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Any meaningful increase in distance with fairway woods since RBZ Stage 2?

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Smoautle

Smoautle

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I went to check out the new Cobra F7 3-4 wood today at a local store. For comparison, I brought my old TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 3-HL 17 degree to hit in the simulator together. My Stage 2's stock R-flex shaft was cut to 42.5" playing length, and I put polyfil in the head to get the swing weight to D3. The Cobra I hit came with the stock Fujikura Pro 65 S-flex shaft. It's listed at 43.25", but I probably played it at 43". It was set to 16 degree loft.

And the result was more or less the same.

With Stage 2, SS=91.3, Ball Speed=127.9, Launch=14.1, Spin=3250, Carry=199, Total=223
With Cobra F7, SS=90.9, Ball Speed=127.3, Launch=13.8, Spin=3100, Carry=198, Total=220
 
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Go hit the Epic fairway woods, you won't be disappointed at all.
 
what stands out to me is that you're not comparing apples to apples. an r flex shaft may be a better fit for you in the f7. not only that, the loft on the rbz may be a better loft for your particular swing, so the f7 should be lofted up as well which may lead to more carry and more distance.

one recurring theme in club design is that while i do think there are gains almost every year, they are not monumental with sweet spot contact. the testing and information on thp has helped me understand that technology comes into play with misses and ball speed retention which equate to more distance.

specific to the f7, those rails will be a godsend if you struggle with clean contact off the deck. i know they have been for me.
 
I actually think the RBZ was, and is, better and longer than the Stage 2.

I think the thing to remember vs the F7 is the rails, you are hitting it nearly the same there, but the F7 WILL be easier and more consistent off the deck.
 
I have not seen any appreciable difference in fairway wood distance or forgiveness since the XHot line came out 5 or 6 years ago. I just tested the Epic and Epic SZ fairway woods against my older Callaways and the number were nearly identical. I'm guessing I could take one of my 15 year old 3 woods and hit it within 5 yards of anything newer that I own. The Epic driver is a different story.
 
Stage 2 was terrible for me compared to the original RBZ. I have, however, seen improvements with Callaway's Alpha 816 with the movable weights personally. There's tons of innovation since then, including but not limited to, carbon fiber now in fairways, adjustable hosels, cup faces, COG optimization, etc.

tahoebum said:
I have not seen any appreciable difference in fairway wood distance or forgiveness since the XHot line came out 5 or 6 years ago. I just tested the Epic and Epic SZ fairway woods against my older Callaways and the number were nearly identical. I'm guessing I could take one of my 15 year old 3 woods and hit it within 5 yards of anything newer that I own. The Epic driver is a different story.
Click to expand...

This would be an interesting topic: Driver vs Fairway wood innovation - past 5 years and future speculation. Is there just more to do with drivers vs fairways or is it just a matter of returns on tech? Very interested in industry information and THPer opinions.
 
I still keep my Stage 2 around for random stints in my bag. One of the best 3 woods I've ever gamed, and arguably the longest standard 3W for me off of the tee.

Snickerdog said:
Go hit the Epic fairway woods, you won't be disappointed at all.
Click to expand...

I haven't found this to be the case at all from a distance standpoint, but I do think the Epic is easier to elevate.

Jman said:
I actually think the RBZ was, and is, better and longer than the Stage 2.

I think the thing to remember vs the F7 is the rails, you are hitting it nearly the same there, but the F7 WILL be easier and more consistent off the deck.
Click to expand...

I think the OG RBZ was longer than the S2, but I wasn't nearly as consistent with it directionally. The bolded above is why the 3-4 will be mine.
 
I am still carrying my rbz 3w. Have not even thought to try to find a replacement but the rails on the F7 make a lot of sense to me.
 
I can only speak about the new Epic 3 wood and the Titleist. I hit them both further than what I have had in the past and was hitting the epic about as far as some as my drives and further at times.
 
I actually have had a lot of success with the RBZ S2, especially against an original RBZ, I find it to be plenty long, forgiving, and easy to take off of the deck. Apart from the misses that come with being an amateur 9 handicap, I often feel like I can't miss with this club. I've always hit the newer stuff, but I've never observed any improvements in performance for my game against my gamer and so I've not had any real desire to buy a new one.



But I've not hit an F7.......
 
I recently came across a new in wrapper RBZ Tour 3 (14.5) that I picked up for $99. Nothing I've seen out of the current FW's tells me that I would be sacrificing anything if I bagged it.
 
Nothing significant enough to merit an upgrade . If you are liking the RB stage 2 don't complicate things
 
I haven't found anything that can knock off my AeroBurner TP 3w since it was released. I played an R9 TP 3w for years and gained 21 yards carry due to a ball speed/launch angle/shaft combo (per launch monitor) when I went into the AeroBurner TP. I was fitted for both the R9 TP and the AeroBurner TP by the same guy. Any distance gains I've seen with newer stuff it just a few yards, which is cool, but I can never match the dispersion with my current gamer. Now I think I'd need a 7+ yard carry increase to think about switching.

It may be just me, but I feel like you see older fairways staying in bags longer on tour, too.

In the end, a proper fitting is always key in getting every possible ounce of performance from ANY club….
 
I recently did a few side by side range tests of the Epic SZ 3W and my gamer 815BBA. They are essentially the same club with the ability to swap a very heavy weight and light weight forward or back. The biggest differences were the ESZ has some carbon fiber while the 815BBA allows for 8 grams more moveable weight. To be honest I got slightly better results with my older 815BBA on all three occasions. (setup identically with same shafts)
 
Jman said:
I actually think the RBZ was, and is, better and longer than the Stage 2.

I think the thing to remember vs the F7 is the rails, you are hitting it nearly the same there, but the F7 WILL be easier and more consistent off the deck.
Click to expand...

I thought the Stage 2 was Ballzier?
I bought one and it was horrendous, couldn't hit it without a massive hook.
Jman you've convinced me to buy the F7, how does it compare to the X-Hot 3 Deep?
 
I game the Stage 2 and have been completely satisfied. I am able to hit a nice draw off the tee with it, and it goes a mile. I haven't tested others but I am the type that likes to stick with what I have and the stage 2 works for me

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@The_Dude maybe the F7 rails are the answer to my 3 wood prayers...


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Haso said:
@The_Dude maybe the F7 rails are the answer to my 3 wood prayers...


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Click to expand...
Gotta give one a rip.
 
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