9 Wood vs. 5 Iron (LPGA Speed) 

This is so cool guys. Structuring the swing speed to see how much a slower swing speeds gets out of it demonstrates the level of skill and attention to detail you always show. Cheers boys!

Well, I guess I was ahead of time with my Hawkeye 9 Wood (23°) instead of a 5 iron already 15 years ago. Still play it and it is a very reliable club for me. Thanks Mike and Ian !!

I’m a newer player and my bag is D, 7w, 9w, 6H, 7-9 irons and 3 wedges. I guess learned I’m a sweepy player after watching this, as I hit my woods and hybrids on auto pilot but seem to struggle with my irons. 9 woods are awesome. Been playing the G425 and at my swing speed, it’s a very reliable 175-185 carry club.

I have an 11 wood. It is awesome!!!

I use the 4 ,5 , 7, 9 and 11 Woods. Great to have them in the bag.

This just seals it for me, I need a 7w in my life. Nice job fellas.

I’ve played a Heaven wood, 9 wood and 11 wood for years now, who knew I was ahead of the trend😮

These videos of explaining and demonstrating the why of the bag are PURE gold! Absolutely love these

I carry a 3, 5, 7 & 9w now vs my 5i & 4 & 5h in Paradym - love em

The used g710 iron set I bought finished at 6iron, I went with a 5hybrid(9 wood equivalent). I am just getting used to it and I almost slammed dunked 2 eagles at arond 180y from the flag. Ball was both times 3inches from the cup. Really happy with my decision! I use it on long par 3's as well!

Thanks for selecting a swing speed that more average golfers can relate to. As always, I learn so much and only wish this info had been available years ago.

This year I put a 9-wood in and pulled my 4 iron. I like my 9-wood. This has me now with driver, 5, 7, and 9 woods.

Would love to see the wood V hybrid rescue comparison

thank you thank you for this. just tried a nine wood for first time and loved it. so much higher than my five hybrid. can't wait.

I'm a bag makeup tinkerer... between 3w and my set's 5i (jpx921 tour 27º), I have the options of a G410 3 hybrid, a G430 5wood, TM Sim 3UDI, G425 9wood, and MP20 HMB 4&5irons. NORMALLY, I'll play the 3H or 3UDI, and the 5i HMB (then the 921 5i, cause gapping...), but hell is it fun swapping out for the 5 and 9 woods. Even with a Kai'li white 70x, that 9w shoots the ball to the moon. Definitely not great for windy days. Great video.

I love both my 8 and 9 woods. Never step on course without them. Both stop great

My driver swing speed is about 100 mph. I carry hybrids at 21* and 24*. I also experimented with one at 28*. They're so easy to hit. Highly recommended. At 28* it can get a little jumpy if you hit a high launch low spin nuke. But the 24* is money.

I started using a 9 wood this year for the wet unkept thick fairways and thick cold air we have in Napa CA right now. It’s working so good now as a 5H replacement. But not sure it will work well in the summer as fairways get harder and winds pick up. I’ll keep using until it stops working.

9 wood is most electric club I’ve ever had. Nothing like stepping up on a long par 3 hitting an absolute moon ball that sits exactly where it lands. Almost like a cheat code for mid ams and I’m sure absolutely dangerous in hands of really good players

I have a 9w in X flex, odd club order for sure. I love it, balls come straight down like a mortar bomb.

I had a 5,7,9 fw in bag for ages as I don’t have the speed for a 3 fw and I don’t get along with hybrids has been a game changer for me

My issue with my bag 100mph driver speed is that my costal course is averaging 15 mph wind . Generally more in afternoon . I am not good enough to flight balls and a 7 w even goes a bit high into wind so use hybrid to lower flight

Thank you as always for the great content! I would be very interested to see a similar video that highlights lateral dispersion differences between long irons, hybrids, and higher lofted fairways (maybe for a few different swing archetypes?). For the courses I regularly play, I find that the lateral tightness around the greens is a major factor in determining whether an iron or hybrid goes in my bag (too windy for a 7-w or 9-w here!).

My 5 iron is a 26 degree Ping G430 hybrid and my 6 is a 430 hybrid! My longest iron is a power spec 8 iron until I replace it with the 7 hybrid and I am a 4 handicap trending lower due to game improvement clubs!

I'm a slower swing speed player, and absolutely all about the metals. Was 4 and 7 wood before, but new bag is 5 wood, 4 and 6 hybrids. I have a 7 iron (because it was cheaper to buy 5 irons than it was to buy 4), that sees a bit of play due to different flight characteristics. Haven't tried a 9 wood yet, but may go that way as I get older and slower.

I’m a scratch golfer about 260 off tee and have 3 4 and 5 hybrids they are a game changer for sure

Great test, and very informative with a lower swing speed. Thanks

Really been thinking about this for a while. Can’t find a 4 iron I get along with (I play pretty weak lofts) and I’m pretty shallow so I don’t like hybrids. I play a 7 wood already. I think a 9 wood is the right club

Really great comparison. The 9-wood works well from the rough that is tall grass, how do you think a 9-wood would work in a more hardened rough that is dirt and grass?

I was contemplating whether to get rid of my 5 iron for a 9 wood wood and might just pull the trigger on it this year.

Driver SS 110-115. I had a tsi 7 wood that worked well so got a g430 9 to replace my 4 iron...but it went as far as the 7 wood, about 210-230. So then had to get a 26 degree 5 g40 hybrid to replace the 23 degree 4 iron, about 195-215. I have low dynamic loft and a sweeper, hence always need help with loft to get th ball in a good launch window. Also cant get a 3 wood in the air so play a 5 wood that goes 240-260.

Just got a g430 9 wood mostly as I really don't get on with hybrid. Looking forward to using it in course today

This will be a good one

Love my 7 and 9 woods

I hit around 270 off the tee and put a 9 wood in the bag. For me it’s a 4 iron replacement. It is so easy to hit vs the 4 iron and out of rough absolutely no competition.

Love that limited edition Titleist bag 😮

I’d say adjustability is more important than ever if you choose the higher lofted woods, no matter the speed. You can run into some serious gapping issues at times if you are like me, fairly slow speeds at 100-105 driver speeds and struggle with a low iron flight. I have put a 7 wood in this season and while it is an amazing tool, it goes far longer than what it is supposed to replace. Don’t skip on adjustability and customization with these. 7 wood shaft in a 5 wood can work awesome etc. Heavier shaft the more loft you use is also a thing. 7 wood replacing a 4 iron but goes as far as your 3 wood is not fun on the course.

I went to a 7/9 wood, and it's been huge for me. Wish I did it years ago

Ok got my 9 w today and wow what a difference

Would love to see a test of 7w/9w versus 3H/4H/5H

I recent bought a TSR2 7w and it’s my favourite club….might try a 9w at some stage

I have around 120 mph driver swing and I’m throwing a 9 in the bag as a 4 iron replacement. Goes around same carry but I don’t get roll out with the 9 which is what I want plus it is a cheat code in fairway bunkers

Great video guys. Love the new high loft fw. Definitely making a come back. Love the on course stuff as well.

9 Wood loft depends on MFG. Ping is 24 degrees vs Callaway 11 wood at 25 degrees. That is why the 11 wood is the perfect replacement for my 5 iron. I switch back and forth depending on the course.

Golf is so cyclical sometimes. I remember bags in the 80s with 3,5,7,9 woods. With more courses growing rough to counter distance growth, I can see why Tour players would opt for adding these woods. Especially with 7200+ yard avg course length, over 250 yards longer than in 2000. For weekend warriors, we wont see such conditions or lengths. But these are good ideas to explore.

Very helpful. Thanks.

I’m about to redo the top of my bag to the following: Big D, 5W, 21 Apex UW, 9 wood….and leave the 5 iron in the car. Thoughts?

I am 82, have played golf for over 60 years, and am sold on 7 and 9 woods for all levels of players from scratch to 24 hdcp whether they need an extra light senior flex shaft or a heavier X flex shaft. If the best tour players now use them, so should we. Have decent stats for my age. Driver carry 195-205, total 220-235. My irons are forged blades with fairly weak lofts, 34 degree 7 iron, and Rifle Lite 120 gram stiff shafts. Given the increasing difficulty of getting any distance from my long irons, I recently had a second set of the same heads built with 87.5 gram steel Nippon Zelos 8 stiff shafts. But last fall I also added a Callaway Epic Max 21* 7 wood. Have been getting carry 165-172, total 175-185, so it replaces my 3 and 4 irons. It has been great for par 3s, approaches to longer par 4s (which I see plenty of) and for hitting second shots out of the rough alongside fairways, far better than a 4 iron. For fun, when playing a friendly round with someone younger who has a faster swing than me, and he hits a 4 iron second to a par 5 that's okay but falls short, I often say hey, drop another ball and try this, hand him the 7W, then watch his eyes pop out as he sees his ball fly nearly twice as high and all the way to the green. I think I've convinced three to buy 7 woods so far this year. Then two months ago I got a Callaway Paradym 24* 9 wood with Aldila Ascent PL Blue 50 gram shaft R flex. Have been getting carry 157-162, total 170-175 so it replaces my 5 iron. I could have elected a hybrid instead. That seems to be a matter of personal preference. I tried out several with 25 to 28 degree lofts, but that would be replacing my 6 iron and for now I think I can keep it in the bag. I do have a 3W and 5W. In terms of carry, they tend to be fairly close, as might be expected with my lower swing speed, with the 3W longer after rollout while the 5W can be easier to hit. There is debate whether average recreational players need both.

Ping makes a n8 e wood and I game it. They make hybrids up through a 7 and I also game them. My goal when I play is hit the fairway.. and then hit the green and those clubs give me the best chance to do it. If ping made an 8;and 9 hybrid, I would probably game them as well.

Should you use an 11 wood coming next.

Kind of surprises me that the average 5 iron speed on LPGA is only 79mph. For some reason I thought that's where their average 7 iron speed was.

wish they would have thrown a hybrid in on this too

It's funny... on the ping website and look at the g430 hybrid specs, it says the 4 hybrid is equivalent to the 4 iron, which is equivalent to the 9 wood. Not the 5 iron, but the distances in this video suggest the 9 wood is the 5 iron distance.

The Ventus red in a 9 wood is a money maker

When I heard you talk about the shallow 9 wood instead of the "shelf" of the 5 iron I immediately thought of my old shallow 2 iron. I would expect this club to hit a lower trajectory like Mikey was talking about (bump and run). Getting a ball out of the rough is the objective. Any thoughts?

Do 11 wood.

Given the likely discrepancy between shaft weights and length, how likely will swing speed be the same?

I've been desperately trying to find a Taylormade Sim 2 Max 9 Wood. The 7 Wood is the best club in my bag. They're like cheat sticks

All good but depends on how windy it is -- a 5 iron will go further than the 9 wood hitting into a decent breeze

People still are shocked when they ask what I’m hitting and I say 9 wood. For me I can hit it straight about 205 and then cut it for 180 yards. Very versatile

Are you liking the titleist links legend bag

My longest iron is 6. I do have a mix of driving irons hybrids and woods but 6 goes 205 in these zx5s so why carry a five iron. I'm just looking keep it on the planet from outside 200. There's no precision left for me out there just luck. I have a uw that's 20.5 and it's quietly becoming my favorite club. It's extremely versatile for shot shape.

Review the new snell ball vs pro v1

What are some of the better 9w you fit people into?

Mikey really reminds me of my late memaw.

A 4 or 5 hybrid is also great out of the rough. It doesn't get any easier than Cobras one length hybrids.

I play all Cobra except my 9 wood because Cobra does not offer one. I have a Sim 9 wood.

Any recommendations for hitting low lofted woods. Because my fav club in my bag right now is my 5 wood I pure that thing dead straight every time. But my 3 woods I seem to top, chunk, or slice it every time and I don’t know why I feel like I use the exact same swing for both but the 3 wood just always makes awkward contact.

Would love to see a test of high speed players and this. 4/5 iron vs wood hybrids.

Comparison out of the rough was crazy different

I have 1,3,5,7,9 and am a 7 index. So much easier to hit than a 5 iron.

Oh guys, please, stop tempting me !

Is this really a fair test? Someone at 80 mph swing speed is probably not using a 120g iron shaft.

Not gonna be the club for me on the windy coast of Merseyside England

Nice idea , however for us lefties. There is nothing past a 5W.

Description says 5 hybrid but you never tried a hybrid.

7 wood is the same as a 3 hybrid, 9 wood is the equivalent of a 4 hybrid, what u guys doing comparing that shit to a 5 iron lol

I've always carried a 7 wood but have never been able to find a 9 and would love one to allow me to rid my bag of 5, 4 & 3 irons as my swing slows with age (boo hoo)

A 9W won't be as accurate as a 5H though, yes it will fly higher but dispersion won't be as tight in the long run

Mike "The Pro" wont game them haha

Why not get an LPGA player to hit the shots instead of manufactured swings?

isn't this just a ploy to sell more wood

I've had a 7W for 20yrs was my favorite club. Tried to get fit for 9W recently but they didnt have the heads @ club champion😢 heading to san diego next week going to try to get in @ callaway carlsbad maybe replace all my old fwy wood😅

I only had about 220 off the tee. I’ve been using a nine Wood has a five iron replacement. Much better results. Much easier to hit much higher chance of stopping on the green.

I’ve gamed a sim 9 wood for the last year now it’s never leaving my bag it’s the most reliable club in my bag

I would fit my bag like this 110%. Problem is spending SO much more on a per-club basis by going Driver, 3w, 5w, 7w, 9w

Interesting build on that one….