Fitting question about peak height: How high is too high?

[eric61]

Is there a general rule when fitting clubs about when the peak height you’re seeing becomes too high?

 

I’ve heard Ian Fraser say on a number of videos that generally he’s looking for peak height to equal 6 iron swing speed. Does that apply to every club in the bag? 
 

I think this is an especially relevant question given the increased popularity of high-lofted fairway woods.

 

What motivates this question is my 7 wood. On a calm day, it’s tremendous. But it’s been a windy spring here in the Chicago area, and on those windy days, it gets really difficult to control. My 7 wood peak height is definitely higher than the rest of my bag and hardest for me to really knock down, so it’s no real surprise that it’s the one I struggle with the most in wind. 
 

I’m not looking for personal advice — I have a hybrid I can swap in, problem solved — but rather, to understand if there’s a general philosophy about what qualifies as “too high”? Fitters, how often do you take clubs out of golfers’ hands because you know they’ll struggle to control them in the wind?

[Cwebb]

"Too high" for an approach club is when it goes so high, or spins so much, that it negatively affects your dispersion and distance control in the conditions you play in, including the tougher conditions.

 

This is why most good players only used to carry a single fairway wood,....especially when the golf balls were higher spin.  Many still have this preference

 

 

 

 

 

[RSLP]

https://blog.trackmangolf.com/landing-angle/

 

 

https://trajectory.flightscope.com

 

80-120 depending on speed, see above

 

[Stuart_G]

12 hours ago, Cwebb said:

"Too high" for an approach club is when it goes so high, or spins so much, that it negatively affects your dispersion and distance control in the conditions you play in, including the tougher conditions.

 

To add to this - this has to take into consideration the players ability to control their trajectory in varying conditions.

 

As long as you're still able to flight the ball down when needed - there is no such thing as too high other than it's potential effect on carry distances and managing distance gaps  - at least for approach shots.    

 

Ideally, if you can flight the ball down into the wind, you should also be able to flight the ball up when it's needed - and you'd fit the equipment for a somewhat neutral ball flight.

 

If one is unable to flight the ball down in those situations when it's needed, then it's really all about how the player wants to balance the potential negative effects of the wind against the ability to hold the greens.   So there is no real rule or formula that's useful.  It's largely a subjective choice by the player.

 

But the bottom line is that the trajectory comes much more from the swing than it does the equipment - so one has to be aware of the tendencies and limitations of their own swing.  The equipment can be used to help tweak that a bit but there is only so much that can be done without effecting the distance gaps.

Edited April 25 by Stuart_G

[EddieEdwards]

I carry a 7w and 9w that can be 80 feet if I catch it thin or 150 feet if I catch it high on the face.  Distance is consistent either way, I just wish I could reliably pull off either shot on command.

[Howard_Jones]

13 hours ago, eric61 said:

Is there a general rule when fitting clubs about when the peak height you’re seeing becomes too high?

 

I’ve heard Ian Fraser say on a number of videos that generally he’s looking for peak height to equal 6 iron swing speed. Does that apply to every club in the bag? 
 

I think this is an especially relevant question given the increased popularity of high-lofted fairway woods.

 

What motivates this question is my 7 wood. On a calm day, it’s tremendous. But it’s been a windy spring here in the Chicago area, and on those windy days, it gets really difficult to control. My 7 wood peak height is definitely higher than the rest of my bag and hardest for me to really knock down, so it’s no real surprise that it’s the one I struggle with the most in wind. 
 

I’m not looking for personal advice — I have a hybrid I can swap in, problem solved — but rather, to understand if there’s a general philosophy about what qualifies as “too high”? Fitters, how often do you take clubs out of golfers’ hands because you know they’ll struggle to control them in the wind?

In general, the #7 iron is normally the club with the highest apex (for PGA level club speed), but its only a few of them who use a 7W, and those who does, will see a apex on their 7W at the same level and maybe slightly higher than their #7

A 7W should be a "high spin club", its not a good club for transport strokes, but approach and lay ups, so those times wind from the front make that club hard to play, we really have no other choice than to use a lower loftet club, unless we have the ability to flight it down by our swing.

If that club serves you good under other conditions, i would not do anything about it, but accept that is not a good choice into the wind, just like it is with all other clubs into the wind where a club longer/lower loft and a smooth swing is the norm. 

[Howard_Jones]

I found a article ive stored about 7W, and its like i say, made to launch high, with high spin and good stopping power, so this is not a club we can do much about to take spin down on by club tech, it would have to come from the swing.


But DONT change it, keep it.



I have known this for many years, so i never advocated "long low lofted hybrids", but Woods, and had a 7W in my bag as "go to club" since 2007

https://www.todays-golfer.com/equipment/best/7-wood/

 

[jah7838]

On 4/24/2024 at 5:28 PM, eric61 said:

Is there a general rule when fitting clubs about when the peak height you’re seeing becomes too high?

 

I’ve heard Ian Fraser say on a number of videos that generally he’s looking for peak height to equal 6 iron swing speed. Does that apply to every club in the bag? 
 

I think this is an especially relevant question given the increased popularity of high-lofted fairway woods.

 

What motivates this question is my 7 wood. On a calm day, it’s tremendous. But it’s been a windy spring here in the Chicago area, and on those windy days, it gets really difficult to control. My 7 wood peak height is definitely higher than the rest of my bag and hardest for me to really knock down, so it’s no real surprise that it’s the one I struggle with the most in wind. 
 

I’m not looking for personal advice — I have a hybrid I can swap in, problem solved — but rather, to understand if there’s a general philosophy about what qualifies as “too high”? Fitters, how often do you take clubs out of golfers’ hands because you know they’ll struggle to control them in the wind?

So I've worked at one of the big box stores as a fitter and in club repair for about 10 years as a part time job.  I've noticed that a vast majority of golfers don't hit the ball too high, even those that say they hit it too high.  The issue with most golfers that I've dealt with that say say they hit it too high is that they spin the ball too much.  Now that trackman is more accessible where I work, it's a lot easier to show a customer how their swings are affecting their spin and ball flight. 

 

As to how the question is relevant to fairway woods, I think that just depends on what the user is trying to get out of each club.  If you're using it to hold greens because you find them easier to hit than hybrid, then I would tend to go for something that I can hit as higher and land soft with not a lot of rollout.  If it's something off the tee, then a little lower and flatter would be the ball flight I'm looking for or would fit someone for.  The peak height on that would just depend on the golfer and their swings.  

 

After going to PGA tournaments, caddying during The Colonial Pro-Am last year, and playing quite a bit of golf with a high level amateur golfer, high isn't bad if you can control your spin and learn how to hit the ball lower.  I wish I hit the ball higher, and I typically don't have any issues holding greens.