‘Anyone else not carry any fairway woods?’ – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

3 years ago

Nov 25, 2020

In our forums, our members have been discussing the strategy of leaving fairway woods out of the bag. WRXer ‘Nfogle’ says:

“I rarely need a fairway wood, and when I do, I usually end up with a penalty or just not hitting a good shot. My misses with the 2 iron keep me in play I just don’t get quite the distance out of the fairway I need. Anyone else have this problem and if so, what do you do?”

And our members have been discussing the issue, with plenty of other members taking the same route as ‘Nfogle’.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

schwollo: “Was in the same boat then got a G410 3 wood easiest 3 wood ever to hit and plenty long.”
jmtbkr: “At my age, 69, I don’t worry too much about hitting par5 greens in two. So my 3 iron bent to 20* is just fine for me. It also doubles as my driving iron on short par 4’s.”
capking: “I used to not carry any, my miss is a closed club face at impact, and most FW woods are closed at address. I fixed it by getting some jumbomax xl grips and by visualizing hitting it down the right side on follow through. Before this I went a year without any in the bag.”
Roejye: “I started out this year with no fairway wood, I went driver to a 17.5° Adams xtd super hybrid. Because I’m a club ho, and because my dad has one and likes it, I bought a Cleveland Hibore XL 3 wood off eBay. I love it off of the tee, but merely like it off the deck. As much as I love it off of the tee, it’s also possibly the most replaceable because my home course I have little to no need for it. Luckily I don’t carry a 3 iron or hybrid so I don’t need to get rid of it.”

Entire Thread: “Anyone else not carry any fairway woods?”

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

10 Comments

Guy

Jan 1, 2021 at 8:59 pm

I used to hit long irons, sometimes off the tee when I needed 240 yards with no margin for error. As I’ve gotten older (now 68) I’ve traders longer irons for shorter woods. Currently carry TM M1 10.5* driver, TM 3HL set to 17* (almost a 4 wood) and adjustable Cobra 7/8 wood set at 21.5*. Then 5H and 6H at 25* @nd 28* and strong lofted irons from 7 to LW. Can play course lengths to 6300 yds in low to mid 80’s. Those odd lofted FW woods definitely fill a gap but not in the expected lofts.

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greg

Dec 9, 2020 at 10:29 am

Great topic. I hit my long irons well off the fairway and tees, as I never developed the appropriate swing characteristics for fairway woods. No need for the additional hardware.

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Imafitter

Dec 7, 2020 at 10:37 pm

As a senior I go from driver to a 5-wood set -1.5° to an approximate 4-wood. It’s great off the tee on narrow fairways, sometimes a second shot on a par 5, if I don’t pull my 4-hybrid or 5-iron. I learned years ago I can’t hit a 3-wood off the turf.

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littlepingman

Dec 1, 2020 at 8:53 pm

My TS2 three wood is my can’t miss club. Fairly consistent 240 off the tee or off the deck. Reliable flight and control.

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Super Hybrid

Nov 28, 2020 at 9:27 pm

I dropped my 3 and 5 woods for the Callaway Super Hybrid and Cobra utility iron. Found a combination that works great for me.

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Rich Douglas

Nov 27, 2020 at 2:51 pm

I don’t play any fairway woods. I have a TM Original Mini-driver that functions like a 2-wood, followed by 3- and 4-hybrids.

The Mini-driver is longer than a 3-wood. I use it for tighter holes or to avoid close fairway bunkers. I can hit it off the deck, if necessary, but that’s so rare. Usually, if I can’t reach the green with a hybrid or an iron, I lay up. I might use a fairway wood–if I had one–maybe once every couple of rounds. But I use that Mini-driver on every course I see.

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Gerry

Nov 27, 2020 at 7:09 am

Might as well stay at home if I did not have my Mizuno 7 Wood. Going to replace 3W with a 5W. Don’t carry a 3 or 4 Iron any more. Depending on conditions I would hope the 5W and 7W takes care of distances from 180 to 240 yards.

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steve jenney

Nov 26, 2020 at 8:32 pm

Driver. Recently added a bridge stone 3 small head 18 degree 3 then a 22 rocket ballz 4 then start bag at 5 iron 47, 49, 52 and 55 wedges. If I need to drop a club its 9 iron.

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Jim Duffus

Nov 25, 2020 at 10:08 pm

Added a ping G410 5 and 7 wood to the bag.
At 62 with arthritis in my hips my handicap dropped from 4.5 to 1.9.
I started sticking shots into long par 4’s with the 7.

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KARL SUNDEN

Nov 25, 2020 at 6:29 pm

I don’t. Driver ,18 hybrid then 3 iron. Never have an issue where I needed a 3 wood

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A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

12 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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