DON’T BE SHY
By Tom Stickney, PGA
Hit down on it! Hybrids are remarkable clubs. They have made shots that were once reserved for hard-to-hit long irons much easier, and in my opinion, a lot more fun. Same goes for some of today’s fairway woods. They’re crazy-long!
That said, why do so many amateurs struggle with hybrids and woods? Too often, amateurs feel as though they need to sweep or hit up on the ball. In reality, that’s not the case. Hybrids are actually designed to be played more like middle irons! If anything, you want to hit down on the ball and make a divot after you collide with the golf ball.
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In the sequence here, notice how I have a hairy lie from the rough. This is actually great practice for me, since it forces me to hit down and through the grass to get the ball up and going. Now, here’s the secret. From the fairway, I have the same angle of attack. The wider sole of the hybrid means it’s less likely I’ll hit it fat anyway, so I hit down on all my hybrids shots–from everywhere.
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INSIDE THE ROPES: DUSTIN JOHNSON
Does it look like Dustin Johnson is trying to lift the ball up into the air with a fairway wood? Nope. Johnson not only retains his spine angle and side bend, but he has the uncanny ability to keep the clubhead low through impact as good as anyone I’ve seen. And, by the way, it’s a fairway wood he’s hitting (about 280 yards), and he even has made a small divot, further proof he has hit down on the golf ball, not up on it.
| Today’s fairway woods are insane. No, really, they are. We’re hitting some models as far as we used to hit our drivers as little as three to four years ago. It was only a matter of time until driver designers started parlaying driver tech into its smaller siblings. The result is a bunch of fairway woods that not only are long, they’re remarkably forgiving, as well. Hitting high shots off the fairway has never been easier, thanks to low CGs and cupface designs, and if you want driver-like adjustability, you can find that, too, on many of today’s most popular models. Hybrid technology is right up there with fairway woods, as well. That category is still on the rise with all player types, especially better players. |
| Must-Have | FAIRWAY WOODS | ||
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Adams
iXTD Ti |
Adams
Tight Lies |
Bobby Jones
Black Key Features: A CH-1 maraging-steel cupface design for more distance while reducing the spin rate creates a more piercing ballflight. |
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Callaway Golf
X2 Hot |
Callaway Golf
Big Bertha
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Cleveland
588 |
| Pick or Choose? "You have to look at angle of attack," says Doug Hammer, director of instruction of the Callaway Performance Center at Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale, of determining if a hybrid or perhaps a fairway is optimal. "Our general rule of thumb is, better players with shallow swings who are sweepers tend to like fairway woods more. Higher-handicap players, those likely to be steep, prefer hybrids." Steep swings are delofting swings, he explains. So the weighting and the more iron-like performance characteristics of a hybrid help these types of players "get the ball into the air better, faster." That’s not to say sticks don’t need hybrids; Tour usage shows they do. It’s simply that the average player will just start the hybrid brigade farther into the bag. And, as for fairways, Hammer adds, "One fairway wood is a good idea for most, and I’m not sure the 3-wood is that fairway wood anymore. Most hit their 5-wood farther and better anyway because they get it in the air faster." Heed Hammer’s advice, folks. Don’t always jump to the 3-wood first! |
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Cobra Golf
BiO Cell Key Features: The new BiO Cell is chock-full of new tech, including a high-strength steel face insert and SmartPad tech, which uses a simple window in the hosel that allows for an 8-way, custom, on-the-fly fit without the unnecessary confusion. |
Cobra Golf
Baffler XL Key Features: The oversized rails guide the club through just about any type of surface, and the low and deep CG fires the ball up into the air in a hurry. |
Exotics
CB Pro Key Features: It’s gotta be the Slip Stream sole design that looks like a series of wavy lines/rails, which makes it more stable as the club glides through the turf. Add on the beta-titanium face and hyper-steel body, and you have a Tour-caliber fairway wood sure to please golfers who want titanium power in a shotmaker’s fairway wood. It’s expensive, but such great technology doesn’t come cheap. |
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Exotics
XCG7 Key Features: The XCG7 is designed to get the ball airborne in a hurry and fly the ball as far as possible. Easy, right? It actually is, thanks to the maraging-steel face and the low-profile crown design. |
Fourteen Golf
SF-612 Key Features: Fourteen makes beautiful products, no doubt. But usually they cater to better players. The SF-612 is designed for them, too, but the shallow-face design is certainly going to attract a wider range of players. The versatile "Boat Shape" sole actually is shaped like the bottom of a boat, and the CG is deep and high for a penetrating launch. |
Mizuno
JPX-EZ |
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Nike
VR_S Covert Tour Key Features: The huge High Speed Cavity in the back region of the sole helps increase heel/toe weighting for more control, and the CG is placed closer to the face for greater transfer of energy. The result? Big hits without the ballooning ballflight once associated with fairway woods. Also, the adjustable hosel allows for a fine-tuned fit. |
Ping
i25 |
Ping
G25 |
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Taylormade
JetSpeed |
Taylormade
SLDR |
