00:00 I have got some fascinating data about whether you should be using one of these, a 7-wood,
00:05 or one of these, a hybrid.
00:07 Or maybe both.
00:08 Let's get started.
00:17 So before we get to hitting a few shots on course and talk about the data, let's talk
00:20 about the characteristics of these two clubs.
00:22 What is the difference between a 7-wood and a hybrid?
00:25 Let's talk about the 7-wood first because that is sort of the main star of the show
00:28 today.
00:29 As you can see with the characteristics of this 7-wood, the head is a lot bigger and
00:33 that means the centre of gravity is deeper and lower compared to a hybrid.
00:37 That means the ball gets up in the air a lot quicker and a lot higher.
00:41 So where this usually comes in is for approaches to greens, if you want more stopping power,
00:45 if you find yourself on a lot of par 3s, 180, 200 yards, depending on how far you hit these
00:49 sort of things, it's really useful for that compared to a hybrid.
00:53 So we'll look at the hybrid now.
00:54 Obviously we know what a hybrid looks like.
00:55 A lot smaller head and that ball flight is a lot lower because that centre of gravity
00:59 is in a much different position.
01:01 Another thing to note about hybrids and whether you want a hybrid or a more lofted wood in
01:05 the bag is that a hybrid tends to have a bit more draw bias on them.
01:09 They'll turn left to right for me as a left-hander, right to left if you're a right-hander, which
01:13 is great for some, but some people want to shake the ball both ways and that's where
01:17 the control of a 7-wood, which is a lot easier to shake in both directions, comes into effect.
01:21 So even though they might have the same stated loft on there and they say they're the same
01:25 number, that dynamic loft at impact is very different and the characteristics are very
01:30 different, which we'll come and talk about in just a second.
01:33 So let's talk about some of that data that I found in my testing.
01:36 I'm going to flash up a table now.
01:38 I've had about two or three range tests comparing these and I picked about 20 shots that I think
01:42 were most representative to get these averages from.
01:45 And we'll talk about the similarities first.
01:47 So you can see the ball speed, very similar, 134 mile an hour to 131.
01:51 So not too much there.
01:52 And that then led to an average carry distance of 208 yards with the 7-wood and 207 with
01:57 the 4-hybrid.
01:58 So very, very similar, which is what I expected actually.
02:00 So I was pretty pleased to see that during my testing.
02:03 But the big difference is, and the benefits that some of you might see from going from
02:06 a 7-wood instead of a hybrid, comes in that peak height.
02:11 You can see the big difference there.
02:12 30.5 yards on average, playing 24 yards on the hybrid.
02:15 So pretty much six yards in the air difference, which is going to give that 7-wood a much
02:20 steeper descent angle and way more stopping power than a hybrid.
02:24 So it was fascinating to see that.
02:25 I really enjoyed hitting it on the range actually.
02:27 You know, hitting a 7-wood, it's going up like a 7-iron, or even a pitching wedge sometimes.
02:31 It was really, really cool.
02:33 And you've not lost that yardage as we've seen.
02:34 They're going the same distance, but that ball flight characteristic was so different.
02:38 We'll see that in a minute on course.
02:40 And that's played out in the spin as well.
02:42 6,000 for the 7-wood, 5.5 for the hybrid.
02:46 I'd expect that the 7-wood will spin the ball a little bit more.
02:50 And then it comes down to that launch angle as well, 12.4 to 10.6.
02:54 That 7-wood is naturally launching a little bit higher, all down to that center of gravity.
02:58 So this is what I expected during my testing.
03:00 I was pretty happy to see these results.
03:01 It's the kind of thing I wanted to see as well.
03:04 Similar lofts going similar distances, but with very, very different ball flight characteristics.
03:09 So with all that data out of the way, let's get onto the course and see how these things
03:12 act in the real world.
03:13 Okay, so on the golf course now, and I found myself in an exact situation where this 7-wood
03:18 versus hybrid debate comes in.
03:20 We're 210 yards away from the green, which is just behind me over here.
03:23 And I'm a little bit downwind, and I want a club with lots of stopping power.
03:28 Now 210 yards away means I'm going to have to hit a wood of some kind, but I don't trust
03:32 that hybrid to hold the green.
03:34 So that's where a club like this, the 7-wood, really comes into play.
03:37 Similar situations if you're on a long par three or approaching a par five of that sort
03:42 of 200, 210-yard distance, a club like this gives you so much stopping power and a lot
03:47 more control.
03:48 So let's see the comparison between the two.
03:49 I'm going to start with the 7-wood because that's the club I would go for if I was in
03:53 this situation.
03:54 Now it's very cold today as well, so if I can hit this 210 yards, I'm very happy with
04:03 myself.
04:05 Okay, not bad there.
04:09 A little bit drawy, but I think it had plenty of height on it to stop somewhere level with
04:13 the pin, but a little bit to the right.
04:15 Now let's compare that with the hybrid and see how much different that's going to be
04:19 because I can imagine it's going to be a lot lower ball flight running into that green
04:23 with a little bit less stopping power.
04:25 Hopefully though, I can get it that distance, about 210.
04:36 Same sort of thing there, a little bit hooky, but you can see from the pro tracer a lot
04:40 lower ball flight from there.
04:41 I can imagine that ball's scuttled on a little bit further.
04:44 Let's head up to the green, see where those balls ended up, and I'll have some final concluding
04:47 thoughts on the 7-wood versus hybrid debate.
04:50 Okay, so up at the green, I think we've got a result here that really shows off the characteristics
04:54 and the benefits of a 7-wood.
04:56 I'm stood here by my hybrid shot, which as we saw, it was a bit toey, it was a bit hooky,
05:01 but because of that and that lower ball flight, we've ended up back right at the green.
05:04 Whereas you can see behind me here, the 7-wood, which was a similar-ish strike, a bit toey,
05:08 definitely turned over, still had that higher ball flight and much more stopping power to
05:13 leave me a much more attractive birdie putt on the green over there.
05:17 So some final thoughts on these, really.
05:19 I love the 7-wood.
05:20 It's been quite enjoyable to use.
05:21 It offers you so much loft at address.
05:23 It goes so high and still so far that I think it could deserve a place in my bag at some
05:29 point.
05:30 It's not great off tee, to be honest with you, because of that spin.
05:33 You don't get much run.
05:34 I'd rather use the hybrid, but it's a really interesting club and one I really think you
05:38 should consider potentially putting in that end of your bag.
05:41 You've seen the data, you've seen how it works on course, make the decision for yourselves.
05:45 Now I'd love to hear from you.
05:47 Have you already got one of these in the bag or are you thinking of putting one in?
05:51 Let me know.
05:52 Let me know your experiences with this club.
05:53 I would love to hear from you.
05:54 But for now, from Prince's Golf Club, thank you very much for joining me.
05:57 I'll see you next time.
05:57 [music]
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