Fairway Finder..?

[Gopher]

I don't play a driver very much, our course is quite short and tight.. the Big Dog can get you in bunkers, ditches, trees if you are slightly wayward.

So distance is not a problem, I'm looking for a 3 or maybe 5 wood as a stock club to land on the short stuff more often than not. I realise that it's probably my swing which is making it wayward, but my clubs are 10 years old... what's a good fairway finder? I like Ping, Taylor Made.. not so keen on Callaway, never got on with them but open to suggestions..! Thanks.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Loads of good second hand ones but I'd recommend the G25. Hard to try before you buy if you go second hand but some places do offer a limited period returns policy (golfibdder etc)

 

[tsped83]

Wedge

 

[Dando]

Take a look at the Adams tight lies 2 woods.

 

[Gopher]

Wedge

Ha, very funny.. well done




Tool.

 

[Region3]

If you're on a budget, I'd say Ping G20/G25 for ease of use or TM RBZ for distance.

Personally I like Callaway fairway woods. The old X-Hot was great and I now use an XR (2015 version).

 

[the_coach]

know no-one who asks this question really wants this answer but to be real honest it's not "probably my swing" it's more definitely the swing issues not the club make

driver being the longest shaft plus the least static loft just magnifies more the issues that are present with the club delivery through impact - so strike location on the face + AoA + the differential between swing path (swing direction) & club face angle being too large

so the best fairway finder undoubtedly lessons

that said it's a tad easier to control a club with a shorter shaft length plus that has more static loft but that's no real guarantee of finding fairway

so depends just how wayward the driver tends to be as to whether a 3 metal would help as the shaft is not a whole bunch shorter - but if looking at a 3 metal you'd need to be looking at one with a shallow vertical height to the face as opposed to a tall club face & one that had a good bunch of loft on it so something like 16º (J.Day uses a 16ºHL TM 3 metal)

or else a shallow vertical height face 5 metal again with a good bunch of loft

case of looking through the OEM's you mentioned to find & try out some

but for sure lessons the best ways to find a fairway finder stock shot

 

[Oddsocks]

Nice one coach, now the myth of new shiny sticks being the cure is blown away .....

 

[Orikoru]

I'm after the same thing actually. I dunno if all American Golfs are like this now, but the one I go to has a massive pre-owned section now where you can try any of them on the range before you buy, and they're all at good low prices (as long as you don't mind a bit of wear and tear). You can always pop down to your local one and see what they have, try a couple out. This is what I'll be doing soon. Adams is another good brand to look at, reliable, easy to use and cheap.

 

[pool888]

There are some good deals on the Ping G clubs at the moment as they look to shift stock for the G400 clubs coming in. As mentioned Adams Tight Lies 2 are also nice fairways, Direct Golf were selling them very cheap but they don't look to have much stock left now just odd shafts.

 

[nickjdavis]

Ping Rapture 13* fairway wood.....came out about the time that the Callaway Big Bertha and TM Mini Drivers hit the market....but was daftly priced at close to £400.

If your lucky you can pick up mint/ v.good condition ones on ebay for less than £200.

Different beast to the current Ping G Stretch as its a much larger headed club....the G stretch is just a low lofted version of the G and has the same shallow face.....the Rapture is deeper faced...better (IMO) for play off the tee whilst still being daftly easy to hit off the floor.

The Rapture 13* is different to the standard Rapture line of drivers and fairways....lokk for the club with the Y shaped titanium sole insert....not the Rapture range with the green sole graphics.

 

[xcore]

Pick any recent 3 wood, lop an inch off the shaft for more control. It's my go to club on par 4s as it throws it out around 230 and feels controllable with the shorter shaft

 

[Oddsocks]

if your driver has changeable shafts, it may be worth buying another shaft and cutting it down - the stock callaway XR shaft was around 46", mines now had 2" off and the difference is amazing , so much easier to control with a good improvement on middle of the club strikes

 

[smith931]

Personally, I like Cobra Fairway Wood. I’ve hit some other brands but Cobra is best for me. I have a 103-106 swing speed with my driver and stiff flex is perfect. Very forgiving, accurate and easy to hit. I always find myself hitting this club much more than I expect.

 

[Digger]

A new Driver is surely the answer to this.
Next.

 

[carwynedwards9]

My fairway finder is a 18 degree Callaway XR hybrid. Absolutely love it ne:

 

[duncan mackie]

Which ever 5 wood looks good to your eye with a shaft that suits you. G20/G25 will do fine. Avoid smaller headed clubs as your priority is tee shots not rescue! Loads on the market at peanuts compared to their new to market prices. Might be worth paying a little extra to get adjustability and or shaft change options but that's your call.

Should give you 210/220 with a significant degree of confidence. Will work from the fairway or semi just fine too.

If you are more comfortable with the hybrid clubs then something around 18 -19 degrees will perform in a similar way with a slightly shorter shaft. Most handicap golfers have a distinct preference for their hybrids or fairway woods - what ever works for you.

If you prefer

 

[stevench]

if your driver has changeable shafts, it may be worth buying another shaft and cutting it down - the stock callaway XR shaft was around 46", mines now had 2" off and the difference is amazing , so much easier to control with a good improvement on middle of the club strikes

Same here but I went from 46" to 44.75" and the difference is substantial.
I was concerned about the swing weight changes and whilst I can tell there is a difference the pro's of hitting the middle of the face more far outweighs the swing weight concern

 

[MadAdey]

I love my TM R15 3W, easy to hit from both the fairway and tee. Launches nice and high and goes like a bomb. You can pick them up pretty cheap too now. I went to get the M series fariway wood and just happened to notice this R15 sat there on clearance with the SPEEDER 757 shaft fitted. Compared it to the M series and found I hit it better.

 

[Orikoru]

I'm after the same thing actually. I dunno if all American Golfs are like this now, but the one I go to has a massive pre-owned section now where you can try any of them on the range before you buy, and they're all at good low prices (as long as you don't mind a bit of wear and tear). You can always pop down to your local one and see what they have, try a couple out. This is what I'll be doing soon. Adams is another good brand to look at, reliable, easy to use and cheap.

Just noticed my original post from this topic. I ended up getting the Adams Speedline Fast 12 off ebay - it's a 5 wood but at only 17° I'd almost consider it more of a 4 wood really. Either way, it's nice and easy to hit. My mate even tried it on one round and loved it so much he went out and bought the exact club, plus the 3 wood as well! He struggles with the driver which results in a slice, but these Adams woods he hits like a dream.