“Major-championship-type setups or courses with four par 5s bring in part of the experimentation,” he says. Van Wezenbeeck, director of player promotions for Titleist, says the 7-wood has increased in popularity among the game’s best for a few reasons. Patrick Cantlay’s clutch 7-wood shot led to an eagle in the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele use 7-woods for certain courses. Our own Adam Scott and Cameron Smith have one, as does Joaquin Niemann. Johnson is just one of several elite players who carry a 7-wood. “It opened up the dialogue with a lot of our customers.” Adam Scott is one of the many tour stars to have added a 7-wood to their arsenal. “When people found out Dustin Johnson was using one, it took away a lot of the stigma and hesitation,” says Chris Marchini of the American retail chain Golf Galaxy. Although about a third of the field still uses a hybrid and another third of the field a 2 or 3-iron on any given week, the 7-wood is closing in fast, and regular golfers are noticing. Five years ago, only a handful of 7-woods were in play on the PGA Tour, but today about 25 percent of tour players have one in the bag.

Like many trends in golf equipment, adoption on the PGA Tour has helped accelerate the momentum with amateurs. The 7-wood’s greens-in-regulation percentage was higher in 28 of 40 instances (70 percent). The company measured the greens-in-regulation percentage for players using a 7-wood and a 3-hybrid (the most logical comparison club) across handicap ranges (scratch to 25-handicapper) and distances (125 to 200 metres). The club has gone from a novelty to a necessity for many golfers.ĭata collected by the golf-stat-tracking company Arccos reveals how much a 7-wood can benefit golfers of all abilities. Today, however, it is difficult to find a manufacturer of fairway woods that does not include an option at 21 degrees (the typical 7-wood loft) or higher in its line-up. “Go-to club” is a seismic shift from the days when just about any male golfer daring to use one would be subjected to ridicule. I can scoot a long iron the same total distance, but the carry distance and height of the 7-wood allows me to hold greens I would otherwise be rolling over. I had to play left of the sand and try to run it up with a 4-iron. “I had never been able to go after that pin before. “When that ball went up in the air and landed so softly on the green, it amazed me,” says Thomas, 56.

The club Thomas pulled from his bag: a 7-wood. They need to be hit long and with sufficient height to stop quickly on the green. Lengthy shots into firm, undulating greens require two things seemingly at odds with each other. The hole was playing into a breeze with the pin behind the front-right bunker. Playing Oakmont Country Club where he has a 2.4 handicap, Thomas stood 190 metres out on the slightly uphill par-5 ninth. Many of the best players in the world have started carrying a 7-wood, so why don’t you?Īrne Thomas remembers the moment three years ago when he realised he had found a valuable addition to his bag.

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