Next club after irons?

Question

I am getting back into golf. I'm not quite a super-beginner though. I got a good deal on some irons and they are composed of a 3 hybrid and 4-PW. I'm starting some lessons and a friend was a college player. They both said concentrate on irons for now (get the swing down), but start thinking about the next club up. I've heard people say 2 hybrid and others say 3 wood all the way.

I'm not asking to bring up a hybrid vs wood debate. For a quasi-beginner like me, which one (generally) would you recommend? The 3 hybrid has a loft of 20 deg. I'm seeing how 3 woods today seem harder to fit off grass for beginners. I won't even touch a driver for a while, so I just need a step up from a 3 hyrbid that I can hit off the tee and play in fairways/rough. Thanks!

Answer 1

It sounds like you are deathly afraid of maybe missing a shot.  We all do it from time to time.  You need to learn good fundamentals of the golf swing, and when you do that you will be able to hit all the clubs.  Go ahead and get a three wood and a driver and work on hitting them.  You are not going to learn golf without some struggles along the way, so saying oooh I won't even try to hit a three wood or a driver is a defeatist attitude.  Get out there and play some "smash-ball".

Answer 2

A 5 wood has pretty much the same loft as your 3 hybrid. That would be a waste. Go ahead and get a 3 wood and work on your swing.

Actually, the next club I'd suggest buying would be another wedge. You're going to drop a lot more strokes around the green than with your long clubs, so putting a sand wedge in your bag and learning to chip and pitch with it will really do your game good.

Answer 3

Sooner or later you will need a wood.  The 5 wood will go approximately the same distance as the 3 hybrid so it would not e my first choice. You may want to try a 4 wood, I have a friend that plays one and it fits his yardage gap.  I have a 3 wood as the next club in my bag.  You may wish to find a wood that has 15 or 16 degrees of loft to fill in your yardage gap and leave room for some wedges on the other end.

Answer 4

The next logical step would be either a 5 wood or 2 hybrid.  The lofts are the same for both clubs.  It just depends on what you are comfortable with.  Both can be hit off the tee.

Answer 5

When I am not hitting my driver well, I hit 5 wood off the tee.  I think a 5 wood would be a good next club up, because going from a 3 hybrid to a wood might be too big of a step.  Playing in the fairways and light rough the 5 wood would work well.  For the rough I would stick to your 3 hybrid and irons though.