Adams Fast 12 Fairway Wood Review

WVP · February 1, 2012

First, a huge thanks to GolfWRX.com and Adams Golf for providing me the opportunity to test out this new fairway wood. Since stumbling onto WRX, this site has been simply outstanding for me. Compared to many here I am a relative newcomer to the game (picked it up in my mid 20's, 29 now), but I've quickly learned a ton (too much probably) about the equipment side from everyone here. And the site has also helped my game progress considerably, if not my wallet! So here we go:

TESTED:

Club: Adams Speedline Fast 12 - 15° Three Wood

Shaft tested: Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue - Stiff Flex - 65g - 43" - D2 SW

WHAT ADAMS GOLF SAYS ABOUT THE FAST 12:

With an improved slot design along with a larger sweet spot and better launch conditions, the FAST 12 fairway wood delivers unsurpassed forgiveness across the entire face along with more ball speed for increased distance. It's a superior fairway wood with unmatched performance.

Our longest and most forgiving fairway wood ever.

Second generation of Velocity Slot Technology ("slot within a slot") for even more ball speed, forgiveness and better launch conditions.

Easy playability from all lies (both tee and ground).

Draw and standard models.

Higher launch without impacting spin rate.

New Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue with Speed Coat Technology.

PROS:

Definitely a hot face and forgiving enough for players of any ability.

CONS:

The look will scare away the traditionalists. Lack of a true alignment aid could be a complaint for some, though you can certainly square up with the slot. The 7 wood only available in the draw model seems odd to me.

BOTTOM LINE:

The performance is there if this club fits your eye. I think Adams has a winner across the board with their Fast 12 fairways and the Fast 12 LS driver but hopefully the look isn't too much of a detriment to potential users.

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REVIEW:

Dead of winter here, but fortunately we have a pretty good indoor golf center in the area. We've had some crazy warm weather this week so I've been able to put several hours in with the Fast 12, if not actual rounds on the course. I also liveabout two miles from a great local clubmaker (a Scratch/Wishon/Machine/Rife/Bridgestone rep as well). He's away on Winter break right now but I should be able to get on his launch monitor to do some comparisons with my current 3 wood, Adams' Fast 10, and provide some real numbers. Will update this post when that happens if you guys are interested.

LOOKS:

Let's be up front, this thing is a bit out there. The crown is silver. It has substantial rectangular slots on the crown and sole. Controversial to some, cringe-worthy to traditionalists. Of those using a form of "slot" technology, Adams is the only OEM that includes an additional slot on the crown. Unfortunately they've really made no attempt to gently work it into the design like other OEM's have(on the crown side at least). In my opinion, you barely notice Nike's Variable Compression Channel, it's that well done. And while there's plenty crazy about TMAG's RBZ line, their "Speed Pocket" is, in my opinion, incorporated better into that club. You get used to it quickly (honestly) but I think Adams should look at refining the crown slot, if only for aesthetics.

This club is really a tale of two sides, the crown and the sole. The sole is remarkably clean and simple, almost the reverse of your typical woods (we're used to a clean look from address and crazy graphics on the sole). The Velocity Slot is more subtle on the sole as well, due to the matte black finish and the shape of the slot is framed by the other graphics. The touch of royal blue on the backside seems almost out of place at first glance but it really ties it all together. Both the head cover and shaft have a bit of this blue so there is a common theme there.

On the silver crown, well, I was firmly in the anti-white crowd when TMAG released all of the R11 products. Hated it. Wasn't sure of how I would react to the silver.I've come to appreciate being able to follow the club with my peripheral vision a bit better, but at the end of the day I would still prefer a black or nearly black crown. The black face does provide a really nice contrast with the silver crown but it will surely get marked up over time like other woods with black faces. Other than the cosmetics, the clubs sets up square which is my preference.

PERFORMANCE /PLAYABILITY:

Adams was able to provide me with the following information on their four latest fairway models, thought it would be interesting for you guys.

Volume, cubic centimeters (all three wood models):

Fast 12: 168.0 cc

F11: 160.00 cc

Fast 10: 148.5 cc

LP: 139.0 cc

Face height (again, all three wood models):

Fast 12: 1.388" (35.25 mm)

F11: 1.310" (33.27 mm)

Fast 10: 1.310" (33.27 mm)

LP: 1.183" (30.05 mm)

We see that the F12 is a little deeper than the previous Fast three woods and it continues to grow in size (a disclaimer though, I measured the Fast 12 face height to be a touch under 34 mm, and the new Hot List has it at 33 mm). Combine the larger face and volume with the additional slot on the crown and you have a very forgiving head, and a nice option for use off the tee.

To make a comparison to other OEM's, the head size is about average for the market and consistent with modern fairway woods. We see smaller player's woods in the140-155cc range and ones designed for the tee or for beginners can be closer to 200cc. Face height is just above average. The RBZ for example is 190cc and 37mm deep, add that to a longer shaft and no wonder it goes farther than previous Taylormade offerings. But I digress…

My Fast 10 3 Wood has been my favorite club in the bag since it went in the bag,and I know there's quite a few fans of those fairway woods on WRX. I expected to take to the Fast 12 instantly but to be honest I struggled for a bit to dial in this club. I'm not a huge hitter like many here (100 mph driver speed) but with the Fast 10 it's 225-230 yards and straight all day. It's quite likely that the shaft is a bad match for me and my winter swing was present but I was a hook machine until I really slowed it down and put a smooth swing on it. On good swings though I was getting definite distance gains of 5-10 yards. No issues at all with getting it up in the air, a combination of the shaft and the slot technology.

FEEL:

Fast 12 plays at D2 with a 58° lie angle and the stock Grafalloy Blue, 65g shaft. My current Fast 10 is at D3 with a 57° lie (stock Aldila Wasabi stiff shaft, 70g).Pretty similar setup. I'm not sure if there's anything to Grafalloy's SpeedCoat Technology but with comparable shaft weight and swing weight I felt my club head speed was noticeably higher. Again I will get real numbers soon and provide an update here.

Feel was quite different from the Fast 10. I'm used to a solid, metal crack but the Fast 12 provided a softer yet springy feel. More muted sound as well.The face is definitely hot, the ball jumps off the face somewhat similar to a driver feel.

OVERALL BOTTOM LINE:

Adams has improved on their popular Fast 10 and F11 fairway woods. If you can get past the looks (which you get used to incredibly quickly) this is a very long fairway wood with high forgiveness. I'm generally not one to be too picky with shafts, in fact I use stock everything outside of my hybrid. But I will be exploring different shaft combinations with this one and plan to have it in the bag for the long run as I am a big fan of the head design, technology and performance. Give it a shot!

WVP · February 1, 2012

Wow, my formatting and pics went a bit crazy but it looks ok now. I think!

maynard170 · February 2, 2012

Took it out on the course this and was greatly disappointed. I was hoping for a little distance than the f11 I used to gave but probably hit that farther than the new model. Kind of step backwards if you ask me.

smcupinya · February 3, 2012

I took out the 13.5 degree with the stock prolaunch blue shaft (stiff) and was DISAPPOINTED! I hit this club so high its absurd, balls were ballooning constantly. The harder I swung with the Fast 12 the higher the ball would go. I know Adams claims high launch with low spin but this 3 wood seemed just like the old days of hitting balloon balls, the distance gains were not there at all.

In comparison I hit my own Cleveland HiBore XLS 3 wood much further. I hit the cleveland low and penetrating and was carry the ball past where the adams was landing, plus getting run out.

In my opinion higher swing speed players are going to need a different shaft for sure. I would love to hit this club with a Fubuki Alpha or something super-low spinning and low launch. I just don't know if its worth it with the RBZ Tour 3 wood coming out. I was so excited for this club to come out and I am left highly disappointed.

WVP · February 3, 2012

[quote name='smcupinya' timestamp='1328256103' post='4203225']
I took out the 13.5 degree with the stock prolaunch blue shaft (stiff) and was DISAPPOINTED! I hit this club so high its absurd, balls were ballooning constantly. The harder I swung with the Fast 12 the higher the ball would go. I know Adams claims high launch with low spin but this 3 wood seemed just like the old days of hitting balloon balls, the distance gains were not there at all.

In comparison I hit my own Cleveland HiBore XLS 3 wood much further. I hit the cleveland low and penetrating and was carry the ball past where the adams was landing, plus getting run out.

In my opinion higher swing speed players are going to need a different shaft for sure. I would love to hit this club with a Fubuki Alpha or something super-low spinning and low launch. I just don't know if its worth it with the RBZ Tour 3 wood coming out. I was so excited for this club to come out and I am left highly disappointed.
[/quote]

Yeah, no problems getting the ball up, that's for sure. I was hitting it HIGH and LEFT until I settled down and got more in tune with the shaft and head.

I have a lot of confidence in the tech in the club head so I'm looking forward to optimizing it with the right shaft.

smcupinya · February 3, 2012

[quote name='WVP' timestamp='1328287671' post='4205493']
[quote name='smcupinya' timestamp='1328256103' post='4203225']
I took out the 13.5 degree with the stock prolaunch blue shaft (stiff) and was DISAPPOINTED! I hit this club so high its absurd, balls were ballooning constantly. The harder I swung with the Fast 12 the higher the ball would go. I know Adams claims high launch with low spin but this 3 wood seemed just like the old days of hitting balloon balls, the distance gains were not there at all.

In comparison I hit my own Cleveland HiBore XLS 3 wood much further. I hit the cleveland low and penetrating and was carry the ball past where the adams was landing, plus getting run out.

In my opinion higher swing speed players are going to need a different shaft for sure. I would love to hit this club with a Fubuki Alpha or something super-low spinning and low launch. I just don't know if its worth it with the RBZ Tour 3 wood coming out. I was so excited for this club to come out and I am left highly disappointed.
[/quote]

Yeah, no problems getting the ball up, that's for sure. I was hitting it HIGH and LEFT until I settled down and got more in tune with the shaft and head.

I have a lot of confidence in the tech in the club head so I'm looking forward to optimizing it with the right shaft.

[/quote]

I agree, the head seems cutting edge and I believe in the tech of it. I really think the shaft is where the problem lies for faster swing speeds. The slot on top didn't bother me at all, I actually thought it helped with alignment to some degree. I'm on the fence about getting a new shaft in the club or just selling it and moving on.

I will say for people who struggle to get the ball in the air with a 3 wood, this is your club.

Laws of Woo · February 3, 2012

[quote name='smcupinya' timestamp='1328256103' post='4203225']
I took out the 13.5 degree with the stock prolaunch blue shaft (stiff) and was DISAPPOINTED! I hit this club so high its absurd, balls were ballooning constantly. The harder I swung with the Fast 12 the higher the ball would go. I know Adams claims high launch with low spin but this 3 wood seemed just like the old days of hitting balloon balls, the distance gains were not there at all.

In comparison I hit my own Cleveland HiBore XLS 3 wood much further. I hit the cleveland low and penetrating and was carry the ball past where the adams was landing, plus getting run out.

In my opinion higher swing speed players are going to need a different shaft for sure. I would love to hit this club with a Fubuki Alpha or something super-low spinning and low launch. I just don't know if its worth it with the RBZ Tour 3 wood coming out. I was so excited for this club to come out and I am left highly disappointed.
[/quote]

I hit the 15* and 17* both in Stiff flex and I had the same problems with it. Launched very high and would frequently balloon. Hit it on a LM and the spin numbers were a lot higher than expected as well. Definitely needs an aftermarket shaft, but in the meantime I'll use my F11 until the Super Fairways come out.