Saturday, August 9, 2008

The Ongoing Search for a Fairway Wood

One of my biggest struggles this year has been finding a fairway wood that I am comfortable with and can hit repeatedly and consistently. That spot in my golf bag has been a revolving door, with no less than seven different clubs occupying that spot at one time or another. They include a TaylorMade V Steel (both 13 and 15 degrees), a TaylorMade r7, an Adams Redline RPM 4-Wood, an original Orlimar TriMetal, a Golfsmith XPC Plus and more recently, a TaylorMade '08 Burner.
Next up for a tryout is a Callaway X 3-Wood. What I am looking for is a fairway wood that I can hit reasonably straight, or with a slight draw, off the tee with some moderate distance and relatively easily from the fairway on really long Par 4s and short Par 5s. Off the tee is essential, especially on tight driving holes or when my Driver is misbehaving. And while I usually lay up on most Par 5s, there are those short ones when a good drive puts me in a position to at least give it a go. I'd like to have confidence in that situation that my fairway wood will at least give me the opportunity.