7 Wood

[Sleeky_D]

For those of you that play shallower 7 woods (ping, callaway, etc), do you have any trouble using it from the rough? If so, any recommendations on ones that are better in the rough but also playable from the fairway. I had an ltdx max previously but definitely had the wrong shaft in it. 

[BlkNGld]

IMO, a 7 wood that isn't playable from the fairway is a bad design.

 

TM and Titleist are where to look for deeper faces.   Ping claims that the G440 is slightly deeper faced than its prior versions, but I still consider it shallow.

 

It really comes down to the lie.   If it gives me cause for doubt, FWs stay in the bag.   I'd much rather hit a hybrid.   I might give up a few yards on ideal contact, but much more consistent and less to go wrong.

[Sleeky_D]

4 hours ago, BlkNGld said:

IMO, a 7 wood that isn't playable from the fairway is a bad design.

 

TM and Titleist are where to look for deeper faces.   Ping claims that the G440 is slightly deeper faced than its prior versions, but I still consider it shallow.

 

It really comes down to the lie.   If it gives me cause for doubt, FWs stay in the bag.   I'd much rather hit a hybrid.   I might give up a few yards on ideal contact, but much more consistent and less to go wrong.

Yeah I see what you’re saying, playable probably wasn’t the right word. I just remember using a ping 410 9 wood last summer and I was so hesitant to use it out of the rough because I’d almost come underneath the ball. Likely due to technique and decision making, but I was thinking a deeper face might help decrease those instances some. 

[9ClubberLang]

Callaway absolutely nailed face height with the Epic Flash range in my opinion. I'd previously been a fan of the Steelhead XR range which appear incredibly deep compared with a present day fairway wood. I still have my Steelhead XR's but the Epic Flash is the latest model I can play from Callaway. For my eye they then became too shallow, especially after Mavrik.

 

The 7 wood has really helped my game. With the adjustability too, I find at 20⁰ I can play it as my only wood in a minimalist set, but set at 22⁰ it pairs brilliantly with the 5 wood at 17-18⁰.

 

The 7 wood is great from the fairway and the rough. It flies incredibly straight and to a consistent distance. Any amateur golfer owes it to themselves to at least try one and give it the opportunity to impress for a spot in your bag.

[Frank_Kasule]

I spent my seasons winnings on getting a Callaway AI Smoke Max 7 wood. Was excited for it but I just can't hit it straight or to a consistent distance to save my life. Just so frustrating. 

I can play my 3 wood off the deck consistently in the same direction and distance but I just don't know what's happening with this 7 wood. 

Anyone have any tips or thoughts? 

I've put some trackman info so you can see how variable it is. 

I know it's a Denali Black shaft, might be a 70 6.5. I also play Denali Black 70X in my driver and love it but in this case the fitter suggested it but my fitting was weird as I only hit 3 woods. Wish I had done a proper fitting but I used my club winnings which were usable in the pro shop. 

[Ben B]

1 hour ago, Frank_Kasule said:

I spent my seasons winnings on getting a Callaway AI Smoke Max 7 wood. Was excited for it but I just can't hit it straight or to a consistent distance to save my life. Just so frustrating. 

I can play my 3 wood off the deck consistently in the same direction and distance but I just don't know what's happening with this 7 wood. 

Anyone have any tips or thoughts? 

I've put some trackman info so you can see how variable it is. 

I know it's a Denali Black shaft, might be a 70 6.5. I also play Denali Black 70X in my driver and love it but in this case the fitter suggested it but my fitting was weird as I only hit 3 woods. Wish I had done a proper fitting but I used my club winnings which were usable in the pro shop. 

Initial thought is that the shaft is too light. If you are using a 70g shaft in your Driver, I'd think you'd want to be in atleast an 80g in the 7 wood...if not 90.

 

I play a Tensei 70g in my driver and mini and a 80g in my 7 wood. Any lighter than that and I have no idea where the club is.

 

 

[GolfNPizza2]

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a g440 7 wood. Can't make up my mind between AD DI or Ventus Red+

[Frank_Kasule]

4 hours ago, Ben B said:

Initial thought is that the shaft is too light. If you are using a 70g shaft in your Driver, I'd think you'd want to be in atleast an 80g in the 7 wood...if not 90.

 

I play a Tensei 70g in my driver and mini and a 80g in my 7 wood. Any lighter than that and I have no idea where the club is.

 

 

Fascinating. I'd never thought that would make such a difference. Can I add lead tape in a ring around the hosel to see if that makes a difference? Or any other method since the shaft is bonded. 

[Ben B]

40 minutes ago, Frank_Kasule said:

Fascinating. I'd never thought that would make such a difference. Can I add lead tape in a ring around the hosel to see if that makes a difference? Or any other method since the shaft is bonded. 

It's certainly worth the experiment. Not sure I'd add it at the hosel though. Maybe take 2 or 3 3in pieces (which should be 3g each) and wrap them on the shaft just below the grip, then a few inches down and so forth. 

[Frank_Kasule]

1 minute ago, Ben B said:

It's certainly worth the experiment. Not sure I'd add it at the hosel though. Maybe take 2 or 3 3in pieces (which should be 3g each) and wrap them on the shaft just below the grip, then a few inches down and so forth. 

Awesome I'm going to try this on the range next week! Genuinely excited to try this out haha

[st1800e]

11 hours ago, Frank_Kasule said:

Awesome I'm going to try this on the range next week! Genuinely excited to try this out haha

When trying to simulate a heavier shaft the lead tape is applied to the shaft centered  on the midpoint of the shaft.  Anywhere else changes other things , and not in a good way.  
 

 

[Frank_Kasule]

1 hour ago, st1800e said:

When trying to simulate a heavier shaft the lead tape is applied to the shaft centered  on the midpoint of the shaft.  Anywhere else changes other things , and not in a good way.  
 

 

OK well my plan is to hit 6 shots with the club as it is and then apply 10gs of lead tape cut into 3 strips as Ben B said. As per what you have you said; one in the exact middle and one either side by a couple of inches? 

Hit some practice shots and then go in for the 6 shots and compare. 

Realistically if there's a difference it should be quite evident quickly. 

[st1800e]

5 hours ago, Frank_Kasule said:

OK well my plan is to hit 6 shots with the club as it is and then apply 10gs of lead tape cut into 3 strips as Ben B said. As per what you have you said; one in the exact middle and one either side by a couple of inches? 

Hit some practice shots and then go in for the 6 shots and compare. 

Realistically if there's a difference it should be quite evident quickly. 

I just use one longer piece centred.  

[JMB3]

Gosh, I lust after 7 woods every year.  But the problem for me is it would knock out my most versatile and reliable club:  4h.   Maybe if I clean up my driver swing, I can bench the Mini and go D-4w-7w-4H at top of bag.  

[Teebs]

Picked up my G440 7w and really don't like the feel of it. Chucked it on eBay, will take the hit and order a GT2 7w.

 

Can't explain the feeling, but doesn't feel solid.

[Thrummyfox]

13 hours ago, JMB3 said:

Gosh, I lust after 7 woods every year.  But the problem for me is it would knock out my most versatile and reliable club:  4h.   Maybe if I clean up my driver swing, I can bench the Mini and go D-4w-7w-4H at top of bag.  

Is it exactly the same loft and length? I carry 21* 7 wood and 22* 4h with the different shaft length I see a clubs difference and find the 4h more flexible for flighting the ball

[JMB3]

3 hours ago, Thrummyfox said:

Is it exactly the same loft and length? I carry 21* 7 wood and 22* 4h with the different shaft length I see a clubs difference and find the 4h more flexible for flighting the ball

I have a 22* G430 hybrid.  
 

You would think extra shaft length/ball speed might gap better there for me, but I tend to spin 7 woods quite a bit more—1000 to 1200 RPMs more.  So I end up getting similar distances with different ball flights.  Maybe a different shaft in the 7w of would work?

 

I know Ping advertises the 7w as a 3H replacement, but that really hasn’t been my experience.  I had the 425 7w and 4H and saw the same thing.  

[azgreg]

20 hours ago, JMB3 said:

go D-4w-7w-4H at top of bag.

 

[57charlie]

I've carried two seven woods in the bag since the mid 1990's. The Callaway Hawkeye is 20* loft with a firm flex shaft & the Top Flite is 25* loft with a regular flex shaft. These are my money clubs. They're also the reason why I've never had to consider finding or using a hybrid club of any sort.

[Frank_Kasule]

1 hour ago, 57charlie said:

I've carried two seven woods in the bag since the mid 1990's. The Callaway Hawkeye is 20* loft with a firm flex shaft & the Top Flite is 25* loft with a regular flex shaft. These are my money clubs. They're also the reason why I've never had to consider finding or using a hybrid club of any sort.

Was lucky enough to play these Hawkeyes growing up. Insanely good clubs. I played the 3 wood for at least 15 years until my friend broke it on the range. 

 

I think I fixed my 7 wood problem, pulled the club to be pretty much central in my stance and suddenly I'm hitting it long and quite straight. It's now at a distance which is genuinely useful for me so I just need to try it on the course and trust it to perform. 

Playing it forward in my stance was causing it to go left which I was trying to correct and then going right etc. Kind of excited to see how this goes now! 

[Scott10]

Are most of you playing the same flex in the 7W as your driver?  

[dbone919]

42 minutes ago, Scott10 said:

Are most of you playing the same flex in the 7W as your driver?  

Im using the same in both. Going up a weight class this season though with my 7wd shaft. Used a 75x NV green last year and it was great but hoping to bring the flight down a touch with an 85x. 

[trueyoung85]

On 3/4/2025 at 6:04 AM, 57charlie said:

I've carried two seven woods in the bag since the mid 1990's. The Callaway Hawkeye is 20* loft with a firm flex shaft & the Top Flite is 25* loft with a regular flex shaft. These are my money clubs. They're also the reason why I've never had to consider finding or using a hybrid club of any sort.

That GBB Hawkeye brings back some good memories

[JimMLINY]

Always had a Ginty or 21-degree 7 wood in my bag since I have a bag.

It is my get out of rough club.

Will use in tee box for nice easy swing when i need a straight ball with lift 3/4ish through flight.

[NoodleShanker]

I guess the 7 wood craze finally got me curious. In a recent long game fitting I said what the heck and got fit for one. I was blown away. I’m a newer golfer and often struggle with consistency. But with the GT2 7W, every strike was at least in play. 
  

I got the best results with the Ventus Red 7S and the Diamana BB 73S. Ventus had a few extra yards but the BB’s dispersion basically had a 5 yard radius. Amazing. 
 

Suffice it to say I’ve got a GT2 on a Blue Board inbound. Now I’ve got to figure out how to reorganize the top of my bag. I usually play D, 3W, 5W, 5H and then 5i up. On longer courses, I’ll pull the 5i and add a 4h for better long gapping. 
 

I guess I’ve got to pull the 4h. Would it be weird to play D, 3W, 5W, 7W, 5H? That’s a lot of headcovers. Guess I could turn my 5W down to 17.25° and leave the 3W home, but man that Rogue ST Max 3W can send it. 

[gator022]

20 minutes ago, NoodleShanker said:

I guess the 7 wood craze finally got me curious. In a recent long game fitting I said what the heck and got fit for one. I was blown away. I’m a newer golfer and often struggle with consistency. But with the GT2 7W, every strike was at least in play. 
  

I got the best results with the Ventus Red 7S and the Diamana BB 73S. Ventus had a few extra yards but the BB’s dispersion basically had a 5 yard radius. Amazing. 
 

Suffice it to say I’ve got a GT2 on a Blue Board inbound. Now I’ve got to figure out how to reorganize the top of my bag. I usually play D, 3W, 5W, 5H and then 5i up. On longer courses, I’ll pull the 5i and add a 4h for better long gapping. 
 

I guess I’ve got to pull the 4h. Would it be weird to play D, 3W, 5W, 7W, 5H? That’s a lot of headcovers. Guess I could turn my 5W down to 17.25° and leave the 3W home, but man that Rogue ST Max 3W can send it. 

Heck no, bag them! Modern irons are setting up for more head covers. Fred Couples bags D, 3w, 5w, 4h, 5h, and 6h. If it helps you shoot better scores do it….and quickly! Especially as a newer golfer like you say! No shame in head covers. Buy some cool ones to ease your pain.

[texcrom]

On 2/20/2025 at 11:19 AM, Rory4Pres said:

I strongly recommend the new srixon 7 wood over the Titleist 7 wood for anyone hunting.  I personally had the tsi2 7 wood before it got replaced and sold.  

I had a Titleist 7 wood and it was the smallest head ever. Thought I was back in the 70’s!!

[miles2go]

Buddy just added a TM Burner 7 wood from god knows what year. It’s his favorite club now super versatile between 180 and 210 yards. I’d copy him but I love my Cobra Rail 7W. 

[FarmerDan]

So I'm 2 clubs away from finishing my new bag after being away for a couple of years. Every time I've owned a 7w I've loved it, and so I'm planning to add it to the bag. The issue is I've gotten a lot stronger in the ensuing years so I need to a heavier shaft than I used to. This means buying anything stock/off the rack is out.

 

If you couldn't demo ahead of time, would you just pick a head you like with the same shaft as your other fairway wood? Any ideas if you wouldn't do that?

[NoodleShanker]

8 minutes ago, FarmerDan said:

If you couldn't demo ahead of time, would you just pick a head you like with the same shaft as your other fairway wood? Any ideas if you wouldn't do that?

I’ve found a few shafts I like and pretty much stick to those. I have found, and fitters seem to agree, that the same shaft that works well in my Driver doesn’t necessarily translate to fairway woods. But a shaft that does well in one fairway wood would do well in any fairway wood (adjusting for consistent swing weight).

Edited March 16 by NoodleShanker