Sonartec Fairway Woods

[White Tees]

Does anyone have any experience with these? (Re: 3 Wood/15*) The 3W off the deck is the only shot that really gives me problems. I'm fine off the tee. I only ask because a guy at the club told me that my 3W, (Callaway BB) was one of the tougher 3 Woods to hit. Should I demo one of these or......is a 3 wood a 3 wood?

[IrishGolfer]

I have one but I had to learn how to hit it. I now love it.

Like any club, shaft, loft, weighting all play a big part. You will have to demo to find out. There are different models of Sonartec which dictate ball flight. Vary in shallowness of face and weighting. Check their web-site.

Surprised at the comment about the BB, I have always found them OK to hit. And the comment "is a 3 wood a 3 wood?" is like saying is a driver a driver, or a putter a putter, a beer a beer, a car a car etc.

[Bravo]

WT:

I have been playing with Sonartec fairway woods for about a year now. I have an SS-03 14 and an SS-03 19. Both of these came standard with a Penley Tour Lite shaft. Because of this expensive shaft - the clubs are not cheap. I paid about $150 each for the clubs a year ago. Don't know where prices are now frankly.

I am a strong believer in these clubs. Honestly I would tell you the following:

1) You will get great distance with Sonartecs because somehow they cause the ball to roll father once it hits the ground. I have hit shots off the deck as far as 260 several times with the 14* club and can reliably expect 250ish from the tee and 235-240 from the fairway. For this reason, I use the club from the tee much more than I thought I would when I bought it.

2) The ballflight with Sonartecs will tend to be lower than most fairway woods. For this reason, they are great for playing in windy conditions. Whenever I face a tee shot into the wind, I leave the driver in the bag and hit the 14* Sonartec and get a better result. My TM driver (like all of these clubs) tends to hit a high ball that will balloon up in a headwind and drop).

3) These clubs are not as easy to hit off the deck as some other fairway metals. You need a pretty solid game for them as they have a shallower face than many other brands.

I would recommend that you get a demo from your retailer and hit about 100 balls with the club before buying. Ideally, try to get in a round or two with them on the course also...

[White Tees]

Re: Is a 3 wood a 3 wood. By that I meant; if I have a swing flaw hitting a fairway wood, it will surface no matter which fairway wood I'm using. When I "Get All of It", it goes around 220 yards, but I'm not consistant. Have to work on it at the range. I believe the problem may be centered around hitting down and taking a small divot or level out more and sweeping. There are many conflicting views on this. The guy at the golf shop was also surprised about the comment on the BB. He said that the Callaway Warbird sole is one of the best for fairway woods. Your take on this??

[Andy_79]

Are Sonartec not more of a Player's club; ie. a slightly harder to hit club preferred more by the better player, as opposed to less experienced golfer ? Perhaps I am wrong, but I had always held that view.

Your friend is wrong about the Callaway BB 3-woods, man. They must be the easiest to hit series of fairways ever produced. Period. That guy truely doesn;t know what he is talking about when he says that. Perhaps the shaft is totally unsuitable for you, but Callaways are dead easy to strike, espesh the BB series'.....

[White Tees]

Bravo: Thank you for that. Good info and advice. I do have a pretty solid swing and hit all clubs with a slight draw and am usually in the fairway. Not as far as many but accurate. When I do hit a FW Wood off the deck and catch it right, I do notice that it is more of a lower trajectory bullet than up high. If you say ball flight with Sonartecs is usually lower, that might work against me. The bottom line with clubs is usually; Stiffer shafts and lower lofts work better for younger, stronger players with high swing speeds. I amaze people with the length I get, (I'm 5'7"/150, but I ain't no John Daley! I'll go to a club fitter we have here on Long Island and see if he'll let me take one out on the range. Thanks again. WT