Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2021 - 12

Larry's List
Fairway Woods Versus
Hybrids-A Vision Quest
Bridging the gap from woods to irons is a
difficult but worthy pursuit.
G
olf can confound us, which for some is
part of the attraction. One of its mysteries
is determining which clubs we should carry
between our woods (metals) and long irons.
It's a vision quest that can lead to better golf.
" There have long been all kinds of clubs-
fairway woods, trouble clubs, hybrids and even
the old Cobra baffl ers-made for this magical
transition between your woods
and irons, " says 2nd Swing
master clubfi tter Larry Bobka.
" But that's where launch conditions
really show up. "
Bobka believes launch conditions
are the key to unlocking
the mystery to fi lling the
" gap. " It depends on the golfer,
their abilities, what they want
(e.g., distance, trajectory, consistency)
and even where they
regularly play. Lower trajectory
clubs are best for windy courses
while higher-lofted fairway
woods hold smaller greens.
" First fi nd the longest iron
* BY JOSEPH OBERLE *
you're not going to spin a 19-degree hybrid any
better. It's a shorter club than a fairway wood,
the center of gravity is not as far back and it
basically has a graphite or iron shaft in a longer
length-more like an iron than a fairway
wood. "
A 7-, 9- or 11-wood will get the ball off the
ground more easily with a softer landing trajectory,
but many golfers don't
want to carry them.
" Phil Rodgers used to tell
in your bag that you hit consistently, "
Bobka says. " Do you hit
four out of fi ve shots well with
a 4-iron? A 5-iron? A six? And
do you hit four out of fi ve shots well with your
5-wood? "
Then determine the distance gap between
those clubs and how many clubs you'll need to
fi ll it. Bobka suggests starting with a club fi tting
to determine the spin rate on your existing
Bobka suggests
starting with a club
fitting to determine
the spin rate on your
existing clubs.
me, 'it's a scorecard, not a
postcard. There are no pictures
and no style points. Your
only job is to get that lowest
number in that box,' " Bobka
says. " Who cares what clubs
are in your bag to play better
than you've ever played
before-just because your ego
says, 'I don't want to carry a
9-wood?' "
A fi tting helps assess your
abilities,
determine your
needs and consider every
option. Don't be afraid to try
something different than you
had previously imagined.
" You see tour players carrying
a 5-wood or a 7-wood or hybrid for years
because they can't get rid of it-they've found
that magical one, " Bobka says. " This is almost
the search for the Holy Grail of what belongs
under my third head cover. "
clubs.
" Spin factor matters a lot, " Bobka says. " It's
the ability to keep the ball in the air carrying
that distance. If you can't spin your 5-iron,
12
MINNESOTAGOLFER Spring 2021
Larry Bobka is a master clubfi tter at 2nd Swing
in Minnetonka. He has 44 years of experience as
a clubmaker, clubfi tter and short game instructor
for pros from Tim Herron to Tiger Woods.
Titleist-TS Hybrids
Titleist says: " These
things just GO. They
look great, feel amazing
and explode through the
ball with a lively Tourpreferred
sound. "
Larry says: " I like
Titleist hybrids for their
adjustability. "
Callaway Women's Big
Bertha Reva Hybrids
Callaway says:
" Distance any way you
swing it. A total forgiveness
package to take
the big miss out of your
game.
Larry says: " Callaway
hybrids are userfriendly. "
Ping
G425 Lofted
Fairway Woods
(3- through 9-wood)
Ping says: " They have
two PING innovations-Facewrap™
and
Spinsistency™-
that combine to deliver
more distance and spin
predictability. "
Larry says: " They're
great lofted fairway
woods. "
mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2021

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