2010 NEW PRODUCTS
B Y M A RT I N K AY M E R
HIT HIGH, SOFT WOODS EUROPEA N TOUR STA R
To hold a green from over 200 yards you need height and power. Here’s how. WORDS BY PETER MASTERS PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOWARD BOYLAN
I carry two fairway woods which give me all the versatility I need. My 3-wood is an R9 that has less loft than a regular model, just 13º when your normal 3-wood might be something like 15.5º. This means I can get plenty of distance and I can use the club like a driver off the tee on particularly tight par 4s where hitting the fairway is a must. I’ll hit this around 280 yards off the tee or about 260 from the fairway. The good thing is that I can shape the
Flight plan Your trajectory from the tee and the fairway are going to be different. I’m looking to get an arced flight from the tee which will allow the ball to roll with topspin. From the fairway the ball will climb.
ball really well with it, so if I’m struggling with the driver then the 3-wood can still get it out there. My 5-wood is great because I can vary the trajectory quite easily with it, allowing me to hit the ball quite high if I need to. This is a useful club for par 5s when I want the ball to land softly, while carrying over water or deep bunkers. I can fly this club about 230 yards, although that would go back to about 215 or 220 if I hit it high.