Fairway wood for someone who can't hit a fairway wood

[J9293]

Ping G400 or any Ping fairway from the past few years to be honest. If you struggle off the deck you need a low profile head. When the centre of gravity is closer to the ground (because of a shallow face) you can launch the ball easier. Avoid any deep/tall fairway woods as those are best off the tee.

 

More loft also helps. Considering a 4 wood isn’t a bad idea.

[LaymanM]

What's your swing speed?

[asw7576]

I was like in your situation ..... I have fairway woods but I cannot use them because the score is going up .

 

My advices : either you push hard to use the fw until you mastered it , or give up and use hybrid 3 and be happy with it.

 

If you still cannot hit fw, in my opinion, you are not ready . Use hybrids or play from white.

[extrastiff]

Ping G400 or any Ping fairway from the past few years to be honest. If you struggle off the deck you need a low profile head. When the centre of gravity is closer to the ground (because of a shallow face) you can launch the ball easier. Avoid any deep/tall fairway woods as those are best off the tee.

 

More loft also helps. Considering a 4 wood isn't a bad idea.

I got my grandad a g400 lst 16 degree for his bday, and he loves how easy it is off the fairway.it was the best club he hit during the round, by far. he is terrified of teeing it up tho lol. carried his standard 3 wood for the tee box, I think he will get comfy with the low tee tho

[swing33]

Rogue or Cobra F7

[Pi5seeker]

I really need a go to club off the tee for when I struggle with driver.

[Cwing]

Go with a high lofted 3 or even a 4 wood. I’m having great success with my TM m4 3HL which is 16.5* of loft. That stated, there is no easier to hit 3 wood that has ever been made than the ping K15.

[mukster]

I have a 3 wood now, but for some years my second club in the bag after my driver was a 17* hybrid. Recently, I picked up a Ping G10 5 wood at 18.5* for a backup set and I might keep it in my main bag! 5 wood is so much easier to hit than a 3 wood. There is a LOT of second hand gear out there that is worth trying. I agree with some of the comments about the Ping fairways; they just look easy to hit at address.

[okie21]

I had the same problem, tried the shallow faces, didn't work out.

Now I got a 917F2 with 16.5 deg, a HL 3wood or a 4wood, not sure what to call it lol.

Even with my worse swing now, hitting it more consistently than any 3 wood in the past.

[Ripken08]

Ping K15 are the easiest woods I have ever hit.

[brew4eagle]

I haven't regularly carried a fairway wood for a couple of years. I normally shoot in the 80's, with an occasional round in the 70's, but don't have the confidence to hit a fairway wood when it counts (so many times don't even carry one). I'm money with my 5 hybrid (Sterling), but it's the longest club after my driver (G30), which I also hit well, so looking to close that 60-70 yard gap. The crazy thing is I used to be able to hit one all the time (off the tee and from the fairway), but just can't do it consistently now. I do have the G30 3 and 5 woods.

 

Yes, I know I need continued lessons, and it's the Indian not the arrow. Wondering if a shallow faced wood would help.

Wow, you sound a lot like me, even your typical scores. For the last 5 years or so the longest club after my driver has been a 19* hybrid, then a 5 iron. I love that hybrid (adams a7), but only hit it 200 yds or so and I feel like I'm giving up opportunities to go for par 5s on the rare occasion that I hit a long enough drive.

 

At the end of last year I experimented with dropping the 19* hybrid and adding a 23* hybrid and a 18* 5 wood (2016 M2). I only got 2 rounds in with this set up, but did hit a number of good shots with the 5 wood. Weirdly, the 23* hybrid was the club giving me fits and I found I was missing the 19* hybrid as I love that club on tee shots that take driver out of the equation.

 

So, just some rambling and basically I'm still in the same boat as you. Considering looking at finding a fairway wood with a little less loft than 18* so that it might gap well with my ol' reliable 19* hybrid. Or I might just scrap the fairway wood idea altogether. I did shoot a personal best 75 last year with the Driver, 19* hybrid, 5 iron set up. It's not exciting, but I know my limits and I rarely get myself in trouble with this set up. It's just frustrating on those occasions where I have 220ish into a par 5 and don't have a club for that shot so I'll lay up to 80ish yds. Boring!!!

[Nixhex524]

I just picked up a G 3w and while it it easier than the G30 IMO, the G400 is still the easiest fw wood I have tried yet. I played it at 14.5* but I imagine if you go to a 5w it would be even easier. It sounds like you are just lacking confidence swinging one as your scores seem to indicate you have the skill. Maybe before you try anything else, shorten up the shaft on your G30 to 42.5" or less and see if that doesn't help a little. Hybrids may be the way to go but having a 3w you can hit can be a real weapon... if you can demo the G400, I highly recommend it.

[rjr25]

Cobra f6 baffler. Excellent club. Somewhere like rock bottom was recently selling them for around $70 brand new. More in the 4/5 wood category. Not a great fw player myself but I've had good luck with this one. The rails help

[Milfordlefty]

I haven't regularly carried a fairway wood for a couple of years. I normally shoot in the 80's, with an occasional round in the 70's, but don't have the confidence to hit a fairway wood when it counts (so many times don't even carry one). I'm money with my 5 hybrid (Sterling), but it's the longest club after my driver (G30), which I also hit well, so looking to close that 60-70 yard gap. The crazy thing is I used to be able to hit one all the time (off the tee and from the fairway), but just can't do it consistently now. I do have the G30 3 and 5 woods.

 

Yes, I know I need continued lessons, and it's the Indian not the arrow. Wondering if a shallow faced wood would help.

 

Since a Sterling is single length, suggest a Wishon fw, 17-18°, on the shorter length side and more upright lie angle. Something that is built for more of an iron/hybrid swing, than a flatter fwy swing. Who ever built you your Sterlings should be able to fit you.

[Milfordlefty]

Check out this posting over in the ClubTech forum

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1729094-playing-bent-lie-angles-in-their-hybridsfairway-woodsdrivers/

Comments directly from Tom Wishon

[bluedot]

1. Decide what you want MOST, and then proceed accordingly. There are really two different possibilities, and IMO if you are talking about most amateurs with limited practice time hitting clubs with long shafts and low lofts, it REALLY matters what you are trying to do:

a. a club to hit off the tee when driver is too much

b. a club to hit a certain yardage off the ground.

 

2. If you are most concerned about "a" above, then get a deeper faced club, like the original RBZ, and just hit hybrids off the deck. The G30 3 wood that you already have should do fine.

 

3. More likely, you are more concerned about "b" above; in your post, you mention a 60-70 gap between your 5 hybrid and the driver. If you hit hybrids well, something around 19* is going to go as far or farther than a 5 wood anyway, and almost as far as ANY fairway wood down to about 16*, AND be a lot easier to hit, with much better misses. I don't get the impression from your OP that you especially like your G30 5W, so this may be the way you want to go.

 

4. One other approach is to find a really good club fitter and talk to him about what you are trying to do. He may be able to find a way to fill the gap that you are concerned with, AND add another club that you can hit 15 yards farther than the gap club with reasonable consistency. So suppose a 2 hybrid splits the difference between your driver and the 5 hybrid; there might be a 16* or 16.5* fairway wood that gives you an additional 15 yards off the deck and is manageable to hit. The advantage of a club fitter in this is that you'd be working with yardages instead of a bunch of guys saying "3 wood, 3HL, 4 wood" and so on. If the club does what you want it to do, it doesn't matter how it's labeled, and there are no industry standards anyway.

[jonn443]

AB TP/M2 2016 3HL.

[MuskieCy]

Adams all titanium. Very easy to get airborne and hotter than snot.

 

[b.mattay]

M1 lofted up to 17 or G400 16.5!

[tobiasjd]

Ping have always been the easiest to elevate for me. Pretty much anywhere across the face will produce good results. If they ever $&@#can the turbulators I will go back to them.

 

But I don’t think there is a magic club that will suddenly turn you into a fairway wood master. They aren’t easy to hit because it’s a drastic change from hitting irons all round and then going to a FW for the 1 or 2 times you need it.

[jpt1101]

I struggled with 3 wood from the deck and went with the Ping G because of their leading edge technology that’s supposed to have a lower leading edge. I don’t know if that’s what makes this club easier for me to hit off the ground but I’ve never hit a 3 wood this consistently well from the turf. Anything close to the ball seems to get the ball up. I think all of the Ping newer fairway woods have this same technology so this may help you as well.

[mcasella08]

Try Tour Edge Exotics the hype is real.

[sfdoddsy]

Cobra F6 Baffler.

[cjyner97]

you could try a sterling 2 or 3 hybrid

[AC in TX]

Any Ping G or K fairway (have had G10, G15, K15, G25, G30, G, G400) and a swing where you strike it at the end of your swing arc ... really something to work on.

[gandor]

Callaway XR16 4w 16.5...so easy to hit and launch really high

[dpb5031]

G400 five wood .. low profile and low leading edge .. adjustable from 16.5* to 18.5*

 

^^^Smart^^^ Listen to this man!

[cardoustie]

G400 five wood .. low profile and low leading edge .. adjustable from 16.5* to 18.5*

 

^^^Smart^^^ Listen to this man!

 

The ultimate move is to make the 5w at 3w length as well.

(Been doing it for years)

 

Adjustable is good as you can start at 18.5 and turn it lower as you get better

 

I find folks that can't hit 3w off the deck are either (this used to be me FWIW):

 

- trying to help it in the air

- the ball is WAY too far forward and there is too much sweep. Move it back and descend a titch

[Mych]

Another vote for the Cobra F6 Baffler.

[596]

You've seen many many responses on which fairway these people find are the easiest to hit for them. Everyone is different, therefore the clubs they like are different. Those may or may not fit you or your swing.

 

I've found that the K15 SFT fairway woods are as easy to hit as any iron. I've tried many many 3, 4 and 5 woods in the past. I play, as an 8 handicap, the K15 3, 5 and 7 woods. The 7 wood is basically a 4 iron but with much higher launch and 5-10 yards longer. I found that the K15 3 wood was even easier to launch then the G400 SFT.

 

On the other side of recommendations is the shaft you use. I'm not talking expensive mortgage the house, one off, made for King Kong, I'm talking simply shaft flex. I play all my irons with stiff flex. My fairways, including driver, are regular flex. This makes loading the shaft easier and actually increases distance and launch angle, as long as you can control dispersion. On side notes, my driver swing speed is 95, with a sometimes fast transition (which I try to avoid). I also play a K15 3 wood with a soft regular. I just need to keep my swing easy and smooth so I avoid overloading the shaft.

 

The softer shaft flex makes hitting fairway woods easier.