7 Wood

[Big Don]

Anybody out there got an opinion on replacing 3/4 irons with a 7 wood? Long irons are a bit patchy for me, so I'm thinking of buying a 7 wood to replace my 3 iron. I should get a much better higher trajectory with more consistency, particularly of the fairway. It just feels a bit like a kop out taking that route.

[rusek]

No one really plays 7-woods anymore, they have been replaced by hybrids.

[sandtrap]

I play a 7 and a 9 wood. It was difficult for me at first since at the begining I only carried a driver. But once you start to scorethe ego thing goes away in a hurry. So I now carry a 3,7,9, and took out the 3. Don't care much for the look of the hybrids.

[gompers]

Hybrids really have taken the place of the "short" woods in many people's bags. I still know people that carry through an 11 wood, though.

I have a 3/4 hybrid that I sometimes will swap with my 3/4 irons when I feel like trying to score well because I'm really more confident and consistent with them than I am with my 3/4 irons. I think it's a bit of a cop-out myself, though, so I try to play with my 3/4 irons as much as possible. I'm admittedly not as bent on lowering my score as I am on enjoying the game, and I'm MUCH prouder of a well-hit 3 or 4 iron than I am of a well-hit hybrid, even though it may cost me a stroke or two here or there. Now if I was playing for score or against someone, I might very well put those two hybrids back into the bag.

In the end, it's whatever makes you happy. Try out a couple hybrids, and a 7 wood and see what you like the most.

[JKilgore44]

I'm young and I carry a 7 wood. I always have. It's funny though, I have a bunch of nice clubs and this one really crappy MacGregor 7 wood from 1994. It's all beat up and the cluib face literally has a chunk missing out of it, but it's my lucky club. I can hit it better than anything in my bag, so I can really justify taking it out. I still carry my 3 and 4 irons, and only really hit the 7 wood if I need to hit over something.

[seppo]

Can a 7 wood really replace a 3 or 4 Iron? When I hit my 3 Iron well it is going nearly as far / farther then a 5 wood...

I would go for hybrids if I were you, they are not as beautiful but much easier to hit from semi rough or even rough than a fairway wood.

The Ben Hogan Hybrids are very nice, from an asthetic point of view and the result.

[shortgame85]

Anybody out there got an opinion on replacing 3/4 irons with a 7 wood? Long irons are a bit patchy for me, so I'm thinking of buying a 7 wood to replace my 3 iron. I should get a much better higher trajectory with more consistency, particularly of the fairway. It just feels a bit like a kop out taking that route.

With a 28 handicap, there is no such thing as a "cop out" using a 7 wood or a hybrid. Both clubs are easier to use than a 3 or 4 iron. Many pros are using hybrids and, it just makes sense for high handicappers to give them a try. I added two hybrids to my bag this year, replacing my 3 wood and my 5 iron. I hope that information doesn't give purists the vapors. Those hybrids join my 4 iron replacement hybrid. But I have not replaced my 5 wood or my 7 wood. I hit those clubs too well to replace them. I love my 7 wood. There was a segment of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the HBO TV series, in which a fellow was buried with his 5 wood. Now, I might not go that far, but I'm not willing to give it up as long as I'm still playing golf. So, you ask, "Should I get a 7 wood?" Well, why don't you go try some 7 woods and, maybe some of the equivalent loft hybrids. See what works for you. But if you're playing to a 28 handicap, you owe to yourself to try something easier to hit than a 3 iron. Good luck in your search.

[wengerlaw]

It's funny though, I have a bunch of nice clubs and this one really crappy MacGregor 7 wood from 1994.

It's funny that you mention your lucky MacGregor 7-wood. I picked up a MacGregor 7-wood about 8 years ago at Oshman's Sporting Goods for around $50-$60. It was my most reliable club for years. It had a very shallow face and I could play it off just about any lie. Recently I have gotten more serious about golf and purchased all new clubs. I sold all my old clubs, including the MacGregor. I miss that club and really wish I hadn't gotten rid of it. I sold the clubs to a local Play It Again Sports, I may go back to the store and buy the club back if they still have it.

[Big Don]

Thank you all for taking time to reply. You are all gentlemen of the highest order!!!

Big Don

[Shindig]

Anybody out there got an opinion on replacing 3/4 irons with a 7 wood? Long irons are a bit patchy for me, so I'm thinking of buying a 7 wood to replace my 3 iron. I should get a much better higher trajectory with more consistency, particularly of the fairway. It just feels a bit like a kop out taking that route.

Yes! In short, the 3/4 irons are hard to hit. Some people are replacing their 5-irons too. Between 7-9-11-13 woods and hybrids, find clubs that you like that fill the distance gaps formed by removing clubs that you don't hit well. And when you start hitting your 5- and 6-Irons well, bring your 4-Iron to the range, and if you start to like it better than its replacement, go ahead and swap it back in.

Some people love "short" woods, others love hybrids. Still others just love their irons, right down to the 2-Iron. Find what you love and what works for you, and go for it. It's not a cop-out. You're allowed 14 clubs *of your choosing* - them's the rules.

[Tommy]

Coincidently, I just bought a 22 deg. 904F 7 wood on eBay this weekend. I have never enjoyed playing hybrids i.e. except from out of the rough and even then, its been primarily to 'punch' out.

As others have said, it really comes down to preference. I for one, prefer woods over hybrids.