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Fairway woods- Does anybody care?

SuperStroke
ArmyGolf said:
I think it's because FWs are a funny category of club. Most amateurs (myself especially) have no business bagging one but we all do anyways because we need something to fill that gap.
Like I said to Terry at Ben Hogan, I don't hit my 4 wood any straighter than my driver on average and since it has a small face my really bad swings can result in wiffs, tops, and hosels.

I think this is the last season i will game a FW even though my M1 is amazing when well struck. I'm going to try an all hybrid setup soon.
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I am definitely coming around to your POV on the bolded. I used to think you were nuts for hitting driver all the time, but I'm seeing improved results from doing the same. The only times I'm clubbing down now are when I need a shorter distance for some reason.

As to all hybrids, it's an interesting idea and one that could work well in the right hands. However, from recent experience I know those hands aren't mine. I couldn't quite launch a 19* hybrid high enough to fill the gap correctly, so I'll be sticking with fairways in that 16*-20* realm.

Also a more general comment, I will never game a FW under 16* again. Agree with most that a 3W is bloody tough to hit off the deck - at 16* or 17* a 3.5/4W is much more manageable, and I actually GAIN distance off the tee with a slightly higher loft.
 
Fairway woods- Does anybody care?

SkiBumGolfer said:
I am definitely coming around to your POV on the bolded. I used to think you were nuts for hitting driver all the time, but I'm seeing improved results from doing the same. The only times I'm clubbing down now are when I need a shorter distance for some reason.

As to all hybrids, it's an interesting idea and one that could work well in the right hands. However, from recent experience I know those hands aren't mine. I couldn't quite launch a 19* hybrid high enough to fill the gap correctly, so I'll be sticking with fairways in that 16*-20* realm.

Also a more general comment, I will never game a FW under 16* again. Agree with most that a 3W is bloody tough to hit off the deck - at 16* or 17* a 3.5/4W is much more manageable, and I actually GAIN distance off the tee with a slightly higher loft.
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And that is why I GBB HW is so nasty. Length of a 4W and I play it at 19º. In the words of Ja Rule, "it's murdaaaaaaaaa". The thing is almost unfair and it one of the only FWs I've been able to hit off the deck somewhat consistently. Yes, my gapping looks strange at the top of my bag, but the club just works!
 
I don't hit mine enough to get excited about advancements in the technology. I have hit mine less than 10 times this year.

I play driver off the tee and very rarely have 230 left to the hole.
 
I have the same issue with my FW. My 21 degree, you might have to pry out of my cold, dead hands since I have zero trouble hitting it. 3w off the deck has been and probably always will be a tough shot for me. I think the best 3w I hit off the deck hands down was the Cleveland Black.
 
I love my 2 fairway woods and I use them on average about 14 times per round vs. my driver getting used only about 4 times per round.

It wasn't until about age 30 that I figured out that I could shoot lower scores by leaving the driver in the bag except for par 4's over 425 yards but it's been one of my keys to scoring since.
 
I love my Bridgestone JGR woods. I play the 3/5/7 and hit them really well. They can make a bad drive look good and get you back into a chance to par or birdie the hole. Next to "Cracking" a great drive, nothing like hitting a great fairway wood shot that puts you on the green.
Actually I search out fairway woods first if I'm looking for a change.
 
mr.hicksta said:
And that is why I GBB HW is so nasty. Length of a 4W and I play it at 19º. In the words of Ja Rule, "it's murdaaaaaaaaa". The thing is almost unfair and it one of the only FWs I've been able to hit off the deck somewhat consistently. Yes, my gapping looks strange at the top of my bag, but the club just works!
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I think a Mini Driver - Heavenwood setup could be ridiculously nasty...curse you, pondering LOL
 
c.a.eleric said:
i completely agree. it can be a great club, and i'm always on the search for a perfect combo. the FIRST place i search is thp. hear my clearly: i'm not saying thp doesn't give us info and reviews. it just seems like there isn't nearly as much feedback from people about fairway woods as there is every other spot in the bag. i'm just curious why that might be.

and i completely agree with jman, most of us would benefit so much more from 4w or 5w than 3w. i read one of those short articles in golf digest MANY years ago where butch harmon was saying very few amateurs swing fast enough and correctly enough to maximize the benefits of a 3w, so the longest they should consider is 4w. i now only look at 4w and 5w.
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I think people like their drivers or they just don't hit FWs well so they really aren't discussed. Having the right FW in the bag is key, it can make all the difference in the world
 
Tadashi70 said:
A good fairway wood is worth its weight in gold. My current set up is average at best. I need a higher launcher with some added distance. On the search now!!
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You didn't get along with the XR16 Pro 16°?
 
Fairway woods- Does anybody care?

ArmyGolf said:
Like I said to Terry at Ben Hogan, I don't hit my 4 wood any straighter than my driver on average and since it has a small face my really bad swings can result in wiffs, tops, and hosels.

/QUOTE]

This is my experience 100%. I have gone to using driver more on tight holes but just choking down on the club or shortening my swing. Not sure if it's smart but it has been more successful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I get along well with my 3W and will be adding a 4/5W this fall/winter. I am probably one of the crazy ones who doesn't carry any hybrids at all. I go driver, 3W, 4Iron. ON the flip side of that it works for me so I am okay with the setup.
 
Greg Kulbick said:
You didn't get along with the XR16 Pro 16°?
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I did off the tee and still have it. It just launches way to low and I don't like working that hard to proper launch.
 
As someone who performs better off the tee with a 3 wood, they matter to me a lot. I get decent distance off the tee with my current 3 wood set up (~250 carry), but I believe I could get more with a lower spinning head that would free up more shaft options for me. Something like the M1/M2 is on my radar for early next year.

I think next year I'll be trying the Henrik Stenson tee game.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I did off the tee and still have it. It just launches way to low and I don't like working that hard to proper launch.
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I hear ya. There's times mine doesn't get above 40 feet, but it still runs straight.
 
it seems like a lot of us find them to be very important. so my question is where do you get your info on what to try and how it might perform for you? i think thp and the reviewers do a great job giving us the info, but i also rely heavily on the feedback from other users as well, and this is where i don't feel there is as much information as other clubs like drivers, hybrids, irons, etc.
 
I've given up on fw and hyb's but i've found I can hit my XXIO Prime 10.5* off the deck very well and use it for 190 yds +.
It bothered me at first hitting a beautiful $800 driver off the ground but it works! I use a High Heat Driver which is a little more longer than the XXIO and ver consistent.
 
c.a.eleric said:
it seems like a lot of us find them to be very important. so my question is where do you get your info on what to try and how it might perform for you? i think thp and the reviewers do a great job giving us the info, but i also rely heavily on the feedback from other users as well, and this is where i don't feel there is as much information as other clubs like drivers, hybrids, irons, etc.
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In the past I've been bad about listening to reviews here and/or picking clubs based on make/model I want or how a club looks. I've come to realize that there are way too many swing differences to rely solely on reviews or how something works for others. So now I'm looking/reading for design features that I know work for me so that I can narrow down clubs to test. My next wood purchase will be after an unbiased fitting process and probably will be done at Club Champion.
 
My 3 wood can get me in just as much trouble as my driver off the tee and it's an adventure off the deck and chances of me hitting a par 5 in 2 get less as I get older. I'm playing smarter and using a utility iron now. I'm -3 combined on my last 6 par 5s...I'll take that :)
 
I used to HATE every fairway wood I tried, eventually getting to the point where I bought one that I liked.....but never used.....and ended up not trusting because I never used it. Then Danny from UST set me up with my M2 3W and it is my favorite club to hit in my bag. I use it for anything from 200-250+ yards, so it is AMAZINGLY versatile and consistent.

I think the best suggestion I can make is to do the same diligence with a fairway wood as you would with a driver -- GO GET FIT BY A LEGITIMATE FITTER! Buying clubs off the rack or online may provide some success, but I am living proof that a fitter can make a world of difference.
 
To me, a fairway wood is a SUPER important club in the bag. What makes it even moreso, is that it needs to be one you can TRUST. I feel like it's easier to fall in and out of love with a fwy wood than it is a driver, or putter.

I think that is part of the reason maybe the fwy's don't get as much hype, love, or attention around these parts. I think that when people find the one they like and can trust, it's one of the clubs that you're very tentative to get rid of just to try something new. I struggled with 3w for the longest time and i've now got the anser 4W in the bag. I can crush it off the tee or the deck, high and low and left or right, i am very tentative to try anything else as imo it's such a touchy club to experiment with.
 
It's weird when you look at my HC but the one club I hit well last time out was my 3/4 FW, both off the tee and FW. Have it set at 16, weight back and it's the easiest FW I've ever hit.
 
I've gone back and forth over the last couple years trying to find a combination that works for me. Trajectory on a standard 3w for me is a little low. They work fine off the tee, but my ball flight was always too low to hit them consistently off the turf. Earlier this year, I ditched the 15* 3w and the 3h, and went with a 16.5* 3w (4w) and an 18* 5w turned up to 19.5*. I have alot more confidence with the ball flight I'm getting out of them now, and will pull them to reach long par 5's in 2, whereas before I'd lay up to a number. They're honestly in my opinion the easiest to hit fairway woods I've ever owned and couldn't be happier with the results. I think I hit every possible option in the box stores I could before making the purchase. Some were longer, but didn't have the same ball flight.

Of course, bad swing days it doesn't matter what form of a fw I have in hand... it's gonna suck. lol
 
c.a.eleric said:
it seems like a lot of us find them to be very important. so my question is where do you get your info on what to try and how it might perform for you? i think thp and the reviewers do a great job giving us the info, but i also rely heavily on the feedback from other users as well, and this is where i don't feel there is as much information as other clubs like drivers, hybrids, irons, etc.
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They might not be the sexiest club to get into, but like a lot of posts here have said, a good fairway wood is a game changer and thats partly why I think there's so much silence over them. I've been in plenty of streaks where I couldn't do anything but top a fairway wood, one of which came during the THP event in Orlando last year. I don't think I hit my fairway wood on the course that entire weekend, I was too scared of it. I knew that a FW was the right club off of the first tee, but I hit driver anyway (into the left bunker.. both days..) because I found it likely that I would top the FW 5 yards off the box. It should be a club that helps you shave strokes by having more accurate tee shots and being able to scare the par 5s (as it is for me currently, I might add), but it can rob you of strokes just as easily, if not more. When its good, I love mine and couldn't imagine replacing it, much less learning to cooperate with a new one. When its bad, I know its 100% my swing and avoid it like the plague, and couldn't see how I'd get a different result with a new club. I think the silence comes from people in the same boat I'm in.
 
For me personally, I find that my 3 FW is not that easy to hit off the deck. I find that I get better results off the deck with my 3 Hybrid. I do however use my 3 FW every now and then off the tee with good results.
 
I have a 3W and a 5W in the bag but don't hit them that often. The 3 rarely gets hit unless off a tee and I can pick the 5 off the turf but normally go with a 4I. I can hit the iron better and about the same distance. As for hybrids, I've tried on several occasions to hit those and no dice. Can't seem to get those up and I've tried many lofts and types. So I'll probably dump the 3W and try a 4W to see if I can get that to go. For you guys with the Heavenwood how does it compare and what does it compare to in an iron?
 
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