"Why on earth do TV commentators talk of 'fairway metals'?"

[bkuehn1952]

Originally Posted by Missouri Swede

Edit (off topic): How do I dial my cell phone?

Good example!  We once had (or still have?) a phrase for hitting a tee shot dead in the center of the sweet spot: "Hit it on the screws".  Of course our drivers no longer have screwed in inserts but I still like that description.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by bkuehn1952

Good example!  We once had (or still have?) a phrase for hitting a tee shot dead in the center of the sweet spot: "Hit it on the screws".  Of course our drivers no longer have screwed in inserts but I still like that description.

Heck, they'll even use this one in baseball on occasion, and baseball bats never had screws in them (insert joke about Sammy Sosa or some other cheating bat corker here).

I don't really care what they call it ... but it does sound a little goofy when Roger Maltbie says "3 metal", or "fairway metal."  Do they all say it now, or is it mostly just him?

[rehmwa]

Sweet - that was one nicely struck 3-titanium-balloon-on-a-stick

[rowlf]

I am old school. I prefer hearing woods than metals.

So if a pro uses Ping Eye 2 (illegal I know), what is the commentator going to say? "He is hitting with Beryllium Copper"?

Poor form from the commentators trying to create a fag.

[Vermeer]

Well,the question was why do we call them Fairway Metals not if it is the term used is correct.

A good few years ago in Europe when the 'metals were fast replacing the more traditional woods Sky on one of it's sports channels ran a competition to give the new kid on the block a name.

Fairway metal came out the runaway winner, enthusiastically backed by Euen Murray a senior Sky Sports commentator !

Perhaps we are to blame this side of the pond.

Personally I still play a 3 or 5 wood.

[Ernest Jones]

I cringe everytime I hear this term. Totally annoying.

[joekelly]

五号木  That's the voice of golf's future, so say some.  Give me the 'wu hao mu' the 5 wood.

[Ole_Tom_Morris]

If the impact sounds like "tink!" or "clang!" instead of "thock!" how can you call the club a wood? Whatever you call it there is dissonance.

Yeah, it's odd to hear Johnny Miller talking about a player hitting a 3-metal but it's also odd to hear the noise it makes. At least calling the instrument a "metal" is more honest. And isn't it disrespectful for tradition to call forged titanium or steel a "wood"?

Used to have a driver with a steel shaft and solid graphite composite head. Pretty little thing, and durable. Never learned to hit it. Still have a cheapo driver and spoon with heads made out of some kind of plastic or bakelite. 1 and 3 plastics?

Btw I was talking to a long time golfer who referred to "iron shafts." Had to bite my tongue from saying "You mean steel, right?" But some old time golfers do call them "iron shafts" even though they were far as I know always steel.

[Vermeer]

Originally Posted by Ole_Tom_Morris

If the impact sounds like "tink!" or "clang!" instead of "thock!" how can you call the club a wood? Whatever you call it there is dissonance.

Yeah, it's odd to hear Johnny Miller talking about a player hitting a 3-metal but it's also odd to hear the noise it makes. At least calling the instrument a "metal" is more honest. And isn't it disrespectful for tradition to call forged titanium or steel a "wood"?

Used to have a driver with a steel shaft and solid graphite composite head. Pretty little thing, and durable. Never learned to hit it. Still have a cheapo driver and spoon with heads made out of some kind of plastic or bakelite. 1 and 3 plastics?

Btw I was talking to a long time golfer who referred to "iron shafts." Had to bite my tongue from saying "You mean steel, right?" But some old time golfers do call them "iron shafts" even though they were far as I know always steel.

So we can add Graphite metal woods or Steel ( or perhaps iron ) metal woods.

[joekelly]

Hmm.  did anyone read the chinese characters i wrote?  I notice on this machine, not my home computer, that only small empty squares are represented, not chinese characters.  So maybe no one saw the chinese.  Anyway, the chinese only speak of 'woods' never of 'metals'. I wrote, 'number 5 wood' in appropriate characters.

[bkuehn1952]

Originally Posted by joekelly

Hmm.  did anyone read the chinese characters i wrote?  I notice on this machine, not my home computer, that only small empty squares are represented, not chinese characters.  So maybe no one saw the chinese.  Anyway, the chinese only speak of 'woods' never of 'metals'. I wrote, 'number 5 wood' in appropriate characters.

The characters show when I read your comment.  Of course I can't read them but I did picture a Chinese gentleman telling his caddie to hand him his 5 wood .  If the Chinese say wood and majority rules, wood it is!

[Paradox]

metal wood is the one that most annoys me, like someone else mentioned.

[iacas]

I couldn't care less and use them interchangeably with no real pattern. Sometimes I say "3 metal" sometimes I say "3 wood" (probably 25% and 75%). I'll say "fairway metal" sometimes too, probably about the same 25% or so.

So I don't really care when they say "He is going to hit his three metal here." We know what he's saying.

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by jetsknicks1

Yep. Fairway metal just sounds stupid. There's no better feeling in golf then a purely struck 3 wood.

Agreed. I stuck one to 4-5' tonight from 240 yards. Just feels amazing to stick a 3 wood right where you wanted it.

[jetsknicks1]

Agreed. I stuck one to 4-5' tonight from 240 yards. Just feels amazing to stick a 3 wood right where you wanted it.

Yup. Just crushed one Saturday, it made such a beautiful sound as soon as I hit it my buddy said"man, you tattooed that 3 wood" if he had said 3 metal, it just wouldn't have been the same. :)