleveland classic, 20.5*) it's the same loft as my 4i, but goes a touch further, is so much easier to hit & lands much softer! My 5w does go a but further but I don't hit it half as nice, & 3w even less! So now I'm thinking either a, put a hybrid shaft in my 3fw experiment! And use that as my long club of the deck, or b, get the matching 1 hybrid at 15.5* (I'll prob end up doing both anyway)

[hookemhorns612]

Thanks everyone for the advice! Plan to play this fairway off the tee and off the deck. Sounds like the smart thing to do is snag a 3 wood since my 3 hybrid/rescue is pretty much a 5 wood (maybe with a little lest distance?).

Here's some answers to people's questions in case it helps give further advice. Didn't make it out today to test the clubs, but will probably go out tomorrow morning instead.

Quote:

How long have you been playing and what is your average score for 9 or 18?

Probably average upper 90s (96 to 100) on 18

Quote:

If you are playing a hole that has water in front of the green, how far away would you go for the green with the 3 Rescue and be reasonably sure of staying dry?

180 yds I'd say. probably hit the thing 210 when I really click.

Quote:

Are you going to be hitting 3w off the deck 2+ times a round?

I'd expect to hit it at least 2x per round.on par 5's and maybe when i screw up tee offs on some par 4s

Quote:

To the OP, the key question here is (1) how far do you hit your 3w and (2) how many of those types of shots do you have in a typical round?

1) probably hitting it about 250 when i connect well. (2) depends on how im playing, but i'd say 5 or 6 times i'll need to hit off the deck 250 to 300 yds

[WUTiger]

You could probably get a good price on a RBZ Stage 2, either a 3W (15*) or a 3W.HL (17*)... everyone else calls a 17* a 4W.

Try out both, and see which works best. As per Golf Digest reports, the average golfer can hit a 4W more reliably - and sometimes farther - than a 3W.

A couple of years ago, I went from a 3W and {a 5W, or a 19* Raylor} to a 4W + 7W. The extra couple of degrees loft on both really increases reliability, (Also, I carry a 4H which splits the gap between 7W and 4i).