Here is Why I Probably Need an 11W

[Birdman03]

I have two clubs that produce nice high ball flights (over 70 ft Apex) in the distance range formerly covered by my 4-5-6 irons. Because of my low CHS there is only an 8 mph Ball Speed gap between the two however. Also, after doing a lot of testing I found that I need significant loft and length differences between longer clubs to make sure they gap favorably.

The attached chart shows that 5- and 6- hybrids which "on paper" would gap between 9W and 7H don't produce the higher ball flights I am looking for. They are either too short or don't have enough loft (or both). So to gap in between 9W and 7H properly I need a club close in length 9W and with more loft than the 5H. That's where a club with 11W specs would fit in.

It turns out that there are not a lot of clubs with the specs I need (~28 deg loft and ~39.5" length). I will test a 39.3" 28 deg 6H Wilson hybrid and see how it goes. I am looking for 99 mph Ball Speeds and > 70 ft Apex Heights.

 

[Catch_it_clean]

I agree @Birdman03 it looks like the 11W is better for you between the 7H and 9W.

 

[Catch_it_clean]

The 9W should be equivalent to the 5H so the 6H should be another option (other than 11W) between the 9W and the 7H. Is the 8i your longest iron?

 

[Birdman03]

The 9W should be equivalent to the 5H so the 6H should be another option (other than 11W) between the 9W and the 7H. Is the 8i your longest iron?

The 9W is not equivalent to the 5H because it is 2" longer, so I get more ball speed and higher hits even though the lofts are the same. Same problem with the 6H, it is not long enough to allow me to elevate the ball over 70 ft.

I do carry a 7I, but I am starting to see that the 7H may be better option in that distance range due to the much higher ball flights it produces.

 

[boggyman]

Are these testing of clubs a self test or do you see a trusted professional? If you can’t elevate a 7 hybrid sounds like a shaft change possibly? Even though a shaft is 2” longer will one hit it on the screws each time to see that’s it’s not a proper fit gap wise?? Sounds like a rabbit hole that’s getting deeper by the minute! Good luck to ya…..

 

[leftybob]

11 woods… we live in a wild time.

Also the gap there in that chart the longer shaft + more loft could be the exactly what you need.

 

[Birdman03]

Are these testing of clubs a self test or do you see a trusted professional? If you can’t elevate a 7 hybrid sounds like a shaft change possibly? Even though a shaft is 2” longer will one hit it on the screws each time to see that’s it’s not a proper fit gap wise?? Sounds like a rabbit hole that’s getting deeper by the minute! Good luck to ya…..

Yes, I understand it could be a rabbit hole but I enjoy the experimenting. Fortunately I can make good center contact most of the time with these clubs. Along with that the courses I frequent are empty in the afternoons so I can hit multiple shots with each club and measure how far they go using GPS.

Actually I can elevate the 35 deg 7H higher than any of the other clubs. On the other end of the distance range in question I can also elevate the 9W quite well. However for in between those I am seeing that a club with FW length and hybrid loft is required. That's where the 11W fits in. I have one on order and will have some results soon to evaluate.

 

[Bernoulli]

Yes, I understand it could be a rabbit hole but I enjoy the experimenting. Fortunately I can make good center contact most of the time with these clubs. Along with that the courses I frequent are empty in the afternoons so I can hit multiple shots with each club and measure how far they go using GPS.

Actually I can elevate the 35 deg 7H higher than any of the other clubs. On the other end of the distance range in question I can also elevate the 9W quite well. However for in between those I am seeing that a club with FW length and hybrid loft is required. That's where the 11W fits in. I have one on order and will have some results soon to evaluate.

It will be interesting to see your results.

 

[Birdman03]

11 woods… we live in a wild time.

Also the gap there in that chart the longer shaft + more loft could be the exactly what you need.

That's what I have concluded, yes. With low CHS I am seeing that longer clubs need significant loft/length differences to gap properly. I am looking to cover the distance range 135 to 165 yards with 3 clubs:

• 35 deg 7H 135-144 yds
• 28 deg 11W 145-154 yds
• 24 deg 9W 155-165 yds

 

[leftybob]

That's what I have concluded, yes. With low CHS I am seeing that longer clubs need significant loft/length differences to gap properly. I am looking to cover the distance range 135 to 165 yards with 3 clubs:

• 35 deg 7H 135-144 yds
• 28 deg 11W 145-154 yds
• 24 deg 9W 155-165 yds

That makes sense. Higher launch is going to be your friend so a little more speed and loft will help there.

 

[moistmayonnaise]

You don't need to convince me, just order it.

 

[boggyman]

Yes, I understand it could be a rabbit hole but I enjoy the experimenting. Fortunately I can make good center contact most of the time with these clubs. Along with that the courses I frequent are empty in the afternoons so I can hit multiple shots with each club and measure how far they go using GPS.

Actually I can elevate the 35 deg 7H higher than any of the other clubs. On the other end of the distance range in question I can also elevate the 9W quite well. However for in between those I am seeing that a club with FW length and hybrid loft is required. That's where the 11W fits in. I have one on order and will have some results soon to evaluate.

Following along….

 

[baylrballa]

 

[Birdman03]

Care to elaborate?

 

[baylrballa]

Care to elaborate?

Why are we caring more about height and club length rather than carry?

 

[JTinMO]

Why are we caring more about height and club length rather than carry?

I agree here. Carry distance and descent angle surely would be more important to look at.

The club length part really confuses me, to be honest.

 

[Baron1]

I've never seen a bag like that

 

[Birdman03]

I agree here. Carry distance and descent angle surely would be more important to look at.

The club length part really confuses me, to be honest.

I am using the Apex Height measurement as a proxy for descent angle since my LM does not show that. No doubt the higher hits hold greens better.

I know the carries for all these clubs from the range and out on the course. When two clubs deliver the same carry within a few yards I favor the one that delivers the higher ball flights, 11W instead of 5H for example. Another is 9W vs 4 iron.

 

[Birdman03]

OK I have done quite a bit of testing with various clubs that cover the distance gap between 5W and 7I. The 25 deg 9W clearly delivers the high, softer landing hits that I am looking for. However it is the only club that does that on average. The LM data for all these clubs is shown on the attachment.

The distance range currently covered by my 30 deg 6H is where I am looking to slot in an 11W-type club. However I am not sure that club actually exists. It needs to be almost as long as the 9W with a loft of 30-31 degrees.

 

[willplaysgolf]

If you are at 54-61 apex with your 7i, why are you chasing 70 ft after that?

 

[Birdman03]

If you are at 54-61 apex with your 7i, why are you chasing 70 ft after that?

Too many of my approach shots with clubs longer than 7I roll over the greens, unless I get the high hits with the lofted FW clubs.

I don't expect a lot of height with the 7I hits since that club is 29 deg loft and 37.3" length. I need a much longer club with similar loft to get the ball speeds and peak heights up.

 

[Catch_it_clean]

I pulled my 6i and 5W.

The 6i has a loft of 25°, equivalent to the 5H. The 5H is easier to hit and goes higher.

The 5W was hard to hit well and was not an asset.

My 4H is equivalent to a 7W in loft, and with a shorter shaft, it's easier to hit.

 

[Birdman03]

I pulled my 6i and 5W.

The 6i has a loft of 25°, equivalent to the 5H. The 5H is easier to hit and goes higher.

The 5W was hard to hit well and was not an asset.

My 4H is equivalent to a 7W in loft, and with a shorter shaft, it's easier to hit.

My 6I is 26deg loft and it produces the same ball speed and distance as my 29deg 6H. I get more quality strikes and high hits with the 6i, probably because contact quality is a bit better.

I have always had a tendency to hit low draws with 3-4-5 hybrids, however I hit the 34deg 7H really well with nice high ball flights. The only other club I do that with is my 24 deg 9W. I am still searching for a club to gap between those two in terms of ball speed and distance while also delivering high ball flights. The clubs I have tested so far (4H, 5H, 27deg 11W, 31deg 6H) either don't hit the ball far enough or high enough.

Here are the numbers I am working with:

9W: 101 mph Ball Speed, 157 yds GPS distance, 70% high hits
??: need 96 mph Ball Speed, 146 yds distance, ~50% high hits
7H: 91 mph Ball Speed, 135 yds distance, 35% high hits

My next step will be to try a 40.5" 30deg 9W. It's a Ladies club, however it's the only one I could find with the right combination of loft and length.

 

[Catch_it_clean]

So that ladies club would be like a 9w Lite! I'm still thinking you should be able to pick from the 6i, 6h, or 11w for that spot in your bag.

Oh by the way, my 5w is back in the bag! Just have to get more comfortable with it.

 

[Birdman03]

Ok, I have done more testing after locating a club with both sufficient length and loft to gap in between my 9W and 7H. There are several (5H, 6H, 6I) that fit in terms of distance gapping, however only the '11W' (actually a ladies 9W) is long enough with enough loft to produce the high, soft landing hits that I get with the 9W and the 7H.

As I suspected all along, with my low club speed I need significant loft and length differences between clubs to make sure each one gaps favorably in ball speed and distance. Please refer to the attached table for the details.