Fairway woods vs hybrids vs irons

[onthehunt526]

This is an old rehash, it does have some current news to back it up.

I'll get where I fit into this story in a bit.

Michelle Wie opened with a 64 today at the Women's British Open. I read an article that she has replaced her 4-hybrid and 5-iron with a 9 and 11-wood.

So this is where my question comes in. What are you guys opinions on the whole iron vs hybrid vs lofted fairway debate?

It seems recent hybrid offerings have more and more offset than previous models. (Tour models have less offset), Irons are hard to hit in these super low lofts.... Lofted fairways are clinging to life, but Callaway and TaylorMade still do.

Personally, I'm okay with my hybrids to a point, Tour Edge doesn't make a 9 or 11 wood anymore, so I would try them if I could. I had a 7-wood for a while, but never really used it... So I don't have an educated opinion on all of this.

[saevel25]

7 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

It seems recent hybrid offerings have more and more offset than previous models.

Are they? I've found they have reduced offset compared to when they first came out.

7 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

Irons are hard to hit in these super low lofts.... Lofted fairways are clinging to life, but Callaway and TaylorMade still do.

Well every fairway wood has loft ;).

Pretty much every golf club company makes a 5 or 7-wood, and maybe a 9-wood. I don't get why you say lofted fairway woods are clinging to life. They all offer the same range of fairway woods. Mizuno and Titleist don't offer the highest lofted possible. There is more to launch angle, and ease of hitting the ball higher, than just higher loft.

Titleist: 13.5, 15, 16.5, 18, 21 degrees
Mizuno: 15, 18, 21 degrees
Ping: 14.5, 17.5, 20.5, 23.5 degrees
Cobra: 13 - 24 degrees
Taylormade: 15-24 degrees
Callaway: 13.5-24 degrees

I would actually say that modern game improvement long irons have made it much easier to hit the long irons than in the past.

7 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

Personally, I'm okay with my hybrids to a point, Tour Edge doesn't make a 9 or 11 wood anymore, so I would try them if I could. I had a 7-wood for a while, but never really used it... So I don't have an educated opinion on all of this.

Personally, I like hybrids more than a fairway wood, especially off the ground. I think they are easier to hit off the ground because they are more compact and they tend to have a shorter golf shaft for comparable lofts. I am thinking of ditching my 4 iron for another hybrid. 

[Midpack]

Michelle Wie is a pro who can hit any club far better than I can, so her choices have little bearing on my game. My irons, even my 19-deg 2i, are the easiest and most consistent hitting clubs for me. I'm not even sure hybrids belong in my bag (I know that's counter to most). Woods are for distance, so I'm not tempted by higher loft woods to replace long or middle irons. I don't think there's a right answer anyway, different strokes for different folks.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Midpack

[chspeed]

19 minutes ago, Midpack said:

My irons, even my 19-deg 2i, are the easiest and most consistent hitting clubs for me. I'm not even sure hybrids belong in my bag (I know that's counter to most).

I'm curious if you've ever measured the difference, over say 20 swings on the course, between your 2-iron and your 3-iron (or 4-iron for that matter). My guess is that unless you have a pretty fast swing speed AND consistently good contact (in which case you're a low handicap), you won't find much an average gap because you don't hit your 2-iron very high. For me (any many golfers both with low and high handicaps), hybrids allow us to fill the gaps because they make it easier to hit the ball high.

25 minutes ago, Midpack said:

Woods are for distance

All clubs are for distance AND accuracy.

[Midpack]

2 hours ago, chspeed said:

I'm curious if you've ever measured the difference, over say 20 swings on the course, between your 2-iron and your 3-iron (or 4-iron for that matter). I've been playing for decades, and my iron gaps are about 10 yards from 2 thru 9. There is definitely a gap between my 2, 3, 4 etc. I've confirmed same over hundreds if not thousands of swings on par 3's and long approaches.

My guess is that unless you have a pretty fast swing speed AND consistently good contact (in which case you're a low handicap), you won't find much an average gap because you don't hit your 2-iron very high. Years ago I was a lower handicap player with higher clubhead speeds, I'm not now, just coming back to golf after a very long layoff. My swing speeds now are down to mid 90's with driver, mid 80's with a 7-iron. I hit all my irons higher than most players, even those younger than I am. I see that every time I play with others. For me (any many golfers both with low and high handicaps), hybrids allow us to fill the gaps because they make it easier to hit the ball high. I don't need or want more height.

All clubs are for distance AND accuracy. Accuracy yes, I am more accurate with irons. The only club you need maximum distance with is your driver. For the other clubs, you need only know what distance you can hit consistently with each to match the shot at hand. If faced with a 150 yard shot you hit a 9-iron and I hit a 7-iron, it makes no difference that you're getting more distance with your 9-iron...

Fascinating, see above. I clearly noted I recognize my views are my own.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Midpack

[Kalnoky]

I suspect the faster your swing speed the shorter the club you can get away with. I use 4H over 4-iron because I don't have the swing speed for long irons. The 4H is a little bit longer shaft. I suspect a lot of guys are in this same boat. 

I also carry a 3H and a 5W, the 3H I mostly use from the tee. The 5W is only played from good lies. 

Fairway Woods are still selling well enough, at least around here where I live. 

 

[chspeed]

2 hours ago, Midpack said:

Fascinating, see above. I clearly noted I recognize my views are my own.

Ok. But if you don't want anyone to discuss them, why post them on a golf forum?

Edited August 4, 2017 by chspeed

[onthehunt526]

6 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Are they? I've found they have reduced offset compared to when they first came out.

Well every fairway wood has loft ;).

Pretty much every golf club company makes a 5 or 7-wood, and maybe a 9-wood. I don't get why you say lofted fairway woods are clinging to life. They all offer the same range of fairway woods. Mizuno and Titleist don't offer the highest lofted possible. There is more to launch angle, and ease of hitting the ball higher, than just higher loft.

Titleist: 13.5, 15, 16.5, 18, 21 degrees
Mizuno: 15, 18, 21 degrees
Ping: 14.5, 17.5, 20.5, 23.5 degrees
Cobra: 13 - 24 degrees
Taylormade: 15-24 degrees
Callaway: 13.5-24 degrees

I would actually say that modern game improvement long irons have made it much easier to hit the long irons than in the past.

Personally, I like hybrids more than a fairway wood, especially off the ground. I think they are easier to hit off the ground because they are more compact and they tend to have a shorter golf shaft for comparable lofts. I am thinking of ditching my 4 iron for another hybrid. 

I'll buy that the offset on hybrids is comparable to the iron the hybrid is replacing now. 

The SGI and GI long irons are much easier to hit than let's say even ten years ago. However they still are more difficult to hit than their lofted fairway wood and hybrid replacements.

I think it's more about preference with these three families of clubs. Some will prefer a fairway wood to replace their longest iron, some will prefer a hybrid for the same. I do see some 5-wood, 4-hybrid, 5-iron combos out there. Or even 7-wood, 5-hybrid, 6-iron combos. Not a lot of 9 and 11 wood in the current club line-ups. 

I think in the later 90s higher-lofted woods were replacing longer irons. From 2004 or '05 on, mostly hybrids... Now I believe it seems like some players have a combination of both in one way or another.

[Midpack]

1 hour ago, chspeed said:

Ok. But if you don't want anyone to discuss them, why post them on a golf forum?

My point was what Michelle Wie does isn't necessarily good for everyone, and even less what I do. Why you then proceeded to incorrectly diagnose my experience based on vague generalities is beyond me, but I'm done with this thread.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Midpack

[inthecup]

I use Arccos and I can vouch that my 2 hybrid and my 3 hybrid on the course are not much different.  On a monitor the 2 is 10-15 yards longer.  I am going to look at ditching the 2 and considering a 3-4-5 wood or something.

[Moxley]

Not an educated opinion, but I personally find my 7 wood a better club overall than hybrid. Would go further than a similar lofted hybrid for me, although with the same tendency to go too high or too left, just like hybrids.

Overall similar, but for some reason I hit the lofted fairway woods slightly further. 

[dbuck]

At my level, I think it is a lot of personal preference and what gives you the most confidence. I was a late converter to hybrids, but I love the two I have. I find them to be very versatile, and I have a good degree of confidence with them. I have used the 4H successfully from 155 to 185, mostly by choking down, and have hit it from some nasty lies.  The 3H is usually for good fairway lies, light rough, and from the tee. From a good fairway lie, or from the tee I can get around 185-200 from it.

[WUTiger]

On 8/4/2017 at 6:34 AM, saevel25 said:

Pretty much every golf club company makes a 5 or 7-wood, and maybe a 9-wood. I don't get why you say lofted fairway woods are clinging to life. They all offer the same range of fairway woods

The high-lofted fairway woods come in waves. Callaway has been one of the  most consistent in having a club model with high-lofted FWs.

A couple of years ago I acquired a set of very good quality Calla Hawkeye FWs, which came out in 1999.  I have the 3, 5, 7 and 9Ws in the model.  Still work well, if you allow for slight draw bias.

Since finding hybrids I can actually hit (avoid too much offset), I'm undecided. If I am swinging decently, I can hit hybrids and high FWs. The combinations have become mainly gapping choices.

People who sweep their shots do well with high-loft FWs, while those who hit down on the ball might prefer hybrids. Here's a Golf Digest article on FWs. vs. Hybrids.

[saevel25]

Quote

Because the hybrid swing is steeper, it's also a little shorter at the top (2). The most important thing here is to avoid trying to overpower the shot. I never swing at more than 80 percent. Swinging the hybrid harder doesn't seem to produce longer shots for me. So I make my normal swing, remembering to stand tall at address and maintain my posture all the way through

The hybrids tend to fit in just right with higher lofted fairway woods, or long irons. PGA Tour sees about .6 degrees more downward strike than a 3-wood. Only .2 degrees more than a 5 wood. It's not that significant really.

I might say it has to do more with how shallow or deep the club head is. I could say a hybrid is more versatile because you can hit it with a sweeping strike and a descending strike. A fairway wood you might not get away with a more severe downward strike. I do