woods

[pierreman]

Hello all

I have been playing now for around 13 enjoyful months. The set I started with came with a 3 and 5 wood but I am still unsure what type of shot they are appropriate for. i understand that the 5 wood can be played from the fairway but my efforts have failed to show this is the case.

Can anyone tell me the type of shot they should be used for, is it off the tee on a longish par 3, where a driver is too much but some distance is needed or from the fairway when a utility club is not enough?

Thanks

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It depends to some degree on your skill level, what you are trying to do with a shot, the conditions and the lie of the ball.

A 3 wood is (supposedly) ideal off the tee if you struggle with a driver as it produces less side spin (more loft) and therefore any swing faults such as slicing are not as exaggerated. It can be used for playing for position on a tight par 4 and going for the green on long par 3's (into a wind).

The 5 wood primarily is for use on the fairway or light rough but as you said can be used on par 3's. Without knowing too much about your game I'm guessing you are either struggling to get a 5 wood airborne or are slicing it. If I'm correct you need to play the 5 wood inside your left foot (about a ball width inside your ankle) as you need to be able to sweep it away and hit it at the bottom of your swing arc. If you are slicing it may be because you are trying to belt it or help it in the air and coming down too steeply and over the top.

The best answer would be to have a lesson with a pro who wil be able to get you hitting straighter off the tee and show you the correct technique for sweeping the 5 wood away. If you really can't get on with the 5 wood there a numerous hybrids with similar (18, 19 or 20 degrees) lofts which you might find suit you better.

 

[Herbie]

Hello all

I have been playing now for around 13 enjoyful months. The set I started with came with a 3 and 5 wood but I am still unsure what type of shot they are appropriate for. i understand that the 5 wood can be played from the fairway but my efforts have failed to show this is the case.

Can anyone tell me the type of shot they should be used for, is it off the tee on a longish par 3, where a driver is too much but some distance is needed or from the fairway when a utility club is not enough?

Thanks

Both the 3 and 5 wood should easily play from the fairway, knowing the distance they travel with your shot and the type of flight you produce will determine their use.
Using the 3 and 5 woods off tees is fine if you choose to, but they are designed to be used equally well off the fairway.

May I suggest you visit a pro or a seasoned player and gain some tuition or advice with those clubs or maybe even help you discover other types of club that may help you better.

I would suspect that it may well be an experience issue based on how long you have played, it sometimes takes alot of practice to use these clubs to their best advantage on fairways.

 

[Imurg]

Pierreman,

Take my advice....

Listen to Homer!

You also need almost a different swing with a wood off the ground. Swing it like an iron and you'll dig the club in and squirt the ball away. With an iron you need to hit down on the ball and take a divot but with a wood you need a sweeping swing just grazing the grass.

 

[haplesshacker]

Fairway woods can be quite tricky for a starter to use effectively from the fairway. As others have pointed out the swing is quite different to the irons.

I'm generally quite bad from the fairways, and tend to take two irons into the green, rather than try for the shot I know won't come off in percentage terms.

However I play with a chap who is a bit of a demon from the fairways, but has no idea inside 100 yards.

It's all so unique.

 

[jeffc]

Bit like you there haplesshacker, so have invested in a Cobra baffler utility which so far seems more consistant then the 5 wood off the fairway.

Still use the 5 wood off the tee on long par 5's that are around the 180 - 190 yds.

Maybe the way to go for you Pierrman

 

[viscount17]

as with hapless' & jeffc, my woods from fairways are much as the girl in the nursery rhyme, when they are good . . . I do persist with the 5-wood though and still carry it, it has its moments.

Truth to tell I'm not great with the hybrid, possibly a case of using each as the other should be used, though it may be that I need a better toy.

My bag is lacking a 3-wood at all, which I had hoped to remedy, though truth to tell even when I had the package set, I never used the 3-wood much. I couldn't see the point as from the first I used a driver, possibly to my detriment but there it lies.
Unfortunately my daughter has just laid seige to my wallet (for such a mundane thing as accommodation at University -are all our students exploited in this way?) so funds for new toys are lacking.

 

[TWM]

I use my 5 wood more than any other club. I am a short hitter and need this club on every par 4 and 5 hole and often need two or more hits with it.
I use a low takeaway and a sweeping strike which seems to do the job for me.

 

[USER1999]

I like my 5 wood, or my 3 hybrid off tee or fairway, but would only hit the 3w off a tee peg, unless playing a scramble or such where it is a team thing, and my shot isn't that important. As for medal, never off the deck.

 

[TonyN]

3 wood can be quite difficult to hit well off the fairway, it takes a very precise, sweeping swing to nip it away on the up to get any sort of decent strike.

When I bought mine I couldn't do it and purely used it off the tee on tight holes or 200yards par 3's

Now I can hit it off the floor by chocking down o it(A.Kim style).

Best thing is get the lesson. The 3 and 5 woods are good clubs to practice with at the range because you dont take divots with them. Practice sweeping them away and when you have the hang of it, you should be able to use them off the fairway.