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There is a lot to be said for a high fairway wood. It used to be that a 5-wood was the highest wood in the bag, so more than 7-wood found its way into the bag and now on Tour there are 9-woods from time to time.
Tommy Fleetwood is one of those players who loves this club and had one in the bag at The Masters to close the gap between his 5-wood and 4-iron. The Englishman had a 3-iron in the bag but that 9-wood helped add more length to his long approach.
“You get a lot of courses where there’s firm, firm greens and firm fairways and there’s always a balance between having something you can drive down the fairway but also having something you can hit the green or out of trouble,” Fleetwood said. .
“I went up into the woods to find something that could do that. I don’t like to hit hybrids and the 7 wood numbers are very close to what the 5 wood produces so we got a 9 wood to fill that gap between my 5 wood at 250 yards and my 4 iron at 225-meters.”
When Fleetwood first made the move he used the TaylorMade Stealth; now he has the latest Qi10 from the same company he signed with at the end of 2020.
“I think it’s a good club and I think it’s dynamic. I always alternated between that and a 3 iron. Clubs are very different in the way they operate.
“It’s like hitting a green sword; it goes up and down straight down. It’s not a club you’re going to drill and get a lot out of, it’s just going to go up in the air and straight down.”
.@TommyFleetwood1‘I’m not afraid to change those numbers. This week he has a 24-degree Qi10 9-wood in the bag.
It’s designed to match his 3-iron launch, but creates more spin on bad lies. #TeamTaylorMade pic.twitter.com/1GkjUSb865
— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) January 17, 2024
Fleetwood singer Ian Finnis described it as a great addition to the bag.
“That 9-wood is amazing. It’s like a 9 iron or a sinker that flies up and softens down. He would hit it 10 times or more and stick it (next to the pin) every time.”
And while we may not have the range and accuracy of Fleetwood there are plenty of reasons to consider the fairway wood far from the norm.
Advantages of 9-wood
– The club has the same loft as a 4-iron but it won’t play as well as what might be your longest iron.
– Due to the large clubhead and the low center of gravity it is very forgiving on mishits, so, if you are trying to keep up with your long iron play, you will find this a very acceptable club to swing. It will also work at medium or slow swing speeds such as loft and that center of gravity helps create an ideal trajectory without requiring high clubhead speed.
– The round design of the clubhead allows it to dive into thick grass much more easily than an iron, making it a great option for getting off bad lies or other tricks. So if you’re facing the next shot from 200 yards out you might be able to give yourself a birdie putt.
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