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The "no fairway" bag setup

SuperStroke
I love my FW's, I use them a lot every round and probably more than I hit driver. Either off the tee or the deck, I lean on them and feel more comfortable with them then I do with a driver or hybrid. It's just a comfort and success thing for me though.
 
Until the beginning of the 2015 season I had a 4W in the bag which was mostly use from the tee box on a bad driving day. Use from the fairway was seldom. So I put a 2H (18* loft) in play and never looked back. In average I hit it as far as the 4W but far more consistently and it's very useful from the fairway.


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I played without a fairway metal for 3+ years. Mostly because on my home course I didn't have a use for it. I had 17 degree hybrid and used it very rarely. I like the 16 degree metal better, but still don't use it that much. If 2nd shot on a par 5 doesn't present itself with much trouble I'm going for it. If it does, I'm laying up to a number. I always feel more comfortable hitting my driver off the tee so the fairway or hybrid isn't a great option for me there either. I'm pretty comfortable with my 4i and the gap between that and my driver is about 50 yards. If I didn't have a club between my 190 and 240 yard club I don't think it would change my scoring very much. I feel, its not a yardage higher handicaps can really benefit from. Going for the green from 200 plus yards is usually not the smart play.
 
I play a 3 wood but only use it when I know I have a chance to get to the green. Most of the time I will take an iron and get it into position so I can get myself an easy shot in for a birdie putt. My advice would be what other people have said, if you want to get rid of the 3 wood, go ahead. Play smart golf and get into position on longer holes like par 5's with your irons so you can have a short shot in for a birdie putt or worse case scenario a par putt/bogey.
 
Next time you are at the range start hitting your 3w off of a tee and keep putting the tee lower and lower. Also try to take a nice and easy swing. I was having trouble hitting mine off the deck and both of these things helped me. I think that when someone pulls a 3w out they know they have a long way to go and it causes you to swing harder because of the distance you need to go and this causes miss hits. It might not work for you but it helped me out a great deal.
 
I'm pretty sure I'll always have a fairway wood in my bag. There are just to many times where it's a smarter play off the tee on a Par 4 over the driver.
 
I have never played without a wood, going back to the early 1970's. Always a wood or two or three in the bag.
 
I'm currently playing with nothing larger than a 3 Hybrid.

I actually feel like my rounds are a lot more productive as I'm not tempted to hit balls into the woods or water anymore.
 
I play a heavenwood in the bag, but despite it apparently being the easiest club in the world to hit, I still struggle with it off the deck LOL.
 
It's do able ..... Replace the fairway woods with hybrids #3 and #5 .
 
I recently came back to the game after several years off. Upon returning, I dumped my 3 iron and used two hybrids in place of normal woods.

however, after much practice and purchasing a set of irons i really like, the 3 iron is back in the bag as well as a 5 wood. I am also considering a 3 wood.
 
I think I'll keep the FY in the bag for now as my lone fairway, but after giving it much thought, leaving that as a tee-only option and relying on the hybrids for my longer shots is my "safe play".



As I improve I reserve the right to revisit the issue, but my immediate lessons are going to focus on short game and iron play ... as that's where I will be best served, as my RR captain so rightly pointed out.
 
I think I'll always have a 3 wood in the bag. I grew up using that off the tee allot and it's one of my favorite clubs.
 
I currently only play 13 clubs and could easily drop my 4w and not change my game one bit. I can hit it decently off the tee, but from the turf the risk outweighs the reward. My 3 hybrid isn't much shorter from the deck and much more consistent.
 
I like the idea of hitting fairways, but they are so inconsistent for me. I have considered a 2h, just not sure if it's the right move. it's why I've followed jb's xxio prime experiment so closely. I think it's a really interesting concept.


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The fairway on my sig is the only club i havent purchased basically because i ran out of time at my fitting. It makes sense loft wise. I hit it today on a monitor and I am not sure a 2H wouldn't be a better club for me for consistency.
 
See my signature for my setup. It is in transition because the Pings are new and the driver is being replaced, so I need to see how the gaps shake out among the 2h, 4h, and 5I. I carried 5W and 7W for years with good success, but I found I hit the hybrids better, off the tee and off the deck. You shouldn't shy away for a 2 or a 1 if you find one that fits you well. I think if anything happens to the Mashies a 5W and 7W go back in the bag, after I quit crying, but they are my most consistent clubs. For about a year, I left the driver at home and used the 1h instead of the driver. Just a thought.

Before I got the new irons, I played Driver, 1-4h, 5-PW, AW, SW, putter. The 3 and 4h were part of a Tour Edge set and worked much better for me than long irons.
 
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I've just put a 3 Hybrid in and I think I'll be taking the 3 wood out, which again puts me to 13 clubs. The 3H appears to be marginally shorter than my 3 wood but a lot easier to hit both off a small tee and the ground. I can't remember the last round I pulled a 3 wood, if I needed to just try and thump one down the fairway I'd use my 4 H, now if I need more distance the 3 H is getting hit.
 
I always have at least one fairway wood in the bag.
 
I couldn't ever see me playing without a fairway as they give me multiple options off the tee depending on the course and how I am swinging the club. After my 3W and 5W the next club in my bag is my 4i and I am comfortable with how they all work for me

My 3W tends to be a tee only option, but my 5W is used both off the tee and for second shots on par 5s if everything looks good and I want to go for the green
 
With my existing swing i could go without one as i hit driver everywhere and am way inconsistent off the deck
 
I just put a 3w back in the bag after a long time of having the 2h be my longest club.

The key for me has been choking down on the 3W & swinging it like I swing my hybrids.
 
Heavenwood. Heavenwood. Heavenwood.

Seriously. Like you I tend to struggle with hybrids and fairways (I finally put a hybrid back in the bag for the first time in a year, not sure how long it'll stay there) but the Heavenwood is just automatic. You and I have a similar game Deuce and I think the HW would be a great club in your hands. On my first time out this season, in 40 degree temps, I hit 2 greens from nearly 200 out with the HW. It's just so easy to hit, it's almost like cheating.
 
If you have played without one in your bag....Does it have any impact on your score, good or bad? If not, I wouldn't worry about it! Good luck!
 
I have one in my bag that never gets used. I bet the head cover hasn't even been pulled off of it in six months. Even then it was for a lesson (that went so poorly it hasn't been touched since).
 
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