Fairway Woods - Choosing the Right Loft for Distance

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By Rich J

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  1. Rich J

    Rich J

    I get around 195 yards (little to no roll on my home course) with my Titleist 910 D2 driver set at the standard 10.5 degree loft using a Bassara 50 gram shaft, regular flex.  

    I have avoided fairway woods for years because of my inability to hit them consistently, relying instead on my long irons for distance.  But over this past winter, I have worked diligently on this aspect of my game, and I have been hitting an older 5 wood about 170 to 175 yards off the turf.

    My feeling is that the standard 15 degree loft on a 3 wood is probably not right for me.  My concern is that the 18 degree or 21 degree fairway would not give me the longer distance that I need.  So, I am looking at the 16.5 degree 3 wood.

    Here is my question.  Given my likely swing speed (not sure exactly what it is), would the 16.5 degree fairway wood go longer than the 18 degree fairway wood?  Or, am I kidding myself?

    The real question is, how far will a fairway wood carry at varying swing speeds, say at 80, 85, or 90 MPH?  I would likely select the Diamana M+ Red 60 shaft.  I have looked for charts to find the breakpoint where swing speed and launch trajectory combined will result in maximum distance.  At some point, I assume that the lower lofted fairway wood will not go as far as a higher lofted fairway wood.

    Rich

  2. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    I'll hazard a guess that your swing speed for driver is in the mid-80's. You can also try your driver at 11.25 to 12 degrees to see if that changes your distance. With your best result driver loft and distance, you can then look for the distance gap from your ?4H (24 degrees). At that speed, the distance between a 5W and a 3/4W will likely be minimal. I have a 7W (910 21F) that is about 15 yards longer than my 24H, and I have a 15 set to 16.5 that is better off of a tee than turf. I'm looking at the 16.5 adjustable to 18 to see if it is 10-15 yards longer than the 7W and works better off of turf than the 15. At the time, a 19 F (5W) didn't get enough distance off of a tee or turf to warrant using it in addition to the 21. I had a chance to trial the 16.5 915 and it was definitely better off of turf than the 15 913. But I need to try it with a fitting and compare to the 7W. Most experts kind to slower swingers suggest 4W/7W instead of 3W/5W like TW carries. Good luck.
  3. Rich J

    Rich J

    Don, thanks for that reply.  It is very informative and helpful.

    Rich

  4. scott h

    scott h
    dracut, MA

    i have a 818 19 degree and a 21 degree hybird , i hit the very low on average what should the set up number be to get the fligth higher with out losing to must yardage ?
  5. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    Distance is impacted by launch angle and ball speed. All else equal, ball speed can determine a "terminal distance". Such that a 19H may not go 10-15 yards further than a 21H because an adequate launch may not be achieved with the 19H. So adjusting the 19H from A1 to D4 (RH) to add loft to 20 degrees may actually go further than at the base 19 degrees. The other way to increase distance is using a shaft that aids in achieving additional (optimal) launch angle.

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