Are high-lofted fairway woods becoming an increasingly popular alternative to long irons and hybrids?
In an era where we seem to have never-ending choice, are we finally willing to choose equipment based on performance rather than popularity?
“I think there was there was a stigma attached to using a lofted fairway,” reckons Srixon’s product manager Joe Miller.
He told the Your Golf podcast: “People were like, ‘Oh, I can’t use a 9-wood’, but you see tour players using high-lofted (fairway woods).”
Where players may once have only been able to choose between long irons and hybrids, the emergency of 5, 7- and 9-woods has widened choice.
Miller said the change is an attitude shift. Golfers are now leaning into clubs that can help with launch, distance and speed in a more effective way.
He pointed to former world No. 1 Vijay Singh as a player prepared to use a high-lofted fairway wood because it gave him a performance advantage.
“I know he used to use a really high lofted fairway wood,” he added. “When I had a conversation with him about it, I asked him why he would use a club such as this. He said, ‘Joe, when you’re playing the US Open or the PGA, you can’t stop it with spin. You have to stop it with descent angle, those greens are like concrete’.
“He used one to great effect. I think he had one in the bag at Whistling Straits where he won (the 2004 PGA Championship), a period where he became pretty much one of the best golfers in the world, and he wasn’t afraid to use a club that was fit for purpose.
“He didn’t care what his peers said. He wanted to win a golf tournament.”
Is the long iron becoming a thing of the past?
Golf can be susceptible to trends and Miller believes they may have put off golfers using clubs that suit them.
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“We play golf in groups,” he said. “I’m absolutely convinced if golf was a solo sport, most golfers would use slightly different clubs. They wouldn’t come under that peer pressure. We’d see more lofted fairways, more hybrids and less irons.
“But it’s a game where you can be ridiculed at times. So it’s about getting that happy medium between something that looks really good and works really well. There’s a crossover and I truly believe our products achieve that.”
It’s an attitude than could be changing. If you look in the bags of all the top pros, you’ll see more fairway woods than ever. It’s showing in the decline of the long-iron.
“Tiger (Woods) managed to keep the popularity of a 2-iron with that stinger he could hit. That popularity disappeared years ago.
“The popularity of the 3-iron has also effectively disappeared. The 4s gone, apart from those with high ball speeds and the 5 is pretty much on the way out as well.
“Generally speaking, most people would benefit from their longest iron being a 5, and instead consider a utility iron or a hybrid.”
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What is the highest lofted fairway wood you have in the bag? Do you use hybrids and long irons too? Do you find it easier to launch the ball using a higher-lofted fairway wood than a long iron? Let us know in the comments or by getting in touch with us on X!
