Most golfers will use a 5 wood in the range between 170 and 240 yards. The 5 wood is a versatile club that can be hit from the tee, fairway, rough and even out of a fairway bunker. The 5 wood can be used for approach shots or on a 2nd shot on a par 5.
One of the great things about golf is that we get to carry 14 clubs.
In order to maximize our potential, we need to make quality decisions on when to use certain clubs and ensure that the clubs in our bag fill all of the yardage gaps.
The 5 wood is an excellent golfers of almost all ability levels to carry. The highest handicappers and beginner golfers should carry a 5 wood and many professional golfers will carry a 5 wood.
So, a question we often hear…
When to use a 5 wood?
The versatility of the 5 wood makes it an excellent option for so many golfers. Learning to hit quality shots with the 5 wood, especially for beginner golfers or those who lack overall distance, will help save many shots throughout the round.
For the more advanced golfer, the ability to have a go to club on par 5s when trying to reach in two, those difficult, narrow par 4s or the long par 3s can make the 5 wood a highly important club to feel comfortable with.
Below, I will dive into the follow topics and questions and provide some key tips!
- When to use a 5 wood
- Tee shot
- Fairway
- Rough
- Fairway bunker
- How far a 5 wood should carry?
- Is a 5 wood necessary?
- How to measure if a fairway wood or hybrid is best for you to carry
When To Use A 5 Wood
The 5 wood is a versatile club and can be used from many different locations on the golf course. We recommend using it from the following areas:
- Tee, Fairway, Rough, Fairway Bunker
Tee Shot
The 5 wood is going to be on shorter par 4s where accuracy is more important than distance. This will often come down to the course that you are playing. If it is a tight course with plenty of trees, hazards or out of bounds, going to the 5 wood at key times with the tee shot will be essential to avoiding the big number that destroys your score.
Another potential par 4 usage is on the dogleg holes. In these situations placements or the ability to work the ball left to right or right to left will be more important than overall distance. Course management is an important part to any golfer’s success. Ensuring that you are making a sound decision and feel comfortable with the 5 wood is important.
A third reason to use it on the tee shot is if you are not feeling comfortable with the driver that day. If you are playing a fairly management course distance wise, using the 5 wood to keep yourself in play and rebuild some confidence might be a good idea for several holes.
The 5 wood is typically easier to hit straight than the driver because it is shorter and has additional loft.
One last situation is on the longer par 3s. Many courses feature at least one par three that is over 180 yards. Depending on your swing speed the 5 wood can become very important in those par 3s that range between 180 and 220 yards.
Having confidence with the 5 wood when you get to these par 3s could mean several shots in your round.
Tip: Make sure during your practice sessions you practicing hitting 5 woods off a short tee to see the difference in the ball flight and the overall distance that you carry it.
Fairway
For the golfers that might lack a little swing speed, he or she might find themselves frequently having 175 yards plus into a par 4. Being able to launch something that flies this distance and gets you around the green will be vital to your overall success.
Another great place for the 5 wood is from the fairway on par 5s. Whether you are a longer hitter and are going for the green in two or you can’t hit most par 5s in two and simply want a quality placement that leaves you 125 yards or less on the 3rd shot into a par 5, the 5 wood will be used by both levels of golfers.
Tip: Hitting a 5 wood or any fairway wood off of a tight lie in the fairway might make the golfer a little uneasy. During your practice rounds or sessions, find a level of grass that replicates what you will face on the course from the fairway. Play the ball slight back of where you would with a tee to ensure you catch the ball clean.
Rough
Having a club that will get through the rough and not twist and turn at the bottom is important to many golfers. The more difficult rough you play the more important it is to have a 5 wood that will help you advance the ball and get some quality distance.
Depending on the lie that you get, the 5 wood and how you swing it may vary. If you catch a “flyer” lie where the ball is sitting up a bit, hit the shot as if it were on a tee and let it fly. If you catch a buried lie in thicker rough, you will want to play the ball a bit back to make sure you don’t catch a bunch of grass before striking the ball.
Tip: Practice hitting 5 woods out of thicker rough and then lies where the ball is sitting up. Note the distance difference and where in your stance you have the most success with the various lies from the rough.
Fairway Bunker
The dreaded fairway bunker and the fear that it brings to most amateur golfers is a real thing. With the 5 wood, especially on longer par 4 and on par 5s can become your best friend. We want to catch the ball clean and not take a steep swing in the fairway bunker.
Another thing to watch out for is the height of the front of the bunker where your ball wlll exit. If there is a tall front edge, you will more than likely want to get with a mid to short iron. However, if the bunker is flatter this is an opportunity to use the 5 wood and get some quality distance out of the shot.
Take some practice swings before getting into the bunker and note where your club strikes the ground. We want to ensure we catch the ball first before the sand on these types of shots. Expert a 10-20% loss in distance and adjust accordingly.
Tip: Keep your body more quiet on these shots and work on catching the ball clean. Once again, practicing these shots to build confidence will be helpful for when you face this situation.
How Far Should A 5 Wood Carry?
Most golfers will carry their 5 wood between 160 and 220 yards. However, this simply comes down to club head speed. The slower the club head speed the shorter the carry distance.
For some golfers, especially young juniors or senior golfers a total carry distance with a 5 wood might only be 120 yards. This is ok, it is still a quality club to carry in the bag and might become even a more important club for those that don’t have great club head speed.
For the golfer that swings a driver over 100 miles per hour, he or she can expect to carry a 5 wood over 190 yards and might be all the way up to 120 yards.
Is A 5 Wood Necessary?
No, there are other quality options including the hybrids or a driving iron. The key is to test out the different clubs on a launch monitor or at the driving range to see what fits best with your swing and the courses that you typically play.
Some golfers will own all three and decide depending on the par 5 lengths, the narrowness of the par 4s and what par 3s the courses have. Having the flexibility is nice to have, but most golfers won’t spend the time or money to provide the versatility and that is fine. Sometimes picking one club and sticking with it and building a level of comfortability might be more important!
How To Measure If A Fairway Wood or Hybrid Is Best For You To Carry?
Over twenty years ago, a golfer would have to go the driving range and use poor quality balls and hope to be able to make a decision based on the feel of the club. However, now golfers can utilize a portable launch monitor and use at home, on the range or at the course for quality data to measure items such as the following:
- Ball speed
- Spin rate
- Spin axis
- Launch angle
- Carry distance
- Total distance
These numbers can be highly helpful in deciding which club is best for you! Depending whether you are seeking distance, accuracy, precision, etc. will all factor into what club is best for you.
I know what you are thinking, but I don’t have $16,000 to spend on a launch monitor and I have good news for you! There are entry level launch monitors that compare well to the most expensive product that are in the range between 500 and 2000 dollars. These portable launch monitors are game changes and can be used for the following:
- Mapping your bag on carry distance
- Determining which clubs are best for your game
- Praciting year round with quality data for game improvement
- Building a golf simulator to play golf 365 days a year
Resource: 5 Alternatives to the Trackman!
Here are three quality options that I would recommend:
If you head to any PGA Tour event you will see just about every golfer with a launch monitor. While many amateurs won’t be able to afford the Trackman or the expensive models, the information you can receive from the entry level launch monitors can still improve your game.
Final Thoughts: 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:
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:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.