- Moderator
- #176
My fellow Grandaddy teammates are doing a bang up job talking about these fairway woods and hybrids. And the homepage article is chock full of tremendous information. There isn't much for me to add, so I will just focus on my experience so far.
Hybrids
In my fitting at the Ely Callaway Performance Center, my fitter Gerritt (who by the way is the same fitter that Phil Mickelcalves requests when he comes to ECPC!!!), I tested the Mavrik hybrid and Mavrik Pro hybrid. Gerritt first had me hit my 5-iron for a gapping baseline, then we started on hybrids. I loved the look and feel of the standard hybrid, but we couldn't get it to launch and spin high enough to make sense in that slot.
We then tried the Mavrik Pro hybrid. While not my typical preferred shape, behind the ball it looked tremendous. Swinging the stock KBS shaft was a bit of a slog for me (that thing is stout), but off the face this hybrid felt superb. Solid but still somehow soft/muted. I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, we couldn't get enough distance out of it and Gerritt was concerned that the gapping would be too close to the 5i.
Ultimately we landed on the 23* Super Hybrid. Since that release is not a part of this thread, I'll kindly direct you to the dedicated thread here.
Fairway Woods
If you've read enough of my reviews to start putting the puzzle together, you'll see recurring trend that I struggle with launch and spin, both almost always being too low. I tend to lean the shaft forward at impact and hit up on the ball, so it delofts the club while also taking off spin. It can make for lots of good smash factor, but also robs me of distance since I don't have the speed in my swing to make the most out of it.
Naturally, fairway woods are always a challenge for me if I deloft at impact and don't have enough speed to get the ball very high in the air. I hate 3-woods. Like, hate them. 4-wood loft is the most I can get comfortable with at address, but I prefer a 5-wood as the lowest lofted deck club. For that reason, we focused on 5-wood in my fitting.
After watching my swing for the better part of 30 or so minutes, Gerritt immediately reached for the Mavrik Max fairways. You might say it's because I hit the ball everywhere but center face, but I like to think it's because he wanted to give me a little extra launch. Truth be told, it's probably both. The first swing I made with the 5-wood was absolutely bonkers. The ball launched a mile in the air, dead straight, and felt like the face was a trampoline. I turned to Gerritt and told him that thing went high. He resisted rolling his eyes, then had me hit a couple more. He told me he loved the numbers for me, but I told him it was just so high. So then he handed me an Epic Flash 5w. I hit it really well, posing like the pro that I am. He asked if that was the window I was used to seeing and I confirmed. Then he said the Max went high because it actually launched like a 5-wood, I've just never been able to launch a fairway wood properly until now. Mind. Blown.
The decision was made then and there: Mavrik Max 5-wood with stock Project X Riptide 70 stiff. We discussed my disdain for 3-woods, but he assured me that the characteristics of the wood would be good and I would be able to launch it.
In the wild
All my positive vibes about the fairways center on the 5w. So let's get the not so positive stuff out of the way: The 3-wood. I just can't hit it consistently. I have hit it ok a few times, and it is forgiving, but with my delivery right now nothing with that loft will launch enough for what I need.
But the 5-wood. My GOD the 5-wood!!! Let me paint this picture for you. The 18th hole at the Clive Course is a long par 4, about 440 if I remember correctly. I'm terrible at remembering this stuff, but I seem to recall that the tee box is slightly elevated. I hit what felt like a good drive, but tugged it a bit to a sidehill lie on the left side of the fairway. It had been raining, and while there was no thunder and the lightning in the skies, that's because it was all in my head thanks to party boy @Luke WilliamsCG and his pre-nest influence from the night before. I get to my ball, and I'm still like 230 out. The hole doglegs gently to the left, but the green is elevated, and fronted on the left with a large bunker and short right with another nasty bunker. The green is big back to front, but if you're not going to hit it up the gut, it's a long carry to the right side of the green.
I'm standing over my ball and @LaQuintaLooper gives me the number. 230?! I look at @EthanatorCG like WTF dude who picked these tees?! I'm wet. I'm hungover. My hands are wet. But I didn't get in the motherf-----g Grandaddy to lay up! On a par 4!!! So I decide f- it, I'll take the 5w. Ball below my feet, wet grass, elevated green with absolutely nowhere to miss. Our member host Lars is standing up on the green thinking "What is this idiot doing?" Then I make the swing, and the ball rockets off the face with this mid, penetrating gentle fade. It carries on the front 3rd of the green, takes the left to right slope, and finished about 15' short of the hole. Absolutely, without a doubt, one of the best fairway wood shots of my entire life.
Since that day, I've had other similar shots with this 5-wood. Hit a less than stellar drive, then knock it on the green from 225. It's like rinse and repeat with this thing.
Conclusion (for now!)
The hybrids are excellent. They are fast, but definitely get fit. If I could find a little more speed in my swing I would game the Pro because of its better launch and spin conditions for me.
The fairways are absolute rockstars. I loved my Rogue 5-wood, but I never hit shots with it like I have with this Mavrik Max 5-wood. I'm not giving up on the 3-wood, I just need to find some confidence. But the 5-wood is a weapon that won't leave me bag for a long time.
Man.. I bet that 5w would make me giggle when I hit it. When I get my EF 5w all good to go, we should discuss a little side by side action and see what that looks like. You know, for content.