9 Wood vs 5 Hybrid: Which one should I carry?

The majority of the golfers will select the 5 hybrid over the 9 wood as it provides some quality flexibility from the tee, fairway or rough. It also helps keep the yardage gapping consistent in the bag as many golfers will carry a driver, 3 wood and a 5 hybrid.

A golfer is able to carry 14 clubs in their bag.

Maximizing the best 14 clubs for their bag is important to their overall success and shooting the best scores possible.

There are going to be golfers who prefer the fairway wood in general and those that prefer the hybrid.

The great news for golfers is that there are plenty of options. The bad news for golfers is that there are plenty of options. The blessing can be a curse if you are struggling or doubting which clubs are best for your game.

Ultimately, the golf needs to find the best 14 clubs for their game based on testing different clubs out in practice rounds, on golf launch monitors and during actual competitive rounds.

Below, we will help you decide if the 9 wood or 5 hybrid is best for your game!

9 Wood vs 5 Hybrid

Update: The 5 hybrid is a great club for any golfer that has a swing speed below 100 with the driver. It provides quality launch, distance and is easy to hit from a variety of lies. Give yourself the advantage of a 5 hybrid and save a couple of shots each round!

Golfers need to be aware of the yardage gaps in their game. For example, if a golfer hits a driver 250 yards total distance, they will want to build their bag from between 50 yards and 225 yards. A gap between clubs of around 10-15 yards is important.

Unfortunately, many golfers overlook the importance of figuring what clubs are best from them in the 150 to 225 yard distance. The reality is that several shots per round will exist in this distance on longer par 4s, the 2nd shot on par 5s and the longer par 3s on a golf course. Having a quality option is important to ensuring you are giving yourself the best competitive edge as possible.

Testing out both clubs is essential to your success!

Quick Overview: 9 wood vs 5 hybrid

9 Wood Details

Length of club = 40”
Loft of club = 26 degrees

5 Hybrid Details

Length of club = 38-39”
Loft of club = 27 degrees

Here are the pros of both the 9 wood and the 5 hybrid

Top 3 reasons to carry a 9 wood:

Easier to hit off the tee

Bigger club head
Won’t hook as easy

Top 3 reasons to carry a 5 hybrid:

More versatile

Better of a tight fairway lie
Extra height in shot

On a narrow par 4 like this hole, something less than a driver might be a good strategy.

9 Wood: Easier to hit off the tee

Many fairway woods are easier to hit off a tee when compared to a hybrid. When you reach that mid to longer range par 3 or need to hit a shot off the tee on a narrow hole, many people prefer the fairway wood over the hybrid. Often times, it becaomes a confidence thing for many golfers. With the ball sitting off the ground slightly, it looks very easy to hit as the the fairway wood sits behind the ball

9 Wood: Bigger club head

The larger club head can help provide the confidence that the golfer needs. Many beginner golfers thrive from the confidence of a bigger club head and can swing with authority and the confidence needed to hit quality shots in the game of golf. As the golfer sets up to the shot, the confidence increases and the allows the golfer to swing without fear.

9 Wood: Won’t hook as easy

The better player can sometimes have the tendency of over drawing or hooking a hybrid, while the same might be true with the fairway wood because of the weighting within the club head. The fairway wood is frequently more balanced compared to the hybrid.

6 iron vs 6 hybrid

5 Hybrid: More versatile

Due to the shape of the head, the hybrid is often more versatile. You can use it out of hte fairway bunker, the deep rough and out of a basic shot from the fairway. The 5 hybrid is often a go to club for many golfers once they reach 160 yards or greater. The better golfers are able to take a full swing, 3 quarter swing or something in between to control their distance with the club.

The hybrids have become more common for simple bump and run shots from the tight lies around the greens adding to the versatility of the 5 hybrid.

5 Hybrid: Better of a tight fairway lie

Many hybrids have a similar look or feel to an iron, where the opposite side of this is the lack of confidence in hitting a fairway wood from the fairway. The tight lies found in many of the elite country clubs can destroy the confidence when the fairway wood is sitting behind the ball. Golfers often have more confidence with the hybrid club from the tight lie in a fairway.

5 iron vs 5 hybrid

5 Hybrid: Extra height in shot

The hybrids in general seem to launch a bit higher vs a more boring flight of the fairway woods. This extra height might be very important to the mid to high handicap when hitting shots from greater than 150 yards to be able to hold the green. It is one thing to hit the green, it is a completely different challenge to hold the green which can be aided by extra height in the golf shot.

5 hybrid vs 3 wood

The utility irons are another options for that 150-225 range.

What club would the 9 wood or 5 hybrid replace?

These two clubs can both replace an iron in the 4-6 iron range depending on the distance you hit your current clubs and what you might hit these new additions to your golf bag. The iron closest to the actual loft is the 6 iron.

We would highly recommend charting the distance of each of the clubs in your bag.

Major Key: Understanding and Creating A Shot Distance Chart

I would highly recommend each golfer create a distance chart like the sample below:

Club	Carry Distance (100%)	90%	80%
2 Utility Iron	210
4 iron	190
5 iron	181
6 iron	171
7 iron	163
8 iron	153
9 iron	143
P Club	130	123	115
Pitching Wedge	118	110	102
SW Club	105	97	91
LW Club	90	82	74

This might be the most important information you can use to help you play quality golf. I have heard so many stories and have seen it first hand where golfers completely over estimate how far they hit each iron.

They hit one 7 iron 165 yards one time and think this is their carry distance. So they step up to a 165 yard shot, hit the 7 iron and end up in a bunker. They blade it out of the bunker and are looking at a double bogey as their reality. Instead, if they had the right club and hit the 6 iron, their chance of hitting the middle of the green would increase greatly!

How can you create your own chart?

Option 1: I would highly recommend a launch monitor!

These portable devices can be used at the driving range, golf course or set up in your home net or golf simulator. These devices are game changers not only on being able to map your bag and know your distances, but they also provide quality feedback after on every shot and provide the following information:

Carry Distance
Spin Rate
Launch Angle

Spin Axis
Total Distance
Ball Speed

This information will help you map your bag, decide on which clubs are best for your game, develop a stock shot and much more. I love using my SkyTrak 365 days a year in my golf simulator setup.

The process for mapping your bag can looking something like this:

Hit 5 shots with each club in your bag.

Log the carry distance and total distance for each shot.
Eliminate any outlier numbers (poor hits or low spin rates).
Take the average and create a map of your bag.

If you visit any PGA Tour event you will see plenty of golfers utilizing their launch monitors. While most can’t afford a Trackman, there are some very affordable options in the 500-2000 dollar range. I own the SkyTrak and think the world of it.

Here are the top 3 options to check out:

SkyTrak Launch Monitor

Option 2: Use a Driving Range or Open Field

If you can’t afford a launch monitor at this time, here is another option.

Find an open driving range or open field
Take 10 balls of the type of golf ball you play
Pick a target and either walk it off or use a rangefinder.

Hit 10 shots with each club in your bag and take an average.
Your rangefinder can help you get a specific distance.

Go ahead and create a chart of each club and their carry distance like the one above.

The ultimate game changer setup! Practice and play 365 days a year and see your average score decrease quickly!

My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.

This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.

It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.

Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:

Rain or Shine Golf Packages

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions: