Should You Have a 7-Wood In Your Bag?

A standard 7-wood has 21-degrees of loft. That’s about the same as most 3-irons and 4-hybrids, which explains why the 7-wood is often forgotten. The 3-iron was the standard option in years past, and in the last 15-plus years, hybrids have begun taking the place of long irons in many players’ bags.

However, in the last few years, 7-woods have earned a spot in the bags of several tour professionals, piquing the curiosity of recreational golfers and igniting somewhat of a comeback for the high-lofted fairway wood. It’s estimated that 25% of PGA Tour pros use a 7-wood.

A 7-wood churns out roughly 190-225 yards of distance. Of course, exactly how far you’ll hit your 7-wood depends on your swing speed, the quality of strike, and the model of club you use. If you currently use a 3-iron or a 4-hybrid, you can expect your 7-wood distance to be equal to or up to 10-yards longer than the distance you get from that club. 

However, the path it takes to get to that distance is as important as the actual distance itself. A 7-wood launches higher, spins more, and stops quicker than both a 3-iron and a 4-hybrid.

If you’re hitting your 21-degree club into a green, a 7-wood will hold the green better than a long iron or hybrid.

Even though a 7-wood, 3-iron and 4-hybrid each have around 21-degrees of loft and churn out similar total distances, they pack significantly different characteristics that make them each quite different from one another.

Given that a 7-wood has a farther-back center of gravity (CG) than either the long iron or hybrid, it launches higher and spins more. It’s also more forgiving, with a larger club head, and typically produces faster swing speeds thanks to its longer shaft. That helps the 7-wood carry farther and stop quicker than its long iron and hybrid counterparts.

That combination of higher launch, more carry, and less roll make a 7-wood a great option for:

• Long par-3s when players are attempting to hold the green
• Approach shots into longer par-4s and par-5s when irons and hybrids have difficulty stopping on the green
• Shots from the rough and imperfect lies
• Players with slower swing speeds 
• Players who struggle to make clean, consistent contact with long irons or hybrids and want an easier-to-hit alternative

How does a 7-wood compare to a 4-hybrid and a 3-iron? All clubs have 21 degrees of loft, but perform quite differently, actually. To illustrate the differences, Swing Lab Performance Golf tested the three clubs head-to-head-to-head on a launch monitor. Here are their results.

You’ll notice the 7-wood club head speed is the highest. That’s because the 7-wood shaft is the longest and lightest of the three, which creates more club head speed with the same effort.

Every person’s swing is different, and the performance you get from each club will likely differ from these results. However, the way the three clubs perform relative to each other likely won’t differ. The 7-wood will spin more, launch higher, carry farther, and stop quicker than the 4-hybird and 3-iron.

So, could a 7-wood help your game? That’s up to you to decide. If you struggle to hit your long irons or hybrids consistently, or rely on those clubs to hit into greens regularly, there’s a good chance a 7-wood could be a better alternative.