Fred Couples has 6 (!) woods and hybrids in his bag. Should you?

In honor of Fred Couples’ 65th birthday, the PGA Tour Champions has been posting photos and videos of the famously syrupy swinger, both past and present. But one video in particular caught my eye, a clip of Couples reeling off his stock yardages through the bag. 

The video stood out for a few reasons. The first being that Couples carries six woods/hybrids: driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, plus three hybrids that replace his 4-, 5- and 6-irons. I don’t know many amateurs with that much lumber in their bags let alone pros. Couples has said his chronic back problems have made it difficult for him to hit long irons, but he also clearly values the higher, softer flight and stopping power of hybrids.  

To better understand why Couples would favor hybrids over long irons, I reached out to David Armitage, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher to Watch.

“I think what he [Couples] is doing is trying to optimize and keep his game moving forward in the right direction so he can shoot the lowest scores possible,” Armitage says. 

Armitage said that Tour players judge how well their equipment is working on a few key areas, two of which are distance and trajectory. In Couples’ case, Armitage said, he is likely looking at the courses he plays in competition, taking into account the carry distances he’ll need and the ball flight that best suits his game to piece together a bag that is going to help him be effective. 

Couples unpacks this strategy in another video the Champions Tour posted of him dialing in his woods, in which he explains how these clubs help him stop shots “on a dime.”

So, what can we amateurs learn from Couples? For starters, we shouldn’t shy away from utilizing more forgiving clubs like a 7-wood or 6-hybrid. Ego can play a role when selecting equipment, but if you can put that nagging voice aside, Armitage says fewer irons in your arsenal can benefit your game in more ways than one. 

Gear

How more woods and hybrids can help your game

Fairway woods and hybrids not only only help golfers get the ball up quickly, but they also can help you make a better technical move in your swing, Armitage says.

That’s because average golfers have a tendency to try and help the ball into the air by leaning back. Having a more forgiving club in your hand will help you launch the ball without hanging back in your swing, thereby improving your impact position and chances of making solid, center-face contact. 

Another reason the video above stood out to me was because even with Couples’ smooth tempo, he still bombs it. To give you some perspective, the stock yardage for his driver is 285, just 14 yards short of the PGA Tour average. One reason he’s able to hit it so far is because he finds the center of the face every time. 

“Center-face contact is one of the most important fundamentals in golf for two reasons,” Armitage says.

“When you have off-center hits, like the toe and heel, it’s going to change the face a little bit at impact,” Armitage says. 

Ultimately, the ability to make solid, center-face strikes is the biggest difference between a pro and an amateur. 

But what if the right club selection could bring you a little closer to a pro’s skill level? Hybrid and woods can help. 

Fairway woods and hybrids are so forgiving because they have larger clubheads, meaning more stability and a bigger “sweet spot,” Armitage says. That means more shots that start and stay on line, better trajectory and even an improved performance from the rough. 

As golf season comes to a close, now is a great time to experiment with switching out your long irons for a hybrid or fairway wood. Give it a try. Hey, if it’s good enough for Freddie…

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