Don how do you measure your swing speed at the range? Or is it extrapolated by your distance?

SwingSpeed Radar device. Works well once you get a solid understanding of where to position it with respect to your clubhead.

Chief; I have the Swing Speed Radar/ Tempo Timer. You set it up about a foot outside the ball, and a foot behind the ball. Then when you hit the ball, the radar unit will measure the clubhead speed for you. Or you can place it about 3 feet in front of the ball, laying down, and hit the ball over it and get ball speed. The unit works very well, and it a great way to improve your game. I used it to gain 10 MPH with my driver the first week I had it. Now I've gained 10 more, when I do everything correctly. I recommend you read my in-depth review on the radar here on this site. It's under training aid, and Sport Sensors.

Last time at the range took just my 4 wood, 7 wood, 3 iron and 3H 20 deg hybird; to see if I could eliminate the 7 wood altogether. Hit the 7 farther than the hybird, but not by that much. The purpose in getting that hybird was to eliminate the 3 iron, which is now history. On course, the hybird would probally get more action than the 7 and if I keep the 60 deg LW in the bag the 7W has to go. Anyone have any thoughts (7W vs LW) I might add that I don't use the 60 deg that much; a little hard to handle. I also carry 52 deg LW and 56 deg SW.

Fred, who's on first?????? Sorry after a bottle of wine I get lost easily. The hybrid seems to have more utility from bad lies, rough, can be used around the green for putting/chipping, etc than the 7W would be. I'd think about your game and decide which club you'd use more on a regular basis. But you probably use the 7W less times than you'd use the hybrid and the lob wedge.

That looks like an interesting little gadget. It really helped you pick up 20mph in your swing huh? Wow, that is awesome. Does it help remove a 'hook'? I would be interested in something that would let me know face angle at impact. That is more of a problem than swing speed. I did notice I sometimes 'standup' on my back swing and 'reach' for the ball. This causes many problem with spine angle and knee bend, which leads to hooks for me. I did not even know that until it was pointed out by a playing partner.

Hi Fred, how's it been goin'?
Put the 60 degree away until you practice with it enough to have confidence in it's performance.
Fred, you know, you only have to open a 56 degree a fraction of an inch to make it a 60 degree.
Keep the 7 until you get real good with the hybrid and the 60.

Scott,
I tend to agree more with Bill; there are some hole where the 7 is just perfect and I still need to get comfortable with the hybird. I kept the 60 out to keep in the (now history )3 iron so I guess it can sit a little longer.
Bill,
Agreed.. need to practice with the hybird and 60. My problem has usually been a rather long 2nd shot after the Tee on 4's & 5's.

Fred, I understand! With every passing year, I've noticed those shots getting longer and longer.

Personnally, I'd keep the 7 wood. I love my 7 wood for long par 3s, short par 4's where I only need about 220 yards off the tee, and for second shots to the green from 200 to 220 yards out. I have a large head 7 wood, so hitting it off the tee is a better choice than hitting a hybrid off the tee in my mind.

I think Don is right. A seven wood is probably the front runner to the hybrids you see today and may be one of the most versatile clubs in a bag. I have a friend, who is a 2 hdcp., that wouldn't give up his 7 wood for anything.

Sounds like solid advice...

Sounds like solid advice...

Don, is Scott sitting in front of his computer, listening to Toby Keith, having a Bud and agreeing with us? It may be my imagination working overtime, but I think he's trying to lull us into a state of "no thought" so he can ask us for strokes....

Well, I had quite a bit to drink when I wrote that post...felt it was one of my most informative and just said it all in a few words...



PS... WADE, WHERE ARE YOU AGAIN?????

At a Ping demo last night, the rep said he's seeing very few sales of 7 woods any more, it's all going hybrid.

Aimee; That's because hybrids are all the rage right now, and most men are not going to admit they hit a 7 wood. Everyone knows 7 woods are just for little girls. I don't have an ego problem, and I'm happy to admit I have a 9 wood in my bag. Can't ask for a better club for a 195 yard shot. Easy to hit, ball flight is nice and high, and it you're playing a par 3, you can expect the ball to stop real close to where it lands on a green, assuming you hit the green.

Don, I have never hit a seven wood and never seen a 9 wood. Are they easy to hit? AT 195 I would hit a 4i. Cant drop and stop that on the green though.

Hybrids would also work from that distance and are easy to hit. I've used a 7W before and it is pretty easy to hit but not as easy as a hybrid in my opinion.

Chief, the only reason I carry the 7 and 9 woods is the fact that they are easy to hit. Last thing I need is a club that's hard to hit. First time I hit my 7 wood on a certain 215 yard par 3, I landed the ball on the front part of the green, some 10 yards short of the flag, and the ball ended up about 6 feet closer to the flag. On real hard greens, I get more roll than that, but can still hold the greens more often than not. Most all OEM's and Golfsmith sell 9 woods. Mine is a SnakeEyes, and my 7 wood is a Leyland head from http://www.csggolf.com.

Don that makes a lot of sense. Hitting long irons into a green and I get the scoot right off the backside. I found I can add an extra 20yards or so to my distance, dependant on green length, by landing a long iron on the front side of a green.

Chief; Around here most of the greens are so hard I can land a high towering 9 iron onto the green and have it run off the back. I only play 2 courses that have greens that hold well, and one of them is a 9 hole par 3 cousre, which I haven't played in a few years. We just don't get enough rain all year to make the greens soft. As of today, we have had 1.2 inches of moisture all year, and we got .42" of rain and snow on May 1st. Normal for this time of year is 4.5", so we're way behind normal for the 6th year in a row that I know of. From what I've read, we need 1 inch of water a week to get a lawn to grow well. We get an average of 15 inches of moisture a year, and at least half of that in snow when the grass growing season is over.

Don , my comment was meant to be humorous. Maybe I should have said "The easiest way to add 20 yards to your game is by hitting a long iron into the front of a green".
I am all to familiar with slipping off the backside. It is my understanding that higher fairway woods and hybrids seem to help in this area. My game just is not good enough to worry about this yet. One thing at a time. I have been playing the short courses to work on my game up to now. Saturday we have tee times for 18.

Hey Chief, remmeber Don lives in that thin air around Mile High....so it sometimes affects him a little more than others...

Okay, I've had it with you guys, I'm taking a week off from this place.

Went to hit some balls earlier Sunday morning.
My drives were explosive. I don't know what came over me. I was hitting my drives into the 230yd fence with ease.

WHY CAN'T I HIT IT LIKE THIS ON THE COURSE?
I sat and thought about this. On the course, I only get 1 shot/drive off the tee. bummers. At the range, I have an oogle amount of balls to hit until my arms fall off.

Everything felt good too. My backswing was smooth along the plane, forward swing was swift along with my body turn, and my follow through was smooth and easy. And the ball went a long ways down the center where I was aiming. I just wish I'd be able to take it with me on the course one day.