This could be one of the most hotly contested topics in golf club history: What are the best fairway woods of all time?

Originally, this list was going to be a “top 5,” but after a lengthy discussion with a lot of golfers, it quickly became way too difficult to get the list to only five, unless I wanted to deal with civil unrest. So instead, we’re going bigger and giving you the top 10 modern classic fairways woods of all time—along with a few noted additions.

From a fitting perspective, what makes a great fairway wood is a debated topic is because they have to be endlessly versatile. A single fairway wood can play so many different roles to an individual player. What is a unicorn perfect fit to one might be an un-hittable nightmare to another, depending on swing dynamics. From a fairway finder, to a par-5 killer, to a perfect yardage club on a tough par 3, whatever reason you have to hold onto your favorite fairway wood is personal, and like a good friend you truly never want to let it go.

In no particular order, here are the top 10 greatest “modern classic” fairway woods.

TaylorMade V Steel

It is impossible to have a discussion about the top modern fairway woods of all time without having the TaylorMade V Steel come up within seconds. The V Steel was released around the time of another classic early 2000s era TaylorMade—the 200 Steel, but as far as staying power the V Steel is still found in golf bags thanks to its design and versatility.

The V-shaped sole greatly improved turf interaction (TaylorMade’s take on the Warbird sole), and at the time it was introduced, it was a fairly large head that went all the way to a 9-wood. It was offered in both a steel shaft and stock M.A.S. 2 fairway-specific graphite shaft, which some golfers still swear by.

Titleist PT (970)

At one point in time, years after its initial release, the Titleist PT was still the most sought after fairway woods on the planet for one reason: Tiger Woods. The PT (Pro Trajectory) was not a club designed for the less-skilled player. It was a low MOI, workable little beast that allowed you to curve a ball to your heart’s content.

Beyond his famous Scotty Cameron, the Titleist PT was one of the last holdouts in Tiger’s bag until the Nike Ignite T60 came along. There were multiple variations of the PT fairway wood, including the bore through from my personal collection (pictured), the non-bore through, and the 970. Each one slightly different, but all unmistakably Titleist PT.

Ping TisI Tec

The TisI Tec was “the” titanium fairway wood before titanium was really a thing in fairway woods. The TisI Tec woods incorporated a lot of the same technology as the driver, including a multi-material head, adjustable (from factory) hosel sleeve, and thin casting technology to get it as hot as possible. Just like the driver, it came with a steep price tag when it was initially released ($499), but that didn’t stop a lot of players from putting them in the bag—and once they found their way in, they didn’t leave.

Famous professional holdouts of the TisI Tec fairway woods were Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Angel Cabrera, who had one in the bag when he won the 2007 U.S. Open 5 years after the Tec was initially released and Ping was already at the V1 Rapture and G5 series. It was by no means a traditional-looking club, but when you want to break barriers, you have to break the mold, and Ping did that with the TisI Tec Titanium.

Sonartec SS-07

Sonartec was the little fairway wood company with a big following. Originally brought to North America with licensed technology from Royal Collection, the original SS Series woods with the Driving Cavity changed the way golfers looked at how a fairway wood could perform. You could argue over which Sonartec model was truly the best, since they were all so good, but the SS-03 and the SS-07 with the longer bendable hosel were the two most players gravitated towards. There was even a Nick Price “signature” model named the NP-99 that had a cult-like following too. (On a side note, there isn’t a tour player on the planet that played more doomed company equipment that Nick Price)

In the late 90s and early 2000s, the initial era of “full-bag” OEM sponsorship, the fairway wood was still the one club most players could negotiate. The most famous players beyond Price with the Sonartec would have been David Duval who used one to win the Open Championship, among many others victories.

Callaway Original S2H2, Big Bertha Warbird

These clubs were so hard to compare for different reasons I had to put them together. The Original S2H2 stood for Short Straight Hollow Hosel and was one of the very first “forgiving” fairways woods—forgiving being a relative term now. It was a hollow cast steel clubhead with a bore through design. By eliminating the top part of the hosel, weight was saved and the CG was lowered to make it easier to hit.

The most notable player to ever use the S2H2 was Fred Couples, who played one for more than a decade and only finally replaced it with a Callaway FT-i Tour Squareway wood—talk about a tech jump!

The follow-up Warbird fairway wood offered the same S2H2 hosel, but in a much shallower head shape to further lower CG and improve ball flight. To help improve ground contact with the larger head, the Warbird had concave heel and toe pockets to reduce resistance. The warbird sole design was a mainstay in Callaway’s line for decades, and its lineage can still be seen to this day. It even made a full comeback with the V-series a few years ago, which was another underrated club.

Olimar TriMetal

A multi-material head with a maraging steel face, you would have thought the Olimar TriMetal was a club that debuted in the mid-2000s, but instead it was right out of the 90s. The brainchild of legendary club designer Jesse Ortiz (aka the guy who brought us the Bobby Jones Hybrids), the TriMetal was ahead of the game in technology.

It was the first fairway wood to use a strong maraging steel face that saved weight and allowed for repositioning of mass to bump up forgiveness. The TriMetal was an extremely shallow clubhead that was easy to elevate. It came in a huge variety of lofts all the way down to 9 degrees—yes 9 degrees in a fairway wood! For many golfers, this shallow design was a game saver, and like many on the list, you can still find these now at very reasonable prices.

Tour Edge Exotics CB1

The CB1 fairway wood was one of the first mainstream clubs to introduce the world to combo brazing, which is where the CB1 name originates. Brazing is the process of joining two metals with a filler material at a lower temperature (lower than the other two metal’s melting points) to creating one piece. It’s similar to welding but is a lot cleaner, saves weight and is an inherently more expensive process.

The CB1 had a thin titanium cup face brazed to a heavier steel body to maximize forgiveness and remove any unnecessary weight away from the clubface. This resulted in an extremely fast, extremely forgiving design that launched the Exotics line to where it is today. Like other clubs that pushed the boundaries of technology, it was close to 30 percent more expensive than other fairway wood at the time, but for those who hit it and still play them, the price was more than justifiable.

Adams Tight Lies 

The fairway wood that turned fairway woods upside down (obligatory eye roll) and forever linked Adams with being a leader in fairway design! Adams Golf was just a tiny startup when it introduced the very first Tight Lies fairway wood in 1996 to the golfing world with infomercials.

The “upside-down” head design offered a very low CG and gave amateurs who struggled with hitting shots off the deck renewed confidence. The design and shape were so popular that almost 20 years later, Adams reintroduced the Tight Lies to a whole new generation of golfers with crown and sole slots that made it twice as fast (CT Measurement ) as the original but with the same classic shape.

TaylorMade RBZ

As much as you may have doubted the “17 yards longer claim,” I can say almost, without doubt, you went out and tried the TaylorMade RBZ to find out for yourself—I know I did. Introduced at a time when people wondered “what else can you possibly do to a driver?” TaylorMade pivoted and said, “watch what we can do with a fairway wood!”

The RBZ did everything it said it did by offering more ball speed and more distance to players of all abilities. The RBZ fairway woods were not just faster but notoriously stronger-lofted than stated loft by about a degree (I worked in a shop that measured hundreds of these), which also lead to lower launch and spin to also increase distance. As much as you could say the name RBZ (RocketBallz) was cheesy, which it was, this was the fairway wood that reenergized the entire category of clubs for every OEM.

It can also be noted for being the fairway wood that eventually lead TaylorMade to buy Adams Golf and all of its remaining design patents, including the sole slot.

Nike Ignite T60

This was the club that finally got Mr. Woods away from his beloved Titleist PT and into something with some modern technology. The Nike T60 followed the T40 by adding an additional 20g of Tungsten equalling (you guessed it) 60 total grams of tungsten in the sole of the club to create a low-spinning, fast fairway wood.  It was a deeper-faced design that offered a lot of workability and had a 455 carpenter steel face to do everything it could to push ball speeds.

Nike took a lot of unfounded heat early on for its metal woods, but this club really helped change people’s minds about what Nike could achieve, and like I said Tiger hit some pretty great shots with it (Thanks, Johnny Miller, for the 3-wood mention).

What do you think GolfWRXers? Are there any fairway woods you think belong in the top 10 that aren’t included? Any that are included you don’t think should be? Have your say below!

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from golfinguru11 who asks WRXers what they feel is the necessary handicap to possess before making the move to blade irons. Our members dismiss the notion that only players with a specific handicap should play blades and give their thoughts on what is necessary to game the irons effectively.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• rt_charger: “I think the overwhelming answer is that there is absolutely no handicap threshold to play blades – if like said before, you can elevate them; and you have the swing repeatability to find center more than not; you can play blades. Any handicap can play blades, not every player can. It is just statistical likelihood that fewer higher handicaps play blades and above a certain one you find any with blades because they don’t have the swing to play them. I think the test is, if you can hit a blade 5 iron that goes high enough, you can play blades.”
• tets: “ANY handicap… try this, go over your last round. Take your score, subtract all the putts you hit, then subtract any wedges include chip shots, bunker shots etc., next take away 18 tee shots ( if there are 4 par 3’s you can choose not to subtract them if you want) .. your “ other” shots will be somewhere around 10, plus or minus a few. You may also choose to subtract hybrids and fairway woods if you want. My point is play what irons you want; you probably use them less than you think.”
• uglande: “None. But every golfer (even most pros) reach a point of diminishing returns in their set. Anyone can hit a 9 iron blade, but when you get to 5 or 6 iron your consistency will fall off, and your yardage gaps will narrow. If you like to work the ball or flight the ball, blades are great. If you are mostly just trying to hit straight shots, then blades probably don’t make sense unless you just love the look and feel. Maybe try a blended set with blades in the short irons and just try to identify the spot in your bag where the “cons” of blades start to outweigh the ‘pros.'”
• GSDriver: “There’s no handicap; it’s up to the individual. Clearly harder to hit than cavity backs but if you like them, play’em.”

Entire Thread: “Handicap to play blades?”

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from osubuckeyes691 who asked WRXers which lob wedge is suited to handle firm and tight lies from the sand. Our members discuss a variety of different wedges and explain just why they feel their choice is most effective from firm and tight bunker lies.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• SEP106: “My course is the same as sometimes after a hard rain it will take a few days to get them all back to normal. I have the Ping Glide 2.0 Stealth wedges, and they are awesome for every condition. When I have the lies you’re describing I use my 58* with 6* of bounce, don’t open it up and just take a normal swing depending on the distance.”
• cardoustie: “Vokey T grind my friend .. amazing. Don’t open way up.”
• Big L: “I am a horrible bunker player but have found the most success with my Mack Daddy Pm grind 58.”
• uglande: “I have a 62 degree Vokey SM7 (M grind, 8 degrees of bounce) that is money in those situations. Great in firm situations with the blade slightly open, and if the sand is both hard and wet, I’ll square it, or even toe-in and just dig it out.”
• rt_charger: “If anyone needs a wedge for their next Links golf adventure in the summer when the fairways are as tight and firm as can be – the X low is for you, at a shocking 3 degrees of bounce. Otherwise, don’t ever get it unless you’re ultra-shallow and almost never take a divot.”

Entire Thread: “Best lob wedge for firm, tight bunkers?”

The skinny: For the first time ever, KBS is adding a driver/wood shaft to the KBS product line (read our full launch story here). The KBS TD is a lighter and stiffer driver/wood shaft with characteristics of the original KBS feel. It is the perfect complement to their already proven performance-driven line of golf shafts. According to founder Kim Braly, “TD is the culmination of my years of shaft design being put into the most exciting club in your bag. The KBS TD will change the way you look at driver shafts.”

Our take on KBS TD shafts

The TD series is really a shaft connoisseurs dream; allowing not only a range of weights (40 to 80 grams) and stiffness 1-5 (yes numbers, not letters) but also up to four inches of tipping. This is an important nuance because with the right equipment and expertise, shafts can be very specifically matched to players.

For testing, KBS provided three shafts. To help me, I enlisted the help of my friend (and world-class fitter) Lyndon Wilson. Lyndon, owner of Golf Studio 360 at Orange County National in Orlando, Florida, is a world class fitter and builder with a resume that includes working with a wealth of PGA Tour players. Together with a FlightScope and Digiflex 2.0.

The first thing that struck us was the quality of the product: the shafts had tight specs on frequency and weight (no surprise here!). However what was really cool was Lyndon’s ability to move frequency slightly to really create shafts that would be tailored to my game. Based on our relationship, which includes playing a lot of golf together, he made up two shafts

1.  50g, category 2 tipped an inch to play 6.0 to test in my driver at 45 inches
2. 69g, category 2, not tipped and playing 5.5 for my 3 wood to test at 43.5 inches

Side note: watching Lyndon work, it is clear that these shafts, in the right hands, offer fitters a tremendous opportunity to perfectly fit each and every player.

But there’s still the big (and most important) question: how did it work? As one would expect, this is where KBS shines; performance.

In my opinion, KBS has hit another home run: producing a high-quality product that maximizes feel and consistency.

For more on the KBS TD shafts, check out Ryan Barath’s launch story. 

Driver: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees set at 8.25 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XTS 70TX (45 inches, tipped 2 inches)

Fairway wood: TaylorMade M6 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX

Fairway wood: TaylorMade M5 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P750 (4), TaylorMade P730 (5-PW)
Shafts: Project X Rifle 7.0

• More Rory McIlroy WITB photos in the forums.

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (52, 56, 60 degrees)
Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5

Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Copper

Ball: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Rory McIlroy WITB, shot at the Tour Championship

• More Rory McIlroy WITB 2019 photos
• Rory McIlroy WITB 2018
• Rory McIlroy WITB 2017
• Rory McIlroy WITB 2016
• Rory McIlroy WITB 2015
• Rory McIlroy WITB 2014
• Rory McIlroy WITB 2013
• Rory McIlroy WITB 2012

Driver: Ping G410 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Blue 60 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade M5 (15 degrees)
Shaft: UST Mamiya VTS Tour SPX 8X

Hybrid: Callaway Rogue (19 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Blue 90 TX

Irons: Titleist 718 T-MB (4, 5), Titleist 718 CB (6-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT S400

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (50-10, 54-10), Fourteen Golf RM-Proto (60-10T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (50, 54), KBS Tour S+ (60)

Putter: Sik Pro C-Series

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from balls_deep who as a high ball hitter, has sought WRXer’s advice on what driving iron may suit him best. In balls_deep’s words, he’s looking for “something that goes straight and is easy to flight high or low when needed and doesn’t want to go left” and a club off the tee which he can use “for shorter par 4s I can knock down and run out but still use on long par 3s and second shots into par 5s around the 220-230 mark.” Our members share their suggestions.

Here are a view posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• jvincent: “I’m going to guess P790 UDI will be the best option. I’m not quite as fast as you but am looking for a similar club, low launch, low spin for off the tee. I’ve resisted pulling the trigger on a few UDIs I’ve seen on eBay. So far.”
• Lefty96: “I switched to a driving iron this year for the same reasons you’re stating about the hybrid. I would say we are very similar statistically speaking with our ball flights and speed. I added an 18 degree Srixon u85, and it does everything I need it to. I find it very easy to hit both off the tee and the fairway. It’s become a solid 230 club for me. I still launch it fairly high on a normal swing, but it is still lower than my old 18-degree hybrid. If I want to flight it low into the wind, I can make it happen the same way I would my 4 iron which is something I couldn’t do with the hybrid. It’s been a great club. I looked at the tmb but found it much less forgiving. That should be obvious when looking at the size differences, but for me, the slightly chunkier look doesn’t offend me with a driving iron.”
• Pwood28: “Since you’re already playing a T-MB in your 4 iron, assuming you like it, I’d throw in the 3 iron since height, spin and distance don’t seem to be an issue. I’d also vouch for the UDI as a good choice and throw in the new Mizuno HMB. I recently bought a HMB 3 iron, and it is large enough that it gives you all the confidence in the world to go after the ball, but still retains decent looking lines.”
• drvrwdge: “Srixon U85 at 20* for me. Its 250ish off the tee and my 235-240 club of the deck. Went Recoil 95 F5. Can flight it, hit it high, turn it over, hold it off etc.. Does everything and is supper forgiving especially on toe side strikes. Had an i500 3i with an AD 95x for a while and it was just tough to elevate off of the deck. Not as forgiving as the U85 either.”
• wam78: “I hit the u500 last week, and I came away impressed. Fantastic look at address without looking too GI. Felt good out the middle and was pretty easy to hit. If I were in the market probably would have purchased not the spot.”

Entire Thread: “Talk to me about driving irons…”

Lynx Golf is coming back to North America with the introduction of the premium Prowler Forged irons and VT Stinger Utility irons for 2020.

“Our Prowler lines have been embraced by players around the world because they perform incredibly well and have a beautiful aesthetic that speaks to avid golfers,” says Steve Elford, CEO and co-owner of Lynx Golf.

“These additions to the collection fill two spaces our customers have been asking for, a driving iron with outstanding performance and without the standard bulky look of modern hybrids, and a cavity-back forged iron that looks and feels as good as our blades, but offers added forgiveness.”

We first saw the Lynx Prowler Forged irons and VT Stinger at the 2019 PGA Show in Orlando, but that was to introduce them to the world, and at that time they were not actually available to the North American golfer through traditional channels.

The launch of the Prowler line of clubs coincides with the launch of www.lynxgolfusa.com, which now makes the popular UK brand more accessible to the North American market. The Prowler Forged irons and VT Stinger will be joining a variety of other popular designs from Lynx that are now available in the U.S. including the Prowler VT irons, Black Cat, and Tigress lines of clubs.

Lynx Prowler VT Stinger Utility Driving Iron

For Lynx, the entire Prowler line represents the peak of the company’s engineering and manufacturing processes, and the VT Stinger is no exception.

The VT Stinger utility features a variable thickness (VT) face that helps redistributes mass around the perimeter of the clubhead to increase MOI (moment of inertia). This increase in MOI has improved accuracy and distance on mishits by 36 percent, according to Lynx Golf. The classic muscleback design boasts a sole that is wider than a traditional blade style long iron while still maintaining the classic aesthetics.

Specs and Availability

The VT Stinger utility comes in lofts of 12.5 degrees and 16 degrees, and is stock with either a KBS Tour steel shaft for $129,  or UST Mamiya Recoil graphite shaft $149. Considering other options currently in the market place from other OEMs, the VT Stringer is a great value.

Lynx Golf Prowler Forged Irons

2020 Lynx Prowler VT Forged iron: 7-iron

The Prowler Forged irons are forged from soft 1020 carbon steel, then CNC milled for precise center of gravity placement and quality control. They feature a polished chrome finish and progressive offset design to appeal to golfers of all handicap ranges looking for a classically styled iron packed with modern technologies.

On top of being CNC milled, each head is equipped with five fixed tungsten screws, which allowed Lynx engineers to precisely position mass, to create a lower center of gravity and increased clubhead MOI. This lower CG improves launch and spin, which for the golfer translates to higher flying shots that are easier to stop.

The other key design feature of the Prowler Forged versus the previous forged iron from Lynx is a 20 percent longer blade length to provide greater playability and performance while still offering a better player preferred shape from address.

Specs and Availability

The Prowler Forged iron set comes stock 5-PW and are available with either KBS Tour 90 Steel shafts for $999 or UST Mamiya’s graphite Recoil shaft for $1,169. Both 3-iron and 4-iron are available to purchase separately.

• More photos of Lynx Prowler VT Forged irons and the VT Stinger utility in the forums. 

It’s hard to argue with a major winner, and Wilson Golf is introducing the all-new Wilson Staff Model utility iron for 2020 on the heels of Gary Woodland’s U.S. Open win with the 18-degree model in the bag (for 36 holes…he switched to a set-matching 3-iron for rounds three and four).

Like many designs starting out, the Staff Model utility was strictly a prototype for Wilson Advisory Staff members, including PGA Tour players and other PGA Professionals. These iron-like utilities are designed to deliver the best possible performance and are built to replace harder-to-hit long irons; they combine a multi-material design with a classic muscleback profile.

The 2020 Wilson Staff Model utility irons featured a hollow clubhead design to push mass lower and away from the face to increase launch angle and boost MOI beyond anything you would find with a traditional iron. The clubface is made from a high-strength C300 maraging steel—a material generally found in fairway woods to produce faster ball speeds across the clubface. By using the stronger, faster rebounding maraging steel, engineers can save mass in the clubface and move it around the head—including the seven-gram external weight positioned on the sole.

Wilson has been extensively testing the prototype utility iron since the beginning of 2019, and it has found it way into multiple PGA Tour player’s bags including Gary Woodland—who used one during his US Open win at Pebble Beach this year. Designers at Wilson are excited to get these new Staff Utilities into golfer’s hands to see the benefit from this new offering

“The Staff Model Utility Irons will give golfers confidence on every shot and in every condition,” said Jon Pergande, Manager of Golf Club Innovation.

“Originally created for our professional staff members, we are excited to bring the utility irons to golfers and believe the strong mix of distance and forgiveness will enable players to attack the course with more confidence.”

Wilson Staff utility iron: Specs & availability

The Wilson Staff utility irons come stock with graphite KBS Tour hybrid shaft along with Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet grip. Additional shafts and grips are available through Wilson Golf’s custom program with some potential up-charges applying.

The club is offered in 18-degree, 21-degree, and 24-degree loft options, and will be available for purchase on Wilson.com and at retail for $229.99 per iron, beginning Wednesday, December 11.

• Join the Discussion: Remember to check out the GolfWRX Forums to see what others are saying about the all-new Wilson Staff utility irons.

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from dhen9 who opens up a discussion on both game improvement and super game improvement irons. Dhen9 asks WRXers what they feel are currently the best irons in either department presently available, which are both forgiving and clean looking. Our members share their thoughts with plenty of valuable insight provided.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• sdandrea: “PING G410 is a real player in that category. It looks very clean at address and plays very forgiving. G400 is still available as well.”
• AG12: “P790’s have been a good combo of forgiveness, minimal offset, blade length, feel and ball flight for me. I had the Apex line, and they were great clubs but prefer the topline, etc. on the ’19 P790. I have hit and demoed the G410, G400, M5, M6, AP1 and AP3, and the 790 beat them out for me for all mentioned above.”
• dannym53: “I upgraded to G410 and wish I had my 400’s back. Just played three rounds with them but to me, the 400’s feel better, but that’s just me.”
• Ripken08: “Simple answer as previously posted…G410 or 919 Hot Metals. I have played several G series clubs over the years and got along ok with them. Had G410s briefly. The 919 HM are in a different league for ME. I hit them considerably better. And they look and feel better in my opinion. Only two serious contenders you should try…”
• elon235: “I’ve been playing the Callaway Rogue Pro irons for the past 8 months and find them to be very forgiving but also have minimal offset. Very easy to work the ball or point and shoot. Also should save you some cash. Worth a look IMO.”

Entire Thread: “Best game improvement or super game improvement irons available?”

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from MelloYello who has been thinking about swapping his 3-wood for a 7-wood. MelloYello feels his 3-wood is the odd man out in his bag and has asked WRXers for their thoughts on what the addition of a 7-wood could add to his game. Our members have been sharing their opinions and insights on the matter.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• Z1ggy16: “Doesn’t Keith Mitchell use a 7w? Dude is one of the longest on tour. I think more than anything it has to do with what flight you want to see, and the purpose of the club how your club delivery. My guess is he never uses it off the tee (or in very limited cases, like ultra-long par 3’s) and it’s purely for par 5’s. Maybe he’s a big de-lofter of that club, so he gets a nice penetrating flight but with enough launch to stop it quickly on greens. Maybe a long iron just wouldn’t spin/launch enough for him. It’s probably one of those things you’ll need to buy used off eBay and try it out for yourself; I’ve never seen 7 woods in store.”
• bulls9999: “I have a Callaway Heavenwood (7-wood), and it’s as my 5-wood, I think because I can get it up so high it just carries more, but it’s so easy to hit. My 3-wood is getting jealous in the garage closet; I take it out for a spin on the range before play every now and then, but it never makes it onto the course. Last Sunday, my 4 best shots of the day were all with the 3-wood…. 2 par-3’s, a par-4 where I was in parallel fairway and went over a pond and a stand of trees and onto the green, pin high; another was 18th hole, 200 yards to green, downwind, landed on front edge but rolled out to back of the green. I’m hardly ever on that green in 2. I wish I can find a hybrid that I can hit as easy as that 7-wood.”
• ephmen: “Low ball hitter, love my 7 wood! Ping G25.”
• dmeeksDC: “Definitely can get you great results, but in my experience the stronger the player, the more you have to find the right shaft to get the flight you want with a 7 wood. A lot of these clubs seem paired with shafts designed for players who need launch help with all clubs. I put a tipped 72 gram stiff Accra RPG Z shaft in a Titleist 917 7 W (21 degrees), and that stopped the moonshots. Don’t need to hit this club hard. Stock swing, and it goes high and long, will stop quickly on a green. I think one key is to swing them smooth like a 7 iron. If I get after it, it just goes higher, not really longer. I like it better than a hybrid or clunky driving iron, and I’d only pull it if I found a hollow-headed iron like the p790, Cobra Forged Tec, Maltby TS1/TS2, Mizuno HMB, etc., that I could consistently hit as far. But I’m all woods and irons, no more hybrid.”
• uglande: “Just pull the trigger on the 7 wood and then wait to make your next move after putting it through its paces. I love my 917 F2 4-wood and 7-wood. The 7 was my favorite club in the bag the past two seasons. It’s not going anywhere.”

Entire Thread: “Medium-long hitters using a 7-wood?

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from SPY ZINGER who has got himself one of JP Golf’s Concept wedges. From SPY ZINGER himself:

“If you follow @jpgolfco on Instagram he released the Premier or concept wedge today. Billed as golf’s most expensive wedge to make. I am told there are only about 30 or so prototypes in the world and really wanted to get one of these so I bought the 58 before it was too late. JP is a good friend and I have owned all of his designs. I know this isn’t for everyone but just wanted to share. Two of the pics are in hand, and the rest were taken at his new studio.”

Our members have been discussing the aesthetics of the new wedge, with plenty of WRXers impressed. Check out the full forum thread for more photos.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• hurley999: “That looks awesome. Big fan of his stuff but something like that I don’t think I could allow it to see the course. I’d probably keep in the office. Would love to try some of his more subdued pieces on the course though.”
• SUPERG: “Wish I had the dough for these; those are very choice.”
• TIM929: “Wow!”

Entire Thread: “JP Golf’s Concept wedge”

The skinny: As Ryan Barath first reported, the introduction of the newest Cobra King Forged TEC irons for 2020, it is taking speed and forgiveness to a whole new level.

Behind what appears to be an extremely traditional-looking muscleback iron hides a huge amount of technology designed to help players of all abilities, whether it be with a traditional variable-length set or with Cobra’s One Length set—more on that latter. The King Forged TEC irons are a hollow-body design that utilizes a thin face supported by what Cobra engineers call energizing foam microspheres, to both fine-tune acoustics (sound/feel) of the head, while also supporting the PWRSHELL Face for increased ball speeds, according to the company.

Our take on Cobra King Forged TEC irons

Not only do the new Cobra Forged TEC irons pass the eyeball test, but the engineers at Cobra have also developed a club with excellent performance.

In our own testing, the clubs had several features which really stood out

Performance out of the rough: with the low tungsten insert, the low center of gravity performs outstanding from thick lies.

Face consistency: with other similar clubs, our experience is that perfectly struck shots tend to “fly”, sometimes flying considerably longer. With the Forged Tec, the face is incredibly consistent. Off-center hits, particularly off the toe, fly remarkably well.

Chipping: with a clean look, and little offset, one of the additional nuances of these clubs is how good they are to chip (pitch) with.

When ordering the set, keep in mind that there is only a two-degree difference between the 5 (23 degrees) and 4-iron (21 degrees). This lead to some uneven gapping and as a result, we discarded the 4-iron and instead decided to bend the 5-iron, one degree strong.

• More photos of the 2020 Cobra King Forged TEC irons in the forums

Driver: Ping G410 Plus (9 degrees set at 8.4)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana RF 60-TX

Fairway wood: TaylorMade M6 HL (16.5 degrees, bent to 15.7)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD TP 7X

Fairway wood: Ping G410 (20.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD TP 8X

Irons: Ping i210 (4-PW)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X

Wedges: Ping Glide Forged (50 degrees), Titleist Vokey Design SM7 Raw (54-08M, 60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Putter: Ping Vault Oslo

Grips: Golf Pride New Decade MCC

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from Zigzog, who is a long-time golfer searching for the best methods for dealing with joint tiredness and aching elbow pain during/following his rounds. Zigzog has been considering moving to a lighter shaft to reduce the pain, and our members have been sharing their tips and tricks on the subject.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• Galanga: “Passenger in the same boat. I believe lighter weight and shock absorption is the ticket — many stories to of it working on this site. I second the prior poster’s suggestion to not go down in weight too quickly. For me, the graphite shaft selection effort has been a rabbit hole. Probably best to go to a fitter w lots of options and expertise.”
• KensingtonPark: “I am in a similar position as you. I am experimenting with tour weighted graphite shafts in my irons. It definitely seems to help, as vibration more than weight is the source of my joint fatigue. That and a lack of stretching…”
• rwc356: “I’ve been playing 50+ years and started feeling my age about 10 years ago. While I never had a plus handicap, I did play to a single digit handicap until my early 50’s. Arthritis and other health issue started creating havoc with my game, and I made the transition to graphite and more forgiving clubs. I was afraid to leave what I knew, and so I converted a few clubs (5 iron and 7 iron) to graphite and tried them for a number of rounds. It wasn’t long before I realized that I could play them as well as steel shafts and so I added the rest of short irons. Been playing 3 seasons with graphite and not sure I could go back. I love old blades and have a number of sets which I sneak back to every so often – result is always the same, shaft too heavy and body too sore. Good luck with finding a solution that fits your game best.”
• jjfcpa: “I’m 72 years old and didn’t start playing golf till I was 67, so I have no memory of what it was like to play steel shafts or have a fast swing speed. I find that playing lighter shafts (in my case graphite) to be much easier on the joints. I also found that doing strength training at the gym doing the offseason really makes it much easier to maintain your performance level during the golf season.”

Entire Thread: “Lighter shaft for dealing with joint tiredness?”

Driver: Cobra King F9 Speedback (10.5 @9.5 degrees)
Shaft: LA Golf Shafts OLYSS RSC 65-TX (tipped 1”, 45.5”)

3-wood: Cobra SpeedZone Proto (15 Degrees)
Shaft: LA Golf Shafts OLYSS RSC 75-TX (tip 1”, 43”)

7-wood: Titleist 915F (21 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 125 MSI 80 TX

4-iron: Cobra King Forged Utility
Shaft: LAGP Proto Rev A

Irons: Cobra King Forged CB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White S400

Wedges: Cobra Raw Custom (52, 56, 60 degrees)
Shafts: True Temper DG Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Tour Newport Circa 2001

Cobra Golf has always been about creating innovation for golfers of all skill levels, and with the all-new Cobra F-Max Airspeed for 2020, Cobra is helping golfers go higher and further with weight-saving technology and forgiveness.

With a singular focus on helping golfers gain or regain lost speed, Cobra’s new F-Max Airspeed drivers and fairways for both men and women, offer a new level of lightweight performance for golfers with moderate swing speeds.

The Flagship of the F-Max Airspeed line are the drivers that have been re-engineered by the Cobra design team with new weight-saving technologies from head to grip. Not only that, but Cobra understands golfers in this category want clubs that will make the game more enjoyable and won’t break the bank either—the F-Max line delivers on both!

A carbon fiber crown on the driver replaces titanium from the previous generation to save 10 grams of discretionary weight to be re-distributed low and back in the clubhead to maintain a high MOI all the while still having a clubhead that is two grams lighter without sacrificing any stability. This is pretty cool when you consider that as weight drops so does the potential for higher MOI.

The F-Max Airspeed driver crown has improved in the looks department too thanks to the new PWR Ridge structure to assist golfers with alignment towards the target and improved aerodynamics. Beyond the internal weight pad towards the back and heel of the driver head, the Cobra F-Max Airspeed is made more draw biased thanks to the offset hosel design. For players who prefer a traditional setup at address, the F-Max Airspeed drivers are also available in a non-offset straight hosel model.

On top of the head (or should I say attached), a five-gram lighter Airspeed shaft, and six-gram lighter Lamkin midsize grip creates another 11 grams in weight-savings, bringing the total overall weight to an extremely light 285 grams—13 grams lighter than its predecessor. 13 grams might not seem like much, but when it comes to engineering golf equipment, every single percentage point matters and 13 grams is a 4.3 percent improvement.

“Not a single aspect of club design was overlooked when we were trying to maximize the weight savings in this line,” said Tom Olsavsky, VP of R&D for Cobra Golf.  “We even use an unpainted shaft with clear coat and a decal design to save two extra grams of weight over a typical painted shaft. That is a perfect illustration of the level of detail that went into making these clubs as lightweight as possible.”

The new F-Max Airspeed fairways employ similar weight-saving innovations as the driver, such as a new lightweight carbon crown and a five-gram-lighter Airspeed shaft design. Additionally, a low profile, shallow face design lowers the center of gravity for higher launch while weighting towards the extreme back and heel help create a draw bias trajectory.

Cobra Golf 2020 F-Max Airspeed: Specs and Availability

The men’s F-Max Airspeed driver is available in both right and left-hand versions in stiff, regular, and lite flex, with the choice of offset or straight neck hosel. Available lofts include 9.5, 10.5, and 11.5 degrees in right-hand and 10.5 degrees in left-hand. $329 retail.

Men’s F-MAX Airspeed Fairways are Available in both right and left-hand versions with AIRSPEED shafts (NOTE: 50-gram in stiff, regular and 45-gram in lite flex,).  Available lofts include 16°, 20° and 23° in right and left-hand. MSRP: $219.

Women’s F-MAX Airspeed Driver Available in offset only in both right and left-hand versions with a 40-gram COBRA AIRSPEED shaft in ladies flex. Available lofts are 11.5° (RH only) as well as 15° of loft (LH/RH).

Women’s F-MAX Airspeed Fairways ($219) – Available in both right-hand and left-hand
versions with a 45-gram Airspeed shaft in ladies flex. Comes in a striking black/lilac
colorway and available lofts include 19°, 23° and 27° in right and left-hand.

But Wait, There is MORE!

The new Cobra’s F-Max Airspeed line also includes iron with the additional option of a hybrid combo set for both men and women.

The hybrids offer the same technology as the woods, and the irons are built around offering a lighter-weight, easy-to-hit progressive offset option to players seeking maximum forgiveness in an affordable package.

The men’s irons are 5-GW (seven pieces) in steel for $599, and the combo set with 4-, 5-hybrid, 6-iron to pitching wedge for $699.

The women’s irons come stock 5- and 6-hybrid, 7-iron to sand wedge with 40-gram ladies flex graphite for $699.

If you are looking to go the full set route, the F-Max Airspeed men’s complete set includes the choice of lite flex set, featuring an 11.5-degree driver, or a regular flex set featuring a 10.5-degree driver. The complete set comes with a driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, 4-hybrid, 5-hybrid, 6-iron, pitching, sand wedge, a Cobra blade putter. The set comes with a premium cart bag, featuring a 14-way top, nine zippered compartments, a velour-lined valuables pocket, an insulated beverage cooler, and a shoulder strap featuring COOLFlow EVA foam for maximum comfort. The complete set is available in right hand only for $1,299.

The F-Max Airspeed women’s complete set also comes standard with a premium, full-feature cart bag (same features as the men’s version), 15-degree ladies flex driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood, 5-hybrid, 6-iron through pitching wedge, sand wedge, and a Cobra mallet putter.

Available in right-hand only in either a black/lilac or white/copper colorway. NOTE: The white/copper colorway is only available in the complete set and not as separate pieces.

The F-Max Airspeed drivers, fairways, and complete sets are available beginning January 10, 2020.

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from Patrik1982 and discusses the question of whether a club can be an excellent performer but too ugly to keep in the bag. Our members share their thoughts on the matter, with the majority siding with performance over aesthetics.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• Tim Sherwood: “Taylormade R9 irons. I have bought, sold, regretted selling, bought again, sold and so on 3 times now. I love the cavity badging, feel and performance of those irons, but every time I bring them back, I remember just how comically oversized they are, and I can’t play them. Shame really, they are a great product if they fit your eye.”
• boggyman: “If it works, who cares what it looks like? My current gamers are from the early ’90s. They’re not new or the latest iron but just flat out work!!”Emerich: “I feel this way about some of those ridiculous new putters – for me, I just don’t want to look down and see that.”
• BIG STU: “I say it is subjective— And I will be the first to tell you if I do not like the looks at address I more than likely can not and will not hit it. That changed for me about a year or so ago. I had always thought ALL hybrids were ugly. Now I could tolerate the early TM Rescues to some extent, but they were hook machines. I ended up on a bulk trade deal acquiring an older Adams A-12 OS 23* with a Pro Launch Red shaft in it. That thing is fugly, but I figured out with a hosel adjustment and some lead tape in the toe to make it anti hook for me. Like I said that thing is ugly, but I love it, and you would have to pry it from my cold dead fingers. A good friend of mine who is getting up in age but is still an accomplished player and lifetime PGA member told me ” It does not matter what a club looks like if you can hit it and it works for you” I had sorta adopted that line of thought previously being brand agnostic, but after that hybrid experiment I have also adopted his policy too.”
• slimreaper30: “Tools, man. Tools.”

Entire Thread: “Can a club be a perfect performer but too ugly to play?”

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from eagles1 who created the topic dedicated to the best winter grips. Eagles1 is on the lookout for grips which “remain tacky” during the winter months, and our members share the grips (and gloves) which have consistently worked best for them during the cold.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• RobotDoctor: “I game BestGrips Microperf (Augusta model) throughout the year, warm and cold weather. These leather slip-on grips are outstanding warm or cold. At least they work for me and feel much better than rubber grips.”
• PreppySlapCut: “Tough to beat the Tour Wrap 2G, here.”
• gripandrip: “I use the FJ winter gloves and have had no issues with grip… with the Z5, UTX and Tour wrap. Maybe the gloves?”
• kleinheinz: “Lamkin Sonar is great in cold weather.”

Entire Thread: “Best grip for cold winter weather?”

In putting, just as in the rest of golf, you often hear the term “line up square” for best results. With the all-new Sense S1 and R1 grips, you can now take the idea of lining up square to a whole new level.

Speaking to level, Sense isn’t just creating a square grip either—it’s about an entire grip system designed to help you find the exact feel and weight distribution that allows you to create the most consistent putting stroke possible. They achieve this with their patented S.A.W. (Sliding Adjustable Weight) system that is hidden out of sight inside the grip and the shaft of your putter.

The S.A.W. System comes with different adjustable weights that move up and down a carbon fiber rod under your hands to create different feels for the users. The placement positions are endless since there are no specific looking points and with the option to also purchase addition weights, there is bound to one combo that gives you exactly what you want. The stock kit comes with 30 g, 20 g, and 10 g weights that can all be used at once (or not at all) to fine-tune weight placement and overall balance point of the entire putter.

There have been a lot of great weight-shifting ideas brought to putters over the last couple of years, but many of them involve purchasing a whole new putter to take advantage of the technology. With the Sense Grip you just need the kit and you can try it in any putter you want, which for those people that love their current putter means not having to make a wholesale change.

From Sense: “The S1 & R1 grips are designed to have the sides of the grip parallel to the putter face. This design gives the golfer a heightened sense of where the putter face is at all points of the putting stroke.”

The theory of a square grip has been applied in other sports like ping-pong for a long time. The squared-off shape creates better awareness of the angle of the paddle to help a player direct and spin the ball as desired. It works the same with the Sense Grip but at much slower speeds and with the desire to hit it perfectly straight.

Sense Grips and additional weights can be found directly from their website: SENSEGOLFGRIPS.COM and for a tutorial on how to install one, our very own Brian Knudson shows you how below.