What is the deal with golfers who have more woods in their bags than irons. I was golfing with this middle aged guy a while back. All kinds of woods in his bag. I asked this guy why he doesn't hit his irons. He replied, "irons? - don't use 'em, can't hit 'em". On one of our par threes, he hit his tee shot about 150 yards, just short of a green side bunker. He proceeded to use his 7 or 9 wood with a short choppy swing to attempt to hit the green. Of course it skipped over and was 10 yards long. Grab a wedge. I don't think I could have hit that shot. Anyone else think they could?
Well, I think carrying a lot of woods if you plan on using them in place of longer irons is a good strategy. A good number of golfers can hit a 7 or 9 wood more consistently and better than a 3 or 4 iron. I think Annika carries some pretty high woods in her bag. She might be a woman but I still wish I had a game anywhere close to hers. I don't carry a fairway wood higher than a 4 wood but I've been thinking of replacing my 3 iron and possibly 4 iron with some hybrid clubs.
If you're talking about using a high lofted fairway wood for a 50 yard shot over a greenside bunker, then I don't see why someone couldn't use a wedge or some other iron.
Well I can understand for those of us who don't get the yardage with our lower irons carrying more woods than usual. But pitching up to a green with one????
I can carry my six iron around 160 but after that tend to hit fat shots with my 5,4 and 3 irons. With my tee shots only carrying 220 or so, I am most often left out 170 or more, so I carry a 3,5,7 and 9 wood. It seems to work out better for me and got my first par five bird yesterday after hitting a 7 wood from around 180 to within ten feet from the pin. Unfortunately the obligatory blow up holes and three put average still put me at 100 strokes for the day. Cant seem to get back into the 90s with my last six trips to the course taking me a 100 strokes or more. Starting to seem as though I have hit the wall here with around a 102 average, although just some improvement on the green alone would work to put me back in the 90s.
Living in Florida, the winter weather will not suffice to put an end to the madness so I guess I will have to carry on
I also carry woods in place of long irons at 57 I have lost a lot of the flex that I had as a young man, but I do not use woods around the green just can't see why you would I have seen Gary Player talk about using a 5 wood around the fringe but that is different than trying to chip. I my bag I carry a 3 wood, 7 wood, 9 wood, a hybrid TM 22º (4) which replaces the 4 iron, 3 wedges and the 5I-9I, and of course the driver. I find the 9 wood quite helpful, but again I would never subsite my wedges for chipping.
I don't think that it's humanly possible to hit a little pitch like that over a bunker and hold the green with a 7 or 9 wood, both of which I use for much longer shots. I can choke down on the 7 wood and take a nice little half swing that goes about 150, but I'd never use it for anything shorter than that.
Nothing wrong with replacing your long irons with woods. Go with what works. I think sometimes that the mentality of "I can't hit my long irons" wins with some. I couldn't my 3,4 very well, but I pounded it out on the range and found the proper release point for me with those clubs. They're not the most consistent, but I won't give up on them.
I've already replaced my 3 & 4 iron with a $5, 7-wood. It's the most reliable club in my bag, from 175-190. They're simply easier to hit. For me it doesn't have anything to do with age or decreasing flexibility... I've never been able to hit a 2-4 iron, except off the tee. I have a real mixed bag of old & older clubs that I'll be replacing soon with a 1,3,5,7 & 9 woods and 5-9 irons, pw, gw, sw & putter. Whatever works, although I can't imagine using any of the woods around the green.
Interesting thread - we tend to forget that the game's about "how many" not "how". How many players now chip with their hybrid after watching Todd Hamilton in The Open? Also watch the kids who started with only one club, Seve, Garcia etc., they have the imagination to do the unorthodox, high. low, hook, slice - as required.
I will admit that if I am close to a green and under a tree (imagine that!) I will pull out my driver and pop an intentional worm burner with a lot taken off it. I guess its better than pulling out an iron and lofting it, only to have hit a branch and land back at my feet. I have read all about how to hit low with the irons but unfortunately the only time I can hit low with an iron is when I fat out a 5 iron from 180.
I don't hit long irons great or anything, but they almost always go straight and staying out of trouble is more important to me than trying to hit it far enough to go for the green from 200+ yards. From that distance I'm not gonna hit the green often anyway so I like the fact that my long irons, if struck well, will have a shot at getting there, but if not, then I will likely be in the fairway with a fairly simple pitch. I have no confidence at all in my fairway woods. I had a 3 and 5 wood, broke both of them and bought a 3 wood that I like, the 5 wood is still not replaced...
October 10th, 2004, 08:26 AM
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