There was a time when the top end of a tour golf bag followed a predictable layout that consisted of a driver, 3-wood, maybe a 5-wood at a push, and then straight into long irons. Anything higher lofted was often dismissed as a rescue option rather than a serious players’ club.
That’s not the case anymore.
There is an increasing trend of tour players using higher lofted clubs throughout their set-ups. It is most noticeably apparent when it comes to fairway woods.
More and more of the world’s best are turning to seven-woods and nine-woods, to deal with the challenges of modern golf.
It seems not even Augusta National Golf Club is an exception to this new way of thinking. And ahead of The Masters, Tommy Fleetwood offered some insight into why that shift has taken place.
How times have changed
Speaking about his set-up ahead of the tournament, Fleetwood didn’t hesitate when highlighting the importance of his higher lofted fairway woods and one club in particular.
“It’s a great 9-wood golf course,” the Englishman said when speaking to the media on Tuesday. “I think it’s always been — I can’t remember when I first put a nine-wood in or a high lofted club, but it’s a perfect 9-wood golf course. I’ve had that in the bag for a few years.”
