What do you do when you come up on a long par 4 (400-450 yards or longer)?
Do you hold out hope of getting the ball on the green on your second shot, or do you just hope for a good third shot to get you on? Have you ever reached a par 5 in two shots? A reliable fairway wood is crucial for anyone hoping to play long holes well.
Tight Fairways
Fairway woods have other uses as well. Sometimes a hole is just too tight to hit a driver. It’s good to have the improved accuracy of a shorter wood. I remember the first time I played a course with my high school golf team. I was one of three sophomores on the team, and we had a senior who was a really good player. It was a fun course with interesting holes, and some of the holes just had a lot of trees on either side of the fairway. I remember our senior teammate telling us that if he found out that we hit our drivers on holes 2, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17 or 18, he’d kill us. After seeing those holes, I knew what he meant.
Which Woods Should You Carry?
Another issue we all struggle with is that the rules of golf limit us to carrying 14 clubs. Which woods are best? Whether you only carry one fairway wood or three or four, it’s important to have a club for each distance. Generally, a 5 wood goes the same distance as a 2 iron, and there is about the same distance between each wood as there is for each iron (10-15 yards). For almost everyone, a 5 wood is easier to hit than a 2 iron. So you can replace your long irons with 6, 7, 8, 9 woods if you like. I would recommend carrying a 3 wood, as you can use it to tee off with, and you can hit it from the fairway as well.
Hybrids vs Woods
Hybrids look like a cross between a fairway wood and an iron, and you can use either to replace your long irons. Which is better? Unfortunately there is no clear cut answer. Some people prefer hybrids, and some people prefer woods, but almost everyone prefers one or the other over long irons. There are even touring pros that have replaced their long irons with hybrids.