Womans fairway wood help?

[GaryO]

I have a young woman who is just starting and shoots around 115 now. Much of her game is fairway 3 wood play. This is very hard for her. Can you folks suggest a very forgiving/easy to hit 3 wood head and shaft combo? I am at a loss... God bless, Gary

 

[ClairefromClare]

I don't carry a 3 wood, but I love my PING Rhapsody. It feels like it has a swingweight of about zero.

 

[mont86]

Ping 9 wood. I wouldn't give her a 3 wood. Too tough.

 

[Eracer]

Absolutely. Forget the 3-wood. She can tee off with a 5-wood. Then add a 7-wood, or as Mont suggested, a 9-wood.

Remember, unless you're a pro, straight beats long. Ping Rhapsody is endorsed by Claire, so it gets my vote. Note that Claire plays two hybrids instead of additional FW woods. there's a reason for that. The shorter shafts in the hybrids make them more versatile and easier to hit. The Cobra Bafflers are an awesome choice. I know - I play three of them.

 

[ClairefromClare]

Thanks, Eracer! The 4 and 5 hybrids are on my Christmas list.

It's personal, but I have more of an iron stroke than a fairway club stroke, so I prefer the hybrids.

But my Rhapsody driver is SO cool--high, straight, far, and I love the sound. Monte and Eracer are right about higher lofted fairway metals: "seven is heaven." For most female beginners, it's the go-to club until you get to the shorter irons and wedges.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Just speaking from experience from what my wife plays. I think the key you may want to concentrate on is the shaft. Although my wife has a 3 wood, she usually will opt for the 5w more times than not. Kinda funny, because if her 5w goes south she is usually hitting the 3w well and visa~versa. This is out of the fairway, as you mentioned. Off the tee, she will almost always go for the driver because of the bigger more forgiving clubface and head.

She plays the Callaway Big Bertha's (2004 model I believe) with the Gems 55w (gram) Shafts and has great success. But again, I think the key will likely be in the shaft and if it is from the fairway I would guess a 5w may be a better bet. To be real honest, I have never been good with a 3w either, and the reason I went to a 4w. I like the idea of the 16* driver that Claire has, but I will likely be the last to mention it to my wife because she has great success with the 11* and I already have enough trouble trying to keep up. I went to a 12* to gain every advantage I could get.

BTW, she usually shoots in the 90's.

 

[xamilo]

+1 on the Rhapsody option, my fiancee plays one and has had excellent results with it. She used to play the old TM Burner, which was quite a good acquisition and bynow it sure has dropped price to the floor....

 

[Wi-Golfer]

My wife has Ping G2 fairway woods, 3-5-7 but she really only uses the 5w. I have used them a couple times & even with the noddle soft lady flex shafts, they performed well.

 

[David Hillman]

I've spent a good chunk of this summer trying to find clubs that my wife is comfortable with, and can hit. Her previous clubs, some ladies Wilsons that are about five years old were difficult for her, largely because of the low swingweight, or at least that what she said she felt.

She fell so in-love with my TaylorMade Burner 3W (15*, stock 50g shaft) that I wound up giving it to her. She hits that very well off a tee (~200y), and okay off the deck. It's her 'driver', since I see no point in getting her a lower-lofted club that she won't be able to hit.

None of the long(-ish) irons she has tried are comfortable, since they are heavy. I stole a couple Wishon 515GRT fairways ( 5 and 7 wood, 18.5* and 21.5* ) off eBay for dirt cheap, and she loves the balance of them, and hits them great, even off the deck. The shafts are SK Fiber Pure Energy, but I'm not sure which flex. I was told they are Senior when I bought them, but they have no markings at all. Anyone know if there's a trick to identifying these?

All three of these fairways are very light, and that seems to help my wife control them much better than anything else she tries. I think that's probably more important than shaft profile or other details for someone shooting 115s; they are just trying to make solid contact consistently. In my wife's case, they turned range sessions from frustrating into fun.

If you are looking for one, I have an Oryx 7 wood that was thrown-in with the two Wishons. We have no use for it, so I'll sell it cheap. It's in decent shape with a 60g regular flex Oryx-branded shaft.

 

[aceillini]

I will have to throw some support out for the Cleveland Hibore W-series fairways.My wife got them this spring and her accuracy and distance improved alot.She hits the 3W and 5W alot.Highly recomend these!She went from the 108 range to her low of 93 this year after the addition of these woods.

 

[natex14]

My wife has a 3 wood, but likes her 3 hyrid or 5 hybrid off the fairway and the 3 wood or driver off the tee. I think the only time I see her hitting the 3 wood off the tee is followed by cussing and me yelling for the beer cart.

Good luck, it's great getting the loved ones involved in our sport. I finally got my wife hooked, and she is yelling at me because she doesn't get to golf enough. Sexier words have never been spoken.

 

[aceillini]

Good luck, it's great getting the loved ones involved in our sport. I finally got my wife hooked, and she is yelling at me because she doesn't get to golf enough. Sexier words have never been spoken.[/quote]


I can relate to that,I have made a monster.She even wants to go in the cold...and she came up from Florida.

 

[Boulder]

How about an old inexpensive Callaway warbird or the like with the GEMS flex shaft. Simple low non-intimidating profile. Many lofts to work one's way up to lower lofts and bigger heads as one gains confidence. Check out Callaway preowned website.