Do you need 3 and 5 wwod?

[Harold]

Hi i am new to this site and am after some help.
I have recently been to my local golf store and been fitted up for a set of irons, i came away with a set of Taylormade R7 draws which i think are great for my game. I have also bought a Taylormade draw burner driver, but my question is do i need a 3 and 5 wood for my bag or can i get away with buying a rescue club to cover them both?
Regards Harry

 

[RGDave]

but my question is do i need a 3 and 5 wood for my bag or can i get away with buying a rescue club to cover them both?
Regards Harry

ARGHHH! How good are you? What are your apsirations?

I couldn't shoot my (good) scores without my 3 and 5 wood. If I only used my 20 degree rescue, my whole game would be messed up....
I only use my driver on 5 or 6 holes.....without a 3, I'd struggle.....

 

[Harold]

Hi Dave,
I am playing off 24 at the moment but want to get down to mid handicap asap so any thing that would help my game would be great. If i get a 3 and 5 wood would i have to get the draw set?

 

[USER1999]

Where do I start?

If all your clubs are draw biased, then yes, you might as well go down this route with any subsequent buys. It is not a route I would go down, as I would prefer to have a decent swing that doesn't need compensating for (and will produce better results long term), but each to their own.

Only you can decide what you need in your bag to cover yardage gaps.

A 3w is normally 15 degrees, and a 5w is 18. I prefer the 5w, as I use it more easily off the fairway, and can still hit it well off a tee. The 3w is longer but less versatile.

I use my driver on most holes (not par 3s), so I only use my 3w rarely.

You can buy a hybrid. 21 degrees is roughly a 3i. Less loft than this would start to replace the 5w. I doubt you can replace a 3w with a hybrid.

In theory a hybrid is easier to hit than a wood. The shafts are shorter and they have more loft. However, as a result, they are not as long. A higher loft hybris, say 21+ degrees will be more versatile in terms of the lie you can play from, ie: rough.

Hybrids generally replace long irons, not woods.

 

[mancity101]

I use Driver 3 wood 15 degree and a 2 iron Mizuno HiFly 18 deg
this i find useful for narrow fairways and long par3s
it goes about 225-230
i find it easy to hit
have tried hybrids but being a bit of a tradisionalist cant get to grips with the head on them

 

[Harold]

Thanks that has helped me out big time, i think i will buy a 3 and 5 wood for my set and see what the out come is.
Once again thanks for the help.

 

[funkyfred]

Harold, you say you have a h/c of 24 but dont say how long you have been playing. Personally I have great trouble in controlling a driver and the 3 that I have are stored in my loft. I find that I can get by with a 3 and 5 wood, yes of course I give up distance but that is a small price to pay to find the fairway.

 

[RGDave]

Maybe start with a 5 wood and see how you go.
I wouldn't be looking to get a draw bias one myself, in the early days of my golfing, I simply "allowed" for a small fade with my fairway woods.
My course is quite tight (under 30 yard wide fairways) with trees and o.o.b. all over the place. Many of the steady players off between 18-24 use their 5 woods off many tees.
Most short or medium par 4s are reachable for the 2nd shot after a 5 wood tee shot. I also play 2 of the most difficult (long) par 4s with a 5 wood off the tee, and then hit either to get within 20 yards (for a chip/pitch) or leave a full wedge on 80/95/110 yards say. For me, it's all about knowing when to play safe and without 3 and 5 woods I'd struggle for sure.

Maybe try to pick up and old model TM fairway wood....I have an R5 dual ti and it's awesome. I also have an old Callaway steelhead plus 5 wood...both these clubs were old and cheap but work wonderfully well....I certainly wouldn't swap either for the equivalent loft/distance hybrid/rescue club.

 

[viscount17]

Just to play devil's advocate, I hit my driver fairly well but have always struggled with woods. Hence I normally carry driver and 4-hybrid.
The drawback is that it leaves a hole which I tried to fill with a 3-hybrid, unfortunately it's turned out to be one of those that are great when you test them but hate being out in the fresh air.

I've only recently started to try a 3-wood again but only off the tee. Good when it works as it's not far short of the driver, and worth trying in the wind but as far as the gap's concerned it would suggest that it's a 5-wood I need to get working.