# Fairway Woods v Hybrids - what's the difference??



## AmandaJR (Apr 25, 2012)

I struggle with my fairway woods and probably hit 1 in 10 as I should. The others are either topped or, more often, cut nastily with impact towards the heel. The good ones are very good and keep me trying although most days they stay in the naughty corner.

I played with one of the ground staff yesterday who had a Titleist 3 wood. Can't recall the model but it had a much smaller head than mine and somewhere between a hybrid and wood I guess. I hit the bloody thing a mile and that was my first swing with it (having just scuffed my 5 wood into the rough)!

To my eye the smaller head just looked more hittable and perhaps the look is such that I feel even if I fat it the result will be ok.

So what is the difference? The lofts are stronger than my ladies equivalent 5 wood I used to have and did hit better although the Rhapsody did have a smaller head than the G20s I think...

Not sure whether to stick with them and hopefully get them working or go for something like a 16 degree hybrid - or a different model of fairway wood.

Any thoughts/experience/advice?


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## bigslice (Apr 25, 2012)

have a look at the wilson fybrid and rs range, they are a mixture of fairway and hybrid type and there is a ladies range. they be better suited to you. itwo had a 12 degree driver a 15 wood and 18 wood. distances pretty close to each other in the 3 and 5, so i have a 17 to split diff. i found that at the moment i can hit my hybrids better than the fairway woods (straighter)


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## patricks148 (Apr 25, 2012)

I find the smaller the head the better i hit the ball.

I have a Mizuno mp 630 3 wood that has a small head, which is used off the deck more than the tee.

When i started playing 6 years ago i tried all sorts of 3 woods and could not get on with any of them till i started using a small headed wood.

Nothing wrong with using a hybrid instead, i have a 17 deg (which replaced my 2 iron) goes as far as a 5 wood and much easier to hit IMO.
Very good out of the rough.
Hybrids have shorter shafts than woods i believe


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## BeachGolfer (Apr 25, 2012)

Most try and swing fw woods too hard resulting in an over the top action added to trying to pick the ball off the turf. Hybrids are designed to play like irons, catch the ball with a descending blow and take a small divot like a rasher of bacon, but not a pork chop. Try and play your fw wood the same way. FWIW, 16 degree hybrids off the deck ain't easy either!


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## bobmac (Apr 25, 2012)

Take a look at your hips at impact and compare them to the guys on tour.
You will see yours are pretty much the same as they were at address whereas the better players have their hips open at impact.



Also compare your shoulders 
Yours are turned more than the tour players meaning you are quite armsy and a bit lazy with the hips.

If you learn to use the lower half and the top half together, you will be able to hit any club.


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## louise_a (Apr 25, 2012)

I have the WS ladies 14 degree RS driver and 17 degree Fybrid 3 wood, I have been struggling with the Fybrid but I am getting used to it a little now.


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## AmandaJR (Apr 25, 2012)

Thanks Bob. The lack of left hop rotation has been mentioned before and I need to work on that.

Shoulder turn - I turn too much on the way back or through or both?


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## bobmac (Apr 25, 2012)

AmandaJR said:



			Thanks Bob. The lack of left hop rotation has been mentioned before and I need to work on that.

Shoulder turn - I turn too much on the way back or through or both?
		
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I wouldn't worry about the shoulders too much. Focus on turning your hips better and the shoulders should fix themselves.


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## AmandaJR (Apr 25, 2012)

bobmac said:



			I wouldn't worry about the shoulders too much. Focus on turning your hips better and the shoulders should fix themselves.
		
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Ok - will focus on that at the range later. Thanks.


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## Aztecs27 (Apr 25, 2012)

Bob, as an aside, does the "head/body behind the ball" thing that applied to Driving, does that apply to using a 3 wood (both off the tee and deck) also? 

(Sorry for the thread hijack, Amanda!)


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## AmandaJR (Apr 25, 2012)

Aztecs27 said:



			Bob, as an aside, does the "head/body behind the ball" thing that applied to Driving, does that apply to using a 3 wood (both off the tee and deck) also? 

(Sorry for the thread hijack, Amanda!)
		
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Good question!


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## Aztecs27 (Apr 25, 2012)

AmandaJR said:



			Good question!
		
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Cheers. I only ask because the move has been so effective with my driver!

I'm assuming the answer is "yes", but I wanted to check. 

Not been able to try it out (on a tee) as there's never any short enough tees at the range for my 3 wood. 

Might try it on the 1st hole at Woodhall on Saturday. :thup:


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## AmandaJR (Apr 25, 2012)

Aztecs27 said:



			Cheers. I only ask because the move has been so effective with my driver!
		
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I'm guessing though that it's to promote contact on an upward path rather than the descending blow the 3/5 wood would require??


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## Aztecs27 (Apr 25, 2012)

AmandaJR said:



			I'm guessing though that it's to promote contact on an upward path rather than the descending blow the 3/5 wood would require??
		
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Perhaps. Hence the question. I would have said you don't want too much of a decending blow though (unlike with an iron)


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## duncan mackie (Apr 25, 2012)

ever since there has been anything other than 'woods' and 'irons' there seems to have been confusion about the terminology, and it sounds like Wilson are adding more :whoo:

I always understood that - 

fairway woods are longer for the given loft, and designed to create a higher launch angle and ball trajectory than rescue/hybrids.

these latter are shorter and smaller headed, for any given loft and designed to give a lower launch angle and more 'powerful' trajectory to the ball than a fairway wood.  the larger/rounded sole, and greater effective face (than an iron) makes them more forgiving and easier to play by the average golfer.

all of this comes out of the clubs design and you can 'swing normally'.  the driver is the one that is generally played with a more forward ball position. 

as bobmac points out, it's how people approach their shots, and the swing they use, that tends to influence the resultant shot with distance clubs the most!


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## SocketRocket (Apr 25, 2012)

With fairways consider you are driving a nail through the ball with the club that is set at a 10 degree angle, for irons and hybrids consider the nail set at 20 degrees.


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## bobmac (Apr 25, 2012)

Aztecs27 said:



			Bob, as an aside, does the "head/body behind the ball" thing that applied to Driving, does that apply to using a 3 wood (both off the tee and deck) also? 

(Sorry for the thread hijack, Amanda!)
		
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Yes, as long as you dont start moving backwards.
The whole point it to flatten out the angle of attack and to prevent the 'top'


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## AmandaJR (Apr 25, 2012)

SocketRocket said:



			With fairways consider you are driving a nail through the ball with the club that is set at a 10 degree angle, for irons and hybrids consider the nail set at 20 degrees.
		
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I like that visual...will give it a go.


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## FairwayDodger (Apr 25, 2012)

Nowadays I hit my fairway woods very nicely although for a long time I struggled so I also have a 2 hybrid that I used to hit a lot but hardly bother with now. During a recent practice round I noticed that good shots with the hybrid and 5 wood go almost exactly the same distance.

Off the tee I play the fairways much like the driver, maybe slightly further back in my stance (low tee) catching it early in the up swing. Off the fairway I think the 10 degree tip above is probably right, I do hit the woods with a very slightly descending blow for a consistent strike. With a good lie, however and looking for slightly more distance I might play it more like a tee shot - sweeping the ball rather than hitting down on it. For me, this is higher risk though, more chance of a fat or thin.


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## DaveM (Apr 25, 2012)

Think of the hybrid as an iron and hit down on it. A fairways wood like all woods should be swept of the ground just on the up. All this is off the perfik lie of course!


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## AmandaJR (Apr 25, 2012)

I think I need to really commit to practicing with them as the potential is there and if I'd never seen what I can do with them I'd be selling them on Ebay.

Time to get to the range and then get them out more often during practice rounds.


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## Dave B (Apr 26, 2012)

To be honest I think half of the hype you read about hybrids is a very clever marketing ploy.

Longer clubs and lower lofts, regardless of whether they are  irons hybrids or fairways are more difficult to control and strike the ball cleanly with. 

Although I never had a problem off the tee, I always struggled with woods off the fairway by trying to put the ball too far forward and "sweep" the ball off the ground.

I must say that sweeping the ball off the ground is a very misleading statement because in reality you still have to hit into the back of the ball with a decending blow. In addition I also found that I had been playing the ball too far forward which is another reason why many people struggle with fairways off the deck. Putting it simply if the ball is too far forward it is difficult to achieve a decending blow to get the ball airbourne.

One of the best tips I was given was to address the ball just forward of the middle, step back several inches and then take a practice swing paying particular attention as to where the club brushes the fairway. If it is forward or behind the ball you should adjust your position accordingly to give you a clean strike into the back of the ball.

Going back to fairways one of the easiest to use and most versatile clubs in the bag is a 7 wood. Not only is it a very good go-to club for recovery shots, it is also a very good training aid and confidence builder for the 5 and 3 wood, in the same way that a 7 or 8 iron is for building you swing and confidence with iron play. How many people have them, not a lot as most people today go to hybrids and then compromise by reserving their fairway woods for tee shots.

My advice would be to persevere with fairways or even get a lesson using them as there aren't many shots more rewarding than a well struck 3 or 5 wood off the ground.


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## duncan mackie (Apr 26, 2012)

Dave B said:



			Longer clubs and lower lofts, regardless of whether they are  irons hybrids or fairways are more difficult to control and strike the ball cleanly with.
		
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this statement suggests that you have missed the key point, whilst the principle that longer and stronger are more difficult there are important variations within the choices.

fw are longer with greater lofts for the same overall distance shot

hybrids/rescues are shorter with lower lofts - less carry, same overall distance. they are however, slightly longer, larger sole and more forgiving face than irons....

put another way - you get to choose your poison!


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## AmandaJR (Apr 26, 2012)

Thanks Dave. I have questioned what a 7 wood is and the role it plays and quite like the idea. I did have a lesson with them and hit my 5 wood so well it was a case of "let's move on". I think I just need a pro to stand and watch me swing and everything falls into place!

I couldn't hit my 7 iron well at the range so moved onto my 5 wood and with the tips mentioned here managed to hit it a treat - go figure!

I did just focus on the angle of strike AND (mainly) left hip rotation. Must apply the latter throughout the bag today and see what I get.

Thanks.


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## Dave B (Apr 26, 2012)

Amanda in terms of distance lofts, length and ease of use a 7 wood is typically 21 degrees and aprox 1 inch shorter than a 5 wood which will be 18 degrees.

It is one of the easiest clubs in the bag to use and a typical hybrid equivalent would be around 18 degrees, (the hybrid shaft will be shorter but both clubs will hit the ball around the same distance).  If you struggle with hybrids below 20 degrees a 7 wood could be the answer as the higher loft will make the club  more forgiving however for some this can be offset by the longer shaft.

You can hit a 7 wood from out of the rough however like any shot in golf the ball has to be sat up correctly. 

Distance wise I tend to leave my 4 iron out of the bag in favour of the 7 wood as I find the 7 wood far more versatile from both the tee and the fairway.

Duncan

As you have stated there are many variations. As stated above a 7 wood for instance has a longer shaft but higher loft whereas an equivalent  hybrid, (18/19 degrees) will have a shorter shaft and lower loft. Both will hit the ball  aprox the same distance but one players swing characteristics will favour the hybrid and anothers  will favour the 7 wood. 

A good player will be able to use either and will choose the one he prefers.


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## AmandaJR (Apr 26, 2012)

Dave B said:



			Amanda in terms of distance lofts, length and ease of use a 7 wood is typically 21 degrees and aprox 1 inch shorter than a 5 wood which will be 18 degrees.

It is one of the easiest clubs in the bag to use and a typical hybrid equivalent would be around 18 degrees, (the hybrid shaft will be shorter but both clubs will hit the ball around the same distance).  If you struggle with hybrids below 20 degrees a 7 wood could be the answer as the higher loft will make the club  more forgiving however for some this can be offset by the longer shaft.

You can hit a 7 wood from out of the rough however like any shot in golf the ball has to be sat up correctly. 

Distance wise I tend to leave my 4 iron out of the bag in favour of the 7 wood as I find the 7 wood far more versatile from both the tee and the fairway.

Duncan

As you have stated there are many variations. As stated above a 7 wood for instance has a longer shaft but higher loft whereas an equivalent  hybrid, (18/19 degrees) will have a shorter shaft and lower loft. Both will hit the ball  aprox the same distance but one players swing characteristics will favour the hybrid and anothers  will favour the 7 wood. 

A good player will be able to use either and will choose the one he prefers.
		
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Thanks Dave/Duncan - very useful information. I have a 19 degree G5 hybrid which I do hit quite well but again today my 5 wood worked well so tempted to try the 7 wood option. There is a 22 degree Rapture on Ebay which I might have a punt at as either way I can re-list it or the G5 depending on which I find the best for me. I do love the flight and sound of a well struck fairway wood and just wish I could do it more often. The times they could be a changing :thup:


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## duncan mackie (Apr 26, 2012)

Dave B said:



			A good player will be able to use either and will choose the one he prefers.
		
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and the really good one will select the right one his/her bag for that course

now we agree 100%   :whoo:

as an aside the only really obvious bias seems to be the hybrid for links type, effectively moving on from the 1 and 2 irons - other than that 'horses for courses' seems to be the order of the day


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