Fairway woods are becoming very popular for golfers of all skill levels. Why? Well they’re getting easier to hit from a variety of lies not associated with the tee box in addition to being more forgiving. Enter the Adams Golf Speedline Fast 12 fairway wood. It definitely doesn’t look like your average fairway wood let alone look like your traditional Adams Golf club. However not all new technologies work as advertised so did this offering from Adams Golf deliver the goods during some THP testing? Check it out.
From the Company
- Our longest and most forgiving fairway wood ever
- Second generation Velocity Slot (slot within a slot) for more ball speed, forgiveness, and better launch conditions
- Higher launch without impacting spin rate
- Speedcoat technology on Grafalloy ProLaunch shaft to lower drag and increase club speed
Look
As I’ve already stated this club doesn’t look like your traditional fairway wood and personally I really like the look. You’ll notice the velocity slot technology right away whether you’re at address or just holding the club which is a polarizing look in itself to say the least. One of the reasons I like it is that it sets up nicely as an alignment aid when you’re addressing the ball which I found very handy. Another reason is that it gives the club a very distinctive look from anything else out on the market.
Once you get past the look of the velocity slot you’ll notice that that the club head itself is a nice matte silver finish to it which is extremely good at reducing glare. When you pair that with the black clubface you have a perfect storm of alignment and glare reduction which is hard to beat. The overall look of the club head is pretty modern actually without going completely over the top.
The shaft that comes with the Speedline Fast 12 is truly unique. I’ll touch on it more in the Technology section of the review but when you first see the shaft you’ll notice a somewhat ‘unfinished’ look to it. It looks a little rough around the edges but there’s a method to the madness with this so stay tuned for more on that. Overall the silver and black shaft really meshes well with the club head to give it a clean yet aggressive appearance. Definitely not your traditional Adams kind of club is it?
Technology
Ok so let’s dive into the tech that’s in this club. First comes the velocity slot. It’s Adams’ second generation of this technology and they’ve designed it to give you more ball speed and more forgiveness across more of the clubface. It’s also designed to launch the ball higher into the air without affecting spin rate. This is accomplished by providing more flex across the clubface which also increases the sweet spot of the club. What good is a higher launch with too much spin on it right?
Now about that shaft. The Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue shaft has a rough texture to it which is unlike anything I’ve seen before. The reasoning behind it is that a rougher surface cuts through the air with less drag than a smooth surface does. Believe it? Look at your golf ball then. That’s not a smooth surface is it? Well the same aerodynamic principles are at work here too. What this means for the golfer is that you’re moving the shaft of the club through the air with less resistance which helps give you more clubhead speed. Does the paint on your club do that for you? Very cool.
Testing
The Speedline Fast 12 fairway wood that Adams sent for testing was a 15* 3W with a 65g S flex shaft. Whenever I took the Speedline Fast 12 out for testing I was anxious to see if I noticed any consistency (good or bad) with each testing opportunity and the two things I noticed the most were a certain level of consistency and a certain amount of distance. Before I get to those I’m going to touch on the feel and sound of this club.
The feel of the Speedline Fast 12 is a great blend of ‘crispness with forgiveness.’ The feeling you get on a well struck shot isn’t the traditional ‘nothing’ you typically feel but more of a sharp, crisp feeling. The feeling isn’t as prevalent out on the toe or heel, especially with severe misses, but it’s pretty constant. I didn’t notice a ‘trampoline effect’ from the velocity slot which I was surprised at given the purpose behind it but it was nice to not notice that. The shaft pairs well with the clubhead and it always felt that it loaded for me nicely on every shot I put on it. There was always the right amount of flex to it and the weighting of the shaft added to the ease of hitting this fairway wood.
The sound of this club is exactly like the feeling of it: crisp. The sound that the velocity slot makes when you connect with a shot is like a ‘snap’ or a ‘crack.’ Sorry, no pop sound. You really get to hear it when you hit a shot flush in the middle which sounds great and lets you know that you got it. So much so that you want to keep hitting it and hitting it trying to hear that sound again.
Performance-wise this club is solid. I wasn’t getting bragging distance by any stretch but the distance I was getting was about 5-7 yards less than my current fairway wood both off the tee and off the turf. Speaking of which, the smaller profile and shallow face of this fairway wood cuts through the turf just fine, thank you. The kicker was that my shot dispersion was as tight as it’s ever been with a fairway wood. It also seemed that I could not hit it anywhere but the center of the clubface. I always seemed to deliver the club to the ball squarely and center face so my results were almost automatic every time. There’s something to be said for consistency and comfort like that and the Adams Speedline Fast 12 fairway wood has just that.
Overall
Adams has always done things a little differently and tinkering with new technologies and the Speedline Fast 12 is no exception. All of the technology is more than just a gimmick and is useful and practical. The Adams Golf Speedline Fast 12 fairway wood retails for $199 and is also available in a draw version.. Click on over to www.adamsgolf.com for more information on this club as well as the technology involved with this club. While the Speedline Fast 12 wasn’t the longest or hottest club for me, it was one of the most consistent ones for me that I’ve tested recently. How can you ignore results like that? Check out the Adams Golf Speedline Fast 12 fairway wood and see if Velocity Slot technology can work for you. You can find this fairway wood at local and online retails such as THP approved Blind9Golf.
T. Hanks
This was a very well done review Todd! I learned some things that I had no idea about such as the velocity slot within the velocity slot and the rough shaft and why it is designed that way.
I must admit that I love the looks of the face, quite crisp looking in that black and the technology behind the shaft is very intriguing. Looks like the price point is solid and would not scare anyone away and as you said it is just a solid overall performer.
Again, great job on the review; simply packed full of useful information.
Well done. The textured shaft and matte silver head are definitely different. I wouldn’t be worried about losing 5-7 yards if I was able to gain the great dispersion that you saw. Even though you mention the head being shallow, it looks pretty deep in the pic provided. Maybe the silver & black combo adds to that? I’ll be sure to give this a few hits in May and see if it lives up to the hype!
Great review Todd. One thing I could use is more consistency in my fairway metals. Definately on my must demo list!
The speed coating on the shaft was something confused me initially. But it makes perfect sense.
Nice review Hankster! I am a bit of a fan of this club and the Fast 12 line. I think you covered everything I needed to know in this one buddy. Thanks!
This is in my top 3 fairways to try. After seeing it person, I was a fan of the looks. The slot is a little quirky, but everything else is nice. I don’t know why, but the ProLaunch just doesn’t have the buzz for me, though it sounds like it performed pretty well. I’ll be grabbing this one up right away at the THP Demo Day. I enjoyed the review, Hanks. Thanks.
Great Review. I love the looks of this club. Neat info about the rough texture shaft. Never would have thought that.
Great review Hanks! I was very curious about this one after being able to test the Adams A12os iron set. The velocity slot is the real deal. Thanks for covering everything!
Consistent as usual Hanks just like the club. Does the slot whistle through the wind?
I have to admit that the velocity slot had me put off a bit, but after reading this great review, I am going to have to pick this up give it a swing next time I am in a store. I won’t overlook this club again.
Nice review. I have hit this club and have to say it’s very solid.
I’ll take consistency out of a 3 wood all day long. Excellent review Hanks. At first I wasn’t so excited about the looks of these but I’m warming up to them and it’s nice to hear that it performs very solidly as well. Thanks!
Good review Hanks, if I was in the market for a 3 wood this would be on my list for sure.
I’m fast becoming a fan of these clubs with silver crowns. They look awesome at address. And this one really seems to be a performer too. I just might have to try this one out! Great review Hanks!
nice review Hanks…. like the way this felt from the turf. very easy to pick the ball off of it.
Nicely done Tee Hanks. I really enjoyed this review and all the info you packed into it. I’ll be getting my velocity slot on at the outing for sure.
Great revise, Hanks. Very awesome you saw a tighter dispersion w/ minimal distance loss.
My fairway woods are 10 years old, and I bet these will get more distance than what I am playing now! I really like the Adams line and I will be trying these out for next year.
Great review Hanks!! Good to hear that it offers great control as well as good distance.
Fascinating – lots of tech packed into this one. I’m most interested in that shaft, although the dual velocity slots are super interesting – especially considering your dispersion. Well done.
Nice review. I’m surprised with the technology that it wasn’t longer… Interesting.
Great review. I really liked this model a lot when I had the chance to hit it in the stores.
Great review. I think the slot on top would be a bit distracting but I am wkeeping an open mind and qwill demo this for sure. Results matter.
I think Robert will make people here in Sweden .Be more positive to Adams.
Great review! I will take consistency all day long even with a 5 yard loss, long is no good if your crooked!
Shopped 3 woods last week. Tested an R11, Ping G20 and the Fast 12. The Adams has the absolute best dispersion of all 3. Bought it and it’s in the bag.
Great review.. i have the f11 fairway wood and love it can’t wait to test the fast 12.
Crap review hanks. Now fuck off