OEM hybrid/fairway wood heads

[Icamp10579]

My soon to be 7yr old has been playing the uskg UL 48inch hybrid and 3 fairway wood and we are looking to upgrade. These clubs were great when he first started but he’s now playing at a competitive level(first trip to worlds this summer), and they just seem to light and don’t seem to perform that well. He’s hitting his 7iron further then this hybrid most days.  I have an old m2 4 hybrid and m2 fairway wood I could get shafted with the alto from Flynn(that’s we he has on his irons and he likes them for now).. My question is if the head on the m2 would be to heavy? And if so are there other OEM heads that would be lighter and make more sense or is the m2 fine?

He’s 49inches and 53lbs with a swing speed in the high 50’s(58 normally) with his driver.

 

thank you in advance 

[Kcct82]

My kid is a year older than yours now, but I played around with clubs/shafts a lot when he was 6 and 7. In my opinion, OEM fairway heads with bottom weights removed is usable, but you should still dig around to find the lighter ones of the bunch. Hybrid heads are all way to heavy as far as I know. 

[darter79]

Depends on the weight and speed. When my daughter was 7 she played ping G driver and fairway woods pretty easily never did find the right hybrid till she went with the ping prodigy line which is something you should consider. They make great fairway and hybrid for the weight. I still think that hybrid is one of the best out there for kids. 

[MB19]

1 hour ago, darter79 said:

Depends on the weight and speed. When my daughter was 7 she played ping G driver and fairway woods pretty easily never did find the right hybrid till she went with the ping prodigy line which is something you should consider. They make great fairway and hybrid for the weight. I still think that hybrid is one of the best out there for kids. 

Like darter's daughter, my seven-year-old son couldn't find a hybrid he hit consistently well until the Prodi g.  He's 53.5"/70 lbs, swings driver in the low 60s.  

 

He also inherited his sister's Prodi g fairway when she moved up to an F9 (fairway and hybrid, both with lighter shafts than stock).  Before that, he was using a Flynn Advantage 17* fairway wood with sporadic results.  The 22* of the Prodi g really helps get the ball up in the air, along with the very lightweight shaft.  Same story with the hybrid, as the face of both clubs are big and very forgiving.

 

edit: What Kcct82 said about removing the weights in OEM clubs works for us.  My son has all the weight taken out of his F9 SB driver, my daughter has all the weight taken out of her fairway and hybrid with just the small weight still in her driver.

edit2:  like Wildcatden, I also recommend buying used.  I found the F9 and Prodi G woods and fairways all heavily discounted on either eBay or 3Balls/Global Golf.  2nd swing will have used Prodi G stuff at a discount sometimes as well, and when they offer free shipping it is a good deal IMO.

Edited December 31, 2020 by MB19
Clarity

[wildcatden]

My kid (10YO) hasn't played hybrid's since his UL48 set from USKG.  We used Cobra Fly-Z+ 3w/5w's with Flynn shafts when he was 7.  The 5W set at 19-20* worked out OK, but the 3W was a no go unless off the tee.   Essentially, those were a mistake.

 

My rec for fairways is to find a 3w (or even 5w) with a ladies flex shaft from an OEM in either a ladies or "designed for lightweight" spec.  Examples: Callaway Steelhead XR, Callaway Heavenwood, Cobra F-Max, etc....  They are going to beat the snot out of them, so used clubs or new old stock that is steeply discounted would be my bet.  

[Icamp10579]

Thank you all for the advice. 
I dug around and found a clearance  set of the ping prodi g’s at my local golf and ski warehouse.

shafts are a little long but he can either choke down until he grows into them or I can get them cut an inch.

We used the track man for about a half hour trying them and he was hitting them significantly further and more importantly launching it much higher then his uskg ultralight. I was actually shocked by how much further, he can’t hit his uskg UL hybrid more then 75-80yds total, he was carrying the prodi g hybrid almost 80yds and getting 92-95 yds total and launching it much higher. 

[MB19]

4 hours ago, Icamp10579 said:

Thank you all for the advice. 
I dug around and found a clearance  set of the ping prodi g’s at my local golf and ski warehouse.

shafts are a little long but he can either choke down until he grows into them or I can get them cut an inch.

We used the track man for about a half hour trying them and he was hitting them significantly further and more importantly launching it much higher then his uskg ultralight. I was actually shocked by how much further, he can’t hit his uskg UL hybrid more then 75-80yds total, he was carrying the prodi g hybrid almost 80yds and getting 92-95 yds total and launching it much higher. 

A golf and ski warehouse--talk about one-stop shopping!  I'm a little jealous.  Where was this at?

 

I'm glad the Prodi g hybrid lived up to the hype, as we had very similar experience.  The launch was a welcome sight for us.

 

We also liked the Prodi g sand wedge, and I regret trading it in a little bit... should have held onto it for my son and paired it with a prodi g 52* for him.

[Icamp10579]

I’m up in Portland maine, we are stuck playing on the simulator all winter, but we do get some good skiing, so it’s a trade off. 

[mrshinsa]

My son didn't go oem woods and hybrid heads till 9.  Even then it was much heavier than junior clubs, much so that he had a hard time adjusting to/from iron swings.   We removed the adjustable weights to make them lighter but then that completely changed the head characteristics.  

 

At 7 yo, I'd be careful not to jump too early, unless he's big.

Edited January 1, 2021 by mrshinsa

[Bizzle80]

Reviving this thread. Any thoughts on fairway wood heads with adjustable connections? just thinking easier to swap shafts as they grow....

 

My 8yo daughter just going XR16 driver and then USK UL hybrid.... Big gaps...

 

Definitely want to see about throwing a 5wood in there...

 

thx

[MB19]

6 hours ago, Bizzle80 said:

Reviving this thread. Any thoughts on fairway wood heads with adjustable connections? just thinking easier to swap shafts as they grow....

 

My 8yo daughter just going XR16 driver and then USK UL hybrid.... Big gaps...

 

Definitely want to see about throwing a 5wood in there...

 

thx

Although the Ping Prodi g fairway wood is 22*, it is has been a good club to both my daughter when she was 8 and my son who inherited the club right after turning 7 (about a year ago).

 

It’s is very light, but well-balanced with a big sweet spot.  It gets up in the air easy and both kids hit it well.

 

My daughter has been using the F9 Speedback 5W for about 10 months.  I removed the weights (but put the screws back in), pulled the stock Atmos shaft out of it, and put an LA Golf Reign 40G shaft in it.  About five months ago, I put the weights back in. From day-one, I have had the loft cranked down from 22.5* to 21*.  
 

Looking back, I regret not getting a second Ping Prodi G fairway for my son and letting my daughter keep her’s for another year.  She got that club up in the air so easy, and was very consistent with it.  Her fairway wood now suits her well, but she’s had to grow into it a little even as a fairly big 9 yo.

 

 

[Bizzle80]

2 hours ago, MB19 said:

Although the Ping Prodi g fairway wood is 22*, it is has been a good club to both my daughter when she was 8 and my son who inherited the club right after turning 7 (about a year ago).

 

It’s is very light, but well-balanced with a big sweet spot.  It gets up in the air easy and both kids hit it well.

 

My daughter has been using the F9 Speedback 5W for about 10 months.  I removed the weights (but put the screws back in), pulled the stock Atmos shaft out of it, and put an LA Golf Reign 40G shaft in it.  About five months ago, I put the weights back in. From day-one, I have had the loft cranked down from 22.5* to 21*.  
 

Looking back, I regret not getting a second Ping Prodi G fairway for my son and letting my daughter keep her’s for another year.  She got that club up in the air so easy, and was very consistent with it.  Her fairway wood now suits her well, but she’s had to grow into it a little even as a fairly big 9 yo.

 

 

 

Thx for feed back. I’ll see if I can find a prodi b fairway to try out. Her usk fairway and hybrid aren’t great...

[MB19]

7 hours ago, Bizzle80 said:

 

Thx for feed back. I’ll see if I can find a prodi b fairway to try out. Her usk fairway and hybrid aren’t great...

For what it is worth, we also use the Prodi g hybrid which is quite a bit better than the USKG UL hybrid IMO.

[Bizzle80]

So I ended up finding a ladies Epic Flash Star 7w on Callaway pre-owned for cheap and got it to try out. Figured I'd just cut down the ladies ultra light shaft in it before switching to a Flynn.

 

Turns out its slightly weighty for her, but she is roping straight and high darts with it just cut down. This Epic star is 100 miles better than the USK fairway...highly recommend this club for smaller juniors. I am seeing a lot more eagle opportunities in the near future.

[phillyspecial]

Im very interested in this as well.  9 yr old boy, 54"/65lbs, driver ball speed upper 90s.  

 

He playes the ProdiG full set with an OEM driver on Flynn shaft.  Some distance gaps now emerging at the longer end with driver getting out there 175ish all in and Ping FW around 130 from turf, bit longer off tee.  

 

Winter project, but will try to figure out right setup between Driver and ProdiG 6-iron.   

[MB19]

2 hours ago, phillyspecial said:

Im very interested in this as well.  9 yr old boy, 54"/65lbs, driver ball speed upper 90s.  

 

He playes the ProdiG full set with an OEM driver on Flynn shaft.  Some distance gaps now emerging at the longer end with driver getting out there 175ish all in and Ping FW around 130 from turf, bit longer off tee.  

 

Winter project, but will try to figure out right setup between Driver and ProdiG 6-iron.   

An OEM FW and hybrid might be worth a look as his soon as his ss crosses 70.  The Prodi g line is excellent, of course.