Driver - 2h - 7w - 4h ?

[DaveGoodrich]

I use my 16* XCG hybrid in the place of a 3 wood.  For me, this club is mostly for advancing the ball as far as possible off the deck and for occasional use from the tee. I hit it well, and I'm done trying to find a fairway wood that will work better for me in that role.  I'm not looking for suggestions for this spot in the bag. 

 

But the next club in the bag is the one I'm really looking for. Basically, a club for the longest Par 3's, and for long approaches into the green from the fairway.  I have always played hybrids, and I'm currrently experimenting with several 18 to 21* hybrids.  But I could use more height and spin for this club. 

 

I've never played a 7 wood, but I'm intrigued. I think it should go a bit shorter than the 2 hybrid, but higher and with more spin.   

 

A 7 wood would only be about 2* stronger than my 4h.  But the 4h is built with my iron shaft at 4i length, so I think they may gap ok.  I don't want to change the 4h either. 

 

Would it be crazy to go D, 2h, 7w, 4h? 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2021 by DaveGoodrich

[Mcgeeno]

Not crazy.

 

Its about yardage gaps and confidence.

 

Make the numbers work. Put the clubs in the bag that can make the shots happen consistently.

 

 

[Drivingrangehero]

7 hours ago, DaveGoodrich said:

 

A 7 wood would only be about 2* stronger than my 4h.  But the 4h is built with my iron shaft at 4i length, so I think they may gap ok.  I don't want to change the 4h either. 

I had a set up (still do with interchangeable 2h and 4 wood ) 

Driver 

Hybrid 16* (4 wood 16.5*) 

Hybrid 20* steel shaft
Hybrid 23* steel shaft

5-PW-G-S-L 

 

if you could find the right 7 wood set up, it should gap nicely. 
 

I’d hit a few to figure out what loft works best. I brought my 20* steel shafted hybrid and tested out a Heavenwood, thinking that would be a good fit, but it was shorter than my 3 hybrid. Right in between my 3 and 4 hybrid, so I moved on to a Cobra Speedzone 5wood at 18.5 degrees and that was maybe 5 yards longer than my 20* hybrid on overall distance, but it was all carry. I ended up lofting down to 17.5 to get a nice 10 yard gap that was a high, soft, all carry distance club.  It looked perfect on paper, but after hitting  a couple of pushed blocks to the right, I decided to go back to the hybrid. 
 

I could see hitting a 5-7 wood with the right length and weight.   I’d love something around 19*, cut it short, add weight to the head, and put in a steel shaft. Which come to think of it, that would basically make it my old Titleist PT 5 wood from years back 😝 

 

[Highlander 24]

Im actually considering a very similar set up. I carry a 4 wood I never use as I have fallen in love with my SIM Max 7 wood. Use it off the tee and fairway and actually hit it farther and straighter than my 4 wood. So thinking of putting a 3 hybrid in the bag to replace 4wood

[cardoustie]

As I have posted in many 7w threads, you have so many more shot options if you carry both a 7w and a hybrid

 

I like your plan

 

I wouldn’t care if you had a 2h vs a 4w in the first slot after a driver.  The 14-15-16-17* slot is the hardest to fill for pretty much every golfer in my experience

[homergolf]

A good compromise to a 7-wood for a person who likes hybrids is Cally Super hybrid 20 degree.  It actually looks like the old fashioned fairway woods size-wise and gets very good distance relative to other hybrids in this loft range.  

[Smokey227]

My setup is very similar with those 2 clubs. I play a sim 5 wood set at 20.5*, 41.5” and my next club is a g25 20* hybrid (actual loft is almost 22*) at 38.75” and my gapping is perfect. 

[Drivingrangehero]

3 minutes ago, homergolf said:

A good compromise to a 7-wood for a person who likes hybrids is Cally Super hybrid 20 degree.  It actually looks like the old fashioned fairway woods size-wise and gets very good distance relative to other hybrids in this loft range.  

I’ve been thinking about some of the sizes between the smaller fairway wood heads of old and the larger hybrid heads of today. 
 

My buddy had an old Taylormade Raylor 5 wood at his house, I assumed it was a hybrid until I took a closer look. He had all sorts of clubs he never parted with in an old leather cart bag, including a min condition Ping Zing Blonde Wood with a white graphite shaft 🤤 

[nitram]

What would be crazy Dave is never trying the setup you propose. There's no use carrying something you can't hit. So carry what you hit best and somewhat fills your gaps.

[bladehunter]

9 hours ago, DaveGoodrich said:

I use my 16* XCG hybrid in the place of a 3 wood.  For me, this club is mostly for advancing the ball as far as possible off the deck and for occasional use from the tee. I hit it well, and I'm done trying to find a fairway wood that will work better for me in that role.  I'm not looking for suggestions for this spot in the bag. 

 

But the next club in the bag is the one I'm really looking for. Basically, a club for the longest Par 3's, and for long approaches into the green from the fairway.  I have always played hybrids, and I'm currrently experimenting with several 18 to 21* hybrids.  But I could use more height and spin for this club. 

 

I've never played a 7 wood, but I'm intrigued. I think it should go a bit shorter than the 2 hybrid, but higher and with more spin.   

 

A 7 wood would only be about 2* stronger than my 4h.  But the 4h is built with my iron shaft at 4i length, so I think they may gap ok.  I don't want to change the 4h either. 

 

Would it be crazy to go D, 2h, 7w, 4h? 

 

 

I second the above thought.  You won’t know until you try. Hit  what works. 
 

and I’ll add. I recently found a gem of a 7 wood. Don’t sleep on the cobra f9 7 wood. It’s 22.5 degrees. Which is 1 weaker than almost any. And is adjustable for even more or less loft. Rails on the bottom plus deep face make it more hybrid like than not.  Super easy to hit. And just wants to go high and straight.  It worked for me because it flies shorter than other 7 woods I’ve tested. That way it’s fits the gap behind my 16.5 degree 4 wood.  

[lefthack]

Ha, interesting thread. Last week I pulled my 3w to make room for something else. While looking for a 20* hybrid, ended up getting a 16 and 20 for less than what I had budgeted. Not sure if I will carry both or which one yet because I have no idea what my yardages are yet.

 

I could see pulling my 18* hybrid for both 16 and 20 if my gaps are ok. My 5 wood is a 17 so I am curious where the 16 will fall as far as flight and distance.

 

I am less concerned with what clubs are in my bag as long as I am covered from 250 out to the pin 

[DaveGoodrich]

Thanks for all the responses and suggestions.  You've done your job as good WRXers and validated my desire to buy more equipment 😉. 

 

Since I haven't played with 7-woods in the past, I don't really know what I'm looking for (other than high, accurate, and soft-landing😄), so any suggestions would be appreciated.  I'm not looking for the latest releases for an experiment like this.  I'd love to find something in the $100 to $150 range.

 

I'm a fader, so don't want anything too fade-biased (but as a left-to-right guy, one thing that intrigues me about a 7-wood would be the possibility that I could "hood" the club a bit and be able to hit a draw off the deck with reasonable height).  This wouldn't be a tee club for me, except for occasional use on long Par 3's.

 

Being the frugal type, I'll be heading to Roger Dunn shortly to see if they have any used 7 woods that I can hit on their sim.  Gotta love their 90-day no-questions-asked return policy.  If they've got nothing, I've got plenty of shaft options laying around the shop to experiment with once I find a head I like.  So that also opens up possibilities on ebay, since lots of the 7-woods there have ladies or senior shafts.  

 

Thanks again,

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nitram]

Find a used V-Steel on eBay. It doesn't get much better than that for a 7WD.

[BlackOut2]

You, sir, have nailed my predicament on the head. I recently purchased a 2-hybrid with the intention of it replacing my 3-wood. I am likely to go with my 4-iron, but still need to figure out what to put in-between. Would love to hear how your experience goes!

[DaveGoodrich]

OK, Roger Dunn had 5 or 6 7-woods, but most were in pretty crappy shape.  They had a Ping G-something (can't remember) but it was really beat up.  Also had a Cobra S3-max, but it had a lot of offset, which really looked bad to me.  I liked the look of a TS2 the best, mostly because the head was a little smaller than the rest.  But they wanted $200, which seemed crazy considering it wasn't really clean.  I've seen several of those (and 917F's) on ebay for around $150 that were in better condition. 

 

Just so I have something to try, I ended up picking up a Cobra Baffler T-Rail for my kind of price: $30.  It sets up pretty square, and isn't too big.  It has the "made for" Tour AD Baffler 60gm shaft in A Flex, so that won't be staying.   It was a little loose, but I didn't hit it too bad.  I was hitting it about 100 feet high at the yardage I need, so that seems promising.  I'll find something in the shop in regular flex in the 75ish gram range, probably an old YS-6+.  

 

This just in, just as I was about to hit "submit":

1 minute ago, nitram said:

Find a used V-Steel on eBay. It doesn't get much better than that for a 7WD.

 Yeah, that is an option I have been considering.  The V-steel sole seems perfect for a 7 wood.  

[bladehunter]

2 hours ago, DaveGoodrich said:

OK, Roger Dunn had 5 or 6 7-woods, but most were in pretty crappy shape.  They had a Ping G-something (can't remember) but it was really beat up.  Also had a Cobra S3-max, but it had a lot of offset, which really looked bad to me.  I liked the look of a TS2 the best, mostly because the head was a little smaller than the rest.  But they wanted $200, which seemed crazy considering it wasn't really clean.  I've seen several of those (and 917F's) on ebay for around $150 that were in better condition. 

 

Just so I have something to try, I ended up picking up a Cobra Baffler T-Rail for my kind of price: $30.  It sets up pretty square, and isn't too big.  It has the "made for" Tour AD Baffler 60gm shaft in A Flex, so that won't be staying.   It was a little loose, but I didn't hit it too bad.  I was hitting it about 100 feet high at the yardage I need, so that seems promising.  I'll find something in the shop in regular flex in the 75ish gram range, probably an old YS-6+.  

 

This just in, just as I was about to hit "submit":

 Yeah, that is an option I have been considering.  The V-steel sole seems perfect for a 7 wood.  

I’m telling you.  Here it is.  $40 more but delivered to your door. Lol.  
 

 

Cobra Golf 2019 F9 Men's Speedback Fairway (Black/Yellow) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HD93ZYV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_K901HNPBCS0FBPPPTFZS

[third-times-a-charm]

Sure this setup could work but it makes zero sense. Shorter shafts and higher loft at the top end is a little nonsensical.

 

if you can hit a 7w you can hit a 3w and you would be much better served with a 3w in the 2h spot for pretty much all applications of the hybrid in question. If you need something with the hybrids flight your 4h covers that and even then I would ditch the 4h for an SGI 4i or a 22deg DI type club 

[DaveGoodrich]

Thanks for your input.

 

On 4/2/2021 at 7:53 PM, third-times-a-charm said:

Shorter shafts and higher loft at the top end is a little nonsensical.

Shorter shafts, yes.  Higher lofts, no.  My 2H is 16* with a titanium cup face.  Not exactly higher loft at the top end.  It is basically a cross between a 3 wood and a driving iron, and is extremely effective in this role.  The 7-wood has about the same loft as the hybrid I would be replacing, so I am actually talking about going with a longer shaft at the same loft.  

 

 

On 4/2/2021 at 7:53 PM, third-times-a-charm said:

if you can hit a 7w you can hit a 3w

Nonsense.  Shorter shaft length and higher loft make a 7W much easier to hit.  

 

 

On 4/2/2021 at 7:53 PM, third-times-a-charm said:

you would be much better served with a 3w in the 2h spot for pretty much all applications of the hybrid in question

Nope.  2H is easier to flight low or high, easier to shape left/right, better out of the rough.  Because it is shorter, it is just easier to hit it out of the middle, and to control the face.  As a result, I swing it hard, with confidence.  The 3W has only one advantage; it is about 10-15 yards longer on on perfect strikes.  I hit a lot more perfect strikes with the 2H, so that advantage is negated over the long run.  That 10 extra yards is almost never the difference between getting on in 2 or not.   

 

 

On 4/2/2021 at 7:53 PM, third-times-a-charm said:

If you need something with the hybrids flight your 4h covers that and even then I would ditch the 4h for an SGI 4i or a 22deg DI type club 

I love my 4H, but it won't ever fill the role as an "as long as possible off the deck" club, which I think everyone needs in their bag.   And you don't know my game, my swing speed, or the courses/tees I play.  So recommending I "ditch the 4h" is not helpful.   A 22 DI would be practically useless for me.   

[DaveGoodrich]

I put a YS-6+ in the $30 T-Rail 7-wood and played it on Sunday to promising effect.  I only hit it three times.  The first was on a Par 3 with 185 to a front pin.  I hit a high ball to about 15 feet left of the pin, where it stopped within a few feet of where it landed, despite the greens being firm.  Made the putt.  So far so good.  The second shot was from the fairway on a Par 5, about 195 out, slightly downwind.  I hoisted one up there to ride the wind, but pulled it just left into the greenside bunker, just short of pin high.   I'm also ok with that.  The third was out of a long fairway bunker, with about 20 yards of room to clear a 3' high lip.  I thinned it a little, but it still cleared the lip and ran up just short of the green. 

 

Three shots.  One great result, and two decent results despite less than perfect swings.  No disasters.  I'll be keeping it in the bag for an extended tryout.       

[nostatic]

Somewhat similar - currently have driver, 3W @ 15.5 (playable off the deck with a good lie), 3H @ 19 (surprisingly playable from bad lies), then 5H @ 25. I have a 7W coming at 22.5 (replacing a 4H), thinking is that while there is some overlap I can see certain shots I’d prefer the 3H, others the 7W. Both the 7W and 5H are adjustable. Once it gets here we’ll see how the theory works...

[Dan Drake]

@DaveGoodrich You know I’m all about thinking outside the box when it comes to bag setup.  I say go for it!  
 

Build a bag for your needs based on your strengths that you want to accentuate, weaknesses you want to mitigate, and that fits the courses you play most often.  Simple, right? 😂

[cardoustie]

1 hour ago, Dan Drake said:

@DaveGoodrich You know I’m all about thinking outside the box when it comes to bag setup.  I say go for it!  
 

Build a bag for your needs based on your strengths that you want to accentuate, weaknesses you want to mitigate, and that fits the courses you play most often.  Simple, right? 😂

Best advice posted in past from Drake ... 14 clubs with 14 purposes

[DaveGoodrich]

OP here.  Just wanted to update the thread.  After a bunch more experimentation, I have committed to the 2h - 7w - 4h strategy for the long end of my bag.   

 

I found a 2016 Taylormade M2 5HL, which is basically a 7 wood (21*) with a 5-wood shaft length (42", in my case).   This club is just stupid easy to hit.  It pretty much goes high and straight with very little roll-out.  Excellent for long approaches into greens, and for long layups where I'm worried about rolling into bunkers or other trouble.  I hit very few disastrous shots with this club, and I've been surprised at how long it is, probably due to the high spin increasing carry at my (moderate) swing speed.  But obviously, it's not really good into the wind.     

 

For the 1st slot after driver, I'm currently playing an Adams Super Pro 16* hybrid at 41".    It launches lower and with less spin than the 5HL, so it carries a few yards shorter, but rolls out to probably 20-30 yards longer, depending on conditions.   So I use it for 2nd shots on Par 5's where I want max distance off the deck and when I'm not worried about rolling into trouble.   Its also a good tee club for short/tight Par 4's, and the longest Par 3's I play. And of course, its better into the wind than the 7W.   

  

These clubs just work for me, and despite significant experimentation, I haven't been able to find anything longer off the deck than the 2H without introducing much higher risk of disastrous shots (i.e. big slices into the trees or oob, etc.).   It seems I can effectively hit a 42" club with high loft and a 41" club with low loft, but not a 42.5" club with low loft.      

 

 

 

[OnTheBag]

On 4/1/2021 at 11:06 PM, Mcgeeno said:

Not crazy.

 

Its about yardage gaps and confidence.

 

Make the numbers work. Put the clubs in the bag that can make the shots happen consistently.

 

 

Great answer.  

[Stinger83]

As long as it gaps it doesn't matter. 

I've seen guys with two 5irons in the bag that gapped 15 yards apart. 

[infinii]

14 hours ago, DaveGoodrich said:

OP here.  Just wanted to update the thread.  After a bunch more experimentation, I have committed to the 2h - 7w - 4h strategy for the long end of my bag.   

 

I found a 2016 Taylormade M2 5HL, which is basically a 7 wood (21*) with a 5-wood shaft length (42", in my case).   This club is just stupid easy to hit.  It pretty much goes high and straight with very little roll-out.  Excellent for long approaches into greens, and for long layups where I'm worried about rolling into bunkers or other trouble.  I hit very few disastrous shots with this club, and I've been surprised at how long it is, probably due to the high spin increasing carry at my (moderate) swing speed.  But obviously, it's not really good into the wind.     

 

For the 1st slot after driver, I'm currently playing an Adams Super Pro 16* hybrid at 41".    It launches lower and with less spin than the 5HL, so it carries a few yards shorter, but rolls out to probably 20-30 yards longer, depending on conditions.   So I use it for 2nd shots on Par 5's where I want max distance off the deck and when I'm not worried about rolling into trouble.   Its also a good tee club for short/tight Par 4's, and the longest Par 3's I play. And of course, its better into the wind than the 7W.   

  

These clubs just work for me, and despite significant experimentation, I haven't been able to find anything longer off the deck than the 2H without introducing much higher risk of disastrous shots (i.e. big slices into the trees or oob, etc.).   It seems I can effectively hit a 42" club with high loft and a 41" club with low loft, but not a 42.5" club with low loft.      

 

 

 

Did you ever consider a 4W instead of your 2H?

 

I've been considering setting up the top of my bag, D, 4w, 7w, 4h but I haven't had chance to confirm my yardages yet.

[jetmech879]

I’ve done a similar set up this year. My 3wd is a M1 HL tour issued head. I lower it to 15.5 deg but play the shaft at 42.5”. I swapped it out for a 16 deg Mizuno CLK set to 15 deg and play it at 40.5”. It has been straight up $$$! Maybe 10 yards shorter on good strikes but good strikes happen a lot more with the CLK. And so much easier off the deck. I have been a anti-hybrid guy forever but the CLK has converted me. 

[sshadow2]

I played a 15* 3W, a 24* hybrid and a 24* driving iron as a replacement for a 4i and a 5i respectively for a couple of years. Gapping was very good on the top end.

 

Switched to 5W, 7W and driving iron combo recently. Similar gapping but the change to the woods have raised my ball flight to where I can attack greens with much more confidence due to much less rollout.

 

Until recently, I was a huge proponent of hybrids, but my 7W changed everything for me.

[DaveGoodrich]

6 hours ago, infinii said:

Did you ever consider a 4W instead of your 2H?

 

I've been considering setting up the top of my bag, D, 4w, 7w, 4h but I haven't had chance to confirm my yardages yet.

 

Yeah, I have tried a few 4 woods, including an M1 3HL built to "match" the M2 5HL that I hit so well, a couple different Exotics models (with a few different shafts), and a TS2.  I just don't get better performance from them than I do with the 16* 2-hybrids (Adams Super Pro or Exotics XCG).  I don't think I hit the 4 woods farther, even on pure strikes.  And the control/dispersion with the hybrids is much better. 

Edited May 10, 2022 by DaveGoodrich
typo

[shart6]

I like the idea, hit shots that work for you.