Fred {Couples} has 6 (!) woods and hybrids in his bag. Must you?

In honor of Fred {Couples}’ sixty fifth birthday, the PGA Tour Champions has been posting photographs and movies of the famously syrupy swinger, each previous and current. However one video particularly caught my eye, a clip of {Couples} reeling off his inventory yardages by the bag. 

The video stood out for a number of causes. The primary being that {Couples} carries six woods/hybrids: driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, plus three hybrids that change his 4-, 5- and 6-irons. I don’t know many amateurs with that a lot lumber of their luggage not to mention execs. {Couples} has mentioned his power again issues have made it tough for him to hit lengthy irons, however he additionally clearly values the upper, softer flight and stopping energy of hybrids.  

To raised perceive why {Couples} would favor hybrids over lengthy irons, I reached out to David Armitage, a GOLF Prime 100 Instructor to Watch.

“I believe what he [Couples] is doing is attempting to optimize and maintain his recreation transferring ahead in the suitable path so he can shoot the bottom scores doable,” Armitage says. 

Armitage mentioned that Tour gamers choose how nicely their tools is engaged on a number of key areas, two of that are distance and trajectory. In {Couples}’ case, Armitage mentioned, he’s doubtless wanting on the programs he performs in competitors, making an allowance for the carry distances he’ll want and the ball flight that most closely fits his recreation to piece collectively a bag that goes to assist him be efficient. 

{Couples} unpacks this technique in one other video the Champions Tour posted of him dialing in his woods, through which he explains how these golf equipment assist him cease photographs “on a dime.”

So, what can we amateurs study from {Couples}? For starters, we shouldn’t shrink back from using extra forgiving golf equipment like a 7-wood or 6-hybrid. Ego can play a job when deciding on tools, however for those who can put that nagging voice apart, Armitage says fewer irons in your arsenal can profit your recreation in additional methods than one. 

How extra woods and hybrids can assist your recreation

Fairway woods and hybrids not solely solely assist golfers get the ball up shortly, however additionally they can assist you make a greater technical transfer in your swing, Armitage says.

That’s as a result of common golfers tend to attempt to assist the ball into the air by leaning again. Having a extra forgiving membership in your hand will make it easier to launch the ball with out hanging again in your swing, thereby enhancing your influence place and possibilities of making stable, center-face contact. 

One more reason the video above stood out to me was as a result of even with {Couples}’ easy tempo, he nonetheless bombs it. To provide you some perspective, the inventory yardage for his driver is 285, simply 14 yards wanting the PGA Tour common. One purpose he’s in a position to hit it to this point is as a result of he finds the middle of the face each time. 

“Middle-face contact is without doubt one of the most essential fundamentals in golf for 2 causes,” Armitage says.

“When you could have off-center hits, just like the toe and heel, it’s going to vary the face a bit of bit at influence,” Armitage says. 

Finally, the flexibility to make stable, center-face strikes is the most important distinction between a professional and an newbie. 

However what if the suitable membership choice may convey you a bit of nearer to a professional’s talent degree? Hybrid and woods can assist. 

Fairway woods and hybrids are so forgiving as a result of they’ve bigger clubheads, which means extra stability and a greater “candy spot,” Armitage says. Which means extra photographs that begin and keep on line, higher trajectory and even an improved efficiency from the tough. 

As golf season involves a detailed, now is a superb time to experiment with switching out your lengthy irons for a hybrid or fairway wooden. Give it a attempt. Hey, if it’s ok for Freddie…

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Sizing up your strategy into a protracted par 4, going for the par-5 in two, you need 100% confidence that your fairway wooden will provide you with the stable contact, pace and better ball flight to get you house. Within the G430 fairways, we’ve developed Carbonfly Wrap to ship extra distance by positioning the CG nearer to the pressure line to maximise ball pace, leading to increased, longer carries. The PING G430 MAX Fairway Wooden matches the widest vary of golfers with 4 choices (3W/15°, 5W/18°, 7W/21°, 9W/24°).
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FACE WRAP TECHNOLOGY
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The variable roll radius of Spinsistency improves efficiency throughout the face (particularly on skinny photographs) by decreasing spin to extend ball pace from the maraging metal face.
TUNGSTEN BACK WEIGHT
A tungsten again weight extends the perimeter weighting to make sure most forgiveness.
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Trajectory Tuning 2.0 supplies eight hosel positions, adjusting for loft (+/- .5°) and lie (as much as 3° flatter than std).

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