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The "no fairway" bag setup

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deuce

deuce

Grenade!
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Anyone have a bag that doesn't have a fairway wood in it? I just yanked my 4W and while the FYbrid has a hold - as a tee'd up club - if it overlaps with the 3H I may pull that one too. My shot shape with a fairway wood is currently "topped" which doesn't play very well for me. So I'm looking for alternatives to create a 14 club bag. Don't really think a 60* wedge is where I want to go, but everything else gaps out pretty well. Interested in what other people do if they don't have fairway woods. I will say, I don't think a 2H is going to be an option either.
 
Never gone without a fairway. That has been a tee option as much or more than it has been a off the deck option. I don't see any issues with it as long as the gaps you need are filled thru out the bag.
 
What are you looking to accomplish with the fairway wood? Off the tee or off the deck?
 
JB said:
What are you looking to accomplish with the fairway wood? Off the tee or off the deck?
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Would really like an off the deck option on the longish par 5's that will help me get within 125 yards and a shot at the green in regulation. I know it's my swing that's the issue though, and there is no magical club that will help fix those flaws. Hoping the upcoming lessons will address that at some point.
 
I had been fairway less for about 2 years until yesterday. Finally caved and bought a heavenwood. I need the distance on the longer par 4's and par 5's. In the past i had hybrids and always played them poorly. Hoping for a better season with​ the fairway wood.
 
No fairway for me. Driver, 20* hybrid, 3-pw, 48, 53,57 putter. I hit it far enough that reaching par 5 holes isn't tough


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deuce said:
Would really like an off the deck option on the longish par 5's that will help me get within 125 yards and a shot at the green in regulation. I know it's my swing that's the issue though, and there is no magical club that will help fix those flaws. Hoping the upcoming lessons will address that at some point.
Click to expand...

The honest answer is if you are having to hit fairway wood off the deck to get inside of 125 on a par 5, you are probably playing the wrong tees. I know its not what someone wants to hear, but if we look at the yardage and say 500 yards is the number and 200 is off the tee, that would mean only 175 is needed off the deck. If neither shot driver or fairway are going that far, the tees should be adjusted.

But I digress because none of us want to hear that. You need something forgiving and that gets up fast. Look at the Heavenwood.
 
I love the fairway off the tee. If I am hitting it off the deck I messed up somewhere.

That said you need to play what you have the most success with. If you can't hit a fairway but can a hybrid play a hybrid. The heaven wood is a great suggestion to get the ball up in a hurry.

Examine if it is worth it for the 2nd shot on a par 5 to be with a fairway wood. Me personally unless I can get there I am taking an iron I know I can hit well and of I miss the miss is not off the planet.

Minimize the effect of the miss don't play for perfect.

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I've gone to a 2h and dropped the woods. I may be slightly shorter, but consistency is WAY up. Maybe 200-210ish 7/10 times vs 225 3/10 with a smattering of disaster. Off the deck is my primary concern as well, and while I can still mess up the 2h, I do find it far easier to control. Works off the tee as well.

Unless you nuke long irons, I'd try and find a playable 2/3h, without one I'd have a....gawd, 180ish max distance after driver? Just too big a gap for me. Looking at your bag, if you can't find anything that works above the 3h, then sure, throw in a 60* or just play it as is. You don't have to carry 14, right?
 
I'll put up another vote for heavenwood. I struggled with the same thing you are working through last year off the deck and the heavenwood (and lessons) were the ticket out.
 
JB said:
The honest answer is if you are having to hit fairway wood off the deck to get inside of 125 on a par 5, you are probably playing the wrong tees. I know its not what someone wants to hear, but if we look at the yardage and say 500 yards is the number and 200 is off the tee, that would mean only 175 is needed off the deck. If neither shot driver or fairway are going that far, the tees should be adjusted.
Click to expand...

So I'm going to add this and then be an observer -
I was told by my golf teacher that the way you can tell if you are playing the correct tees is that on a average Par 4 (350ish), if you have hit anything longer than a 6 iron after your drive, you are playing too long of tees.
 
I don't have any fairway woods and went with a 17 and 19 hybrid. It gives me about a 15 yard gap at that end of my bag a flows nicely into my irons. For gapping purposes and confidence when hitting into greens or a nice club off the tee it works for me.
 
I love fairways. I would never want to play a bag without them. Too easy to hit for me
 
I just recently pulled my 4w out of the bag because my 3h is not too much shorter distance wise and is also more consistant. that being said i have a friend who has no hybrids but has a 3w and 5w because he hits them better.
I think it comes down to what is more consistant for you to hit. I don't miss the 4W but i also could never hit it that great and i hit my driver good so i don't need a wood for a backup club off the tee.
 
No, I haven't.

What about a 2h?
 
deuce said:
Anyone have a bag that doesn't have a fairway wood in it? I just yanked my 4W and while the FYbrid has a hold - as a tee'd up club - if it overlaps with the 3H I may pull that one too. My shot shape with a fairway wood is currently "topped" which doesn't play very well for me. So I'm looking for alternatives to create a 14 club bag. Don't really think a 60* wedge is where I want to go, but everything else gaps out pretty well. Interested in what other people do if they don't have fairway woods. I will say, I don't think a 2H is going to be an option either.
Click to expand...

tequila4kapp said:
No, I haven't.

What about a 2h?
Click to expand...

See the bolded T4K.
 
JB said:
The honest answer is if you are having to hit fairway wood off the deck to get inside of 125 on a par 5, you are probably playing the wrong tees. I know its not what someone wants to hear, but if we look at the yardage and say 500 yards is the number and 200 is off the tee, that would mean only 175 is needed off the deck. If neither shot driver or fairway are going that far, the tees should be adjusted.

But I digress because none of us want to hear that. You need something forgiving and that gets up fast. Look at the Heavenwood.
Click to expand...
For the courses I typically play, this isn't an issue. I've never been one to be afraid of playing to my own lengths. When I travel though, even though my driver does average longer than 200 yards, I do occasionally have the errant tee shot which could put me behind the eight ball in terms of yardage. Is it a smart play to try to get most of it back by pulling a club that could theoretically give me the distance I need, but realistically will not only fail to do that but also possibly leave me even worse off? Yeah, it probably isn't.

lightningbolt44 said:
I love the fairway off the tee. If I am hitting it off the deck I messed up somewhere.

That said you need to play what you have the most success with. If you can't hit a fairway but can a hybrid play a hybrid. The heaven wood is a great suggestion to get the ball up in a hurry.

Examine if it is worth it for the 2nd shot on a par 5 to be with a fairway wood. Me personally unless I can get there I am taking an iron I know I can hit well and of I miss the miss is not off the planet.

Minimize the effect of the miss don't play for perfect.
Click to expand...
Aye aye captain ... I think my current arsenal affords me the safe play. I may have to play for the up and down for par in some instances, but it's probably better than making the situation awful when it didn't need to be.
 
deuce said:
For the courses I typically play, this isn't an issue. I've never been one to be afraid of playing to my own lengths. When I travel though, even though my driver does average longer than 200 yards, I do occasionally have the errant tee shot which could put me behind the eight ball in terms of yardage. Is it a smart play to try to get most of it back by pulling a club that could theoretically give me the distance I need, but realistically will not only fail to do that but also possibly leave me even worse off? Yeah, it probably isn't.

Aye aye captain ... I think my current arsenal affords me the safe play. I may have to play for the up and down for par in some instances, but it's probably better than making the situation awful when it didn't need to be.
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Worst case if you don't get up and down bogey is not bad. Triple bogey is. Know where you can attack the course and know where to take what you can get. Part of this is knowing the course and part of it is knowing your own limitations and also strengths. If you have a deadly short game I say lean on it (hint on where to focus ;) )

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lightningbolt44 said:
Worst case if you don't get up and down bogey is not bad. Triple bogey is. Know where you can attack the course and know where to take what you can get. Part of this is knowing the course and part of it is knowing your own limitations and also strengths. If you have a deadly short game I say lean on it (hint on where to focus ;) )

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This is an amazingly good post.
 
I love my fairways and hit them better than hybrids. I recently replaced my 3H with a 7 wood, smartest move I made in some time.
 
I play without a fairway right now. I only have one hole on my home course where it could be useful but I can get on the green in regulation without it. The current bag setup leaves a gap between 245 and 205 but if I'm 230 away, I need to play smart to take the large number off the card.

That said, when I travel, I can swap in either a 3 wood or a heavenwood, depending on the course.
 
Great question.

I had been D, 2H, 4H.. For quite a few years.

I put a 3w back in the bag mid summer 2015 because my course has some very long holes. I have replaced 2H & 4H with 3h now.. We will see how that pans out.
Not sure I pull it enough to keep it in the bag though. Long par 5's are about it. If I am going into a par 4 with a 3w it would really have to be wide open. As mentioned earlier in the thread.. Something probably went wrong previously. There are some monster par 4's in the wind that lend 3w to the equation but typically no.
Most times I am better off laying up to 40-60 yards and try to get up and down from there. I think I save more strokes with a wedge than with a 3w.
 
I very rarely pull the 3w, it's a 50/50 club for me, have you tried the callaway apex ut or the Taylormade RSI UDI, or the Adams pro DHY?
I've tried them all and very easy to elevate them, the Adams is near as dammit long as my 3 wood at times, I've tinkered with the thought of dropping my 3w and popping in a 1 iron.
 
deuce said:
Anyone have a bag that doesn't have a fairway wood in it? I just yanked my 4W and while the FYbrid has a hold - as a tee'd up club - if it overlaps with the 3H I may pull that one too. My shot shape with a fairway wood is currently "topped" which doesn't play very well for me. So I'm looking for alternatives to create a 14 club bag. Don't really think a 60* wedge is where I want to go, but everything else gaps out pretty well. Interested in what other people do if they don't have fairway woods. I will say, I don't think a 2H is going to be an option either.
Click to expand...
Prior to my grandaddy fitting and bag, I didn't have a fairway because I "couldn't hit them consistently". I had 2, 3, 4 hybrids that worked well, as the 2 was basically the distance of a 5 wood but with a shorter shaft was easier to hit, at least in my head. Some of the SGI hybrids out there might be worth looking into as they are wonderfully forgiving. I had a lot of success with the D100 2 hybrid.
 
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