Basically, when you need to get some distance from the fairway on a long par 5 what club do you reach for?

PS - The title of this thread should read "long YARDAGE".

More distance/less accuracy = 3 Wood
More accuracy/less distance = 3 Hybrid

Everything is situational. My 3 Wood is probably 30+ yards more in distance but if there is a need to avoid something and I can still get inside 150 yards with a 3 Hybrid, that is my preference.

I don't currently carry a fairway wood, so I'm pulling either my 4 or 5 hybrid.

If I'm over 200 out, there's very little chance I'm going to get there in 2.

I actually use a 20deg hybrid if I am trying to get yardage for my next shot.
A guy I was playing with once saw me get out a 3wood on a par 5 to hit my second shot.He asked me if I could reach the green from there with the 3wood.Since it was over 250yds out I told him that I could not reach with it.He gave me a piece of advice that I have used ever since.He told me to never hit a fairway wood just to gain distance.The chance of mishit was too great.He suggested that you only hit a 3 or 5wood IF you can reach the green with a good shot.Otherwise use a club that you can hit easier.

Thats pretty good advice, but 50-60 yards down to a 4 iron for me, isn't worth it, now.

I did drop my 3W and started playing a hybrid because when i went to a few stores, i hit 3w and 3h in a few brands, and i hit the 3h almost as far and hit it a lot better.

BUT I hit that Hybrid so damn much better than I used to, and when I hit my brothers 3W now and then, I just nail them, and they are almost as accurate as my 4 5 and 6... and sometimes, when i shouldn't make a green in 2, a perfect contact will fly.

Obviously play the safe short, but work on your 3H and 3W because when you get to the point you are hitting them well, you will be surprised how far and straight you can hit them.

I hit my hybrid off the tee the other day and it rolled out to 270 (it was low and on a slope) but still, dont give up on them

The reason I ask this:

I carry a 5W and 3W but don't hit them well consistently. In fact, it's so inconsistent that it's very rare that they leave my bag unless I have a short tee shot. I have 18-degree and 21-degree hybrids, but don't carry them because, again, I'm not consistent with them. Normally, when faced with a second shot on a par five when I'm 200+ away, I reach for my 24-degree hybrid (which I love and hit around 160 from the fairway) and try to get it as close as possible, then use the appropriate wedge from there.

When dealing with a 200-250 yard shot, the above works for me because I'm pretty good with my gap wedge from inside 100 yards. However, when I'm faced with a 300 yard second shot, that will mean the third shot is still well over 100 yards, and thus not as accurate. So, I'm feeling I need to work on one club that will get me near at least 200 yards from the fairway, and I'm not sure what that will be. At this moment, I'm thinking about really putting some time into my 18-degree hybrid.

I personally found the 3W and 3H hard to get dialed in.

I decided on the Hybrid, I think because the hybird seems more upright, and not such a SWEEPING shot compared to the 3W, so I hit that better quicker.

Once I got the hybrid down, then the 3w became easier too. I think it has something to do with the length of the club as well, 3w is longer shaft than the 3h.

It is a different type of shot, you almost have to sweep the ball, and it did take me a while, but if your 4H is only 160, you should definitely work hard on a longer club to give you something.

Good luck with it.
Keep swinging

gpickin wrote:

It is a different type of shot, you almost have to sweep the ball, and it did take me a while, but if your 4H is only 160, you should definitely work hard on a longer club to give you something.

160 probably is a little short for a 4H. I hit it upwards of 170 off the tee. It seems like I should be hitting it longer, but then again it seems like I should be hitting everything longer. Right now, I'm just happy that my shots are more or less straight.

The 18-degree and 21-degree hybrids I have are cheapies that I bought when I set up my first bag. That might have something to do with their playability. I'm thinking of buying an 18 and 21 degree that I see on eBay that are the same brand as the 24-degree that I love. In the meantime, I'll work on the 18-degree and see what I can do to get better with it.

what werepuppie said. i hit my 19* hybrid - usually good for 200 yds with tight dispersion, more if I hit it solid. my 3-wood is not nearly as reliable off the fairway so unless I'm within 230 and there is room to miss around the green, it stays in the bag.

I carry a 3W, 5W & 7W. My problem is lack of length with all of them. My iron set is all hybrid 3 to PW so I will sometime hit the 3H about 180 = to my 5W but a lower ball flight in the wind. It's all problematical when trying to get home from a long distance.

joe jones wrote:

I carry a 3W, 5W & 7W. My problem is lack of length with all of them. My iron set is all hybrid 3 to PW so I will sometime hit the 3H about 180 = to my 5W but a lower ball flight in the wind. It's all problematical when trying to get home from a long distance.

Checking your scores, it looks like you manage fairly well.

SteveMM wrote:

joe jones wrote: I carry a 3W, 5W & 7W. My problem is lack of length with all of them. My iron set is all hybrid 3 to PW so I will sometime hit the 3H about 180 = to my 5W but a lower ball flight in the wind. It's all problematical when trying to get home from a long distance. Checking your scores, it looks like you manage fairly well.

LOL thats what I thought when i looked at his scores too

Thank you very much. It helps that I play a modified "play it forward" system that plays to 6100 to 6200 yards on almost every course I play. I play every Friday with a 2 index player that averages about 285 off the tee. When he is hitting a 7 iron I'm hitting a 7 wood. I tease him with the fact that I have him right where I want him because I get to hit first on every shot so I can put pressure on him. Of course that is nonsense but it's all taken with good humor.

Generally, I agree with Werepuppie, but there are exceptions to every rule. I can't typically hit par 5 greens in two, but I do hit my 5W fairly consistently and will use it more than any other club in my bag when it comes to purely covering distance. Since I know I can generally keep it in the fairway, or just off, it makes sense for me. I also carry a 3H, which does the same thing at about the same distance (maybe 5 yards shorter), but more often than not, I pull out my 5W.

I just put a new 4W in my bag yesterday and tried it from fairway on a few par 5s. Did not hit it anywhere near as well as my 5W. (Both have same design and shaft.) So, will likely use it off tee on select tight driving holes to replace my old 3W, and maybe for a few lofty lies.

bkuehn1952 wrote:

More distance/less accuracy = 3 Wood More accuracy/less distance = 3 Hybrid

Exactly the same here. My 3 wood sucks at times, but my 20* hybrid is great.