Is the 4 wood the new way to go?

[JEFF4i]

I love my 4 wood, a killer club, but I use each club(TS, 4, and 2i) for certain courses where I know they are best suited.

[Bravo]

Bravo

Playing Links golf means that the couse is rarely set up the same way twice. Sure there are holes when you will hit certain clubs but not to specific yardages, just for placement. I don't have a hole that requires a 7 wood shot, as one day it may be a 6 iron, the next a driver!!

What a great point...and you have played so much over here, you really know the differences too. I can see how you would think that way. We rarely get so much wind that it would change the club used on a given hole by so much...maybe only plus or minus two clubs at the max.

[JEFF4i]

I really want to play in Scotland and Ireland...anyone want to buy me a ticket? I'll make it up to you.

[cypressperch]

to me that each individual will have to find his or her own answer. We have different strengths. We play different courses with different lengths and conditions.

I somehow ended up with a cracked driver head, and while it was away, I used the three-wood off the tee. I had some pretty good scores that way. They use to have two-woods which were almost as easy to hit off the fairway as the three-wood, and they got you just about as far off the tee as the driver. I am not holding my breath, however, waiting for them to come back in style. The driver rules because it gives us the biggest crushed drives as well as the most trouble when its off.

I remember Retief Goosen playing for a while with Driver and then he dropped down to a hybrid with no other woods. That is not as bad an option as you might think. You have the driver for the long par fours, and you play par fives with the thought being to use the first two shots to turn them into short par threes. You probably don't eagle many par fives, but you make plenty of birdies and seldom make boggie.

I have decided to stick to three wedges rather than four. In fact, I almost think of going to two wedges. Does anyone remember the Dual Wedge that combined sand and pitching wedges. With that club you could carry irons 2-9 and four woods. Some people carried a one iron. I am not sure they even make one irons. Of course the two iron of today has about the same loft as some of the old one irons. Somewhere along the line, they took a little loft of irons, and for a while, we thought we had all gotten stronger or something.

The four wood option may be absolutely perfect for many people. It is not that much longer than a five wood, so it cannot be that much shorter than a three-wood.

Best of luck to all. Sincerely, Cypressperch

What if we woke up one day and the rules were changed to allow us more clubs. I doubt if the club manufacturers would complain much.

Lastly, it may be a little difficult, but you can always learn to hit more shots with a single, well-chosen wedge. The choking down one inch tip is a very good one. It works.

[Rockford35]

Spend some more time in the shower, I can smell you from here!!!!

You're just jealous because I can hit my 3 iron.

R35

[emc]

You have to ask yourself how many times are you inthe position where 3 wood is too much but a hybrid is too little?

[IrishGolfer]

You're just jealous because I can hit my 3 iron.

R35

Hey every golfer I know can hit a 3 iron! Not always the way you do, but nonetheless they can hit it.

My idiotic mind allows me to hit my M675 2 iron like a Pro and my 3 iron like a Duck.

[ezra76]

I carried the 3W and 5W last round just to switch things up. I normally carry just the 4wood. I am convinced that is the best for me. I plan to add a 58-60* wedge, a 4iron and a 19-21* hybrid for next year. The 4wood is nearly as long off the tee as the 3W and just as easy to hit off the fairway as the 5W. I don't usually go for par 5's unless I can hit a 5iron or less in.

Give the 4Wood a shot. You may find it has the best qualities of both a 3W and 5W in one club. You'll use it a lot more often too, I find I've gotten much more consistant since I use the same club twice as often now.

[gwlee7]

I have not had one built for me yet but, an interesting solution that I have read about is to take a 5 wood and put a 3 wood length shaft in it. This creates a club that goes 4 wood distance. It is easy to hit both off the deck and off the tee.

[Youngun5]

i've been working on this idea for some time now, just with using a tour spoon, with a driver shaft, and taking the driver out...but thats no fun...


i have a V-Steel 5 wood laying around, and a very soon to be- NV-65 driver shaft free once i have it swapped out for my GD YS-6+......interesting, okay, i'll do it. i'll have the Aldila NV-65 Stiff, once pulled from the driver, be put into my TM V-Steel 5 wood, at driver length, i figure the Low launch will put my 5 wood into around 4 wood trajectory, but 3 wood distance possibly.....just another weapon. but i doubt that my 3 wood ever leaves my bag, so it'll have to just be something i pull out depending on the course,

i'll let ya know how it goes.

[Rockford35]

Hey every golfer I know can hit a 3 iron! Not always the way you do, but nonetheless they can hit it.

My idiotic mind allows me to hit my M675 2 iron like a Pro and my 3 iron like a Duck.

Oh, I can't hit it well. But I can make the head contact the ball. Sometimes.

I was crushing my 4 irons today. What's the mental block with the 3? It's basically the same bloody club. Cripes.

R35

[sidvicious]

personally, i carry a 3 and a 7 wood. i don't see the need for anything in between.

i can play the 3 like a 5, and can gorilla the 7 like a 5 if need be.

also, last year, my first year, because i couldn't hit a driver i became well acquainted with my long irons. i can still hit them well so i carry them and hit them most of the time [instead of the woods].

i have the 3 for maximum distance off the fairway, and the 7 for loft and length. for example, i may have to carry some trees 150 yards away. the 7 will get up and over, plus get me well past on the other side, yet drop in fairly well. basically i use the 7 for a high 200 yd shot.

i should also add that i can screw up these shots like a real jackass.

[VtDivot]

3 wood and hybrid - take out the 3 iron - probably the best option

This is the way I play it, I found it works best for me.

3W is 15* and Hybrid is 21*, it's a gap for sure, but that gap is no where near as important as the would be gap between a PW 47* and SW 56*, so I am a 4th wedge guy. I thought about a 19* hybrid instead of the 21* but am very glad I went with a higher loft, this way I feel I can hit this club more on 200+ par 3's etc

Driver 9.5
3W 15
3h 21
4-PW
GW 51
SW 56
LW 60
Putter

[dave.]

I think it depends on whether you genuinely go for the flag over 200 yards out,or whether you are at a standard that just requires you to get it somewhere near the green.Some players will aim to stiff a 3 wood,and they can also stiff a 2 iron,so dropping both and goinf for a 4 wood is not a lot of use for them.

[ironman]

Yes, if the duffer's bag were to carry only two woods.
One, Three, and Five -- three woods are fine by me.
A good 2 Iron player could do well without a Five Wood.