2015 brings an arsenal of new Fairways and Hybrids
What’s new for fairway wood and hybrid innovation
in 2015? How about even more adjustability,
performance and
forgiveness. Not to mention the biggest innovation of
all - faster, hotter faces as noted in this year’s Golf
Digest’s Hot
List. But if my conversations with representatives
from Titleist revealed one thing that I would use to
describe how a
modern fairway wood or hybrid differs from products
released even just a few years ago it would have to
be versatility.
Adjusting how a fairway wood or hybrid flights a ball
may start with dialing in loft and face angle settings,
but it certainly
doesn’t end there. Each manufacturer, including
Titleist, has unveiled clubs that experiment with the
placement of center
of gravity, feature adjustable weight ports and use
faster, thinner face material that flexes at impact.
Even something as
simple as the size and shape of the club head can
alter how a fairway wood or hybrid launches a ball
and
the amount of
spin it imparts. Some players need more spin, some
need less. Some players want to play fairway woods
or hybrids that
launch the ball higher and are better able to land the
ball soft on the greens. Others want the opposite.
Today’s fairway
woods and hybrids are versatile enough to help
every golfer shoot lower scores.
Titleist 915 Fairway Woods and
Hybrids
Using the same Active Recoil Channel
technology found in their drivers, the Titleist 915 fairway woods
and
hybrids feature a hollowed out channel in
the sole to lower spin and add ball speed on
all shots. All clubs in this category have
newer, hotter faces than their predecessors.
Titleist has two fairway wood models - the
915F and 915Fd. The 915F has a slighter larger
head volume than the 915Fd and the
differences in size and shape are most
noticeable when
comparing the two clubs side-by-side at
address. Although both clubs have been
designed to
reduce spin, the 915Fd is a better option for
players seeking a lower, more penetrating ball
flight.
Likewise, the 915H and 915Hd hybrids from
Titleist have similar technologies and
characteristics. Both hybrids average between
150 and 250 rpm less spin and carry about six
yards farther compared to the 913 lineup
according to testing conducted by Titleist. The
915H
is designed to get the ball up a little higher
than the 915Hd. Both hybrids have a
pronounced
Active Recoil Channel, but the location and the
thickness differs slightly when compared to
the
fairway woods.
Callaway Fairway Woods and
Hybrids
Callaway has two distinguished families of
fairway woods and hybrids - the Big Bertha
Alpha
815 and XR series.
The Big Bertha Alpha 815 fairway
woods are notable for having two
adjustable weights
in the sole (3 grams and 30 grams) that let
you configure launch conditions and help
extend
the club’s versatility. Compared to the XR line,
the Alpha 815 fairways have a more compact
head shape which appeals to better players. A
forged Hyper Speed Face Cup creates better
ball speed on all shots across the face. The Alpha 815
hybrids have the same Hyper Speed Face
Cup
technology, an adjustable hosel and a low,
forward center of gravity that will flight the
ball
down and reduce spin.
Like the Big Bertha Alpha 815 models, the XR
series of fairway woods and hybrids have
similar face cup technology to increase ball
speed on impact. The fairway woods have a
flatter leading edge and a higher toe. The face
hight is shallower compared to the X2 Hot
clubs from Callaway. The redesigned head
shape in the hybrid repositions weight to
lower the
center of gravity 46% less than the X2 Hot.
Both the Alpha 815 and XR woods and hybrids
have a black crown, but the XR models have a
matte finish that reduces glare and gives off
the impression of a very clean, compact
profile at address.
In testing both sets of fairway woods and
hybrids I found the Alpha 815 line to be plenty
forgiving for a tour-inspired shape. In fact
both the XR and Alpha families were
extremely
easy to hit and offered the distance you would
expect from a Callaway product.
Ping G30 Fairway Woods and
Hybrids
Ping has been bringing high performance clubs
to the market for decades but there’s probably
not enough superlatives to describe the
outstanding blend of distance and forgiveness
found in
the G30 fairway woods and
hybrids.
The series of ridges coined Turbulators by
Ping are proven to reduce drag and create
speed.
As a side benefit, they are also useful as an
alignment aid when addressing the golf ball.
Ping
also introduced a hotter, more forgiving
Carpenter 475 face that generates distance
and
control. The G30 hybrid employs a special
heat-treatment process resulting in a thinner
and
stronger face to increase ball velocity. Pair
that up with an internal weighting system that
emphasizes high MOI and you have a well-
engineered hybrid that will let you reach those
long
approach shots with relative ease.
TaylorMade Fairway Woods and
Hybrids
TaylorMade’s R15 fairway woods and
hybrids pack a punch
for the more accomplished golfer. The Front
Track system in the sole of the new fairway
woods acts like a speed pocket to propel the
golf
ball off the face. A 25-gram weight lets you
configure the club’s center of gravity as well
as
adjust the bias for either a fade or draw. The
tour-inspired, compact-shaped R15 hybrids
have
a centrally-located CG position that promotes
a neutral ball flight and is paired up with a 3-
degree loft sleeve to fine-tune the launch
characteristics as needed.
The lighter Aeroburner family of fairway
woods and hybrids are great alternative for
anyone
who isn’t an exact fit for the R15 line, or isn’t
looking for all the technological innovations
(adjustable hosel and sliding weight).
TaylorMade’s Aeroburner fairway woods and
hybrids are
designed around a very simple philosophy -
maximize ball speed - and the aerodynamics
support that intent.
Both the fairway woods and hybrids feature a
Speed pocket that increases the size of the
sweet spot while reducing spin. A raised
crown and new hosel fin work together to
improve
airflow and deliver more clubhead speed. The
white crown on both the fairway woods and
hybrids are have a simple alignment aid in the
center that spells out Aeroburner. On close
inspection it’s easy to see the raised channel
and dot pattern that helps reduce drag.
Between
the R15 and Aeroburner line up, TaylorMade is
able to offer fairway woods and hybrids that
accommodate a wide range of golfers
specifically seeking to maximize their
distance.
Nike Vapor Fairway Woods and
Hybrids
Nike’s Vapor Speed and Vapor Flex fairway
woods and hybrids are built with a number of
unique technologies including a reinforced
cavity back design, a compression channel
and a
hotter NexCOR face. The combination of these
technologies work together to maximize
distance without sacrificing stability and
forgiveness. Unlike the Speed line of metal
woods
and hybrids, the Flex models also include an
adjustable hosel (Nike’s FlexLoft 2 system)
that
allows for five loft and three face angle
settings.
My initial impressions of these clubs is that
they are as every bit as good as the last
year’s
Covert 2.0 lineup. They may in fact be
fractionally longer, while just as forgiving as
their
predecessors and that’s never a bad thing. For
those golfers who took a pass on the Coverts
due to their highly polarizing candy-apple red
crown colorway, it’s time to give the more
subdued black-crown Vapor lineup a serious
look.
Cobra Fly-Z Fairway Woods and
Hybrids
Cobra’s philosophy on fairway woods and
hybrids is offer something for everyone. The
Fly-Z
XL fairway wood is their entry-level model,
designed to deliver distance with maximum
forgiveness for those golfers who need it. The
standard-issue Fly-Z fairway has noticeably
less offset than the the XL while still
retaining a low and back CG placement for
increased MOI. It also comes with a high
strength steel insert that allows for a larger,
thinner
face delivering more face flex for faster ball
speeds and higher launch. Finally, there’s the
Fly-Z+ fairway with a compact head,
configurable CG Zone Weighting and Cobra’s
MyFly8
adjustable hosel (up to eight settings) to dial
in your launch preferences. Both the Fly-Z and
Fly-Z+ fairway woods can be purchased in
five different colorways (red, blue, black,
orange
and white).
Unlike the fairway woods, Cobra’s hybrids
only come in two models: the Fly-Z XL and
Fly-Z.
The XL is the more forgiving of the two
hybrids. It features an offset design, a Speed
Channel
face that surrounds the club face like a trench
to increase ball speed and a low, back CG
location for greater MOI. The Fly-Z model still
retains the same CG placement, but doesn’t
have the same offset design. Like the Fly-Z
fairway, the hybrid features the same high
strength steel insert, MyFly8 adjustability and
is available for purchase in five color options.
Srixon Fairway Woods and
Hybrids
The F45 fairway wood and H45 hybrid from
Srixon sport a visually clean design that will
appeal to those golfers who are attracted to
more refined aesthetics. That isn’t to say
these
clubs lack bells and whistles - they just
happen to be located on the inside.
The F45 fairway wood uses what Srixon calls
Dual Speed Technology (DST) to maximize a
player’s rotational efficiency while delivering
more kinetic energy at impact. Translation -
more clubhead speed and greater distance.
The highly-adjustable F45 uses Srixon’s Quick
Tune System to allow golfers to configure loft,
lie, face angle and center of gravity (a 7-gram
weight comes standard; 3 and 11-gram
weights are optional). To maximize ball speed
at
impact, the F45 fairway wood has a hot steel
cup face with a 35% larger sweet spot than in
prior generations.
The H45 hybrid has the same variable face
thickness and DST technology as in the
fairway
woods. The center of gravity, while not
adjustable, has been configured to promote a
higher,
more penetrating launch.