Fairway woods without a hot face?

[Mp14forlife]

Seems like fairway woods go miles these days....currently hitting a mavrik 5 wood. I use to hit the Callaway warbird 5 wood, steel shafted. I could swing hard at that thing and hit some nice mid/high shots into par 5s and never worry about catch a hot one that goes an extra 15 yards. Should I be looking at "tour issue" clubs that have a fully grooved face? 

 

[Jim_0068]

Pretty much most fairway woods these days have very high ball speeds, however many of them also have dropped the spin significantly. What i would do if i were you is find a fairway wood that simply just spins a lot more than others and/or increase the loft which will almost do the same thing. 4 wood instead of 3 wood, 5 wood and increase the loft 1* or maybe even 7 wood and turn down the loft. Obviously going up in loft closes the face some and lowering the loft opens the face so it also depends on your swing and what you want to do. There was a great video that TXG did comparing the G425 vs the Mizuno STZ fairway wood where one was much longer than the other but it was a just a loft/spin issue. I'd get on a launch monitor and identify a target distance you want.

 

For instance for me, i like to hit cut shots from the fairway with fairway woods so i get woods that spin a little less or turn them down so when i hit the cut it ends up in the distance i want and off the tee, i can hit a normal draw which keeps the spin lower and goes further. Kind of a best of both worlds for me anyway.

[puttingmatt]

Only you can figure what you like.  Best to try some clubs with a trackman to decide which clubs best determine your needs. 

[Billfitz]

Persimmons. 😉

[62@Oakmont]

Good luck, they're all hot.  Best bet is to find something that fits your gaps and not worry about the number on the bottom (3w, 5w, 7w,  etc.).  Or go shopping on Ebay/BST for older models.

Edited May 18, 2022 by 62@Oakmont

[jvernon]

I would get something with an adjustable hosel and play with lofts. That being said, for me, the g425 was a pretty mello head as far as distance goes 

[ChipNRun]

Fairway metals that had tandem weights (front and back) could be manipulated to tweak launch higher or lower.

 

And, for a given head, higher lofts will tend to spin more than lower lofts.

 

These all play into how players should choose a fairway metal. Golfers with more normal speed can likely get more carry out of a 4W than a 3W: This is because the 16.5* loft launches the ball higher with more spin, which maximizes carry. Likewise, those with 110 MPH driver CHS might balloon a 4W. (Get on Trackman to find out where you fall.)

 

Optimum carry results from the best mix of:

    ( clubhead speed + launch angle + spin ).

 

 

 

 

Question: I'm doing quite well with my bonded-head Rogues; haven't

looked much at new fairway woods. Are tandem weights a thing of the past?

  

Edited May 27, 2022 by ChipNRun
Re-set photo.

[elwhippy]

Best option is find some older heads in good condition. Latest models are designed for length not precision. 

[Bdck]

It isn't ball speed speed variance, it's that manufacturers have engineered high launch low spin characteristics really well.  So you hit a 5 wood and catch one with a little funky delivery and your backspin drops under 2k.  That's going to go 20 yards further than one with 4k backspin all day.

[Tiptx1122]

I guess that leaves Cobra out 

[RogerinNewZealand]

2 hours ago, elwhippy said:

Best option is find some older heads in good condition. Latest models are designed for length not precision. 

They only ran the tandem weights for a few years 2013ish.Beautiful looking club and most coming up for sale were wellll used.The Tm double sliders was their version.Go back to say i15 i20 Ping? 

[m d g]

Is this bizarro world?

 

Next thing, you'll be asking about supermodels with hot bodies who are kind of plain.

[Mp14forlife]

10 minutes ago, m d g said:

Is this bizarro world?

 

Next thing, you'll be asking about supermodels with hot bodies who are kind of plain.

Lol...a picky bunch we are!!!I I hit the ball high and far. Tough life, I know, Living in Utah helps! Modern 4 iron is my 230ish club. Was hoping to find a 5 wood that I could make a nice full swing and be at 250-260, kinda like my old warbird. Of the couple Callaway 5 woods I've tried, they seem to be all over the place distance wise. I guess I may need to look at utility irons or a 7 wood? I just worry a 7 wood may go to the moon. I want a fairway wood that has iron like distance control. I feel like mr. Pitt trying on socks in that Seinfeld episode. Lol

[b.mattay]

38 minutes ago, Bdck said:

It isn't ball speed speed variance, it's that manufacturers have engineered high launch low spin characteristics really well.  So you hit a 5 wood and catch one with a little funky delivery and your backspin drops under 2k.  That's going to go 20 yards further than one with 4k backspin all day.

If you have a 2k spin difference between fairway wood shots, I would blame it on a horrible user error. A 30 yard hook and a 30 yard cut don't even vary by 1k spin in my experience.

[Is Golf Fun or Work]

Go adjustable, or go old school, pick up an OG warbird, refinish and reshaft.

 

I still have a Warbird Strong 3 and Strong 4 from my younger days, I remember being able to smoke those back when I played them.

[Mp14forlife]

10 minutes ago, Is Golf Fun or Work said:

Go adjustable, or go old school, pick up an OG warbird, refinish and reshaft.

 

I still have a Warbird Strong 3 and Strong 4 from my younger days, I remember being able to smoke those back when I played them.

I may. Here's one I picked up awhile ago. I hit it fairly well, the old Memphis ten shaft isn't quite as amazing as I remember it tho. I was just hoping to find a newer replacement.

Edited May 27, 2022 by Mp14forlife

[hammergolf]

On 5/18/2022 at 11:03 AM, Mp14forlife said:

Seems like fairway woods go miles these days....currently hitting a mavrik 5 wood. I use to hit the Callaway warbird 5 wood, steel shafted. I could swing hard at that thing and hit some nice mid/high shots into par 5s and never worry about catch a hot one that goes an extra 15 yards. Should I be looking at "tour issue" clubs that have a fully grooved face? 

 

It’s not the hot face causing the front to back dispersion, it’s spin rates. The “hot one” is a shot caught higher on the face that launches higher with less spin. Look at something with more spin like a Ping g series, Mizuno S series, or Titleist TS2 series. 

[Mp14forlife]

I just got back from the range. I had ordered this epic flash on eBay and it arrived the other day. I was pitting it against my mavrik 5 wood. Both shafted with a tensei blue xstiff. The epic flash sub zero flew on a more consistent ball flight and I didn't have any "hot" strikes. The mavrik was much more inconsistent, should have gone the sub zero route on the mav vs regular... I think I'm pleased with the epic flash so far but I'll do some on course testing and if it doesn't work, I'll check out some of the ones mentioned on here.. I took the warbird for fun and it wasn't great. Lol

[b.mattay]

OP, if you are worried about a 5 wood going too far for your needs and a 7 wood going too high, just get a 5 wood built at a short length (like 41-41.5") to find the right gap. 
 

[JKJKJK]

Agree with above post. 

5 Wood with shorter shaft length!

[Mp14forlife]

24 minutes ago, b.mattay said:

OP, if you are worried about a 5 wood going too far for your needs and a 7 wood going too high, just get a 5 wood built at a short length (like 41-41.5") to find the right gap. 
 

Not a bad idea. I do worry about swingweight. Right now that epic flash is at a d3. I do enjoy lead tape tho. Lol.. I'll see how on course testing goes and evaluate that option. 

[b.mattay]

30 minutes ago, Mp14forlife said:

Not a bad idea. I do worry about swingweight. Right now that epic flash is at a d3. I do enjoy lead tape tho. Lol.. I'll see how on course testing goes and evaluate that option. 

Or buy a weight kit to stick some heavier weights in there. They are like 15-20 bucks on Fleabay

[uglande]

Go back to earlier models, but not too far ..  e.g., Titleist 917 F2. Classic shape. Nice feel. Fully adjustable. Plenty of spin, not overly hot.