Stupid Easy to Hit Fairway Wood - Does it Exist

[Pinglauncher]

Fairway woods seem to be a constant problem for me. I currently have a 99 F2 with a Matrix XCon 5 shaft. Love the look and feel, great off the tee, lacks a little forgiveness expecially off the deck for a chopper like me.

I know there are some supposed super forgiving yada yada fairways out there but they are all 2 - 5 degrees closed and seem to have 40 gram shafts in them :evil:

There has to be something that is neutral or at worst marginally closed with a semi decent shaft.

I want something between driver and my 21* G10 hybrid.

The best fairway wood I have probably hit in terms of forgiveness etc was a Tour Burner 5 wood but with a 49 gram shaft I really struggled at times with tempo as it was impossible to feel the head.

There has to be something that is good from both tee and deck, high launch and forgiving :-k

[PeteyD]

Tried the 07 burners?

[gazgolf1]

Titty 906f4 15.5 VS Proto 80.....stoopid easy.

[JohnLLL]

I havent had much experience with fairway woods, but i bought my first one a couple of weeks ago..A srixon M-steel, and Im not having much trouble hitting it off good lies.
It is a bit weird at adress because it seems upright but I think thats just an elusion.
Plus they arent expensive at the moment.

[simmsy]

ping have you tried an Adams BUL 3 wood. i am a hacker but this club is gospel.
the stock shaft isn't too bad, though you will probably want to put something else in it.

[Webster]

maybe it aint the clubs fault

[Ned]

PL, have you demo'd a R9.

Some of the guys here have had good success with the 4 wood and the 15 degree 3 wood.

The FCT may help!

[Russ]

Best thing I ever hit was a Ping G-10 4w (17º) with a V2 shaft.

I hit it as good as my XLS 3w, which is also moronically easy to hit - and the reason it's in my bag.

[AndyP]

If there was a club that solved all our problems, wouldn't we all be using it?

[Jarro]

V-steel 15*

[Pinglauncher]

maybe it aint the clubs fault

I am not blaming the club at all Jack, I know the problem is my swing :wink:

However at my swing speed I know from trial and error I need a higher launching head and shaft combination. The 909 and Matrix gives me this but it is no where near as forgiving to off centre hits as say the old Burner I had. I simply cannot look at a head that is drastically shut and most of the TM's are.

[Russ]

If there was a club that solved all our problems, wouldn't we all be using it?


That sort of logic is way too healthy for the internet.

[TheNuclearOne]

I've got an XCG 3 wood head if you are interested. Sits square, higher spin and launch than their other models and stupid long for those that need a bit extra spin. Good out of various lies too.

[just]

I've given up on fairways, G15 hybrids are really easy to hit and the 20* goes as high and almost as long as any 7 wood I've owned. When I get the spare readies Ill be buying the 17* to plug the gap between the driver and the 20*.

[adlo]

4 or 5 wood. If you hate the stock shaft in something like the Tour Burner, grab a cheap shaft off here (the current Diamond Tour group buy has some crazy cheap, top quality FW shafts).

Clubs I think are forgiving and stoopid easy to hit:

Adams BUL (but IMO needs a re-shaft)- quite neutral
Cleveland XLS (stock shaft is quite good)- also pretty neutral
TM Burner range (shit stock shaft)- you might find one that is isn't too closed
TM R5 Dual Ti or R7 Ti- (before the ages of light stock shafts)- quite neutral

The Ping offerings are generally quite forgiving, high launching and from everyone says the stock Ping shafts are amongst the best out there. I have only ever hit the odd Ping FW at a demo day etc, but the G10, Rapture V2 and G15 are all excellent clubs IMO.

[jaybam]

Mate my cobra hs9 fairways have been in the bag longer than anything else has ever lasted. So easy to hit even i have no problems.

[Daves]

Have you considered;

1) a shorter shaft?

2) going to steel shafts?

I have a Cobra 3 wood that I love when I hit it well, but find I don't swing it consistently and will start to spray it off line. It is 42.75". I hit it almost as long as my driver.

I wanted control back so went back to my steel shafted Wishons (See WITB below). 3 wood is 42" and 5 wood 41.5". I have lost some distance but gained heaps of control.

[TheTrueReview]

As much as I like my 3 wood, the 18° degree G10 hybrid has almost made it redundant for fairway shots. About 20 metres difference in distance but much easier to hit off the fairway.

There should be a few second hand G10's floating around now. Give it a try.

[zigwah]

v-steel 15 or macgregor mt fairway 15*

[razaar]

Fairway woods seem to be a constant problem for me. I currently have a 99 F2 with a Matrix XCon 5 shaft. Love the look and feel, great off the tee, lacks a little forgiveness expecially off the deck for a chopper like me.

I know there are some supposed super forgiving yada yada fairways out there but they are all 2 - 5 degrees closed and seem to have 40 gram shafts in them :evil:

There has to be something that is neutral or at worst marginally closed with a semi decent shaft.

I want something between driver and my 21* G10 hybrid.

The best fairway wood I have probably hit in terms of forgiveness etc was a Tour Burner 5 wood but with a 49 gram shaft I really struggled at times with tempo as it was impossible to feel the head.

There has to be something that is good from both tee and deck, high launch and forgiving :-k
I love the comments "stupid easy to hit etcetra". If you don't know what you are doing, hitting fairway woods of lofts lower than 20* with confidence can be one of the hardest things in golf.

Even low h'cap golfers struggle with fairway woods if their swing is a bit off. Once you lose confidence with a club especially a wood it takes an awful lot of practice and good shots to restore the confidence (but it is still lurking in the background). Hitting faiway woods within yourself (smooth, well balanced swings) is a good habit to get into.

The USGA accuracy table for a shot of 200 yards in length (for a scratch golfer) is 32 yds wide and 26 yds deep. For a golfer of 18 + h'cap, the USGA doesn't even bother over 150 yds.

[freddy a]

anything adams is a winner, ive tried the new fast 10 fairways and all i can say is WOW!

[TheNuclearOne]

anything adams is a winner, ive tried the new fast 10 fairways and all i can say is WOW!

:smt038

Where's 3 :mrgreen:

[markTHEblake]

However at my swing speed I know from trial and error I need a higher launching head and shaft combination.


This is not rocket science, just get a clubhead with a low centre of gravity and a shaft with a softer tip.

There are literally scores of products that can fill that need, and if that doesnt work, you have no hope.

[Rusty]

Ping - yes, have you tried the G10 in fairway and hybrid going down to about 18.5° (5w), 17° (4w) if you're lucky? both with stock shaft. V2 for some can come out too low & penetrating. yes, lean towards the hybrid first.

[BrisVegas]

Titty 906f4 15.5 VS Proto 80.....stoopid easy.

Couldn't agree more. I've got the 13.5 & 18.5 now and that shaft works well.

[Grunt]

I am finding the Cobra f Speeds pretty good & easy to hit. Dramas for me is from the grip up!

[virge666]

Nice one Raz,

Slow swing golfers will always struggle with fairway woods - especially classic shape 3-5 wood as they just dont have the swing speed to keep the ball in the air.

The choice of a Titty and a matrix shaft would have to be one of the dumbest idea's I have seen in a while - Titty make very unforgiving low spin heads and sticking an XCon shaft to it is a crazy choice. Sure it feels good on the 1 in ten shots that you get in the right spot, but good golf is about the bad shots you don't hit, not the good one you do.

You need height and spin, you need a big flat sole and a thin wide face. You can choose Diablo, Burner, Adams, or anything else with a big flat sole and thin long face. You need something that sounds loud-ish and has more of a high pitched "tink" to it.

You can get any shaft you like - but something with a stiff midsectin and soft tip would be my choice. Any pull out NIKE Diamana or Taylormade REAX would do the trick.

My first choice would be a Adam's or Diablo 4 wood @ 18 degrees and an Adams 7 wood at 24 degrees. Clubs I wouldn't choose is VSteel, Titty anything, Ping anything, Cally F,T or X tour anything, in fact anything that is a traditional wood pear shape.

If you want straight and easy, when you are a low ball speed golfer - you need height and spin, it is that simple.

Lastly - what ball are you using ?

[WBennett]

Go for a 17 degree 4 wood.

Mine is a beaten up, scratched and bashed Nike T40 4 wood with stock Nike stiff shaft. Still my favourite club in my bag, 5+ years on.

[IanO]

The USGA accuracy table for a shot of 200 yards in length (for a scratch golfer) is 32 yds wide and 26 yds deep. For a golfer of 18 + h'cap, the USGA doesn't even bother over 150 yds.

Ouch! as an 18 handicapper I can relate to that all to well.

Although 150 yards is an 8 iron so we should be able to hit it inside an 832 sq yard box

[Pinglauncher]

You need height and spin, you need a big flat sole and a thin wide face. You can choose Diablo, Burner, Adams, or anything else with a big flat sole and thin long face. You need something that sounds loud-ish and has more of a high pitched "tink" to it.

You can get any shaft you like - but something with a stiff midsectin and soft tip would be my choice. Any pull out NIKE Diamana or Taylormade REAX would do the trick.

My first choice would be a Adam's or Diablo 4 wood @ 18 degrees and an Adams 7 wood at 24 degrees. Clubs I wouldn't choose is VSteel, Titty anything, Ping anything, Cally F,T or X tour anything, in fact anything that is a traditional wood pear shape.

If you want straight and easy, when you are a low ball speed golfer - you need height and spin, it is that simple.

Lastly - what ball are you using ?

Every thing you say Virge is what I have found. I did have a Burner 5 wood and yes it was forgiving but it was also about 2 - 3 degress shut which does not help when your misses are left. If it was neutral I would probably still have it.

I have 21* and 24* Ping G10 hybrids and they are possibly my favourite clubs. I tried a G10 4 wood and for the reasons you have given above it did not work for me.

Will certainly look at Adams and your other recommendations.

Ball of choice at the moment is Bridgestone E5+ and B330-RX

[goonie]

Have a look at the R9, very similar head style to the burner 07, mine sits nice and square (if you are looking to set it in an open position to help with your left miss you may want to go to a 4 or 5 wood as this will decrease the loft)
The new Diablo Edge, they don't look as horrid as the old ones in the pics i've seen.
The 09 Launcher might be worth a look too.

But the best thing to do is go and demo some, and take your club too.

[nudgee]

PL, as many here have said go with a 4 wood with shallow profile - it will get the ball up higher and will be very forgiving - the old diablo is great off the deck and tee and it is forgiving and you can pick up one relatively cheap these days.

I love how someone actually puts a thread up about a golf related question - not actually asking whether there is a club that will make him a pro but one that will suit his swing shortcomings and we get the usual "crew" contributing the usual garbage of a response. It is so freakking predictable!

[3oneday]

anything adams is a winner, ive tried the new fast 10 fairways and all i can say is WOW!


:smt038

Where's 3 :mrgreen:
Oh pul :roll: lease

[AndyP]

Nudgee, it's just as useful as answering the question like half of the others have, and that is to list whatever fairway wood it is that they are using this week.

[3oneday]

That time of the month AP ? I doubt he was talking about you ;)

[AndyP]

Where did I say he was? I'm entitled to my rant about useless posts just as much as nudgee is. <insert whatever useless emoticon that indicates it's not that time of the month here>

[zigwah]

mine wasnt one i'm using

[markTHEblake]

and that is to list whatever fairway wood it is that they are using this week.
or whichever sunscreen they are using this week :roll:

[just]

Nudgee, it's just as useful as answering the question like half of the others have, and that is to list whatever fairway wood it is that they are using this week.
Everyone is going to do that, it's a pointless question in the first place. Only PL knows what will work after trying it, we can only make suggestions based on our own experience. All of the "game improvement" fairways from various companies are going to be mentioned, because someone when they were designing them thought they would help someone. We've had umpteen posts in this thread say try a 4 wood, try a low profile 4 wood, try a G10 4 wood (which matches both of the above criteria). PL has had 2 G10 4 woods, which is (a) 4 wood and (b) a low profile 4 wood with 2 different reg shafts, a stock and a ProLaunch Blue, and I'm guessing they didn't work. If he can't hit those then I would suggest a fairway may not be for him, but in the end only PL knows.

[Dotty]

Pinglauncher, from what I saw at Carnarvon, our swings/age/ability are probably very similar. After a month loaning them out, I just got back my VSteels with old 70g MAS2(r). I didn't realise how whippy they were, but they find the fairway. Also carves through the kikuyu well on mishits.

Over January, I was using Grunt's old Tit 980F 4 wood, which I can drop over to you to have a try, if I get it back from a mate (and I have a job that way). There may be a Call. X 3 wood and Warbird 4 wood, depending on what comes back.

My other stuff has found good homes. Nike T40 (great penetrating flight but poor swings hurt the card) and Cobra original green FSpeed (big face and flat sole, great if sitting up, but I had problems getting a predictable strike out of kikuyu and not a fan of the 55g shaft).

[nudgee]

Just you are right to a point as IMHO the G10 whilst shallow in profile is bloody unforgiving. That is why I think the diablo is a good alternative as it is a big head and shallow in profile - and not this is not my 3 wood for this week.

AP - relax - I was referring to people that predictably contribute zero value and only really post to shite stir - your contribution at least has reached a number higher than zero.

[henno]

The diablo is a good'n. Shallow, but it hunts. Stupidly forgiving too.

If you don't like shallow-faced fairway woods, look elsewhere.

[Yossarian]

Just you are right to a point as IMHO the G10 whilst shallow in profile is bloody unforgiving. That is why I think the diablo is a good alternative as it is a big head and shallow in profile - and not this is not my 3 wood for this week.

AP - relax - I was referring to people that predictably contribute zero value and only really post to shite stir - your contribution at least has reached a number higher than zero.


I can't see that happening in this thread.

[razaar]

I guess all we can talk to about this topic is our own experiences which is what the thread starter is seeking. Virge nailed the shaft bit with this gem -"You can get any shaft you like - but something with a stiff midsecti0n and soft tip would be my choice." This is exactly what I have found works for me. My choice is to use an Xflex driver shaft (66gms) and only butt tip it for the 5-wood (which is the club likely to give you the best results).

I really can't speak about heads (having played only a few) except to say go for a head with a very high MOI and stay away from player heads, such as Sonartec and anything with 'tour'. My favourite head is the KZG CH111 -
http://www.kzgolf.com/sites/courses/layout9.asp?id=588&page=31383

PL, I have your old G10 4-wood with the Grafalloy Prolaunch in the bag (via just) and love it with respect.

[Pinglauncher]

I checked out the Diablo and Diablo Edge in our Pro Shop last night.

The shape looks like everyones recommendation to me but it was soooooooooo closed, although at 18.5* I think it was the draw version. Is the Neutral any better :-k The old Burner and last years Tour Burner were also similar but also very closed :smt013

I know I need a softer tipped shaft for the launch but something that is stable as tempo is not always my friend :lol:

I really do appreciate everyones insight so far and I am not looking for a magic weapon. I just want a fairway wood that helps me enjoy the game a little more as my bag from the hybrids down to wedges is more settled than it has been in years.

The Adams Speedline has an 18* model based on the Boxer technology so is a hybrid/fairway wood cross and is also a little shorter at 42". Would this fit into what would suit me better ( I guess this is a question aimed at Virge and Razaar) Not sure what the ProLaunch Axis Blue is like though.

There is something out there for me and I will find it.

[PeteyD]

The funny shape of the diablo can have it looking more closed if you align it incorrectly.

[henno]

Make sure it's the neutral version (15N or 18N - they have an "N" after the loft) as the draw is super closed. The neutral looked closed to me when I first got it, but PeteyD is right, it's just the weird shape that makes it look so.

[razaar]

I checked out the Diablo and Diablo Edge in our Pro Shop last night.

The shape looks like everyones recommendation to me but it was soooooooooo closed, although at 18.5* I think it was the draw version. Is the Neutral any better :-k The old Burner and last years Tour Burner were also similar but also very closed :smt013

I know I need a softer tipped shaft for the launch but something that is stable as tempo is not always my friend :lol:

I really do appreciate everyones insight so far and I am not looking for a magic weapon. I just want a fairway wood that helps me enjoy the game a little more as my bag from the hybrids down to wedges is more settled than it has been in years.

The Adams Speedline has an 18* model based on the Boxer technology so is a hybrid/fairway wood cross and is also a little shorter at 42". Would this fit into what would suit me better ( I guess this is a question aimed at Virge and Razaar) Not sure what the ProLaunch Axis Blue is like though.

There is something out there for me and I will find it.
If this is the club you are considering, seems like a good choice to me.
http://www.adamsgolf.com/products/woods/speedline.php#

[3oneday]

Yeah, the squareway sat on the ground sits shut but if you use your imagination it doesn't sit too badly at all.

[adlo]

Ping, the Axis Blue will be high launch, active tip in the Speedline.

[Iain]

The diablo is a good'n. Shallow, but it hunts. Stupidly forgiving too.

If you don't like shallow-faced fairway woods, look elsewhere.

If he doesn't like shallow faced fairways, then he'd better look into hybrids, as deep faced generally doesn't equal high launch...