Scuffing fairway woods

allybhoy

Hi All,

I am new (ish) to golf, started playing about 18months ago and joined a club last month. The course has some fairly long par 4's and 5's that really should be hit with a fairway wood (3\5) and i really really struggle with these clubs. I got lessons about 4 months ago and although they helped a bit with my irons and driving they didnt help with my woods at all. I nearly always scuff them and its gotten to the point where i rarely if ever take them out of the bag.

Up till now, If i am playing a long par 4 or 5 I generally just plug away with a 5 or 6 iron to get me there and forget about birdie'ng them but I am getting to the stage now in my game where I need to be able to hit these clubs to bring my score down. If i am playing a par 5 which is say over 500 yards then the very best I can do is Par as it generally takes me at least 3 maybe 4 to get near the green and from looking at my last few scorecards, its evident that distance is my downfall as i have been taking a lot of 7's from par 5's. I also have a hybrid driving iron that i can hit the odd time, but its again unreliable and so I tend to only use it in emergencies.

The woods I have are from a really old handmedown set i got when i first started playing, and since then i have replaced my irons, driver and putter but never bought any new woods. So i am looking to buy a 3 and 5 wood set that is relatively easy to hit and would give a certain amount of loft. If anyone also had any advice (apart from go for for more lessons!) on technique it would be greatly appreciated.

Tones69

From my experience (not much but still) I find the main reason for scuffing and topping fairway woods and hybrids is that you're thinking, "right im 260 yards away i have the whallop the paint off this ball", you end up swinging too hard , coming up out of the stance and lifting your head up also because you're anxious to see where the shot has gone.
I was guilty of this, now I dont bother thinking too much on power and distance, just relax and hit it normally without trying to kill it and see what happens, this has worked for me the last couple of times now out playing. Just think swing nice and let the club do the work, not my arms!

Bandana boy

I use the hybrid instead of the 3 or 5 Wood
Like you I intially had little success with it -but a Playing partner was always using his to great success ,so i persisted ,It is fast becoming one of the most reliable clubs in my bag.
If you know how to hit your irons ,you will adapt to the Hybrid

allybhoy

thanks for the replies.

@Tones69: Yes i think you have probably hit the nail on the head there. I play with an older lad who constantly hits the 3,5 and 7 and the way he swings you would think it would go no further than 100 yards but he can hit them some distances and with a serious amount of accuracy, in fact on most of the par 3's he hits a 5 or 7 wood where i hit an iron.


@Bandana: I can hit the hybrid, it tends to hook left on me a bit, i can kinda adjust and work with it but im still only getting 180 yards and for the extra bit i gain i just tend to stick with a 5 or a 6 for accuracy purposes. I still think a well struck 3 or even 5 wood will travel further than a hybrid. Simply because the flight\trajectory of the ball keeps it lower to the ground and so when it lands in the fairway it runs on that bit further. Maybe im wrong but thats what ive seen.

stockdam

I agree with Tones69.....you are probably trying to hit the ball too hard and your swing is therefore fast and unbalanced. You may also be trying to get the ball airborne by scooping it - your left wrist breaks down and you thus hit behind the ball.

Try to swing in a relaxed way. If you hit the ball solidly but at only 80% pace then it will still go pretty far.

decies

Have a new r11 3 fairway wood and 5 fairway wood am also struggling to hit these of the fairways :-/ any advice on ball position for both those clubs thanks.

ciarancummins7

Also, practice swings are vital for good wood shots, make sure to bounce the club onto the fairway just the right amount before hitting, and make sure you line up properly. Then, only hit it at 90% with a slow 3/4 backswing. you will still be hitting it much further than a 5i. I did find a 3W and 5W I liked before I started hitting it well, so it might be worth trying to get a decent 2nd hand 3/5W that matches up with your current clubs (shaft, look, feel). If you practicing at a range, try from the grass as the mat can give you the wrong feel. ramble over,,, good luck!

In terms of ball position, I found it easier to hit if I have it in the same position as a 4iron. A ball or two back from my left in-step, with the hands in line or even in front of the ball. Also, gripping down an inch shaft might help get control of the shot, but try it out first. My 2c, by no means a guide from an expert, it just gets the job done well for me.

whizbang

are you sure of the need to hit it longer?
Par 5, 500yds:
say average drive 240, add 5 iron of 180 leaves 80 to the green: a good wedge and a putt gets birdie: who needs better than that?

so firstly work on your short game, while your irons are getting the required time to get reliable. for me there is no shortcut, you have to 'log the hours'

However: make sure you are properly balanced on toes/heels., and swing speed within that balance. topping is falling away from ball, hooks are leaning closer, and often hitting with the heel of club.

allybhoy

@whizbang. Thanks for the advice on swing stance. My short game isnt too bad, ive played PnP for the last 5 years at a decent level and I score very well on Par 3's as I rarely putt more than twice. Its not perfect, but its a lot better than than my low irons and woods game.


I understand what you are saying, and thats fine in practise, but most par 5's are over 500 yards,and thats if there straight,so say i drive roughly 230-240, that normally still leaves about 280-290 yards,further if its a dog leg, which means im always straining with an iron because i want to get it inside 90\100 yards to give me a nice chip on, and this hasnt been happening. Im normally taking my approach from about 160-170 yards away and at this distance its hard to get it to within one putt.

I really feel if i could master the 3 wood for my 2nd shot and get it inside 100 yards it would significantly help my score.

Webbs

allybhoy wrote: »

@whizbang. Thanks for the advice on swing stance. My short game isnt too bad, ive played PnP for the last 5 years at a decent level and I score very well on Par 3's as I rarely putt more than twice. Its not perfect, but its a lot better than than my low irons and woods game.


I understand what you are saying, and thats fine in practise, but most par 5's are over 500 yards,and thats if there straight,so say i drive roughly 230-240, that normally still leaves about 280-290 yards,further if its a dog leg, which means im always straining with an iron because i want to get it inside 90\100 yards to give me a nice chip on, and this hasnt been happening. Im normally taking my approach from about 160-170 yards away and at this distance its hard to get it to within one putt.

I really feel if i could master the 3 wood for my 2nd shot and get it inside 100 yards it would significantly help my score.

How far do you hit your irons? In your scenario you are only hitting your irons 100-120yds so leaving yourself a 160yd second.

If I was you I would invest in a hybrid something around a 19deg is really useful in the rough and an easy swing will get you the distance to put you around 100yds in.

allybhoy

Webbs wrote: »

How far do you hit your irons? In your scenario you are only hitting your irons 100-120yds so leaving yourself a 160yd second.

If I was you I would invest in a hybrid something around a 19deg is really useful in the rough and an easy swing will get you the distance to put you around 100yds in.

I have a 19deg hybrid, but its hit and miss, if i catch it well i can hit it 170 yards but sometimes it hooks left.

On my irons in general, i cant hit the 3 or 4 very well, my favourite club is the 6 iron and i can hit this roughly 160 yards fairly accurately.

golfwallah

I had difficulty with my 3 wood until I played a few holes with my club golf pro. He took one look at my 3 wood and said the loft was insufficient and the shaft too stiff for my handicap level.
On his advice, I changed to a pre-owned Callaway Hawk Eye with regular shaft and 15 degree loft (bought on ebay – very reasonable). Works a treat. This club plus a couple of short game lessons and my handicap is down from 18 to 14 recently.
Happy days!

alxmorgan

I know some others on here have had success with this technique..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq5gzmIeRQ8

whizbang

Sorry lads, I was kinda preaching to myself, try to make it sink in.
The last time i played the 12th in Headfort new, i smashed a monstrous drive, then hit twice decent 7woods (yes 7!) and i was still chipping on. that wood is a great starter, well worth considering.

Webbs, do you really hit a hybrid out of rough, what kind of depth are u talking about ?

Tones69

whizbang wrote: »

Sorry lads, I was kinda preaching to myself, try to make it sink in.
The last time i played the 12th in Headfort new, i smashed a monstrous drive, then hit twice decent 7woods (yes 7!) and i was still chipping on. that wood is a great starter, well worth considering.

Webbs, do you really hit a hybrid out of rough, what kind of depth are u talking about ?

Id hit a hybrid out of the rough too, but only if the lie was good obviously, otherwise its just too much of a risk

Webbs

whizbang wrote: »

Sorry lads, I was kinda preaching to myself, try to make it sink in.
The last time i played the 12th in Headfort new, i smashed a monstrous drive, then hit twice decent 7woods (yes 7!) and i was still chipping on. that wood is a great starter, well worth considering.

Webbs, do you really hit a hybrid out of rough, what kind of depth are u talking about ?

Hit hybrid from rough a fair bit on par 5s /long par 4s. Quite often just grip down the shaft and make sure I drive through the ball and it avoids the rough snagging the clubhead you get when hitting an iron.
Obviously the lie needs to be reasonably decent

GreeBo

allybhoy wrote: »

@whizbang. Thanks for the advice on swing stance. My short game isnt too bad, ive played PnP for the last 5 years at a decent level and I score very well on Par 3's as I rarely putt more than twice. Its not perfect, but its a lot better than than my low irons and woods game.


I understand what you are saying, and thats fine in practise, but most par 5's are over 500 yards,and thats if there straight,so say i drive roughly 230-240, that normally still leaves about 280-290 yards,further if its a dog leg, which means im always straining with an iron because i want to get it inside 90\100 yards to give me a nice chip on, and this hasnt been happening. Im normally taking my approach from about 160-170 yards away and at this distance its hard to get it to within one putt.

I really feel if i could master the 3 wood for my 2nd shot and get it inside 100 yards it would significantly help my score.

You are not going to like hearing this but I have to ask why you are trying to hit these par 4s and par 5s in regulation as a beginner golfer?
What handicap are you? I have never found it to be the case with any beginner golfer that its lack of length that is causing them to remain a beginner/high handicapper.

For example, presuming you are a beginner off 18, Im assuming that you have already had several rounds where you have easily had 18 2 putt bogeys before you are trying to increase your GIR score?

Tones69

GreeBo wrote: »

You are not going to like hearing this but I have to ask why you are trying to hit these par 4s and par 5s in regulation as a beginner golfer?
What handicap are you? I have never found it to be the case with any beginner golfer that its lack of length that is causing them to remain a beginner/high handicapper.

For example, presuming you are a beginner off 18, Im assuming that you have already had several rounds where you have easily had 18 2 putt bogeys before you are trying to increase your GIR score?

Im a beginner golfer, i hit some GIR, i miss some GIR too but thats amateur golf. If im 200/220 yds out i will get my 4 iron or hybrid and try, why not?

Everyone says that on here to beginners for some reason, just take out your 9 iron and play it safe and take 2 shots to get there rather than go for it from 220 yards, ive NEVER seen anyone 220 yards out pull a 9 iron out of there bag, have you?!? I think its terrible advice, he didnt ask about using lower irons did he? The chap obviously wants to learn how to hit his long irons and woods decent like the rest of us, telling him "dont bother trying to hit GIR because you're a beginner" is disgraceful imo.

The amount of threads started by new guys here just to be shot down is unreal, typical irish attitudes, "im off 2, im playing years,if i havent got a fancy driver then you dont need one either sure ur only a beginner", "ha you dont need that stiff shaft or 9 degree loft, ur not a low hcap golfer you should be trying to do this and do that, dont try and hit that GIR from this far out (thinking to hmiself ,because if you do il be pissed cos i didnt make it and i like to think im brilliant because I PLAAAAY OFF 2!!), ive a pain in my neck with some of the replies on some threads here. Id say newbies here are afraid to mention anything half the time. Ive gotten new project x shafts for my irons and to be honest i wouldnt even post up about it because i know what most on here would say. AAAAAAAAND I realise you're here a long time and probably a handy golfer yourself by the way.
Had to be said!!

Rant over
I need a coffee

EDIT: Im having a bad day too so take that into consideration

Deco1983

Tones69-If you're a beginner why are you concerned about changing the shafts on your irons as a matter of interest?Is it to help with all those beginner lay ups maybe?:)

GreeBo

Tones69 wrote: »

Im a beginner golfer, i hit some GIR, i miss some GIR too but thats amateur golf. If im 200/220 yds out i will get my 4 iron or hybrid and try, why not?

It depends on if you are trying to get better at golf or get better at hitting some golf balls sometimes.
If you want to get better at golf you figure out what shot is going to give you the best result the majority of the time.For most people, myself included, this is rarely a 3wood from the fairway in a strokes competition.

Tones69 wrote: »

Everyone says that on here to beginners for some reason, just take out your 9 iron and play it safe and take 2 shots to get there rather than go for it from 220 yards, ive NEVER seen anyone 220 yards out pull a 9 iron out of there bag, have you?!?

The actual distance out is not the important bit, its your ability to reliably hit a specific shot. Typically I will have a scenario once a round where a 3wood/rescue will get me to the green but a missed one will put me in rubbish, so I hit an 8i or 7i or 5i depending on the conditions and where I want to be hitting my next shot from. Thats golf! Dont pick a shot based on the fact that you think you should be able to hit a club so far, or that others can.

Tones69 wrote: »

I think its terrible advice, he didnt ask about using lower irons did he? The chap obviously wants to learn how to hit his long irons and woods decent like the rest of us, telling him "dont bother trying to hit GIR because you're a beginner" is disgraceful imo.

The amount of threads started by new guys here just to be shot down is unreal, typical irish attitudes, "im off 2, im playing years,if i havent got a fancy driver then you dont need one either sure ur only a beginner", "ha you dont need that stiff shaft or 9 degree loft, ur not a low hcap golfer you should be trying to do this and do that, dont try and hit that GIR from this far out (thinking to hmiself ,because if you do il be pissed cos i didnt make it and i like to think im brilliant because I PLAAAAY OFF 2!!), ive a pain in my neck with some of the replies on some threads here. Id say newbies here are afraid to mention anything half the time. Ive gotten new project x shafts for my irons and to be honest i wouldnt even post up about it because i know what most on here would say. AAAAAAAAND I realise you're here a long time and probably a handy golfer yourself by the way.
Had to be said!!

Rant over
I need a coffee

EDIT: Im having a bad day too so take that into consideration

Even taking the bad day into consideration lots of golfers are high handicappers because they dont understand what it takes to shoot lower numbers. They automatically assume it means being able to hit 3irons and 3woods etc off the deck and flop shots over bunkers.

Tones69

Deco1983 wrote: »

Tones69-If you're a beginner why are you concerned about changing the shafts on your irons as a matter of interest?Is it to help with all those beginner lay ups maybe?:)

haha, no its just that i got a real good deal on the taylormade burners with a graphite shaft, but theyre a bit too light for me so tried out a PX 6.0 an felt great so going with them

Tones69

GreeBo wrote: »

It depends on if you are trying to get better at golf or get better at hitting some golf balls sometimes.
If you want to get better at golf you figure out what shot is going to give you the best result the majority of the time.For most people, myself included, this is rarely a 3wood from the fairway in a strokes competition.

The actual distance out is not the important bit, its your ability to reliably hit a specific shot. Typically I will have a scenario once a round where a 3wood/rescue will get me to the green but a missed one will put me in rubbish, so I hit an 8i or 7i or 5i depending on the conditions and where I want to be hitting my next shot from. Thats golf! Dont pick a shot based on the fact that you think you should be able to hit a club so far, or that others can.



Even taking the bad day into consideration lots of golfers are high handicappers because they dont understand what it takes to shoot lower numbers. They automatically assume it means being able to hit 3irons and 3woods etc off the deck and flop shots over bunkers.

I know theyres a bit more thinkin involved than just distance,ur not always gonna just pull out the big dogs and let it rip cos ur a mile away. But 9/10 times if you're 230+ yards away from the green with a very good lie and a good straight view, u telling me you wont pull out a wood or hybrid? Not that I really worry about how anybody else plays at all but the OP just wants to learn how to use his long irons/woods/hybrids, like the rest of us

Id rather go around in 110 strokes trying to get used to every club in my bag rather than play it safe and use a 6 iron a 9 iron and a putter the whole way around Eventually it will come together with mor prctise and lessons, thats my outlook on her anywho

Cubenio

I bet you carry a jigger in the bag too Greebo do you?:)

Tones69

Cubenio wrote: »

I bet you carry a jigger in the bag too Greebo do you?:)

Jigger, 7i PW and a putter, no point taking risks with drivers and woods sure, play it smart sure slow and steady wins the race

GreeBo

Cubenio wrote: »

I bet you carry a jigger in the bag too Greebo do you?:)

Yeah, I alternate between whisky and rum, depending on the weather!

Uncle Mclovin

As the Americans used to say to me when caddying "I didn't come all the way to Ireland to lay up". I say if you're 200 + out have a go. Sure whats the worst that can happen.

Tones69

Uncle Mclovin wrote: »

As the Americans used to say to me when caddying "I didn't come all the way to Ireland to lay up". I say if you're 200 + out have a go. Sure whats the worst that can happen.

Haha I love it, yanks are all about the big wig anyway, power is everything. Theyd be happy with a 400 yd drive even if it went out into the car park

Cubenio

400 yards!!! into the carpark!!!...stop will ya or poor Greebo will get a nosebleed:)

Deco1983

Lads on a serious note if you're a beginner don't try and reach the car park in regulation

allybhoy

Ha ha good debate lads.

@Greebo
I havent got my handicap yet, handed in my 3 cards on Monday, so i would imagine I will get anywhere from 18-22, but i could be wrong.


I understand both sides of the argument and the majority of time, I do lay up with a 6 or even a 7 iron just to get it down there to get in striking distance. But as Tones has said, when your 200-220 yards away, with a clear sight of the green, its a pain in the arrse having to keep laying up, when you know with the right club you could get close and give yourself a par or birdie opportunity.

Not only that, but the odd time you might hit a bad drive\catch a tree etc and find yourself 50 yards off the teebox with another 400+ yards to go, that means laying up 3 or 4 times.

GreeBo

Uncle Mclovin wrote: »

As the Americans used to say to me when caddying "I didn't come all the way to Ireland to lay up". I say if you're 200 + out have a go. Sure whats the worst that can happen.

And thats fine, I play the same way myself if Im in Druids Glen or Portmarnock etc with my mates when there is no downside to having a bad score, when you are only looking at the good outcomes.
In your monthly medal strokes you have to look at the potential downsides, thats just part of course management.

Now if you are a +2 handicap then chances are that the error rate on your 3w of the deck is also pretty low and that your short game is good enough to still make par, mine isnt so unless the potential downside is pretty low (a bunker rather than OOB) most of the time my best score will come from laying up and chipping it close.

Webbs

Tones69 wrote: »

I know theyres a bit more thinkin involved than just distance,ur not always gonna just pull out the big dogs and let it rip cos ur a mile away. But 9/10 times if you're 230+ yards away from the green with a very good lie and a good straight view, u telling me you wont pull out a wood or hybrid? Not that I really worry about how anybody else plays at all but the OP just wants to learn how to use his long irons/woods/hybrids, like the rest of us

Id rather go around in 110 strokes trying to get used to every club in my bag rather than play it safe and use a 6 iron a 9 iron and a putter the whole way around Eventually it will come together with mor prctise and lessons, thats my outlook on her anywho

If I was in a practice round then yes I will go for the green from 200+, in competition then no I wouldnt most of the time. But from the posters on here then its also true that they take out the 3wood in competition to try for the green in 2.
Course management is a big part of the game, its something that the lower handicap players on here talk about a lot but not so much from the higher handicaps its probably more important to learn than hitting your perfectly drawn 3 wood to 10feet

As an aside I watched some Barton Shield this year and was amazed at how rarely these guys would go for the longer Par5s in 2 (which they would be well capable of reaching), invariably it was a lay up to 80yds and rely on their short game. It was good game management that meant birdies and pars for them but no bogeys or worse.

Mossy9

allybhoy wrote: »

I understand both sides of the argument and the majority of time, I do lay up with a 6 or even a 7 iron just to get it down there to get in striking distance. But as Tones has said, when your 200-220 yards away, with a clear sight of the green, its a pain in the arrse having to keep laying up, when you know with the right club you could get close and give yourself a par or birdie opportunity.

I agree, but it also depends what might be at the side(s) of the green or the back. For instance, if there is water to the left or right and you are not sure of the accuracy of a fairway wood far better to lay up accurately with an iron and then pitch in. Remember on most holes a high handicap golfer will have a shot so in real terms a 5 on a par 4 = net 4.
At least that's how I play. :rolleyes:

k.p.h

Jesus i would have been with ya all the way toner until this year. I'v not had anything bigger that a 6i except my 18* hybrid in my bag for the last few weeks and I'v shot in the buffer zone 8/10 in recent times and had one cut 0.3.

No driver and not even a 5i. If I cant reach I'm just pulling whatever club leaves me short and pitching up 2 putting and taking my 2pts. Sneak 4 or 5 pars in their and you are in with a shout.

It wasn't by choice I left the drive out either, I was waiting for the gear to throw a new shaft on it. It's going back in the bag today but as I figure it their is only 5 holes on my home course where I would pull it now and thats only because they have the room to miss.

Lay up take the the points or maybe save a Par and ditch the scratches. :cool:

alxmorgan

k.p.h wrote: »

Jesus i would have been with ya all the way toner until this year. I'v not had anything bigger that a 6i except my 18* hybrid in my bag for the last few weeks and I'v shot in the buffer zone 8/10 in recent times and had one cut 0.3.

No driver and not even a 5i. If I cant reach I'm just pulling whatever club leaves me short and pitching up 2 putting and taking my 2pts. Sneak 4 or 5 pars in their and you are in with a shout.

It wasn't by choice I left the drive out either, I was waiting for the gear to throw a new shaft on it. It's going back in the bag today but as I figure it their is only 5 holes on my home course where I would pull it now and thats only because they have the room to miss.

Lay up take the the points or maybe save a Par and ditch the scratches. :cool:

One of these days I'm gonna go play a round with nothing longer than a 5i in my bag just to see how I score.
What's the betting that I come close to a personal best.

30 pts with 4 scratches last night.
3 x driver and 1 x 4i the cause

Deco1983

Not using your driver because it being re-shafted probably does not qualify as 'Course Management' K.P.H.:)

Course Management is massively important at all levels of golf - but there also comes a point surely where you will potentially need to take a risk or two to get to the next level in your game?

Cubenio

Leaving driver,woods and low irons out of the bag is a short term measure,an aid to help you to view the course differently and to help get you thinking in an alternative way.

GreeBo

allybhoy wrote: »

its a pain in the arrse having to keep laying up,

Chipping out sideways from trees for the 7th time is a pain in the arse.
Taking a drop from a lateral water hazard is a pain in the arse.
A 1 putt par is not a pain in the arse

allybhoy wrote: »

when you know with the right club you could get close and give yourself a par or birdie opportunity.

the right club hit properly, which "you" only do 15% of the time...?

allybhoy wrote: »

Not only that, but the odd time you might hit a bad drive\catch a tree etc and find yourself 50 yards off the teebox with another 400+ yards to go, that means laying up 3 or 4 times.

If you are knocking down your driver so it goes 50 yrds, trying to hit a 3w is not where you need to be concentrating!

Tones69

k.p.h wrote: »

Jesus i would have been with ya all the way toner until this year. I'v not had anything bigger that a 6i except my 18* hybrid in my bag for the last few weeks and I'v shot in the buffer zone 8/10 in recent times and had one cut 0.3.

No driver and not even a 5i. If I cant reach I'm just pulling whatever club leaves me short and pitching up 2 putting and taking my 2pts. Sneak 4 or 5 pars in their and you are in with a shout.

It wasn't by choice I left the drive out either, I was waiting for the gear to throw a new shaft on it. It's going back in the bag today but as I figure it their is only 5 holes on my home course where I would pull it now and thats only because they have the room to miss.

Lay up take the the points or maybe save a Par and ditch the scratches. :cool:

No big wig??? Dude, im speechless! I know what ur saying, like i said playing it safe will prob see just as good a score as if u use drivers and woods etc, but i think thats giving false hopes, the only way to get good at using the longies is to keep practising and using them i reckon, i hit smoe great drives and 4i/5i shots today and im very happy, im a very persistent person, i wont get mad no matter how many drives i slice, ya gotta stick at it and get used to them, all in my opinion of course

GreeBo

Tones69 wrote: »

No big wig??? Dude, im speechless! I know what ur saying, like i said playing it safe will prob see just as good a score as if u use drivers and woods etc, but i think thats giving false hopes, the only way to get good at using the longies is to keep practising and using them i reckon, i hit smoe great drives and 4i/5i shots today and im very happy, im a very persistent person, i wont get mad no matter how many drives i slice, ya gotta stick at it and get used to them, all in my opinion of course

Why would you want to get good at using "the longies" if they are not improving your score? The game is about hitting the ball as little as possible, not as far as possible.

What you call playing it safe will never give you your best score, but it will also prevent you from having your worse score. Most of the time this is what you want from a round of golf, thats the point of game. do that 4 times and you are never far away from winning something. Do it 3 times and then "go for it" means you might win, or might come last. For someone trying to lower their handicap the former is the way to play, as a seasoned professional just interested in wins then maybe the latter.

Keano

Tones69 wrote: »

No big wig??? Dude, im speechless! I know what ur saying, like i said playing it safe will prob see just as good a score as if u use drivers and woods etc, but i think thats giving false hopes, the only way to get good at using the longies is to keep practising and using them i reckon, i hit smoe great drives and 4i/5i shots today and im very happy, im a very persistent person, i wont get mad no matter how many drives i slice, ya gotta stick at it and get used to them, all in my opinion of course

Depends. If you are in a competition stick to your strength's. For instance at the recent Boards outing I used only my driver and from 7-SW. Not once did I think I'll try a 5i here. I went around in 100 strokes - 27 points. I had 4 par's. Not since that day have I gone near breaking a 100. Now my other irons and 3 wood are coming on but sometime's playing safe is the way to go.

Kid Charlemagne

No offence Grebo but you seem to be wilfully missing the op's point - ie. How do i hit them?
Dont believe he asked if he should hit them or not.

Course management is something people have to learn for themselves. who is going to deliberately play safe all the time before he has learned his own limits?

GreeBo

Kid Charlemagne wrote: »

No offence Grebo but you seem to be wilfully missing the op's point - ie. How do i hit them?
Dont believe he asked if he should hit them or not.

Course management is something people have to learn for themselves. who is going to deliberately play safe all the time before he has learned his own limits?

Actually the OP stated "The course has some fairly long par 4's and 5's that really should be hit with a fairway wood (3\5) and i really really struggle with these clubs" I'm merely pointing out that these longer holes only need to be hit by people who have no shots on those indices, which as a beginner the OP is not.
Its all to easy to fall into the trap of trying to play better than your ability in golf, thinking that you have to be at least attempting to reach all GIR.

Tones69

GreeBo wrote: »

Why would you want to get good at using "the longies" if they are not improving your score? The game is about hitting the ball as little as possible, not as far as possible.

What you call playing it safe will never give you your best score, but it will also prevent you from having your worse score. Most of the time this is what you want from a round of golf, thats the point of game. do that 4 times and you are never far away from winning something. Do it 3 times and then "go for it" means you might win, or might come last. For someone trying to lower their handicap the former is the way to play, as a seasoned professional just interested in wins then maybe the latter.

ah i give up i like hitting the ball far, how about that now, there i said it ha.
You stick to being sensible with ur 6 iron upwards and worrying about score the whole time, il worry about giving her holly!!! WHOOP!!

Cubenio

Thats the spirit Tones!!!:)....I'm going to leave all my short irons at home tomorrow and just carry a driver and a 1 iron in my bag!!!Course manage that Greebo:)

Tones69

Cubenio wrote: »

Thats the spirit Tones!!!:)....I'm going to leave all my short irons at home tomorrow and just carry a driver and a 1 iron in my bag!!!Course manage that Greebo:)

1iron for putting, thats badass I was just thinking, i wonder what kinda score i could get if i only carried my Hybrid 3, 6 iron, PW, and putter, i could probably get a decent score but it just wouldnt feel right

Keano

Give it a go. Call it research :pac:

GreeBo

Cubenio wrote: »

Thats the spirit Tones!!!:)....I'm going to leave all my short irons at home tomorrow and just carry a driver and a 1 iron in my bag!!!Course manage that Greebo:)

Simple, Id just bet on *anyone* else in the field.:rolleyes:

LostPassword

To answer the OP - move the ball slightly forward in your stance, try to sweep it off the ground rather than hitting down on it and grip down a couple of inches - the extra length of fairway woods and long irons is the most important factor in making them difficult to hit.

Having said that, Greebo is right. If you're leaving yourself so far back that you need to be hitting fairway woods regularly to par 4's then your ball-striking is probably not good enough to hit long irons or fairway woods at all! They are hard to hit and the margin of error is always tiny (because the further you are hitting it, the less angular margin for error that you have. If you watch the pros, they very, very rarely hit a 3 wood off the deck even though their ball striking is normally very good - if you're 5 degrees off line with a 9i, you might end up 15 feet from the flag, if you're 5 degrees off line with a 3w, you might end up in the trees - and nobody is good enough to always hit the ball within 5 degrees of their intended line. Personally, I only use 3w from the fairway when I'm can reach a par 5 in 2 and there is no trouble short and no serious trouble left or right.

Cubenio

GreeBo wrote: »

Simple, Id just bet on *anyone* else in the field.:rolleyes:

Harsh but fair Greebo!:)

bustercherry

LostPassword wrote: »

To answer the OP - move the ball slightly forward in your stance, try to sweep it off the ground rather than hitting down on it and grip down a couple of inches - the extra length of fairway woods and long irons is the most important factor in making them difficult to hit.

Having said that, Greebo is right. If you're leaving yourself so far back that you need to be hitting fairway woods regularly to par 4's then your ball-striking is probably not good enough to hit long irons or fairway woods at all! They are hard to hit and the margin of error is always tiny (because the further you are hitting it, the less angular margin for error that you have. If you watch the pros, they very, very rarely hit a 3 wood off the deck even though their ball striking is normally very good - if you're 5 degrees off line with a 9i, you might end up 15 feet from the flag, if you're 5 degrees off line with a 3w, you might end up in the trees - and nobody is good enough to always hit the ball within 5 degrees of their intended line. Personally, I only use 3w from the fairway when I'm can reach a par 5 in 2 and there is no trouble short and no serious trouble left or right.

Yeah but it's because they are that long off the tee, they only need to use the wood/hybrid when they are going for a "long" par 5 in 2.