I use 3-Wood, 5-Wood, 7-Wood and 9 Wood.
Tried Hybrids…Hook them, Tried Utility Irons - Slice them.
Woods seems to be more Straight and consistent. My Handicap is Stable at around 10 but I am 55 years old and a late starter.
Is there anyone else out there that uses Fairway Woods?
Dustin Johnson? 
If woods work well for your game and swing, then that’s what you should play. The only issue this might cause is lack of options out of deeper rough where fairway woods will struggle, but if you tend to keep it straight or play courses that don’t really have that punishing of rough, then you wouldn’t be giving up much.
It’s an interesting question that doesn’t have one answer. As always, my answer is to work with a qualified clubfitter to find the right balance in your game.
Some golfers do have a lot of problems with Hybrids and “the hooks” because the lie angles can be very upright - newer models allow you to flatten the lie angle which can help tremendously. Also, gear effect becomes an issue as well, so if you’re striking it on the toe (for a right handed golfer) that will put more hook spin on it.
For some golfers, fairway woods are definitely the right answer. There’s no right answer on this topic.
Yes if you hit woods better then use them. I think some hybrids are too long and light for those of us with less than perfect tempo. I don’t understand why a 5 iron might be 38" with a 110g steel shaft and then the 4 hybrid is 40" with a 65g shaft.
I seem to hit the utility better than the hybrid. Straighter at least. I do like the forgiveness and height the hybrid adds to the shot. I’ve been struggling with woods lately. Off the tee I’m better with the driver and off the deck the utility is straighter although shorter. You have to use what your comfortable with, but maybe look at the construction/fitting of the club as well.
I am also 55 yo and also prefer FWs to hybrids. I only routinely carry 2 (3 wood and 5 wood) though I do have an old 7 wood that makes it into the bag every now and then. I do carry a 4 hybid mainly for the versatility of the club. It is an original Callaway Apex. It was the first hybrid I found that was not a hook machine for me and like the fact that it gaps perfectly, for me, between 5 iron and 5 wood instead of being a distance-type hybrid.
I’ve been fit for hybrids and tried dozens and I hook all of them. I am pretty short at 5’5" so I think the lie angle hurts me, but right now I am in the market for a 5 wood so I can give up on hybrids.
I never seem to hit my fairway wood (3 wood) to clean off of the fairway. I’m fine with it out of the light rough or off of the tee box. It could be mental, but I just never hit it crisp off of the fairway. I would prefer to use my hybrid and come up a little short rather than mis-hitting it.
54 year old here and while I like idea of a hybrid, I can’t hit one to save my life. I honestly haven’t fully settled on a 5 wood vs a long/driving iron. Love my 3 wood and feel pretty confident hitting it and I feel ok with a 4 iron, but no club has felt perfect between the two. I hit the driving iron pretty straight off the tee but sometimes don’t get a clean strike off the deck. My 5 wood is better off the deck but I have a hard time consistently hitting it straight or a consistent distance.
It’s a dilemma
If you’re going through your rounds, how often do you need to use less than a driver off the tee and how often do play the 5w approach? Additionally, if you go through your bag, is there a low usage club you could take out and carry both (depending on the course)? The ideal setup is somewhere there in the data.
Jon is absolutely correct. I’ve worked with the same fitter and go driver, 4W, 3h, 4h to 5i. The trick for me if I upgrade is verifying my distances and gaps. As wood and hybrid construction evolves, you really need to work through this to dial them in.
I finally found a fairway and hybrid that I can hit so I am currently carrying a 4w, 7w and 3h. And I may add a 4h. I am not a long hitter so the 4w and 3h get used a lot.
Just out of curiosity, is there something the 7w is giving you that you don’t get from the 3h or the possible 4h?
The 7w launches much higher than the 4w and hybrid. The height of my shots tend to be low with all of my clubs.
I’m liking the hybrids! Can use them in the rough. Also I’m not so great with the fairway woods (unless on the tee). And I just won the auction for UST Mamiya S3 Max Women’s Golf Clubs a 4, 5, and 6! (This means I’ll have 3 of the #6 hybrids. The longest actual iron I have is a 4, some days I hit it good, some days not. Not real impressed with my distance with it.
I’m the exact opposite. I cannot hit a fairway wood worth a darn! I’m actually thinking about dumping my fairway wood entirely and getting a 16 degree hybrid. There isn’t one answer for every golfer. If fairway woods work for you, stick with em!
I carry a thirteen degree three wood that I use off the tee mostly but can hit off the deck… there aren’t many times when I need three wood from the fairway, though.
From there I have an old adams hybrid that I love… allegedly it was Cameron tringales before I bought it on GolfWRX. It’s 18 degrees and heavy. It tends to go straight if I put a good swing on it.
Then I go to a 4 utility iron… it flights lower than the hybrid and is a great “utility” option… it’s mostly used to get out of trouble.
I’m long enough that I can use the top of my bag to give me some variety in terms of shot making… I like having a wood, hybrid and utility iron… and I’m confident in hitting all three.
I love this topic as I am going through a dilemna myself right now of what I should get as I want to get some new clubs.
Unsure of if I should get Utility Iron or a 5-wood. I go back forth on what I think is more beneficial for my game all the time.
Utility Iron - would be because of love my 3 Iron off the tee when I can’t hit driver and course I am member at I would hit a lot of the tee with how the course is set up.
5 wood - I can also think of 2 holes where it would be beneficial for me to have a 5 wood in my bag at my course. One hard par 3 would be a perfect 5-wood distance and it would stop quicker than a 3-iron. Also want it for second shot into par 5 because of this reason. Also think 5-wood might be more beneficial for playing tournament golf.
I am interested in seeing how a graphite shaft in a utility iron could help. As well when I got fit for a driver I noticed a great ball flight decrease with having a proper shaft assume the same could happen with a 5-wood. I used ballon 5-wood and Driver (previous driver when getting fit I hit over 120 ft in the air with a spin rate of 3800)
I dumped my 5-wood for an 18 degree hybrid and couldn’t be happier. Still carry a 3-wood mostly for tee shots but if I could find a 14-15 degree hybrid I’d definitely consider replacing it.
I have a 4 wood that I almost never use. Seems like a waste of a spot in my bag.
So I’m back to this thread…hope someone is still reading it.
At the beginning of September, I got a lesson which has resulted in significantly better golf and significantly better ball striking, with 1 exception. I now really struggle to hit my 18.5 degree hybrid! My buddy who is a +2 handicap believes it’s because I’m covering the ball much better post lesson which is resulting in massive hooks with my 18.5 degree hybrid. I can still hit my 21.5 degree hybrid pretty well…not sure if the added loft is just helping there.
Anyway, I’m in the market for a new fairway wood anyway, and have started thinking about whether or not I should go 3 and 5 wood and take my 18.5 out of play? Or should I assume this is just a bad stretch and it’ll get better?