Should You Play a 9-wood? 4-iron vs 5-hybrid vs 9-wood | Trackman Test
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- Опубліковано 3 лип 2024
- Should I play a 9-wood? It's a question that is becoming more and more popular as golfers seek the best clubs to hit at the top of their iron sets. A 9-wood is another option that could replace a 5-hybrid, 4-iron, or a utility iron.
In this video, 2nd Swing master fitter Jackie Johnson uses Trackman technology to test a PING G410 9-wood against a 4-iron and a 5-hybrid to see the differences in performance.
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Excellent video. Nice to see a 70-something mile an hour swing speed player test out the options. Thank you.
I play 7,9,11 woods. I love them. Great control land soft. I am 56 and have had five back surgeries and knee replacement. I cannot produce enough headspeed for long irons but hit my lifted woods like money.
Thanks for the comment! Glad to hear the higher lofted woods are successful. - Thomas
Yes!That's exactly what I switched out to and the high loft woods are so easy to hit well.What iron follows the 11 wood?I go into a 6.Enjoy the setup!😎👍
I put the Ping G410 driver, 3,5, and 7 fairways in my bag last Spring. I am 5 handicap, 58 years old. Best move I have ever made. I have a slower swing speed so the added loft of the fairways made the longer par 4s no longer a struggle to land the ball and have it stop.
In August, I found the Ping G410 9 wood. Wow... now from about 175-185 yards, I have a club that has enough height to land on an elevated green. The most important attribute I have found with this 9 wood is the ease to which I am able to hit it properly. I am no longer feeling like I need to make the perfect swing, at the perfect angle, in the middle of the club face with a longer iron or hybrid. My longest iron now is a 6 iron. If I choke down a little on the 9 wood, I can take a little distance off with similar performance.
The other thought I have now is that on longer par 4s, I no longer feel the need to make a more aggressive driver swing, because if I end up with an approach shot from 170 - 210 yards, the 7 and 7 woods are there to give me a good shot at landing my shot pin high, which would almost never be the case with longer irons or even some of the hybrids. I used to dread those holes because I would need a terrific drive and a perfectly struck iron to be in good position. I now look forward to these more challenging holes and my mindset is much more positive and open..
Put your egos aside and l give these a try. If Dustin J. can hit a 7 wood and Brendan Steele can hit a 9 wood, you can as well.
In the 80s and 90s most golfers carried a 5 wood which has the loft of a modern 9 wood...1989 ping eye 2 5w was 22* and the 7w was 29*. ...i laugh when guys talk anout their high loft 3 wood...the ping eye 2 3w in my garage is 16.5 and my Taylormade 3w from the 80s says 17* on it....golfers are so easily conned by marketing.
Thank you for doing this test with Lower swing speeds! I picked up a used 7W cobra and it has changed my perspective. I can only imagine how good it can be if I was fitted to it!
I play an F9 Cobra 7W. You can adjust it from 21 to 24 degrees. Standard is 22.5 degrees. Those rails work.
Got a 5/7/9w in my bag and love all of them.
Great video. Jackie and Drew do a great job!
Thanks for watching - Thomas
I carry several woods in the bag. 4, 5, 7, 9 and 11 woods. I do a lot of great stuff with all of them.
Informative video as always, thank you!
Thanks for watching - Thomas
Thanks, this was great. I went today to try the Ping 4 iron crossover vs. 5 Hybrid vs. 9 Wood. I swing Ping G425 fairways in the SFT version (3, 5, 7) - but Ping does not make a 9 Wood in SFT, only in the Max, and it's a different swing weight. I need something to carry 170 and end at 180. The crossover swung like an iron and was less forgiving on bad hits. The 5 hybrid was forgiving, flew straighter and landed where I need it to land. So out comes my 3 & 4 irons, and in comes in the 5 Hybrid and a wedge TBD later. FYI, I had to tinker with the flat & neutral settings to fit my swing, after that was done, the club was money.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear you are liking the conversion from the long irons to the hybrid. - Thomas
Manufactures lofts and lengths are all over the place makes gapping tricky especially mixing brands , definitely need a track man fitting
A great point! You're right it's all over the place. To make sure you have good gapping it's important to know your lofts and your numbers!
Hitting a wood is so much more forgiving, easier, and for me, more accurate than hitting an iron; and, you get a higher smash factor with the wood meaning you get more distance with the same swing. Cobra has a 27 degree wood (women's) and I love it. Go even further and try the 36 degree Callaway women's hybrid (ie 8 iron)....it will give you a whole new perspective.
Thanks for the feedback. We agree hybrids make the game easier and are so much more forgiving than hitting an iron - Thomas
I don’t hit my 5-iron consistent enough to really consider hitting off the ground. I typically go with my 6-iron or 4-hybrid depending on the situation. Good comparison .
Thanks for watching. Those long irons are hard to hit, even for better players. - Thomas
I'm 73, hit my drives 200-210, can't hit 3 wood, not very good with 5 wood. I use 7, 11 and I have a 15 wood that I use for 7 iron at times. I guess I'm more of a sweeper than a 'hit down' at it guy. I'm wondering about a 9 wood. since I have a 5 hybrid.....not sure if I need one. Anyone have thoughts on this?
Love her swing
Love watching these tests! Thank you! Random question: If you have a left to right wind, and you theoretically hit the exact same shot but with different club head speeds… would a slower club head speed with less ball spin be affected more by the wind or a faster club head speed with more ball spin be affected more by the wind?
Good question. If the ball rises with a lot of ball speed there is a good chance that someone that swings slower and providing a slower ball speed could still hit the ball further if the wind eats up the ball with more spin. - Thomas
@@2ndswing That makes a lot of sense. Thank you Thomas. I’ll try swinging slower and hitting a lower lofted club tomorrow at the course to see if it pierces through the wind better than the shot I normally try. 👌
This is similar to what I’ve found. I wanted to replace my 5 Hybrid with a 9 Wood since I hit fairway woods well. But, the 9 wood is very long. Love the flight though just can’t seem to find the right gapping and there isn’t a G425 11 wood.
Thanks for watching! Couple things you can still try. 1) increasing loft using the adjustable hosel, and 2) shortening the length of the shaft. Have you tried either of these?
Nice good info I am in the 4 hybrid or a 7 wood problem lately
7 wood will most likely rise faster and spin more, while the 4hybrid may not fly as high and spin less. It will depend more on a golfers speed and attack angle too. But either option is usually better than a long iron. - Thomas
Thomas thank you I use a sim max iron set and I'm almost tempted to drop the 5 iron because I can hit it but at times it is a low flying ball and have thought about a 6 hybrid that is adjustable like the callaway epic any thoughts??
@@jnordwell I bought a set of sim2 Max OS irons from 2nd Swing and went with the 7iron (which is basically a 6 from my older set) as my longest...with that I picked up 6H to go with my 5H and 4H...love every club in the bag now!
@@JH-zn9tc that is a thought. This year I've pieced together a great set just tweaking it. My game has totally change have grade 1.5 spondylolisthesis in SI,L5 joint. So have had to experiment. Have a sim max driver, rogue 3 wood for tight tees. G410 5wood, epic flash 7 wood, m6 4 hybrid and sim max 5-pw. Mizuno 50,54,58 wedges.. now for the winter time and fun I guess.. thanks for the different way to look at a set..
this is great data for a TON of handicap golfers. My swing speed is much faster, but this video got me thinking of something that I don't know if I've seen answered before: Aside from Driver and Putter, a golfer has up-to-12 clubs that need to be gapped appropriately. Is there a rule of thumb on how much yardage these gaps need to cover? For instance, Jackie hit that 9 wood up to about 182yds. Say her driver totals 230 yards. Does she NEED proper gapping all the way down from 230 yards to, say, 75 yards? What's the best way to evaluate for yourself?
Yes gapping is very important. Depending on your club speed (or distance you hit the ball) it will be different. For example Jackie drives the ball 230 yards her gapping between each club may be 8-10 yards. Thomas drives the ball 300 yards his gapping between each club could be 10-15 yards. Best way to find out is to complete a gapping analysis but the loft of irons should provide adequate separation and a club fitter should be able to help based on how far a golfer hits the ball. - Thomas
@@2ndswing thanks for reply! Great, honest info!
As I posted out on your last video about my opinion on bag make-up, this is a no-brainer for most golfers - we just need more golfers with open minds. If you are playing near the forward tees, you should have a 9-wood - and your last iron should most likely be a 7-iron - definitely not a 4-iron. This video shows a very good golfer, with a swing speed of 75mph with a 4 iron, with carries in the 140-150 range. At this swing speed, the swing speed of my partner that we work very hard to build a proper bag with, a 7 iron is absolutely the last iron that should be in the bag because of swing speed - not skill. After 7-iron, golfers in this swing-speed range, should go from 7-iron to a hybrid or two - and then 9 wood for a much higher peak height club into a green or over a hazard. Peak Height and descent angle are king - embrace it - your handicap will thank you.
(My previous post)
I've spent a lot of time figuring out the bags for my parents and a few others with lower swing speeds - also been fit at TXG and learned a lot. I've come up with the general bag makeup based on driver swing speed which is a pretty good place to start. There are obviously no right answers here - yes swing&skill dependant etc:
Driver Swing Speed (DSS), Last Iron Loft (LIL), Hybrid Lofts (HL), Woods (W)
Tees you play, DSS , LIL, HL, W
Black Tees - 115mph, 21-degrees(3iron), no hybrids, 5&3W (18/13.5)
Blue Tees - 105mph, 24-degrees(4-iron), 21-hybrid, 5&3W(18/15)
White Tees - 95mph, 27-degrees(5-iron), 24-hybrid, 7&5W(21/18)
Forward Tees - 85mph, 34-degrees(7-iron), 30-hybrid & 27-hybrid, 9&7W (24/21)
Paul. I love your input. You are probably not far off. The hardest part is to convince golfers that don't hit the ball as far to consider higher lofted woods. I would like to do some testing based on your club speed formula for set make up. Thank you. - Thomas
That’s really interesting and not far off my own bag. 95 DSS, 27* 5i (x16), 26* 5h (heavenwood) 20* 3h, 15* 3w (x hot). I’m looking at replacing the 5h with a modern one and also the 3h and 3w and considering 7w/5w with lofts similar to your suggestion. I struggle to hit 3w off the deck on long par 5 approaches so 5w may be better. Also the 2 courses I mostly play allow me to hit driver on all the par 4s so I don’t really need a 3w. The only minor disagreement I have with your gapping is the 27* 5i to 24* hybrid - that would be too big of a gap for me.
@@lindsaynewell6319 Lindsay - thanks for the comment - this is a very worthy discussion point as you have probably focused in on the exact loft/club in your bag where you can make it better. My suggestion is to have an honest appraisal of your carry distance and peak-height green stopping ability with 'your' 27-degree 5-iron. If you are a decent golfer, there is probably no doubt you can hit it well enough, especially likely much better off a tee, but the real question is, is it optimal in your bag - do you actually carry it much further than your 30-degree lofted iron & can you hit it into a green and stop the ball? This is in fact the loft where most non-fast swingers can really, really benefit by changing to a club that has much better launch characteristics - i.e. a 27 lofted 6-hybrid. This in fact is the hybrid that started the re-bag-building for my partner - she uses the 2019 Big Bertha #6 adjustable hosel hybrid, which we increased in loft to +2 or 29-degrees and with a light Recoil Senior Flex Graphite Shaft. My partner is a very strong female athletic golfer - she carries her driver 200 yards and carries her 7-iron 135 (fairway) & 140-5 (tee'd) - she then goes to this 29-degree #6hybrid for the 150-165 into the green and then the same Callaway Big Bertha #4, also increased +2 in loft to 23-degrees. She likes this hybrid as her long shot into greens that she won't reach and she will hit it often twice on very, very long Par 5s. Her next club in the Ping 20.5-degree 7-wood, which we have increased +1.5 to 22-degrees. She will hit both the 4-hybrid at 23-degrees and the 21-degree 7wood similar total distances, but the 7-wood gives her 30-feet+ more peak height and is her goto club to carry hazards. From 7-wwod she goes straight to a 12-degree Regular Shafted Ping Driver.
Her bag is thus:
- 60, 56, 53, 47 - Cleveland CG-12 (old school) Pro wedges with heavy pro weight steel shafts. She is fantastic with them and likes their very heavy nature - her carry distance for the 47-degree wedge is 115-yards
- next are 9,8,7 irons - Cobras with Regular-Flex light Graphite Shafts (120-#9, 130-#8, 140-#7)
- 29-degree #6 Hybrid, 23-degree #4 Hybrid
- 7-wood at 21-degree
- 12-degree Driver
Finally, I would suggest potentially trying to demo some of the Lady 'spec' Ping G Le2 fairway woods if you can find a demo to hit and they are swing-speed appropriate for you. The best thing about them is that they have much higher lofts on them - example is the 3W, 5W, 7W, 9W have lofts (19, 22, 26, 30-degrees) - and they are further adjustable which is amazing.
All the best - and good luck
@@wallstreetoneil interesting stuff Paul. My 26* 5h was a direct replacement for 24* 4i and is a nice 10-12 yard carry gap to my 27* 5i. My misses with 5i are less bad than my misses with the 5h. I’ve also got an old 30* 7h but never use it - it fits between 5i and 6i but doesn’t gap well in my current set (but my wife hits it really well😁). Everything will be reevaluated whenever I replace my clubs - only driver and putter are new this year.
I would agree with much of your post about bag set up but no would say that if you're a slower swing speed player then you really don't need 14 clubs.
I play a 12° driver, 5 wood, 7 wood, 26° h, 30° h, 8I at 35°, 9, pw and a 52° and a putter of course. Most people would want to add a higher lofted wedge maybe but I haven't found a situation where I really miss it.
I am 6’6” and my irons are 3-4 degrees upright. Neither hybrids nor woods are available upright ( except titleist). Would I be better off with game improvement long irons with proper level of lie angle compared to a flatter hybrid or wood. Senior handicap 21
That is a great question! I still feel that a hybrid or wood would be a better option. I would suggest comparing longer irons that are upright vs the hybrid or fairway woods. You mentioned Titleist, certain Callaway and TaylorMade adjustable hosels can get you upright as well. But I would focus more on the height and consistency vs trying to match the lie angle with either hybrid or fairway wood. - Thomas
Hi Thomas I was hoping you could help me out with a question please how common is someone fitted into iron with half inch shorter than standard shafts and a 1 degree upright club head wouldn’t the club head need to go flatter if the shaft is shorter ? Dan
Not necessarily. Take into consideration hit location. By playing a shorter shaft you may hit towards the middle more often and lie angle is still very important. It would be tough to decide without seeing fitting results as everybody's setup and swing is different. If a club is shorter it will be flatter so by bending a club upright that was shortened is an option to get the optimal lie angle. - Thomas
Just wondering if a 9-wood could replace a 3-wood to get more loft and get approximately the same distance?
It will depend on your club speed. It may be too extreme of a change and I would recommend a 5 or 7 wood first - Thomas
I've noticed that the woods and hybrids are easier to hit but when the ball isn't in the ideal lie such a taller rough, they don't perform as well. Especially, the bigger wood head.
If the ball is in the taller rough I still would recommend taking you medicine and playing a higher lofted iron to get back in play. - Thomas
I currently have the Ping g410 7 wood. Do you think it is necessary to add the 9 wood? I prefer woods to hybrids.
D, Thanks for the feedback! I think a 9 wood would be great option, if you play and get along well with the 7 wood! The question I always ask is, "When would you use this club"? "How often do you come to a yardage where the 7 wood is too far, and the next club isn't enough for distance?" "What's the longest iron you feel comfortable hitting?" I would take a look at the loft structure of your irons. We want to avoid two clubs with the same loft! -Danny
@@2ndswing actually you'd be surprised. I got fit at TPI and my highest iron is a 6-iron which is 30 degrees but I have a 7-hybrid which is 29 degrees, turned down to 28, but it gives me a full 10 yard gap because the hybrid is hotter.
I just can't get on board with a 9 wood for some reason. I LOVE my 7 wood and I LOVE my 4h. But they do different things. My 4h is my long Par 3 club and for shots that require precision and shape. My 7 wood flies high and straight and spinny and I'm totally OK with that as my Par 5 2nd shot club and Tight Par 4 tee club.
3H would replace the 7wood?..dont see a 4H replacing a 7wood...maybe a 9wood.
Thanks for watching. If you already have a 7w probably don't need anything higher and the 4h should gap nicely! - Thomas
@@JH-zn9tc No I love my 7 wood and I love my 4h. They are both in the bag. You're right a 9w would replace the 4h but I just can't do it I hit the 4h too well and can hit lots of shots with it that I just can't with a 9w.
@@2ndswing thanks....great channel!
Many thanks that was an interesting vid👍
I have previously never considered gaming a 7 or 9 Wood, at the moment I go from my Driver to 19 & 23 deg Hybrids and my Irons are 6-PW. I don't carry a Fairway Wood or a 3 & 4 Iron because frankly, I can't hit them! Theoretically, it gives me a few gaping issues, but on the Course that I play I can't reach the Par5's in two shots anyway so I just lay up to a PW and I'm more than happy with a Par.
I have been meaning all year to try out a 5 Wood, but I probably need to try out a 7&9 Wood as well.
I would start with one to at least try help fill the gap. Probably a 5wood and from there assess if there is more gapping needs. - Thomas
@@2ndswing Many thanks Thomas, now that the Golfing season is winding down here in the UK I will start doing some testing, as I tend to hit Fairway woods thin I suspect that the PING G425 is my best bet👍
It's a good time of the year to complete testing. Golf season is winding down for us here as well unfortunately, but we will be testing plenty in the hitting bay all winter long. - Thomas
@@2ndswing 👍
Ps I have really enjoyed your PGA vids, good luck on your quest👍
I am senior player
I love 3 7 9 wood that’s
Best for me easy strait
To hit
That’s Best for senior
For sure I bet
Jackie with 4i "I hit 2 of them good but 3 of them not ideal..." LOL that sums up my golf with long irons perfectly.
My longest iron is a 5i then I have a 23 degree 4h, 19 degree 3h and a 5w. I have played a 25 degree hybrid in the past as well. Definitely thinking about using a 7w possibly to replace the 3h but a 9w still feels a step too far - the video provided a well needed kick in favour of the 9w.
What I was worried about with the 9w was that the spin rate would be a lot higher and so it could be difficult to shape the ball - that worry looks completely wrong.
Right. That 4i is just too difficult for her to hit. Many golfers with her speed hopefully consider a higher lofted fairway or a hybrid to help with forgiveness, height and spin. - Thomas
Guys need to put their ego away and play what performed best. PGA tour players are playing high lofted woods. If they don’t worry about the stigma then why should you?
We agree. Play the club that gives the best performance. Like you point out the higher lofted woods are trending with even the best golfers - Thomas
There woods are not really high lofted...a 1980s 5w is a modern 9w...in the 80s all regular golfers had a 22* 5w..
Looked like Jackie could almost play both 5h and 9w based on the gapping in the test.
Thanks for watching. Yes both options were better than a 4 iron - Thomas
Hmmm. 9 wood. Higher launch. Steeper descent. Easier to hit. Where's the downside?
I cannot play a hybrid, hook bias I do not like .
Can you re-test this one with someone with more consistent shot quality, thank you
Here you go: ua-cam.com/video/fxvtr--84lE/v-deo.html Thomas also filmed this with more speed and consistency, but we did a similar video as requested by our viewers having Jackie complete the test with slower swing speed. - Thomas
Not many of those people out there and if they were that consistent they could just play irons..this girl gives more of a real world example and I think you would find that most people dont really hit hybrids within a small circle...ps...for a few months i have been everything dead straight..kind of amazes me..i like to point that out to people on the range...lol