Wood and Hybrid Questions

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By Lex K

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  1. Lex K

    Lex K
    Saint Onge, SD

    So I am getting ready to finish replacing all of my clubs a project that started this fall. I have gotten 5-pw in ap2, 52, 56,and 60 degree vokey wedges and a 21 degree hybrid. I now need a driver and the other club is where my question comes in....

    I have always had a hybrid, a driver, and a 3 wood that always gives me inconsistent results. So instead of buying a 250 dollar 3 wood that I might not use as often, I thought maybe I could pack two hybrids and fill the gap between my 21 degree hybrid and my driver. 

    I was thinking I would get a 17 degree and deloft it down to 16 degrees to fill the gap. I havent heard or seen of anyone doing this locally I was curious if anyone out there is using a driver and two hybrid set up instead of a wood? Thoughts or comments would be really appreciated! 

    No golf here for a couple more months so my wheels are spinning!

  2. Kurt V

    Kurt V
    Austin, TX

    You really need to try before you buy. Some of the lower lofted hybrids may give you the same problems that your 3 wood did. I have a 16 degree cobra hybrid that I reshafted 6 times to get to work and have confidence in to go at greens with on long holes. Still , hybrids have the problem of favoring a draw ball flight. Even the better newer ones seem to be able to hit a draw better  than a cut. Fairway woods seem to be able to work the ball better and get higher faster to go over stuff. You may just need to find the loft that works for you off the deck. The newer larger fairway woods can be hard to hit off the deck. 

    I can hit any 3 wood off a tee. That's not the problem. The problem is to have your longest club work from the fairway or light rough. You have to have a long  club you can hit into greens. If your 3 wood is just a second driver for you leave it in the car. A tour player I played with gave me an old TM 200 3 wood after I told him my issue. The smaller head workd better for me off the fairway and rough. The 913 F I have currently is perfect. I set on D4 so 15.75 loft and I have the diamana S+ 72 in stiff flex. Interestingly my driver is a 913 D3 10.5 with the Diamana S+ in R  flex. Typically players have a stiffer shaft in their drivers than their 3 woods. 

    I tried this shaft in a tour van fitting from titleist and bought THAT exact shaft. I wouldn't risk that a new one would be exactly the same. I was fit a year earlier with the same trackman and tour van for the Bassara in stiff. This S+ in regular worked better and feels better. When I got to 3 wood fitting the stiff was a clear winner both in numbers and feel. Again I begged to get the exact club I was fit for ,not just ordering the same thing new. Let them order a new one and put it in their fitting clubs. 

     I bought a new 913h with the specs that I was fit for ( Diamana S+ 82 stiff 19 degree D4 setting) and it's not the same feel or trajectory that I hit at my fitting. I couldn't get the demo out of the van as it was just introduced and they didn't have inventoryMy old cobra16 goes higher and straighter more consistently than the 913 h that's 19. 

    So try everything and buy what works for you. You may find that a 4 or 5 wood is the answer. Try a 5 wood with a 3 wood length shaft then put a lighter weight in the head.

     The combo of one fairway wood and one hybrid gives me the most options. My longest iron is an AP1 714 5 iron but it's bent to 24 degrees which is 2 strong. It seems like a big gap to a 16 hybrid but I can choke down on the hybrid and get a broader range from 200-225. The 5 iron goes 185-190.

  3. As Kurt said, try before you buy.

    Demo days will be upon us soon enough. Have you done any research on the adjustable fairway woods now being offered? For example, it might fit your game to get a 3W but up the loft from 15 to 16 or 17. Or, perhaps, you take a 5W and decrease the loft a bit. By all means, please get fitted for these clubs. That alone will cut down on your inconsistency.

    I have both a 2H and 5W, each with 18 degrees of loft. The 5W shaft is 1.5" longer. I normally carry the 2H but put the 5W in the bag for certain courses.

  4. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    Side by side before buy always works. Don't get wrapped around the hybrid hype. 

    Try a 17 fairway vs a 17 hybrid.   The 17 fairway can be brought down to 16.25 and play close to 3 wood loft or brought up to 18.5 and play like a 5 wood.

    I found I can hit a 7 wood same distance as a 17 hybrid and it is a lot easier to hit the former off the deck.  I have about a 10 yard difference between a 21 fairway and 21 hybrid.   A 9 wood and a 4H hit about equal.

    I found out 7 years ago that I hit a 5 wood or 7 wood better than a 2 or 3 hybrid.

  5. tdogg21

    tdogg21
    Chambersburg, PA

    Like everyone has said, go to a demo day and give it a try.  Personally, I have a 14* 3 wood and 17* and 20* hybrids.  For the way I play and the courses I play, that works best for my game.  But you may be different.  Figure out what type of shot you're looking for (lay-ups, tee-shots, into greens), what type of landing area you're looking at (small green, large green, fairway) and yardage you are looking for.  Then try a couple of different options and see what works best.

  6. Lex K

    Lex K
    Saint Onge, SD

    Thanks everyone! I did get fitted for a 3 wood strengened to 16 degrees when I was fitted for everything else and hit it pretty well. What got me thinking about the hybrid was when I started walking the courses I play in my head thinking of shots. Of the courses I play most of the time I can use my driver or there short enough to use my 21 degree hybrid or an iron. I rarely use a 3 wood off the tee anymore.

    Thats what got me thinking about this hybrid at the same loft because for the few times I would use it off the tee if I could be more consistant off the deck and still keep that same distance gap (which would need to be about 245-260 3 wood or hybrid at least) It might be worth looking into.

    Is my reasoning sound like something that makes sense? No one around here is doing this so I am curious if there are any more guys that have tossed the woods for hybrids completely and what there seeing happen because if it.

    Keep the brainstorming coming I have 2 months before we can play again in South Dakota!

  7. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military

    I used to have a three wood from those guys who claim to have the hottest fairway woods on the market.  Anyhow I sold it and purchased a 913F 15 degree and delofted it to a 14.25 and best decision I ever made.  In addition I carry a 17 degree 913H and a 19 degree 910H.  I had a 910F 17 degree and traded it in on the 913H 17 degrees and that was the best trade ever.  More consistency and straighter.  I can actually hit the hybrid as far as I hit the 17degree fairway wood and have hit it 220 with roll.  I am 67 and need the hybrids.  I do have a little gap in my clubs and that is between my 19 hybrid and my five iron but I can live with that.  Go get fitted, but by all means look at Titleist hybrids they are awesome and they give you more options on the course.  The biggest mistake most people make with their fairways and hybrids is they try to overpower them.  Good luck in your selection, fairways and greens...... 

  8. Mike C

    Mike C
    Dallas, TX

    I think this is a great question and, at the end of the say, it comes down to what you hit most consistently and what setup you feel most confidant and comfortable with.  I have a number of permutations that I have switched in and out of my bag.  I have 16, 18 and 20 degree hybrids that can use based on the particular setup I desire. 

    For a while I was pulling my 3 wood all of the time.  I did not feel comfortable standing over it was always thinking that "I'm going to pull the ball."  Sure enough, I would (this game is mental, right) so the club was ineffective to have in my bag.  Until  had time to work the issues out in my head and on the range, I replaced it with the 16 degree hybrid and I was good to go.  I then had a club that I could hit consistently, and more importantly, had confidence with.  The 3 wood was longer than the 16 hybrid but it worked effectively as a replacement.  I have not had this setup in a while and am back to my standard 15 degree 3 wood and 20 degree hybrid but when needed, the setup worked.

    The point is to do whatever you feel comfortable with and whatever makes you most confident.  There are 14 clubs in your bag and it is up to you to decide what clubs go into the mix and what fits best for your game.  Also, you have the freedom to change the setup at any time to fit your game (except, of course, during a round).

    Good luck and, as others have said, make sure you get properly fit.  Try to take as many variables out of the equation as possible so, at then end of the day, the only variable left is your swing!

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