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The 7 Wood?

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buj77

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Hi

I currently carry a 5 wood (R flex) and a fairway driver (13 degree loft)…bought a new set of irons (4-PW) which have pretty strong lofts (I don’t carry a 3 wood because I get plenty of distance on all my clubs and hit the 5 wood very consistently to about 260 yards and the fairway driver gets me about 280-290 (but I am not as straight as I am with the 5 wood)). The 4 iron has a 23 degree loft and the 5 wood has an 18 degree loft. Unfortunately, its very hard to find an individual 3 iron that matches the set I have. This has left me with 13 clubs in the bag (I don’t carry a LW and really feel no need to carry one) and have been fiddling with the idea of buying a 7 wood. My questions to any of you are:

  1. Do any of you carry a 7 wood?
  2. Is a 7 wood a suitable replacement for 3 iron distance?
  3. What 7 wood would you recommend?
Finally…I plan to get fitted for a new driver (with a more standard loft hopefully) that I can hit consistently, around the end of this year. Should I just not bother with buying a 7 wood and hang on till the year end to add another driver to the bag (and in the meanwhile continue with the 13 clubs in the bag)?

I know that’s a lot of questions, so thanks to anyone who responds.

Cheers
 
First off Welcome to THP and second off...dang you are long!

to answer your question, In my opinion 7 woods were created for those that couldn't hit long irons like 3 and 4 irons, now that we have hybrids for those, I think the 7 wood has really fallen out of popularity.
 
Welcome to THP! I used to carry a 7 wood and a 9 wood because like Tim said I had alot of trouble with long irons. As my game has progressed, I have gone to a 3 wood and Mashie M4 hybrid. I am able to hit the Mashie way better than the 7wood or 9 wood because I can use it from many different situations, like the rough where I was unable to use the 7 wood or 9 wood.
 
Have you considered a 3 hybrid in place of the 3 iron?
 
I used to carry one before the advent of hybrids but no longer have a need for one.
 
Thanks for the welcome. I've been away from the game for the past 10+ years and have only gotten back to practicing (maybe a round a month) for the past 3 months (started playing when I was 8 so a lot of things come natural but still need to regrove/find my swing...work in progress at the moment). The reason I bring up the past is because I've never hit a hybrid before and am sort of hesitant to put something completely new in the bag. As for longer irons...when. Came back to the game, the thing that's shocked me most about irons is the jacked up lofts...my current (new) set has a 4-PW set up and I am really struggling to find a shop/store that will sell me an individual 3 iron. Think my options are:

Get over it and try hybrids (the 90's are over)...or try and get a 3 iron from somewhere...or try to locate a decent 7 wood...or...don't bother...reset the swing for another few months and then pick up a 9.5 degree custom driver...

Suggested the possibility of the 7 because of the reluctance with trying something completely new (to me at least)...

Oh and thanks again for the welcome:)
 
buj77 said:
Thanks for the welcome. I've been away from the game for the past 10+ years and have only gotten back to practicing (maybe a round a month) for the past 3 months (started playing when I was 8 so a lot of things come natural but still need to regrove/find my swing...work in progress at the moment). The reason I bring up the past is because I've never hit a hybrid before and am sort of hesitant to put something completely new in the bag. As for longer irons...when. Came back to the game, the thing that's shocked me most about irons is the jacked up lofts...my current (new) set has a 4-PW set up and I am really struggling to find a shop/store that will sell me an individual 3 iron. Think my options are:

Get over it and try hybrids (the 90's are over)...or try and get a 3 iron from somewhere...or try to locate a decent 7 wood...or...don't bother...reset the swing for another few months and then pick up a 9.5 degree custom driver...

Suggested the possibility of the 7 because of the reluctance with trying something completely new (to me at least)...

Oh and thanks again for the welcome:)
Click to expand...

My opinion would be that if you are working on your swing and practicing alot, why not grab a hybrid and give it a try. Get something used so it doesnt break the bank.
 
buj77 said:
Thanks for the welcome. I've been away from the game for the past 10+ years and have only gotten back to practicing (maybe a round a month) for the past 3 months (started playing when I was 8 so a lot of things come natural but still need to regrove/find my swing...work in progress at the moment). The reason I bring up the past is because I've never hit a hybrid before and am sort of hesitant to put something completely new in the bag. As for longer irons...when. Came back to the game, the thing that's shocked me most about irons is the jacked up lofts...my current (new) set has a 4-PW set up and I am really struggling to find a shop/store that will sell me an individual 3 iron. Think my options are:

Get over it and try hybrids (the 90's are over)...or try and get a 3 iron from somewhere...or try to locate a decent 7 wood...or...don't bother...reset the swing for another few months and then pick up a 9.5 degree custom driver...

Suggested the possibility of the 7 because of the reluctance with trying something completely new (to me at least)...

Oh and thanks again for the welcome:)
Click to expand...

Welcome -- you are right about the lofts being jacked up. The reason you cannot find a 3I is because you already have a 3I -- but now it's called a 4I. If you did find a 3I, it would be (to your perspective) a 2I (recently bought new irons myself, and my "5 iron" has the same loft and length as my 10-year-old 4 iron). I used to have a 7wood (25* loft, so that was called a 9W by some brands). I replaced that with a 4Hy for reasons noted by others. I agree with their recommendations -- embrace the hybrid!
 
Thanks...so if I were to get a hybrid...from a gapping perspective (since the iron lofts are stronger)...I would/should technically be looking for a hybrid to replace the modern day 3 iron or traditional 2 iron...sorry...been out of it for a while...so what hybrid should I b looking for..a 2, 3 or 4?

JohnEB said:
Welcome -- you are right about the lofts being jacked up. The reason you cannot find a 3I is because you already have a 3I -- but now it's called a 4I. If you did find a 3I, it would be (to your perspective) a 2I (recently bought new irons myself, and my "5 iron" has the same loft and length as my 10-year-old 4 iron). I used to have a 7wood (25* loft, so that was called a 9W by some brands). I replaced that with a 4Hy for reasons noted by others. I agree with their recommendations -- embrace the hybrid!
Click to expand...
 
buj77 said:
Hi

I currently carry a 5 wood (R flex) and a fairway driver (13 degree loft)…bought a new set of irons (4-PW) which have pretty strong lofts (I don’t carry a 3 wood because I get plenty of distance on all my clubs and hit the 5 wood very consistently to about 260 yards and the fairway driver gets me about 280-290 (but I am not as straight as I am with the 5 wood)). The 4 iron has a 23 degree loft and the 5 wood has an 18 degree loft. Unfortunately, its very hard to find an individual 3 iron that matches the set I have. This has left me with 13 clubs in the bag (I don’t carry a LW and really feel no need to carry one) and have been fiddling with the idea of buying a 7 wood. My questions to any of you are:
  1. Do any of you carry a 7 wood?
  2. Is a 7 wood a suitable replacement for 3 iron distance?
  3. What 7 wood would you recommend?
Finally…I plan to get fitted for a new driver (with a more standard loft hopefully) that I can hit consistently, around the end of this year. Should I just not bother with buying a 7 wood and hang on till the year end to add another driver to the bag (and in the meanwhile continue with the 13 clubs in the bag)?

I know that’s a lot of questions, so thanks to anyone who responds.

Cheers
Click to expand...

I would say not to change anything whatsoever. You are outhitting most players on the PGA Tour in terms of carry. The 5 wood you are playing should fall kind of in line loft wise with the 4 iron to eliminate any gap. Im just in awe of that distance and then slow down so much to be able to play R flex irons.
 
Thanks...have always been able to hammer the 5 wood and most rounds I play...I use it off the tee, while everyone else plays driver. I have never been fitted for clubs..started with a hand me down from my dad (R flex irons, R flex woods) nd was gifted (in my teens/when I got to single figures) the R flex Hogen blades (from my old golf coach who has since passed) a S Flex TM fairway driver and a 9.5 degree TM r580 (kept my old 5wood because it was so good). Came back to the game..put the blades/ego aside and started to rebuild with more forgiving clubs. Have always played the same flexes in my clubs, so maybe what I really need to do is to go out and get fitted/check what my sing speed etc...actually is...think I'll give it a few months...hopefully get good/consistent again and can then go out and figure out wht specs I need.
 
What elevation are you playing? Those distances are world class.

I am trying a 7W as I can't get comfortable with any hybrid I've tried recently. The Mashie 3W is so good the 7W, I hope, will fit the bill. I am looking for 200-210 high flight and versatility. 7W fits that as does hybrid. My expectations is the 7W may go higher and a little longer than an equally lofted hybrid.
 
I like 7 woods and it would probably be a viable distance, but the hybrids of today are way more versatile and most will be able to pull off more variety of shots with them. Best advice: pick the best club out there for you that delivers the distance you need.
 
buj77 said:
Thanks...so if I were to get a hybrid...from a gapping perspective (since the iron lofts are stronger)...I would/should technically be looking for a hybrid to replace the modern day 3 iron or traditional 2 iron...sorry...been out of it for a while...so what hybrid should I b looking for..a 2, 3 or 4?
Click to expand...

Probably a 3H, but if you can try some out somewhere, that's the best bet. As you noted, you're trying to fill the gap between your shortest wood and longest iron. But make sure you actually need that filled (to paraphase a famous golfer from the past, "you play a game with which I am not familiar.") If you don't need that gap filled, and don't want another wedge (which would be the usual path taken), maybe you can be like Phil and carry two drivers, one for fading and one for drawing. Or maybe a low profile driver for hitting off the deck (although with your distance, I don't think there are many times you say "gosh, I wish I had the club to reach that par 5 in two!).

Good luck, getting new stuff is always fun, and THP is filled with people of great knowledge who are very helpful.
 
I use a 7 wood instead of a 3 hybrid because it just works better for me. Of course, I have read that people with slow swing speeds do better with fairway woods than hybrids. I can hit my 4 & 5 hybrids well but for some reason the 3 hybrid gives me trouble. My 7 wood is a Cleveland FL and I love it. Very confident with it.
 
I carry a 7 wood most of the time. For me it replaces the 4I in my strongly lofted set 4I is 21˚. I get about the same distance with both, but the 7W is just so easy to hit. I've had (and still have sometimes) issues with hybrids, so I'm more of a FW guy. However, I'm carrying the 3H now as it offers me more relief from the rough. I've thought about taking it back for a 5W though as I feel like I'm more consistent with those clubs. Different strokes and all that. Good luck.
 
You are much longer than I but I have a 7w in my current rotation.

Here is my current bag and distance for each to give you an idea.

Driver (11.5* Razr fit) - 205-230 range depending on on/off center hits.
5w (Ping K15 19*) - 190-200
7w 21* (Burner 2.0) - 185
4h 24* hybrid (Nike VR_S) - 185
3h 21* hybrid (Giga Reva) - (cut to 38.5" or my 4i length) - 175
5i - 165

As you can see my 4h and 7w tend to overlap yardage wise. Not sure why since the 7w is 3* stronger and is longer (41.75" compared to the hybrid 39").
That Nike VR_S hybrid just goes when struck good.

You seem to be a better player so as others mentioned above, I'd probably demo some hybrids because they can be utilized for more shots (rough, uneven lies, etc.) compared to a fw.
I mainly purchased the 7w last year as I had 0 luck in playing hybrids or 3 or 5 woods. This year though, my swing and grip are improving and the hybrid and 5w are coming around to where it might knock the 7w out of the bag.
 
I started playing golf (ages 8-16' when my game/swing was set) at an elevation of 3000 ft above sea level but it was always sunny (humidity at around 60% on average and average temp at around 20-25 degrees Celsius). I currently live and work in Singapore...at Sea level, 30-35 degree Celsius average temp, with humidity levels always above 80%. Unless its raining here (which is very often), the wind hardly blows significantly enough to alter ball flight or distance. The yardages here are measured in meters, and the average 5 wood distance I get is about 230-240m, with 250m being a shot which is hit perfectly. The fairway driver probably gets me another 10 yards (which is why I don't play the driver that much...not a significant yardage gain and less consistency/control).

Griff said:
What elevation are you playing? Those distances are world class.

I am trying a 7W as I can't get comfortable with any hybrid I've tried recently. The Mashie 3W is so good the 7W, I hope, will fit the bill. I am looking for 200-210 high flight and versatility. 7W fits that as does hybrid. My expectations is the 7W may go higher and a little longer than an equally lofted hybrid.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks...as noted...there isn't much wrong with the distances I am getting and really for me, the game/swing/practice is about regaining control (hence the thought of getting a higher lofted wood rather than driver, which I may/may not need). I think a part of it, is actually me, just wanting to buy some new equipment because I am a club short in the bag (virtually never play the 9.5 degree because I really struggle to control it...probably the shaft length and more than anything else and the fact that I hit down very aggressively when I swing...making the driver (hitting up) one of the harder shots for me to execute).

As I said...think I'll probably end up giving it a bit more time on the range (2-3 months)...get straighter and more controlled and then go for a full fitting...could very well be that the shafts I have in all my clubs are wrong (I hit a high draw naturally, take a pretty significant divot and when it goes wrong the draw turns into a snap hook far too often for my own liking). Still...can't help but be tempted to put something new in the bag now!

JohnEB said:
Probably a 3H, but if you can try some out somewhere, that's the best bet. As you noted, you're trying to fill the gap between your shortest wood and longest iron. But make sure you actually need that filled (to paraphase a famous golfer from the past, "you play a game with which I am not familiar.") If you don't need that gap filled, and don't want another wedge (which would be the usual path taken), maybe you can be like Phil and carry two drivers, one for fading and one for drawing. Or maybe a low profile driver for hitting off the deck (although with your distance, I don't think there are many times you say "gosh, I wish I had the club to reach that par 5 in two!).

Good luck, getting new stuff is always fun, and THP is filled with people of great knowledge who are very helpful.
Click to expand...
 
Does anyone still game a 7 Wood?

Does anyone still game a 7 Wood?

I used to play a 7 Wood all the time, and it was my 190-200 yard club. The shaft snapped a few months ago, so I replaced it with a 4 hybrid that I hit about the same distance. I've found that I am nowhere near as consistent with the 4 hybrid and I'm thinking about buying a new one, probably the Amp Cell 5-7 Wood to replace it.

I don't see many 7 Woods in use anymore on the course, just wondering how many people still use them? I'm a fan.
 
My brother does. It's old though.
 
I do. Mashie F7, it's incredible.

Might be gaming the Cleveland Classic 7w in the Morgan Cup as well.
 
Bullitt5339 said:
I used to play a 7 Wood all the time, and it was my 190-200 yard club. The shaft snapped a few months ago, so I replaced it with a 4 hybrid that I hit about the same distance. I've found that I am nowhere near as consistent with the 4 hybrid and I'm thinking about buying a new one, probably the Amp Cell 5-7 Wood to replace it.

I don't see many 7 Woods in use anymore on the course, just wondering how many people still use them? I'm a fan.
Click to expand...

Why should it matter if anyone else plays a 7-wood? If it works for you use it. I will say though that most modern day 7-woods are a little stronger lofted than previous years 5-woods(22*)if that makes any difference. I do have a Mashie 7-wood which I use occasionally, but I tend to hit hybrids better than fairway woods. Just me though.
 
majBC said:
Why should it matter if anyone else plays a 7-wood? If it works for you use it. I will say though that most modern day 7-woods are a little stronger lofted than previous years 5-woods(22*)if that makes any difference. I do have a Mashie 7-wood which I use occasionally, but I tend to hit hybrids better than fairway woods. Just me though.
Click to expand...

I'm going to play whatever I want, I have just noticed that I used to see 7 Woods all the time years ago, but rarely see one anymore. It was one of the most reliable clubs in my bag, and I miss having it in there.
 
Use to play a 7 wood when I was younger. I hit hybrids better these days.
 
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