7 Wood Vs 5 Hybrid – Which Club Should You Carry & Use?

7 Wood Vs 5 Hybrid – Which Club Should You Carry & Use?

Choosing between these two clubs will ultimately depend on the specific needs of your game.

They both have their place in the bag but which one should you be using?

There is a lot of debate about whether 7 woods or 5 hybrids perform better.

The argument rages on because it’s a subjective question.

It’s like asking “is a stick shift or automatic transmission better?” Both have their pros and cons just like 5 hybrids and 7 woods do.

A 5 hybrid is going to be more forgiving and easier to wield for most players than a 7 wood. A 5 hybrid is going to have a lower, flatter flight than a 7 wood but it will produce more roll. A 7 wood will have a higher flight and thus more stopping power when green hunting. A Hybrid is better from the rough and its also more forgiving.

In the following article, we are going to be helping you sort through these pros and cons to help you figure out which is better for your game.

 

What Are These Clubs?

 The 5 hybrid is more for taking the place of the 5 iron. The 7 wood can also be a good replacement for one of your longer irons and will typically have a stronger loft.

The 5 hybrid may be more forgiving. If you are having trouble taming your longer irons, this may be a good choice for you.

A 7 wood may be a good alternative if you are having trouble hitting with the 3 wood. In the end you may find that a combination of both these clubs works best for you.

 

Overview Of A 7 Wood

A 7 wood will produce a high launch angle but may not give you the distance that a 5 wood would yield.

The 7 wood will be a good club to help you get out of the rough.

The shot shaping you get from a 7 wood is perfect for getting shorter shots that will still launch high enough to rescue you.

While it might not go as far as a 5 hybrid would, it certainly has its place on the deck.

7 woods are a lot less popular these days, with the advent and popularity of Hybrids but Dustin Johnson does famously carry a 7 wood on occasion when playing on the PGA tour.

 

Overview Of A 5 Hybrid

A 5 hybrid will correlate more closely with a 5 iron than it would to a 5 wood.

You can expect it to play a bit longer than a 5 iron but still yield more comparable distance as opposed to a 5 wood.

As you may have been able to guess from the name, a 5 hybrid is a cross between a wood and an iron.

Hybrid clubs in general will give you the control that you would expect from a wood combined with the strong loft that you would get from some of the longer irons.

Hybrid clubs have been around for a while now and are quickly becoming favorites both for tour pros and amateurs.

They can be especially helpful if you are just starting out with golf and are having difficulty controlling your longer irons.

 

What’s The Difference Between A 7 wood And 5 Hybrid?

The main differences between these two types of clubs are usually composition, loft and length.

You would also use these clubs in different instances. If you were trying to get out of the rough a 7 wood would be a better choice.  This is also true if you want a higher arcing but overall shorter shot shape.

If you do need to get down the fairway in a hurry then you would be much better off with a 5 hybrid. The 5 hybrid will produce a distance comparable to a 4 or 5 iron. The difference between a 5 hybrid and 7 wood also has to do with loft.

Typically 5 hybrid clubs are set to about 27 degrees of loft while 7 woods hover around 21 degrees of loft.

 

What’s Better Off The Deck?

 If distance and forgiveness is your main concern you would be better off with a 5 hybrid.

Again, the answer to this question depends on the situation. If you are clear on the deck then it would be hard to imagine a scenario where you didn’t use a 5 hybrid.

It will get you further down the fairway and is suitable for shots of up to 200 yards.

 

What’s Better From The Rough

This is where the 7 wood shines. The 7 wood will be the club you pull out of your bag to rescue you from the rough.

Because of the shorter shot you are likely to get from a 7 wood, it’s better for getting out of the rough without landing so far that you’re in a different rough.

 

Which Is Easier To Hit?

 This is another matter of experience and opinion.

There are some that say 7 woods are easier to hit than 5 hybrids. That’s usually just because these people have a lot of experience with woods, though.

The fact is that hybrids are typically made to be easier to hit than longer irons.

 

Club Replacement

These clubs will likely be added to your bag to replace other clubs that may be problematic for you.

In terms of shot spacing the 5 hybrid will be typically used to replace the 5 or 4 iron.

The 7 wood is typically utilized to replace a 5 or 6 iron. They can also be good replacements if you don’t like hybrids.

 

 

What’s The Ideal Mix Of Woods, Irons And Hybrids?

Your typical modern golf club set will include a mixture of all these kinds of clubs. It’s the hybrids and woods that can be a bit tricky.

There are some complete sets that omit hybrids completely.

You should have at least one wood in your bag for helping you get out of the rough and you can omit hybrids completely if you are confident in your long iron game.

The fact is that there is no ideal mix of irons, woods and hybrids. What’s in your bag will be determined by the course and your needs as a player.

 

Final Thoughts

The choice between a 5 hybrid and 7 wood could also depend on your skill level.

Both of these clubs can be considered beginner’s clubs but more pros and golfers in general use 5 hybrids than 7 woods.

If you had to choose one club to keep in your bag though, we would recommend a 5 hybrid. It will be of more use in more situations and provides better loft and distance.