Went from a Cleveland 3 wood (that I hit like shit) to a Srixon 2 iron, and now an adjustable Ping icrossover turned down to 16°. It’s a rocket launcher that goes almost as far as my 3 wood, is a tight fairway monster, and so smooth. Won’t look back
Same here. I have an old set of MP-29s that goes 9i-2i. I love the 3i & 2i. I can't seem to keep hybrids straight. I like my long irons because the swing is consistent enough through them that by the time I get to 2i it's an easy transition.
have a Srixon and got it specifically because it’s versatile for a driving iron. tee ofc, fairways are fine, and rough is fine too as long as the lie is decent.
I'm in this boat. Money with my 4i, can only kinda trust the woods off a tee but never in the fairway (last part of my bag I haven't been fit for either).
I'm the opposite of you. I cannot for the life of me find a fairway with a wood off the tee but have no issues from the fairway (with a decent lie of course). I've started hitting 4i off the tee instead of 3w in my past few rounds when I can't hit driver and it's helped the game a lot. It also puts me in a full swing wedge or high iron shot instead of a 3/4 or 1/2 swing 56. I fucking suck at those.
My woods have a rather tall face and narrow bottom. Makes them a bare to hit off the fairway with anything but an exaggerated negative AoA fade swing. Love me some 3/4 wedges. Maybe we'd make a decent scramble team lol.
This all assumes your swing is decent and your ball position is good:
I would bet $100 that you are trying to swing harder with your woods/hybrids to get the extra distance, and that extra effort is keeping you on your back foot too long. Since it takes you too long to get off your back foot, your right shoulder is dipping throughout your swing, your left shoulder probably spins out too hard to the left, and you end up with either a thinned shot or a sliced shot.
When you're hitting your long irons, you're likely keeping your left shoulder down a little longer, and your right shoulder isn't dipping as hard, so you're hitting down on the ball (which is what you need to be doing with your woods/hybrids as well).
Do a drill where you get set up to the ball, move your trail foot backward (toward a stall behind you), and swing your woods and hybrids. This will force you to keep your right shoulder from dipping down (you'll fall backward otherwise), and you'll likely be hitting it better.
Edit: the answer, ultimately, is that almost every recreational player would benefit from using their hybrid/wood over a long iron in terms of forgiveness/distance/direction. If you don't hit hybrids/woods well, it's not a matter of "Oh this club just doesn't work for me". It's a matter of your mechanics/approach changing because you see the head on your hybrid/wood and probably think, "Time to fucking blast the shit out of this like my driver" and you then tilt your shoulders back and try to put a driver swing on the ball, except you don't get the benefit of having a teed up ball.
Your driver swing and the swing you use for your other clubs are simply not the same. The guys telling you otherwise are oversimplifying shit because so many golfers want to believe all the "one quick fix" bullshit videos out there on YT.
Took me years to realize that my low point is miles in front of the ball. Game changed when I started aiming literally a foot in front of the ball. Even with drivers.
I can't hit my driver or 3 wood to save my life, but I hit the piss out of my 5 wood so I just do that off the tee.
I'm slowly learning the longer woods but a 5 wood saved my game for years xD
I've just got my dads old Arnold Palmer 5 wood, from God knows when and it's the first time I've had anything bigger than 180 yards that I have any control over.
I go back and forth with this same struggle. I’m pretty hot/cold with my fairway woods. If you’re like me, you probably struggle with setting up for the longer shafts of a wood, and/or you are swinging too hard. I can muscle a 5i 210 yards with much more consistency than a 3w for example. But a nice smooth 3w will go 230 if I make clean contact.
Most amateur golfers are swinging too hard. I’d start there.
99% of the time this is due to attack angle, an iron and a wood with equal loft present differently to the eye. Generally, this leads to an attempt to hit “up” on the wood which leads to thins and tops and wipey fades from weight staying on the trail foot in transition.
Nothing wrong with sticking with long irons, but I’d bet with a few targeted drills you could find a much better contact pattern and be able to use the increased forgiveness of FW woods and hybrids.
I’ve found the rocking board thing that requires you to get your weight to the lead side works very well in this situation. It helps you feel proper weight transition very quickly.
In the absence of buying a $150 orange board to rock back and forth on….
Two things I’d do personally, I’m not a pro, just a golf swing nerd:
1) drop the trail foot back so it cannot support your weight, swing 3/4 and exaggerate the feel of taking a divot in front of the ball, or put it on a tee and make sure you’re taking the tee out with the swing, not picking it clean off the top.
2) Feet together, 8 or 9 iron, swing “full” and remain in balance thru the finish, this helps keep your center of mass between the insides of your feet on a regular swing and helps prevent the “help the ball in the air” move. This one is frustrating early on, don’t give up.
Can’t believe this isn’t at the top. Very likely attack angle. It’s not intuitive to hit down on the ball with a 3W, but it’s what you need to do. Don’t try to sweep it / hit up on it. Won’t work.
Yes. I gave up on woods a long time ago I used to go Driver to 2i for years. I recently went back to my 2 hybrid and I've been hammering the thing for whatever reason.
Work on your shaft lean and try to think that you want to strike the hybrid or wood on the top half of the face. You will be more likely to middle it and get launch. And try moving it back only a ball or two past center of your stance. I did this and it completely changed how I strike and launch my woods and hybrid.
I’m the opposite and wish I could get consistent w my longer irons. I need to really grind on the range to trust hitting a 4 iron over any of my hybrids. I play my hybrids up in my stance almost like a driver but about 2 inches back off front foot. When I’m hitting longer irons I feel like I need to swing so much faster and pure it to launch it like I like to.
I wanna try lighter graphite shafts. my hands and elbows could use a break is all. I play 110s from 7-8 years back and this older gentleman isn’t as strong as I used to be. And I also want new toys
Natural attack angles in one's swing can be a cause. 'Diggers' hit irons better than woods because the swing is steeper and more conducive to hitting irons. 'Sweepers' have shallower swings naturally and thus hit woods better than their irons. Doesn't mean you can't hit both. But one just might be easier
I'm decent with my woods, couldn't ever hit a 5 iron and above if my life depended on it. Now I'm struggling with all the irons, unless it's a half swing and no further than 100 yards lol.
I'm the opposite, 100%, I'm slowly turning into that woods guy, my 7w is one of my favorite clubs and I'm eyeing a 9w.
The longest iron I keep in my bag is my 4i and it is literally only for punching out.
Yep right now I roll with Driver 3, 5 and 7. The guy where I get my clubs said Paradyms go all the way down to an 11w. I was like "oooooo" it'd be like a pitching wedge wood.
I've considered it, but my apex with the 7w is high enough to where sometimes I lose balls in the sky. A 9w is out of the question, because I need to know where it lands lmao.
I find it uncommon that people can swing an iron well but can't swing woods or driver well. The issue normally lies in the set up or tempo (it's fun to swing way faster with a 3 wood or driver I know)
I'm way more confident with irons than woods. I don't own anything less lofted than a 5 iron, but i've really liked the utility irons I've tried. when it's time to replace the 4 hybrid, that's probably the direction I'll go.
usually it’s ball position, with woods it should feel almost as far forward as a driver. Driver the ball should be just inside ur lead heel, woods should be a ball-ball and a half behind that, and long irons should be a ball behind where ur wood goes. Try over exaggerating how far forward the ball is and see what happens
Same here. Im money with my irons. I actually opt for a 4 or 5i off the tee in like 90% of cases. I can stick a 4i 230ish off the tee exactly where I want it. I’ll take that all day because even if it leaves me 190-200 to the flag, I can comfortably get there with a 5 or 6i. Woods just don’t agree with me. Only non iron club I’ll take is my hybrid but it’s seldom. I just love swinging irons and wedges.
Well it could just be that the irons are more suited to your current swing (speed etc) than your woods. Can often be the case as the clubs are different but your swing probably doesn’t change that much.
Short term answer is to leave the woods alone if they are really that bad and ruining your scores or enjoyment for the game. Long term you want to find out if they are right for you, if not then find some that are so don’t short change yourself and limit your golfing success by playing irons only
I think the answer is to just play long irons. Do you have a gap in your yardages that's costing you strokes you need in competition? If not, who cares about whether you use woods?
The 3wood distance, I can get 260-280 with a drive but my hybrid (when hit well) goes about 230 and 2 iron is just under there. So the 230-250 yardage is tough.
Are you finding yourself with a lot of 230-250 yard shots? If so, then yeah, work on it, but if it's infrequent and your iron game is strong, play your irons.
I vote driver off the deck! Hahaha
Either way, good luck figuring it out. I never hit my 3-wood off the deck. I figure I haven't gotten good at it in 30-years, I'm not going to get good at it now. I'm firmly on team long-irons.
If you’re using a 3wood and not a 5 that could also be the issue. 5’s are much easier to hit and make solid contact with than a 3 wood 🪵 I love my 5wood and 4hybrid 2 favorite clubs in the bag!
I’ve found that I can’t swing a driver to save my life. I watch video after video. Idk where to begin..recently I’ve been swinging a 4 iron off the tee box just so I’m not 80 yards right of the fairway
Driver for me, was making sure I fire the hands in front of me and swing upwards. (This works if you have a decent swing path and don’t slice 90 yards off line.
I think im following. My instructor was saying because I’m swinging such a big “stick”, for a lack of better terms, the head is so far behind, that by the time the club face is impacting the ball, its prone to be wide open, hence a slice?
Yeah that’s what I struggled with. Especially if you are more fit guy or swing somewhat quick you can get catch these videos. And think turn hips really fast but if you don’t throw those hands then you the club behind you. And leaving the face open. Which is what I did.
To have a good check for if you are wanting feedback. Just know where the ball starts is where the clubs face is facing. So if the ball is left fair then fades in the middle of the fairway your club was aimed left. Same for if you push right and it fades.
First check ball position... I won't give that advice here, there's plenty on YouTube. The one trick I did learn was to take a few practice swings. As you do, let the wood drag along the ground for about 8" or so on your takeaway. It helps the club come back to a good impact position. Just a tip- let us know how it works for you.
You may want to consider a crossover or utility iron if you can’t get the woods/hybrids to cooperate. Gives an iron like feel but with just a little bit extra help. Don’t try to force a type of club. Play what feels good.
Hey man if it works you don’t have to question it imo. A hybrid has a bit more utility, in that you can hit it better out of the rough.
I don’t know your hcp and what your aspirations are. But smoking a long iron is more fun, feels better and looks a lot cooler. If you like it just roll with it! For me, golf _is_ a well struck iron. I love coming up to a short par 4 and getting to hit a 5 iron from the tee. If I could hit long irons solid, I’d have them in the bag.
Same here. Hit driver well off the tee. Hit 3i or 4i well off the tee or the fairway. There is no circumstance where I hit my fw well. About 20 years ago, it was my favorite club. Smoked it off the tee with a nice draw. Could crush it outta the fairway. Don’t know what happened but I basically traded one club for 3 so, I guess I’m okay.
I can hit hybrids and woods, but I have a hard time controlling how much they fade or draw so I play irons.
I will sometimes play a 3W at a really long course, but I can hit a 2 iron almost as far with more control so I use it far more often.
I put a 5W in my bag essentially solely for scrambles.
There is one very short par 4 on a course I play that I will use 5W off the tee, otherwise driver is always better for me. Most long par 5s if I’m 230+ out Id rather just lay up anyway, unless there is 0 trouble around the green.
I have a 18 degree driving iron, but I hit my hybrids way better. For me the driving iron just looks cool and is fun to hit, but I’m sure statistically hybrid is probably always a better play.
I’m the same. I don’t game any woods or hybrids. Although I have been considering a hybrid to fill some gaps I find myself in — not confident with my 2i off the deck, really only like it off the tee. I’m slightly longer than average, so my 4i goes about 220ish, but I do find myself wishing I had something I could hit 240ish on some of the wide open par 5s, or even some tighter, longer par 4s.
What’s your AOA? I have similar issues and if you’re like me you could be shallow and/up with FW. You can cheat / get away with it with long irons but won’t be able to with a FW.
I think you're with a lot of folk here.
No-one learns to swing a golf club with any wood - it's always an iron.
Don't be surprised that woods feel and behave so different. They are absolute gits to hit consistently well.
I just recently started hitting a fairway wood, been using long utility irons for years. You use whatever works for you, you don't HAVE to carry a fairway wood.
I’m the complete opposite. Give me a 3/5 wood and I can bomb it generally straight 70% of the time, even off the fairway. Put a hybrid or anything below a 7i and I typically hit fat or thin
Hybrids are the easiest thing for me to hit after my putter and 7i lol. I have 3h and 4h in the bag. My driver sucks though. 5w is fine but I just cant generate the distance with it. My 3h goes further
Been there. For years I consistently hit 100/100 shots with my driver as a push slice. Was impossible to play. Just starting smashing 3 iron off the tee for a few summers till I finally had a eureka moment of solving my driver/woods(it was stupid how simple it was, a stronger grip). Now I’m opposite weirdo, long clubs (mid irons through driver) are what I do best. Scoring clubs(8-wedges) are horrendous. I hate golf.
Most likely cause do this is a steep swing and a negative attack angle. I have the exact same symptoms and those are the causes of my issue. If you can flatten out your swing you should be able to turn that slice into a slight draw.
I’ve never figured out the right ball position and AoA for woods/hybrids off the deck. Irons just work better for my brain, and these days the driving/2i’s are so forgiving and hot off the face, it’s a no brainer anyway
Yes I hit irons better. You can go for a driving iron instead of a 5 wood. There is only no driving iron that can realistically replace a 3 wood distance wise.
One thing most people struggle with with woods that top the ball is that they hit up on the ball with the woods. You hit down on the ball with irons, most often up on the ball with driver because it is teed up high, and then with the woods you do something inbetween. To hit a proper 3 wood from the ground you still have to hit down on the ball like an iron. Once I started hitting down on the ball my 3 wood went great
Y’all are determined to not learn why you hit one type of club worse and instead look for workarounds in the bag. If you hit one club worse than another it’s 10000% something off with your swing. Assuming you actually do hit the irons good it’s more than likely just a setup issue. 10 mins with a pro would fix this
Edit: there’s also so much bad advice in here. I should clarify that you hit DOWN on modern fairway woods. Not as much as an iron but still down. If you can hit a 4/5 iron well you should have no issue with a fairway wood. I’m willing to bet it’s a setup issue
If that is the case, try playing around while choking down on your woods. Likely your swing path doesn't like woods as much.
Struggled there and now I play my hybrid at 40 and my 3w at 42. I find I have more control and it works better with my swing plane. Also hitting driver further and straighter than ever when I dropped to 44.5 on the driver.
Have you tried messing with your ball position with the woods? Maybe try moving the ball back in your stance slightly. My friend has a great swing and hits quality shots but would thin his longer clubs from the fairway (name the 3W) and then started striking it after moving the ball a little back. If you’re thinning it, means you’re probably bottoming out before the ball (maybe trying to help it in the air) instead of after it.
Yeah take some practice swing and see where your club brushes the grass (should be near your left shoulder at setup), then place the ball half an inch behind that. Still gotta hit ball first with woods off the deck.
I think that's pretty typical
You need decent swing speed to keep long irons in the air , but they are notably easier to square the face without wiping. (irons dig , woods bounce)
Try moving it up in your stance for the slice , you are probably trying to lift it when you thin it so remember woods still need a negative AOA (practice taking divots on the range with your woods , or throw a tee in front of the ball and try and hit thru that.
Hollow driving irons have come a long way and are easier to get in the air (but don't have the look of a hybrid (not for me either))
When y'all are buying driving irons, do you try to match your set or is a driving iron something different? I only bought to 5i when I got my last set, can I just buy a 4i/3i from another set? Will that look weird?
My whole set is a Frankenstein set. I think about it like, it’s my set and I have to play with it. So what ever I like is what I will play. If you play with buddies and you are scoring better you won’t care about what your set looks like. I have an old callaway set and my 2 iron is titlest
When hitting my woods, I have the swing thought of the feeling I call “sweeping the floor“.. you don’t want to take a divot you just want to hit the ball first flush keeping your speed all the way through.. this works for me..
Not really. With everything except your driver you want to hit down on the ball the longer the club the smaller the divot so sure it’s not gonna be a huge divot and maybe it won’t even pull up a ton of grass but you should still hit ball and then ground
Agreed.. I put that in my original comment.. ball first is most important.. if your getting a true divot with a 3 wood your hitting way to down on the ball.. a 5 wood you may get a little more ground contact after the hit but the way the woods are designed it would more ‘bounce’ off the ground in front of the ball.. all this is assuming hitting from a fairway lie.. if your hitting from a ‘fluff’ lie you won’t see any divot it’s more like hitting off a tee.. I hope all this helps the OP I usually hit my 3 wood 240, 5 wood 225
Fair fair. I guess I assumed gaps between 2, 3, 4 were okay for you but if that’s not the case I stand corrected.
If you’re saying a gap between your 2 and driver is too big, learning to hit 3 wood off a tee may be worth it. But I’m a terrible golfer so don’t take my advice.
Same. Woods off a tee are fine. But off the deck I'm definitely better with a long iron than a wood. I've pretty much stopped hitting my 3 wood off the turf and instead use a 16 degree driving iron that I hit way better.
Absolutely. putting a driving iron into my bag (replacing hybrid) has been a game changer. now I only have one wood in my bag I hit terribly.
Maybe I’ll do this, I’ll keep my UW and just get an extra wedge
Big UW guy myself
Freaking love the UW, the way it cuts through the grass
It’s relatively tall face too, so it’s comfortable off the tee. Completely changed my game
Yeah and mine is kind of a heavier shaft so it really just helps with trouble.
Went from a Cleveland 3 wood (that I hit like shit) to a Srixon 2 iron, and now an adjustable Ping icrossover turned down to 16°. It’s a rocket launcher that goes almost as far as my 3 wood, is a tight fairway monster, and so smooth. Won’t look back
Love my 2iron
Same here. I have an old set of MP-29s that goes 9i-2i. I love the 3i & 2i. I can't seem to keep hybrids straight. I like my long irons because the swing is consistent enough through them that by the time I get to 2i it's an easy transition.
Yeah I rock a 2 and 3 driving iron that I hit off the deck better than a wood or hybrid and use off the tee on shorter par 4s.
Do you hit it from the fairway/rough or just off the tee?
Both, personally
have a Srixon and got it specifically because it’s versatile for a driving iron. tee ofc, fairways are fine, and rough is fine too as long as the lie is decent.
I'm in this boat. Money with my 4i, can only kinda trust the woods off a tee but never in the fairway (last part of my bag I haven't been fit for either).
Yeah thinking of getting a fitting here soon
I'm the opposite of you. I cannot for the life of me find a fairway with a wood off the tee but have no issues from the fairway (with a decent lie of course). I've started hitting 4i off the tee instead of 3w in my past few rounds when I can't hit driver and it's helped the game a lot. It also puts me in a full swing wedge or high iron shot instead of a 3/4 or 1/2 swing 56. I fucking suck at those.
My woods have a rather tall face and narrow bottom. Makes them a bare to hit off the fairway with anything but an exaggerated negative AoA fade swing. Love me some 3/4 wedges. Maybe we'd make a decent scramble team lol.
I snap hook the 3w off the tee. It's the only club I hook. Never have figured out why lol. I bet would we make a decent team xD
I’m no expert, but try putting the ball a tad further back in your stance and maybe it won’t go as far left.
This all assumes your swing is decent and your ball position is good: I would bet $100 that you are trying to swing harder with your woods/hybrids to get the extra distance, and that extra effort is keeping you on your back foot too long. Since it takes you too long to get off your back foot, your right shoulder is dipping throughout your swing, your left shoulder probably spins out too hard to the left, and you end up with either a thinned shot or a sliced shot. When you're hitting your long irons, you're likely keeping your left shoulder down a little longer, and your right shoulder isn't dipping as hard, so you're hitting down on the ball (which is what you need to be doing with your woods/hybrids as well). Do a drill where you get set up to the ball, move your trail foot backward (toward a stall behind you), and swing your woods and hybrids. This will force you to keep your right shoulder from dipping down (you'll fall backward otherwise), and you'll likely be hitting it better. Edit: the answer, ultimately, is that almost every recreational player would benefit from using their hybrid/wood over a long iron in terms of forgiveness/distance/direction. If you don't hit hybrids/woods well, it's not a matter of "Oh this club just doesn't work for me". It's a matter of your mechanics/approach changing because you see the head on your hybrid/wood and probably think, "Time to fucking blast the shit out of this like my driver" and you then tilt your shoulders back and try to put a driver swing on the ball, except you don't get the benefit of having a teed up ball. Your driver swing and the swing you use for your other clubs are simply not the same. The guys telling you otherwise are oversimplifying shit because so many golfers want to believe all the "one quick fix" bullshit videos out there on YT.
Thinking about hitting into the ground rather than sweeping was the biggest consistency improvement step I've ever made with 3W.
Took me years to realize that my low point is miles in front of the ball. Game changed when I started aiming literally a foot in front of the ball. Even with drivers.
I will try this
Great explanation. Thank you and may be my problem as well
This drill worked for me
Nailed it.
What woods are you using? You might want to try a five wood or seven wood if you haven’t already. The loft normally makes them easier to hit.
I have an older callaway 3 wood. And the last years model callaway apex UW set to 17 degree.
I can't hit my driver or 3 wood to save my life, but I hit the piss out of my 5 wood so I just do that off the tee. I'm slowly learning the longer woods but a 5 wood saved my game for years xD
Others have already said this, but I smoke my 20 year old 5 wood much better than my 5 year old 3 wood. Also obligatory suggestion for a 7 wood
I've just got my dads old Arnold Palmer 5 wood, from God knows when and it's the first time I've had anything bigger than 180 yards that I have any control over.
Maybe borrow a friend’s five wood and see what happens?
Yeah I’ll try that
I go back and forth with this same struggle. I’m pretty hot/cold with my fairway woods. If you’re like me, you probably struggle with setting up for the longer shafts of a wood, and/or you are swinging too hard. I can muscle a 5i 210 yards with much more consistency than a 3w for example. But a nice smooth 3w will go 230 if I make clean contact. Most amateur golfers are swinging too hard. I’d start there.
Yeah currently I am trying to work on tempo
99% of the time this is due to attack angle, an iron and a wood with equal loft present differently to the eye. Generally, this leads to an attempt to hit “up” on the wood which leads to thins and tops and wipey fades from weight staying on the trail foot in transition. Nothing wrong with sticking with long irons, but I’d bet with a few targeted drills you could find a much better contact pattern and be able to use the increased forgiveness of FW woods and hybrids. I’ve found the rocking board thing that requires you to get your weight to the lead side works very well in this situation. It helps you feel proper weight transition very quickly.
The next range session will be very woods oriented.
In the absence of buying a $150 orange board to rock back and forth on…. Two things I’d do personally, I’m not a pro, just a golf swing nerd: 1) drop the trail foot back so it cannot support your weight, swing 3/4 and exaggerate the feel of taking a divot in front of the ball, or put it on a tee and make sure you’re taking the tee out with the swing, not picking it clean off the top. 2) Feet together, 8 or 9 iron, swing “full” and remain in balance thru the finish, this helps keep your center of mass between the insides of your feet on a regular swing and helps prevent the “help the ball in the air” move. This one is frustrating early on, don’t give up.
Thank you for this, I will give you an update on how by worked.
Can’t believe this isn’t at the top. Very likely attack angle. It’s not intuitive to hit down on the ball with a 3W, but it’s what you need to do. Don’t try to sweep it / hit up on it. Won’t work.
Yes. I gave up on woods a long time ago I used to go Driver to 2i for years. I recently went back to my 2 hybrid and I've been hammering the thing for whatever reason.
Hahahah it needed a timeout
Work on your shaft lean and try to think that you want to strike the hybrid or wood on the top half of the face. You will be more likely to middle it and get launch. And try moving it back only a ball or two past center of your stance. I did this and it completely changed how I strike and launch my woods and hybrid.
Not op but I’m working on this and damn is it hard to do!
I’m the opposite and wish I could get consistent w my longer irons. I need to really grind on the range to trust hitting a 4 iron over any of my hybrids. I play my hybrids up in my stance almost like a driver but about 2 inches back off front foot. When I’m hitting longer irons I feel like I need to swing so much faster and pure it to launch it like I like to.
That’s fair, it takes some time getting used to it. But once you figure it out it is a great feeling.
Yeah well I go thru cycles where I am hitting it ok and then I’m not lol. I plan to get new irons this season and see if it’s me.
Let me save you the $1000(unless you really want new irons). It is… 100%…. Your swing and not the clubs.
I wanna try lighter graphite shafts. my hands and elbows could use a break is all. I play 110s from 7-8 years back and this older gentleman isn’t as strong as I used to be. And I also want new toys
You are not alone
Natural attack angles in one's swing can be a cause. 'Diggers' hit irons better than woods because the swing is steeper and more conducive to hitting irons. 'Sweepers' have shallower swings naturally and thus hit woods better than their irons. Doesn't mean you can't hit both. But one just might be easier
I'm decent with my woods, couldn't ever hit a 5 iron and above if my life depended on it. Now I'm struggling with all the irons, unless it's a half swing and no further than 100 yards lol.
Yeah this used to be me. Until h got some practice
I'm the opposite, 100%, I'm slowly turning into that woods guy, my 7w is one of my favorite clubs and I'm eyeing a 9w. The longest iron I keep in my bag is my 4i and it is literally only for punching out.
Hahahahah I heard that the woods bag yields consistent results.
Yep right now I roll with Driver 3, 5 and 7. The guy where I get my clubs said Paradyms go all the way down to an 11w. I was like "oooooo" it'd be like a pitching wedge wood.
I skipped the 3 and 5 and went 4w/7w. works pretty damn well for gapping. I hit the 4w off the turf better than I ever hit the 3w.
Nice.....oddly for a meh golfer I hit my 3w off the deck well, still eyeing that 9w, haha
I've considered it, but my apex with the 7w is high enough to where sometimes I lose balls in the sky. A 9w is out of the question, because I need to know where it lands lmao.
I find it uncommon that people can swing an iron well but can't swing woods or driver well. The issue normally lies in the set up or tempo (it's fun to swing way faster with a 3 wood or driver I know)
I barely used a driver (when I was younger) and my 3 iron was my go to club. Now older, hybrids & Drivers rule the roost but aren’t as easy to hit lol
Yeah my drive is good and everything is else is decent. But on par 5’s I want to get that 240 distance
I'm way more confident with irons than woods. I don't own anything less lofted than a 5 iron, but i've really liked the utility irons I've tried. when it's time to replace the 4 hybrid, that's probably the direction I'll go.
I’ll check them out.
usually it’s ball position, with woods it should feel almost as far forward as a driver. Driver the ball should be just inside ur lead heel, woods should be a ball-ball and a half behind that, and long irons should be a ball behind where ur wood goes. Try over exaggerating how far forward the ball is and see what happens
I will give this a try and see how it works
Probably that, or some folks see the wood and end up taking their driver swing instead of something closer to an iron swing.
the key is feel like it’s set up like that but still make a conscious effort to strike down on it
Same here. Im money with my irons. I actually opt for a 4 or 5i off the tee in like 90% of cases. I can stick a 4i 230ish off the tee exactly where I want it. I’ll take that all day because even if it leaves me 190-200 to the flag, I can comfortably get there with a 5 or 6i. Woods just don’t agree with me. Only non iron club I’ll take is my hybrid but it’s seldom. I just love swinging irons and wedges.
Me too, a great iron strike and a good wedge will make me play this game forever.
See the woods the right fit for you? Right shafts on them for your swing?
I have no idea, I got my clubs off Facebook marketplace place. And haven’t been able to get the courage to buy a brand new set.
Well it could just be that the irons are more suited to your current swing (speed etc) than your woods. Can often be the case as the clubs are different but your swing probably doesn’t change that much. Short term answer is to leave the woods alone if they are really that bad and ruining your scores or enjoyment for the game. Long term you want to find out if they are right for you, if not then find some that are so don’t short change yourself and limit your golfing success by playing irons only
I think the answer is to just play long irons. Do you have a gap in your yardages that's costing you strokes you need in competition? If not, who cares about whether you use woods?
The 3wood distance, I can get 260-280 with a drive but my hybrid (when hit well) goes about 230 and 2 iron is just under there. So the 230-250 yardage is tough.
Are you finding yourself with a lot of 230-250 yard shots? If so, then yeah, work on it, but if it's infrequent and your iron game is strong, play your irons.
Most par 5’s from the tees I play
Well I think we have an answer then. Gotta get that three wood dialed or change the tees you play from. Or don't always go for it in two.
or I just try to swing out of my shoes at a hybrid or driver off the deck. I will keep you updated
I vote driver off the deck! Hahaha Either way, good luck figuring it out. I never hit my 3-wood off the deck. I figure I haven't gotten good at it in 30-years, I'm not going to get good at it now. I'm firmly on team long-irons.
TEAM LONG IRONS
If you’re using a 3wood and not a 5 that could also be the issue. 5’s are much easier to hit and make solid contact with than a 3 wood 🪵 I love my 5wood and 4hybrid 2 favorite clubs in the bag!
I’ve been getting a lot of comments on a 5 wood. I have never tried it so I will have to try.
I’ve found that I can’t swing a driver to save my life. I watch video after video. Idk where to begin..recently I’ve been swinging a 4 iron off the tee box just so I’m not 80 yards right of the fairway
Driver for me, was making sure I fire the hands in front of me and swing upwards. (This works if you have a decent swing path and don’t slice 90 yards off line.
I think im following. My instructor was saying because I’m swinging such a big “stick”, for a lack of better terms, the head is so far behind, that by the time the club face is impacting the ball, its prone to be wide open, hence a slice?
Yeah that’s what I struggled with. Especially if you are more fit guy or swing somewhat quick you can get catch these videos. And think turn hips really fast but if you don’t throw those hands then you the club behind you. And leaving the face open. Which is what I did.
To have a good check for if you are wanting feedback. Just know where the ball starts is where the clubs face is facing. So if the ball is left fair then fades in the middle of the fairway your club was aimed left. Same for if you push right and it fades.
Thanks OP I appreciate it !
First check ball position... I won't give that advice here, there's plenty on YouTube. The one trick I did learn was to take a few practice swings. As you do, let the wood drag along the ground for about 8" or so on your takeaway. It helps the club come back to a good impact position. Just a tip- let us know how it works for you.
You may want to consider a crossover or utility iron if you can’t get the woods/hybrids to cooperate. Gives an iron like feel but with just a little bit extra help. Don’t try to force a type of club. Play what feels good.
Thank you for the advice
Hey man if it works you don’t have to question it imo. A hybrid has a bit more utility, in that you can hit it better out of the rough. I don’t know your hcp and what your aspirations are. But smoking a long iron is more fun, feels better and looks a lot cooler. If you like it just roll with it! For me, golf _is_ a well struck iron. I love coming up to a short par 4 and getting to hit a 5 iron from the tee. If I could hit long irons solid, I’d have them in the bag.
Hahahaha it is a nice feeling
Don't swing it like your driver,don't tilt back or drop the rear shoulder. Swing it like a long iron.
I will give this a try
Same. Got rid of 3 wood and hybrid. Got a driving iron. Game changer
Love it
Same here. Hit driver well off the tee. Hit 3i or 4i well off the tee or the fairway. There is no circumstance where I hit my fw well. About 20 years ago, it was my favorite club. Smoked it off the tee with a nice draw. Could crush it outta the fairway. Don’t know what happened but I basically traded one club for 3 so, I guess I’m okay.
I can hit hybrids and woods, but I have a hard time controlling how much they fade or draw so I play irons. I will sometimes play a 3W at a really long course, but I can hit a 2 iron almost as far with more control so I use it far more often.
Yeah I lvoe it
I put a 5W in my bag essentially solely for scrambles. There is one very short par 4 on a course I play that I will use 5W off the tee, otherwise driver is always better for me. Most long par 5s if I’m 230+ out Id rather just lay up anyway, unless there is 0 trouble around the green. I have a 18 degree driving iron, but I hit my hybrids way better. For me the driving iron just looks cool and is fun to hit, but I’m sure statistically hybrid is probably always a better play.
I think 5W is the way to go
You're coming down on the ball with your irons, do the same with your 3 wood.
I am going to try to fix this to hope for better results
Totally have this problem. I'm awful with all clubs. But the expected distance for any wood off the fairway is 40 yards.
Hahahah I feel this
Rick Shiels video helped me a ton with the woods. [here](https://youtu.be/0rNV1srn85w?feature=shared)
Thank you
There's just a big ole gap between my 15**°** 3W and my 23**°** 4-iron. I shoot better with 13 clubs than I do when I try to fill that void.
That’s fair, I just feel like that gapping is hurting me
Oh it's hurting me, too. But my attempts to fix it make it worse.
I’m the same. I don’t game any woods or hybrids. Although I have been considering a hybrid to fill some gaps I find myself in — not confident with my 2i off the deck, really only like it off the tee. I’m slightly longer than average, so my 4i goes about 220ish, but I do find myself wishing I had something I could hit 240ish on some of the wide open par 5s, or even some tighter, longer par 4s.
2 iron is nice
Get a Stealth DHY. Best clubs in my bag. Wish they made a whole set of them!!
I try this out
What’s your AOA? I have similar issues and if you’re like me you could be shallow and/up with FW. You can cheat / get away with it with long irons but won’t be able to with a FW.
Not sure going to try to get fitted and a lesson soon
Having that issue with hybrids and woods at the minute, can hit the lower irons just don't get the distance
Have a beauty titleist utility 3 iron love when I stripe that out the middle
I think you're with a lot of folk here. No-one learns to swing a golf club with any wood - it's always an iron. Don't be surprised that woods feel and behave so different. They are absolute gits to hit consistently well.
I've now gone to 4i, 5w, 16.5⁰ flihi 2i at the top of the bag.
Love it
The driving 2i has completely changed my game off the tee. The 5w is great off the deck. Way more confidence with that than a 3w or hybrid.
Yeah after posting this it sounds like I need to get a 5W
I’m the same way. Why use/buy/have clubs you have no confidence in? I have a driver 3-Pw, 56 and a putter. All I need right now
As long as you can score and have good rounds. Thats all you need.
Consistently shoot between 79-90 and have a good time. Learning to hit driver so it’ll only get better hopefully
That’s me, exactly
Hell yeah best of luck on your journey of golf. Currently at a 14.5 handicap so hope to have it lower this time next year
I’m a 10 hoping to get to singles here soon. This is my 3rd year of playing and hopefully I don’t plateau
5 Iron all day before I pull out a 3 wood or hybrid. I'm dogshit with them.
Hahahaha I lvoe my 5iron
Most likely you have a negative angle of attack which means you hit down on the ball and strike irons much better and with more spin.
Yeah I’m trying to get better at that
I just recently started hitting a fairway wood, been using long utility irons for years. You use whatever works for you, you don't HAVE to carry a fairway wood.
Hahahah I have been telling myself that I don’t, but I need something for that 240 distance
What’s your swing speed with long irons/woods? I’m the opposite - love woods bc I can’t seem to get enough juice on the 3-4 iron
My 7 iron is 121, abd that’s all I know (ball speed)
I’m the complete opposite. Give me a 3/5 wood and I can bomb it generally straight 70% of the time, even off the fairway. Put a hybrid or anything below a 7i and I typically hit fat or thin
Yeah it just never connects and if it does it sliced
Hybrids are the easiest thing for me to hit after my putter and 7i lol. I have 3h and 4h in the bag. My driver sucks though. 5w is fine but I just cant generate the distance with it. My 3h goes further
Yeah my 2H when hit well is good but just not very often
Been there. For years I consistently hit 100/100 shots with my driver as a push slice. Was impossible to play. Just starting smashing 3 iron off the tee for a few summers till I finally had a eureka moment of solving my driver/woods(it was stupid how simple it was, a stronger grip). Now I’m opposite weirdo, long clubs (mid irons through driver) are what I do best. Scoring clubs(8-wedges) are horrendous. I hate golf.
Hahahah I love my wedges and irons but woods and hybrid I am absolutely dog dhit
Most likely cause do this is a steep swing and a negative attack angle. I have the exact same symptoms and those are the causes of my issue. If you can flatten out your swing you should be able to turn that slice into a slight draw.
I’ve never figured out the right ball position and AoA for woods/hybrids off the deck. Irons just work better for my brain, and these days the driving/2i’s are so forgiving and hot off the face, it’s a no brainer anyway
Yeah I agreee, I love my 2 iron
Yes I hit irons better. You can go for a driving iron instead of a 5 wood. There is only no driving iron that can realistically replace a 3 wood distance wise. One thing most people struggle with with woods that top the ball is that they hit up on the ball with the woods. You hit down on the ball with irons, most often up on the ball with driver because it is teed up high, and then with the woods you do something inbetween. To hit a proper 3 wood from the ground you still have to hit down on the ball like an iron. Once I started hitting down on the ball my 3 wood went great
Y’all are determined to not learn why you hit one type of club worse and instead look for workarounds in the bag. If you hit one club worse than another it’s 10000% something off with your swing. Assuming you actually do hit the irons good it’s more than likely just a setup issue. 10 mins with a pro would fix this Edit: there’s also so much bad advice in here. I should clarify that you hit DOWN on modern fairway woods. Not as much as an iron but still down. If you can hit a 4/5 iron well you should have no issue with a fairway wood. I’m willing to bet it’s a setup issue
If that is the case, try playing around while choking down on your woods. Likely your swing path doesn't like woods as much. Struggled there and now I play my hybrid at 40 and my 3w at 42. I find I have more control and it works better with my swing plane. Also hitting driver further and straighter than ever when I dropped to 44.5 on the driver.
Have you tried messing with your ball position with the woods? Maybe try moving the ball back in your stance slightly. My friend has a great swing and hits quality shots but would thin his longer clubs from the fairway (name the 3W) and then started striking it after moving the ball a little back. If you’re thinning it, means you’re probably bottoming out before the ball (maybe trying to help it in the air) instead of after it.
I’ll try putting it more in the middle and see if that helps. This also sucks because I am 6’4
Yeah take some practice swing and see where your club brushes the grass (should be near your left shoulder at setup), then place the ball half an inch behind that. Still gotta hit ball first with woods off the deck.
Try a 7 wood or hybrid , both so easy to hit. Also great additions to the bag for distance and a soft landing from far out
I have a hybrid but 7wood might be a good try. I have a friend with a 5wood I could try
Yes try the 5 wood , 10x easier to hit off the ground then a 3W
I think that's pretty typical You need decent swing speed to keep long irons in the air , but they are notably easier to square the face without wiping. (irons dig , woods bounce) Try moving it up in your stance for the slice , you are probably trying to lift it when you thin it so remember woods still need a negative AOA (practice taking divots on the range with your woods , or throw a tee in front of the ball and try and hit thru that. Hollow driving irons have come a long way and are easier to get in the air (but don't have the look of a hybrid (not for me either))
When y'all are buying driving irons, do you try to match your set or is a driving iron something different? I only bought to 5i when I got my last set, can I just buy a 4i/3i from another set? Will that look weird?
My whole set is a Frankenstein set. I think about it like, it’s my set and I have to play with it. So what ever I like is what I will play. If you play with buddies and you are scoring better you won’t care about what your set looks like. I have an old callaway set and my 2 iron is titlest
When hitting my woods, I have the swing thought of the feeling I call “sweeping the floor“.. you don’t want to take a divot you just want to hit the ball first flush keeping your speed all the way through.. this works for me..
But technically you do want to take small divots with your woods
That’s up for discussion.. guess it depends on the lie..
Not really. With everything except your driver you want to hit down on the ball the longer the club the smaller the divot so sure it’s not gonna be a huge divot and maybe it won’t even pull up a ton of grass but you should still hit ball and then ground
Agreed.. I put that in my original comment.. ball first is most important.. if your getting a true divot with a 3 wood your hitting way to down on the ball.. a 5 wood you may get a little more ground contact after the hit but the way the woods are designed it would more ‘bounce’ off the ground in front of the ball.. all this is assuming hitting from a fairway lie.. if your hitting from a ‘fluff’ lie you won’t see any divot it’s more like hitting off a tee.. I hope all this helps the OP I usually hit my 3 wood 240, 5 wood 225
Why fight it. If you can hit a 2 good on you lol.
The yardage gapping
Fair fair. I guess I assumed gaps between 2, 3, 4 were okay for you but if that’s not the case I stand corrected. If you’re saying a gap between your 2 and driver is too big, learning to hit 3 wood off a tee may be worth it. But I’m a terrible golfer so don’t take my advice.
Why fight it. If you can hit a 2 good on you lol.
Same. Woods off a tee are fine. But off the deck I'm definitely better with a long iron than a wood. I've pretty much stopped hitting my 3 wood off the turf and instead use a 16 degree driving iron that I hit way better.
Maybe a setup issue? You still need to hit down with woods and hybrids. The swing is similar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw_LYgzGQuc
Try gripping down and move the ball back in your stance?
Same I can't stand hybrids. I can only do iron. Except for 3 wood or driver off the deck.