Advice needed - Hybrid or 5 wood?

Ok, here's the question.  I'm upgrading my woods and have already decided to replace my driver and three wood with Nike Sumos.  I currently have a 5 wood in my bag that will also be replaced, but do I get another 5 wood or go for a hybrid 3 iron that goes with my existing irons?

I have Nike Slingshot OSS 4-AW (there is a 3 hybrid to go with them), plus a SW and lob in my bag.  If you add in the putter, that's 13 clubs so I can't get both the hybrid and 5 wood.  Bit of a dilema and advice would be greatly appreciated. 

For me Chris it's try before you buy,see which one you hit best then decide...

My clubs of mass distruction consist of Driver 5 wood 7 wood 21* utility 5 to s/w and l/w g/w putter...Seems that when the 7 wood has an occasional sulk the 21* utility wants to play well and vice versa..

The 5 wood can be hit 200 to 230 yds - but my 5 iron can be very naughty at times and gets grounded....

If it helps when it comes to the advice, I'm getting roughly the following yardages out of my clubs: -

5 iron - 170 - 180 yds 4 iron - 180 - 200 yds 5 wood - 200 - 220 yds 3 wood - 220 - 250 yds Driver - 250 - 280 yds (up to 310 yds if I get it really sweet)

Obviously this varies due to my own inconsistencies (hence the high handicap), but those ranges are a pretty good reflection on 95% of the time. The Nike Sumo 1 and 3 woods I tried were putting 10 to 20 yds on my distance when compared directly to the club in my bag (I swapped between them to get a truly good idea), with the driver will be an 11 deg loft (I currently have a 10 deg).

So it looks like I need something to fill that 200 to 230 yard spot.

So it looks like I need something to fill that 200 to 230 yard spot.  

You already have this distance covered with your 5 and 3 woods.

John

But I am replacing the 5 wood John. The question is, given that I am going to get an additional 10 to 20 yards with my new 3 wood (hence the 200 to 230 gap) do I replace that 5 wood with a new one or do I get a 3 iron hybrid?

Why Dave, only yesterday my trusted 5 wood was leaving 140/130 ish yards to the pin on our back 9 350/360 par 4's...

Chris, the choice is yours, personally I would replace the wood. I feel that if hybrids were meant to go that far then we would have no need for any woods whatsoever.

Mind you, the distances you are talking about are totally alien to me, I'm afraid.

John

Hi Chris,

I'll chip in with my 10p's worth... Do you really need a 4 iron?? Count how many times you actually use it on the course and then; is it used for off the tee or 2nd shots?? As my advice would be to dump it and get the Hybrid AND the keep the 5 wood! Your Hybrid will be better for any 2nd shots as thats what its designed for and the 5 wood can be used for either tee or 2nd shots (depending on the ball lie.)

You can get Hybrids in many different guises, but mainly 5 iron to 2 iron... (3 iron replcement is the most common tho) their easier to hit than irons and woods (if you don't try to spank it every time!) as their more versitile.

Hope this helps

Paul.

I would agree with Paul on this.  I've got a 3 & 5 wood as well as a hybrid and 4 iron.  Sometimes, depending on the lie and how well I'm hitting the things they are all almost interchangeable.  Tend only to use the 4 iron off the tee for a long lay up, the hybrid from the tee for soft landings but mostly off the fairway and light rough (sort of 3 1/2 iron) and the 3 & 5 woods all over the place.  Of course (like most high handicappers) I can't really guarantee what yardages I get, I tend to use whatever feels right at the time.  Last weekend, for instance, I topped my 3 wood tee shot about 100yds into the light rough, then used the same club to spank it onto the green from about 240!  And, having said that I sometimes hit my 5 wood much further than the 3 wood because of it's tragectory....

Paul, Tim,

The 4 iron sees quite a bit of use, both of the tee and off the fairways.  I rarely use my 5 wood (and never my 3 wood) off the fairway as I only have around a 20% success rate (and failure can be spectacular!).  This means that any long shot on the fairway sees my 4 iron come out and a longer club for the third shot.  I quite like my 4 iron and know what I am going to get out of it. 

I've found out that the shafts on all my woods are too soft for me and this is causing inconsisent results and fade/slice.  On the 3 wood I will be getting, I was consistently hitting it off the deck 230-250 yards and straight, an extra 10-15 yards off the tee.  That gives me that 200-230 yard gap in my game that needs plugging......

May I suggest that you attempt to learn how to go down the shaft with the three wood to cover the gap you feel you have.

I personally never take a fairway wood unless I can reach the green, I find it better to guarantee a place on the fairway for my wedge, rather than being in a greenside  bunker or deep rough at the side of the green. You use the four iron whereas I normally use a five iron.

Golf is a strategy game, not belt it as far as you can.

John

Thats a very good strategy John - one which I endeavour to play as well..

I agree with the principle John.  My view is if the hole is 380 yards, it doesn't matter if I use my driver and a pitching wedge or my 5 wood and my 7 iron, I'm still there in two.  Difference is that my 5 wood will be more likely to give me a good lie for a second shot than my driver as I have better control over it.  However, I am not consistent enough in my swing to be able to control partial swings well and going down the shaft is not something I have explored yet (I have only been playing 18 months).  I do like the comfort of being able to look at a shot, estimate the yardage and know exactly which club to pull out of my bag though, assuming it's a clear shot and a reasonable lie. 

One of the key things I have noticed as my scores have come down is that my course management has improved vastly.  The sensible chip out to the middle of the fairway has replaced the gung-ho attempt to get through that six inch gap in the trees that has a line to the green that inevitably puts you even deeper in trouble.  I've also realised that, as you said John, it's not a driving competition.  My old boss, a single digit handicapper, said to me when I first started the best piece of advice he could give was to remember "Drive for show, putt for dough".  I now understand exactly what he means. 

I do like the comfort of being able to look at a shot, estimate the yardage and know exactly which club to pull out of my bag though, assuming it's a clear shot and a reasonable lie. ....................................................................

I could agree with that statement,Chris, if, once deciding on the club for distance you actually made that distance, but you have already listed the distances with each of your clubs and they all have a variance of something like twenty yards. Now if you hit full out, as you say, then you will have one distance for that club, so to have a shorter distance you must have made some form of correction in the swing, that you can control.

Course management is a vital part of the game of golf, we all have to take our medicine at some time or other, even the Pros have to.

I know the old adage you quoted but it is essential that a good drive is down the fairway, as without it then scoring becomes rather difficult To hit a green in two requires two accurate shots, but to get there in three does not require accuracy to the same degree.

As I mentioned before on this site, I do not ever look at yardages and have always played this game with a combination of eyesight, weather conditions, feel and a trust in my swing. I do not play golf by numbers.

You seem very keen and I hope that you achieve more success in reducing your handicap. I am trying to stop mine sliding even further down the scale.

John

Thanks to all for their advice on this topic. 

I got a local American Golf at a range to get in a hybrid for me (£10 deposit and a credit note if I decide not to take it) and took that, a 5 wood, a 3 wood and my irons out on the range.  I 'warmed up' with a couple of my irons then started rotating through each of the trial clubs and a couple of my own long irons randomly, hitting three or four balls with each.  The idea was to see what seemed to 'fit' best with my irons.  Findings were: -

3 wood - Still pretty consistent and comfortable. 

5 wood - Much better than the first time I tried it, about 90% good and straight. 

Hybrid - Almost 100% good and straight.

Now I bet you all think I'm getting the hybrid.  WRONG!!!  Every time I went for the hybrid, I felt myself wanting to pick up the 5 wood instead.  The hybrid felt heavy and uncomfortable at the top of the swing and the noise it made on impact was almost a thud.  I just didn't feel right with it.  The 5 wood just felt much better and, despite not giving as consistent a result, I think I'm much more likely to get it out of my bag. 

It may be that it just wasn't the right hybrid for me, but I didn't really like using the hybrid that was with my old iron set.  I thought that was just a mental block, but perhaps I'm just not meant to play with a hybrid.  As for the 5 wood, I think I just need to get a bit of practice with it. 

So, to conclude, my tips for the day are i) Don't buy it just because it appears to be the right thing to fill the need; there may be other options.  ii) Don't buy it unless you've tried it.