Why you don’t need a 9-wood

On this week’s Fully Equipped podcast with Johnny Wunder, we talked about Tommy Fleetwood’s 9-wood in the bag for the Masters. Fleetwood has said the addition of the 9-wood is to make sure the ball is high enough and lands steep enough to contend with the increasingly firm greens at Augusta. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to run out to buy a 9-wood. I’ve already dived into our YouTube comments, but I stand by my explanation of where I think the club category falls.

My argument is that the 9-wood is great for either the player who has a lot of control, or the player who needs all the help they can get to launch the ball. It’s the group in the middle that can have a hard time finding the ultimate success with a 9-wood. I fall into this bucket. I’m also a big fan of hybrids, so I don’t have moments when I wish I had a 9-wood or a 7-wood in the bag. So let’s talk about both sides of the game for a second.

First, we have the tournament-level guys who are putting high lanes in the bag. Fleetwood has one, Scottie Scheffler messed around with it, and Dustin Johnson is the original high-speed 9-wood. The reason they choose to put a 9-wood in the bag is to make sure they are getting enough club height at the distance they need with their putt. And this is an important designation. Stocks shot up. Starting with a club that will launch higher than any other alternative, these pros and their elite ball strikes can figure out how to knock down flight or add spin when needed. These 9 wooden builds that fit in their bag have little versatility, but they are really meant to do a specific job. And that job is to get high in the air with just enough effort and enough spin to land gently on firm greens, just like this week at Augusta.

However, the reason tournament pros and other highly skilled players can get away with it is because it is the situation and they treat it as such. It’s a tool in the bag to get a job done. When a situation presents itself for that distance, but the tool can’t meet the score with a stock shot, they are able to manipulate that offer to do what they need. The best example, of course, would be in the wind. For an amateur, any amount of wind in the face would normally blow the fairway wood out of hand. It is simply too high and produced with too much spin for the ball to fly properly. It’s a lot of fun to watch a high-altitude route get blown by the wind because it’s almost an exaggerated penalty, but again, not helpful. And this is where the mid-players begin to waver. Fleetwood has no problem controlling the flight and spin of his 9-wood. He may find a situation where he chooses to go with another option for the shot he needs to create, but it’s not out of the question that he’ll fly the 9-wood in a more reasonable tip-height window if he’s battling some soft elements. However, for the average handicap of 10? It’s probably not an option. They are better off with a large, iron-style club in that area of ​​the bag, or my choice: a hybrid.

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This brings us to the other end of the spectrum – the golfer who only needs launch assistance.

This is the golfer that I think SHOULD buy a high pitched, forgiving wood that they feel is necessary to play well. I’m talking 11-woods, skywoods, spinners, all of them. Whatever you need to get that ball in the air. The beauty of this category, which usually coincides with even the slowest of players, is that the high fairway woods are so easy to hit. There’s no fear of snagging on the ball, the shallower face makes it easier to pick up ground and the size of the heads gives you plenty of confidence if you’re in a sticky situation like long rough grass, pine, debris or even a fairway bunker. For players with slow swing speeds, the speed gains that a fairway wood will give you replacing an iron or a hybrid will be quite extreme. In most cases, you’ll see a 2 to 3 mph difference between sets, with the fairway wood at the top. Due to the size, shape and center of gravity of the club head, you will also see a strong increase in forgiveness over other options of the same loft. Really, the only argument for the slower swing speed or lower skill category not to play a fairway is if they just absolutely hate how it looks behind the ball.

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The group in the middle and the group that I don’t think needs a 9-wood is the largest group on the bell curve. Fleetwood even mentions in the video above that a 9-wood isn’t built for speed or distance, and it’s also not specifically built for tee shots. With the shots left to play at that point, I just don’t see the value in a 9-wood as a 4-iron style replacement for many golfers. The range I’m talking about here is a five to 12 (ex) handicap range. They’re good enough players to hit a more forgiving replacement iron style club, or opt for the characteristic flight benefits of a hybrid. Now, if those players really hate the look of the hybrid, or maybe have zero confidence in the iron, of course, spring for the high-height wood that makes you more confident with that longer distance shot. However, this decision will come with drawbacks, mainly a lack of versatility and an eliminated club when playing in the wind.

As always, my take on any club is that if it works for your bag and you are equipped with the club with an understanding of the role it plays in your bag, then add it to the bag. Nothing is off limits. That’s the beauty of the game that stresses us all out. There are endless possibilities. Sometimes it can be overwhelming and stressful to decide, but work with a fitter and find out what you need for your bag. If it’s a 9-wood, then I hope it ends up being the best club in your bag.