00:00I have got some fascinating data about whether you should be using one of these, a 7-wood,
00:05or one of these, a hybrid.
00:06Or maybe both.
00:07Let's get started.
00:17So before we get to hitting a few shots on course and talk about the data, let's talk
00:20about the characteristics of these two clubs.
00:22What is the difference between a 7-wood and a hybrid?
00:25Let's talk about the 7-wood first because that is sort of the main style of the show
00:28today.
00:28So as you can see with the characteristics of this 7-wood, the head is a lot bigger and
00:33that means the center of gravity is deeper and lower compared to a hybrid.
00:37And that means the ball gets up in the air a lot quicker and a lot higher.
00:40So where its uses come in is for approaches to greens, if you want more stopping power,
00:45if you find yourself on a lot of par threes, you know, 180, 200 yards, depending on how
00:48far you hit these sort of things, it's really useful for that compared to a hybrid.
00:53So we'll look at the hybrid now.
00:54Obviously we know what a hybrid looks like, a lot smaller head, and that ball flight is
00:57a lot lower because that center of gravity is in a much different position.
01:01Another thing to note about hybrids and whether you want a hybrid or a lot of more lofted
01:05wood in the bag is that a hybrid tends to have a bit more draw bias on them.
01:09They'll turn left to right for me as a left-hander, right to left if you're a right-hander, which
01:13is great for some.
01:14But some people want to shake the ball both ways and that's where the control of a 7-wood,
01:18which is a lot easier to shape in both directions, comes into effect.
01:21So even though they might have the same stated loft on there and they say they're the same
01:25number, that dynamic loft impact is very different and the characteristics are very different,
01:31which we'll come and talk about in just a second.
01:33So let's talk about some of that data that I've found in my testing.
01:36I'm going to flash up a table now.
01:38I've had about two or three range sessions comparing these and I picked about 20 shots
01:42that I think were most representative to get these averages from.
01:45And we'll talk about the similarities first.
01:47So you can see the ball speed, very similar, 134 mile an hour to 131, so not too much there.
01:52And that then led to an average carry distance of 208 yards of the 7-wood and 207 with the
01:574-hybrid.
01:58So very, very similar, which is what I expected actually, so I was pretty pleased to see that
02:01during my testing.
02:03But the big differences and the benefits that some of you might see from going from 7-wood
02:07instead of a hybrid comes in that peak height.
02:11You can see the big difference there.
02:1230.5 yards on average, playing 24 yards from the hybrid, so pretty much six yards in the
02:17air difference, which is going to give that 7-wood a much steeper descent angle and way
02:22more stopping power than a hybrid.
02:24So it was fascinating to see that.
02:25I really enjoyed hitting it on the range actually, hitting the 7-woods going up like a 7-iron or
02:30even a pitching wedge sometimes.
02:31It was really, really cool.
02:32And you've not lost that yardage as we've seen.
02:34They're going the same distance, but that ball flight characteristic was so different.
02:38We'll see that in a minute on course.
02:40And that's played out in the spin as well, 6,000 for the 7-wood, 5.5 for the hybrid.
02:46I'd expect that the 7-wood will spin the ball a little bit more.
02:49And then it comes down to that launch angle as well, 12.4 to 10.6.
02:54That 7-wood is naturally launching a little bit higher, all down to that center of gravity.
02:58So this is what I expected during my testing.
03:00I was pretty happy to see these results.
03:02It's the kind of thing I wanted to see as well.
03:03Similar lofts going similar distances, but with very, very different ball flight characteristics.
03:08So with all that data out of the way,
03:10let's get onto the course and see how these things act in the real world.
03:13Okay, so on the golf course now, and I found myself in an exact situation
03:17where this 7-wood versus hybrid debate comes in.
03:20We're 210 yards away from the green, which is just behind me over here.
03:23And I'm a little bit downwind and I want a club with lots of stopping power.
03:28Now, 210 yards away means I'm going to have to hit a wood of some kind,
03:31but I don't trust that hybrid to hold the green.
03:33So that's where a club like this, the 7-wood, really comes into play.
03:37Similar situations if you're on a long par 3 or a poaching a par 5.
03:41Of that sort of 200, 210 yard distance,
03:44a club like this gives you so much stopping power and a lot more control.
03:47So let's see the comparison between the two.
03:49I'm going to start with the 7-wood, because that's the club I would go for if I was in
03:53this situation.
03:54Now, it's very cold today as well.
03:55So if I can hit this 210 yards, I'm very happy with myself.
04:07Okay, not bad there.
04:09A little bit drawy, but I think it had plenty of height on it to stop somewhere level with the
04:13pin,
04:13but a little bit to the right.
04:15Now, let's compare that with the hybrid and see how much different that's going to be,
04:19because I can imagine it's going to be a lot lower ball flight running into that green
04:22with a little bit less stopping power.
04:25Hopefully, though, I can get it that distance about 210.
04:36Same sort of thing there, a little bit hooky,
04:38but you can see from the Pro Tracer a lot lower ball flight from there.
04:41I can imagine that ball's scuttled on a little bit further.
04:44So let's head up to the green, see where those balls ended up,
04:46and I'll have some final concluding thoughts on the 7-wood versus hybrid debate.
04:50Okay, so up at the green, I think we've got a result here that really shows off the characteristics
04:54and the benefits of a 7-wood.
04:56So I'm stood here by my hybrid shot, which, as we saw, it was a bit toe-y, it was
05:00a bit hooky,
05:01but because of that and that lower ball flight, we've ended up back right at the green.
05:04Whereas you can see behind me here, the 7-wood, which was a similar-ish strike, a bit toe-y,
05:08definitely turned over, still had that higher ball flight and much more stopping power
05:13to leave me a much more attractive birdie putt on the green over there.
05:17So some final thoughts on these, really.
05:19I love the 7-wood. It's been quite enjoyable to use.
05:21It offers you so much loft at address.
05:23It goes so high and still so far that I think it could deserve a place in my bag at
05:29some point.
05:30It's not great off tees, to be honest with you, because of that spin.
05:32You don't get much run. I'd rather use the hybrid.
05:35But it's a really interesting club and one I really think you should consider potentially
05:39putting in that end of your bag.
05:40You've seen the data. You've seen how it works on course.
05:43Make the decision for yourselves. Now, I'd love to hear from you.
05:47Have you already got one of these in the bag or are you thinking of putting one in?
05:50Let me know. Let me know your experiences with this club.
05:52I would love to hear from you.
05:54But for now, from Prince's Golf Club, thank you very much for joining me.
05:57I'll see you next time.
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