Cleveland Launcher Ultralite FW Wood Review

Looking forward to it, JB. I was amazed at just how much I liked this after not hitting it for so long.
 
I finally got to take this out to the range again for a much-needed reuniting session yesterday. I haven't had it in the bag for quite awhile now due to a review and I forgot just how much I missed it. The club just feels nice through the swing. No other way to put it. And the sound/feel at impact is probably my favorite from all the fairways I've hit.

I've been working on swing changes and noticed a difference in my ball flight. What used to be a pretty pronounced fade has become a straight to slightly drawing ball. I was a bit concerned that it would want to hook for some reason. Glad to see that my fears didn't come true. Taking this out for a round this weekend and I'm pretty pumped.

Great to hear Hawk, I really like this club, I had the chance to play 4 rounds with the 15* and really liked it but am thinking of grabbing the 17* for the extra forgiveness. It just feels so smooth.
 
Great to hear Hawk, I really like this club, I had the chance to play 4 rounds with the 15* and really liked it but am thinking of grabbing the 17* for the extra forgiveness. It just feels so smooth.

You will DEFINITELY want to hear what is said during this show then. Lots of talk about loft and why there are 3.
 
Great to hear Hawk, I really like this club, I had the chance to play 4 rounds with the 15* and really liked it but am thinking of grabbing the 17* for the extra forgiveness. It just feels so smooth.

What I found yesterday is that I was hitting this just as far (and higher) than another 15° fairway I've been testing recently.
 
You will DEFINITELY want to hear what is said during this show then. Lots of talk about loft and why there are 3.

Thanks for the tip JB, I will be holding off on any decisions until I the show airs. Sweet timing on the show, this is perfect.
 
This club rules. For my swing, I've never swung a better fairway wood. Hit an amazing shot with it yesterday that made me remember just how glad I am to have it in the bag.

I was on the tee of a long par 3 with the flag up front left. It was playing 196 yards into a 10-15mph wind. Normally I'd take the hybrid here, but the wind forced me to club up. Honestly didn't think I had much of a shot. Hit a mid flight draw that started a bit right, than drew back. It really cut right through the wind, hit right in front of the green, and rolled pin high about 15 feet to the left of the pin. Sounded and felt great.
 
Thought I would take some time to write a detailed follow up now that I've played this club for about 6 months. Some may be aware that I actually reviewed the 19° 5 wood, but now have the 17° HT 3 wood.

The look of the Miyazaki C Kua really defines this club visually. I'll be the first to say that I wasn't a huge fan of the gold color when I first saw this club. In fact, I thought it was pretty bad. Over time, I've really grown to like it, especially the graphics. The head shape is just about ideal in my mind. Not too big, not too small, not too deep, and not too shallow. I think the sole looks great and it seems to have held up very well over time. The grip is still in great shape and I've never had any issues with it or considered replacing it. The headcover is excellent as I've come to expect from Cleveland Golf. From the Blue/White color combo to the actual functionality, it's difficult to beat.

My success with this club comes and goes with my swing. It truly is the easiest 3 wood that I've ever hit. That said, 3 woods as a rule are something that I'm not terribly consistent with and I often use them in situations that I really should pursue other options. When I first tested this club, I was a fader of the ball and that's the shot shape I hit most often with the FL. It was reliable and playable for me. Now that I am hitting the ball straight or drawing, I am doing that with the FL. My miss with it is either fat or a hook when I overcooking my draw with all clubs. I don't tend to get many surprise hooks.

Off of the tee I hit this club pretty high. I can move the ball back a bit in my stance and keep it a little lower if needed. Off of the grass I can hit it high, but generally will hit either a mid-trajectory shot or a low flying bullet that runs forever. I like that shot off of the fairway as I rarely am trying to hold a green with it. Instead, I'm usually trying to get yards back due to a poor tee shot or trying to get near the green on a par 5.

The sound of this club at impact is incredible. Really, really nice. As I said in the review, it's a little bit of a tinny sound that is very pleasing to my ear. I can tell immediately that I hit a good shot and then can enjoy the results while watching the ball take off. Through the swing, the shaft feels stable and I don't really notice the 'lightness' as much as some people may. The 43R shaft is a good match for my swing as I tend to do well with low kickpoints. The only thing that I have to remind myself is that the shaft is long (it is a 3 wood, of course), so I need to take my time and fully swing it. If I get quick and don't take a complete swing I tend to hit the ball poorly with it. That's something I have struggled on with many clubs, so it's not specific to the FL.

Distance with the 17° is very good for me. I can really crank it out there with a good swing and the best part is that it's easy to hit, so I actually hit it far a fair amount of the time. I can confidently use this club on many par 4's with the knowledge that I will hit it far enough to allow for a reasonble approach shot. If given the chance, I don't feel like I'd go with the 15° option as I enjoy the benefits of the extra loft too much. I'm able to hit the ball higher than I ever have with a 3 wood off of the tee and I'm able to actually hit the ball in the air off of the grass with it. Both are things that I have struggled to do with 3 woods in the past.

I don't really hit this well out of the rough, though I've tried more than a few times. I can hit it ok with the perfect lie (basically sitting on the top of the grass), but I just don't have the ability to get it through the thick grass with much success. That said, I really have no business trying that shot anyway. I rarely try any specialty shots (punch shots for example) with the FL as I have a club that works well for those purposes. I tend to have my best success off the tee or with good fairway lies.

In all, I think this is a club that could benefit many folks out there. Especially those that struggle with getting height or distance from their fairway woods. If I could change anything, it would probably be to chop an inch off of the shaft, but that would surely have some negative effects on distance.
 
Thanks for the extra review Hawk. I have been using the 5W, as the radio show sold me on the idea of the extra forgiveness that comes with added left and the 17* isnt available in LH so I went with the 19*. I totally agree with you that you dont notice it being really lighter than anything else, it has great balance it just feels natural. I have been amazed by the distance, I am hitting the 5W longer than the 3W a lot of times now, so I will need to reevaluate the 3W later. I also just use it off the tee and in the fairway, I am not ready to wander out into the rough with it.
 
At the time that I reviewed this club I hit the 5 wood farther than my 3 wood almost every time. The extra loft, length, and lighter weight combined for more consistent distance for sure.
 
To add my 2 cents, I got my 15* 3 wood two weeks ago. So far, it has been an absolute dream. Its by far my best club and I've hit some incredible shots with it. Smooth as silk and comes off the face like a rocket! I'm trying to figure out how I can bomb it 250 but my driver only goes 220 lol. Makes me want to swap out my driver for the SL290 to get that smoooooth feel. I'm loving this club!
 
The shaft is the same in the 290 and I hit it very well in April. It is definitely worth looking at it if you are finding success with the fairway.
 
Great follow up Hawk! I was the same way about the looks of these when I first saw them, but I'm so glad I tried them anyway. I believe it was either your review or the one from the THP home page that caused me to even try them in the first place.
 
Great follow up Hawk! I was the same way about the looks of these when I first saw them, but I'm so glad I tried them anyway. I believe it was either your review or the one from the THP home page that caused me to even try them in the first place.

That was my review on the home page ;)

I'm glad you took the opportunity to try it!
 
That was my review on the home page ;)

I'm glad you took the opportunity to try it!

haha I guess I didn't recognize you without the buzzard. I'm glad I tried it too, it was pretty much love at first swing.
 
I played in a 2 day tournament this week and decided to use my 7 wood on most of my longer shots. I am so confident with that club and being much longer was risky with all the traps, creeks and ditches lurking. It performed beautifully and the distance was plenty to reach in regulation. I only used the 3 wood once off the tee and it was so long that I ended up in the rough in front of the creek I was trying to avoid. I had no idea I would go that far. My Cleveland clubs are just a fantastic addition to the bag.
 
I don't know what exactly it is about my FL15, but I hook the living daylights out of it. Its got the same shaft in it as my SL290 which is I actually fade a little. Its very frustrating, because I love the way this club feels/looks, but I need more consistent shots from my 3 wood. Ugh.
 
Yea, I can hook it, but that's either when I am hooking everything or when I really try to swing hard.
 
I don't know what exactly it is about my FL15, but I hook the living daylights out of it. Its got the same shaft in it as my SL290 which is I actually fade a little. Its very frustrating, because I love the way this club feels/looks, but I need more consistent shots from my 3 wood. Ugh.
That's interesting because I find that I really have to jump on one to get a hook with my FL. Then I remind myself that i don't even need to jump on it to get great distance and have good control.
 
I don't know what exactly it is about my FL15, but I hook the living daylights out of it. Its got the same shaft in it as my SL290 which is I actually fade a little. Its very frustrating, because I love the way this club feels/looks, but I need more consistent shots from my 3 wood. Ugh.

I had a round last week and was hooking/pulling my 7 wood off the tee. I did a little research to see what causes pulls/hooks and figured out that I was putting the ball too forward in my stance and was catching it on the upswing when my face was closing. Just moving the ball back a little made all the difference in the world for me. Worked with my Mashies too.
 
I had a round last week and was hooking/pulling my 7 wood off the tee. I did a little research to see what causes pulls/hooks and figured out that I was putting the ball too forward in my stance and was catching it on the upswing when my face was closing. Just moving the ball back a little made all the difference in the world for me. Worked with my Mashies too.

Interesting. I'll have to give that shot and see what happens. I usually play it off left heel just like driver, maybe play back more like a 4 iron?

I love this club when I hit it good, i just have no confidence cause it just wants to hook for me. Usually IF I remember and put more of an upright/fade swing I can hit it pretty straight, but when I forget its bye bye $3.50 golf ball. LOL
 
I wanted to like this club. I really did. A buddy of mine got the 3wood and after 2 attemps (1 off the tee and the other from the fairway) I knew this was not a club for me. Evidently lighter clubs do not match my mojo and my tempo and ballstriking show it.
 
Interesting. I'll have to give that shot and see what happens. I usually play it off left heel just like driver, maybe play back more like a 4 iron?

I love this club when I hit it good, i just have no confidence cause it just wants to hook for me. Usually IF I remember and put more of an upright/fade swing I can hit it pretty straight, but when I forget its bye bye $3.50 golf ball. LOL

I usually play mine back a ball or two from where you do.
 
Interesting. I'll have to give that shot and see what happens. I usually play it off left heel just like driver, maybe play back more like a 4 iron?

I love this club when I hit it good, i just have no confidence cause it just wants to hook for me. Usually IF I remember and put more of an upright/fade swing I can hit it pretty straight, but when I forget its bye bye $3.50 golf ball. LOL

I would bet that's why you are pulling it. Try moving it back a ball at a time until you figure it out. I would guess I play my 3 wood about 2-3 balls back from my left heel and my 7 wood even more.
 
I wanted to like this club. I really did. A buddy of mine got the 3wood and after 2 attemps (1 off the tee and the other from the fairway) I knew this was not a club for me. Evidently lighter clubs do not match my mojo and my tempo and ballstriking show it.
For sure there's no such thing as a club that's perfect for everybody, or even 'perfect' for any body I suppose. I think it usually boils down to the shaft though. It just happens that the c. kua fits me well, if I don't push it too hard. I imagine I would probably fall in love with any club that had that shaft.
 
Interesting. I'll have to give that shot and see what happens. I usually play it off left heel just like driver, maybe play back more like a 4 iron?

I love this club when I hit it good, i just have no confidence cause it just wants to hook for me. Usually IF I remember and put more of an upright/fade swing I can hit it pretty straight, but when I forget its bye bye $3.50 golf ball. LOL

Dude, the banner in your signature is awesome!
 
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