5 Wood or Hybrid?

[TropicalSandTrap]

Why do so many pros play 5 woods?  What is the advantage of them?

I need to trim the bag down one club and the debate is the 5W or 3H to stay in the locker. i don't notice a huge difference (if any at all) between my 5W and 3H. Both get pretty good height. I think my dispersion with my 3H is a little tighter. I hit my 5W well, so it's not a matter of me not liking it  

What would the advantage to a 5W be?

[scotth]

People I know that still play the 5 wood instead of a hybrid seem to think it is a sell out or cop out to play a hybrid. 

Some people also still think it is easier to hit a fairway wood from the rough than a hybrid.  (I am not one of those people)

If it was me, I would judge it on which do I hit better from a less than ideal situation: i.e. uphill or downhill lie, from the rough, from a shallow fairway bunker.  Or which can I work better it I just have to hit a draw or fade?

[WUTiger]

22 minutes ago, TropicalSandTrap said:

 i don't notice a huge difference (if any at all) between my 5W and 3H.

Without knowing the club mix in your bag, it's a bit hard to advise you. Being that you have several posts on TST, you are eligible to start a Signature section; this is a good place to list your bag's normal club array.

2 minutes ago, scotth said:

Some people also still think it is easier to hit a fairway wood from the rough than a hybrid.  (I am not one of those people)

If it was me, I would judge it on which do I hit better from a less than ideal situation:

I'm one of those people, and it varies from golfer to golfer. In summer, a 5W or a 7W clears my ball out of light rough much better than a hybrid does. That said, in past I sometimes swapped the 7W for a 3H from October to March; these months have thinner rough and stronger winds (3H launched lower).

@scotth has sound advice: see which one works best from troubling lies.

[pganapathy]

Decide which club you want based on how they play.  Which club better fits the gap between your 3W and 4i.  Which has a better dispersion.  Which one can you hit better from a worse lie like the rough.  At the end of the day base your decision on which club helps your game more

[Valleygolfer]

I love fairway woods. I have a "7" wood and a "3" wood. They are adjustable and hit great. I don't care for hybrids at all.  I would say that the fairway wood strike fees better for me. Probably all personal preference though. Use the one you hit the best and call it a day.

[Piz]

I'd guess that pros and amateurs alike select clubs based on distance and trajectory rather than the name or number.  My current 5 wood is an inch and a half longer than my old Pittsburgh Persimmon and has 18 degrees loft rather than 23.  My hybrid is the same length as the PP and has 19 degrees loft.  I've got, essentially, the same clubs in the bag as I did 20 years ago...they just go by different names.  That seems likely to be true across the board.

[TropicalSandTrap]

I like the idea of which club is more versatile being the choice as off a clean lie I have similar results. 

Im intrigued by the idea of a 5W being easier to hit out of a hairy lie than a 3H. What's the rationale behind this view?

[scotth]

In theory the hybrid should be easier to hit in almost all situations.  However, you know how odd we golfers can get sometimes....  At times past in less than optimal lies at address looking down at the ball some clubs just don't feel/look right.

 

[WUTiger]

7 hours ago, TropicalSandTrap said:

Im intrigued by the idea of a 5W being easier to hit out of a hairy lie than a 3H. What's the rationale behind this view?

Last season, I was still playing the Tour Edge XRail 4W + 7W, which had a V-sole from front to back. The 7W was 21* loft, and the V-sole really blew through the rough (similar to some FWs that have parallel rails on the sole). My hybrid has a flat sole with some rear recess.

One current Alpha 815  FW is set at 19* (more 5W), and has a sole weighting system. I have the light weight forward and the heavy weight in back, which increases the degree of ball launch.

Plus, the 5W (and the 7W) have a deeper face than the hybrid, a bigger margin of error in the rough.

If I uploft the shorter 815 from 19* to 20*, it will be pretty close to a 7W.

My 4H tends to launch a bit lower than the 5W or 7W, which is fine on a shot into wind. 

[NJpatbee]

Like others have said, much depends on your swing.  15 years ago (age 50) I had the driver, and a 4, 7. and 9 wood in  my bag.  Since trying the hybrids as I lost club head speed with age I carry only 1 wood, the driver.  I use the 2 thru 6 hybrid and my game has improved in the last few years.  You seem to hit both the 3h and 5w well but I for one find the hybrid better out of the rough or on uneven lies.

[rehmwa]

My 5w vs 2H.

I absolutely love the 5w, how it looks, how it hits, feels, etc etc etc.  The Hybrid doesn't appeal to my eye nearly as much.

But the short of it is the 2h hits just as well and goes the same distance.  And it does better out of more tricky lies so I can use it in more situations.  Unless the ball is on a tee or a perfect lie, I'll always pick the 2h.

So as much as I really like that 5w, it's the one that stays in the closet and the 2h is in my bag.

Edited July 20, 2017 by rehmwa

[TropicalSandTrap]

On 7/20/2017 at 3:28 AM, rehmwa said:

My 5w vs 2H.

I absolutely love the 5w, how it looks, how it hits, feels, etc etc etc.  The Hybrid doesn't appeal to my eye nearly as much.

But the short of it is the 2h hits just as well and goes the same distance.  And it does better out of more tricky lies so I can use it in more situations.  Unless the ball is on a tee or a perfect lie, I'll always pick the 2h.

So as much as I really like that 5w, it's the one that stays in the closet and the 2h is in my bag.

That's where I am finding myself too

[Midpack]

I just bought my first hybrid this year and I haven't warmed up to it - I carry my 3h and my 5w sits in the garage, but I'm not qualified to advise. This thread seems to show it's really a personal decision only you can make. Whichever YOU hit more consistently or have the most confidence with.

Edited August 10, 2017 by Midpack

[chilepepper]

The folks that experiment with different clubs choose the one they hit more consistently that fill the gaps as needed. I'm sure pros experiment with different clubs much more than the average golfer which is unfortunate but economics and laziness probably play into this. If one has access to a golf shop with a monitor there's no reason not to try and compare different clubs IF one is serious about progressing

Edited August 10, 2017 by chilepepper

[Missouri Swede]

I really like my 5W (18*)--I hit it well most of the time.  But for some distances it's too much club, so then I back off to my 3H (20*).  I'm not as consistent with it (yet--but getting better), but it's the right club from time to time (including one par 3 hole at my home course, where a 5W is way too much club).  So I use both.

[Jmdmbike]

I carry a  21 degree 3 hybrid and 18 degree 5 wood. I love my 5 wood. so consistent with it off the tee and fairway lies, 15 to 20 yards longer than the hybrid. But the hybrid is more versatile - out of the rough, trouble spots as well as good off the tee and fairway, but can be wild with it at times.. So I use both.  i like my hybrid and love my 5 wood  

[Grizvok]

I've only hit a 5w a handful of times so it is tough to compare them but I'm really growing to love my 20* hybrid. Like others have said, it's an amazing club to have especially because of the versatility to hit from pretty much any lie. I think I only used it like 2-3 times today once in a very precarious position on the second hole where my drive went quite far but ended up putting me on the wrong side of a few trees. It was a tough lie in some short but forest-y type grass/vegetation with trees on the left and right of the ball flight I was going for but I managed to make really solid contact and kept it away from and under both trees. The other strike I can remember was after a 3w from the tee where it was in the rough but the ball had settled very far down which made hitting my 3w (or potentially 5w) a pretty bad idea. The hybrid came up big again with a very solid strike that didn't quite get me on the green but got me close enough to where I got up and down for one of my coveted (at this point in my golf career) pars.