Properly matching the various tools of the trade with our personality, skill level, confidence, and feel forms a big part of executing a satisfying display in the golf course. One of the contributing factors to success in the 9-hole or even the 27-hole is distance. The two clubs that enable a hitter to cover a lot of yards in space are 5 wood vs 7 wood clubs. Wood clubs also ensure an easier ball hit due to their larger clubheads.
In turn, my confidence and understanding of the game led to the increase. Although 5 and 7 wood belong to the same category of clubs, there are some differences in what the two devices provide. I’ll be going into further detail on what the two wood clubs bring to the course for the swinger.
Overview: 5 Wood vs 7 Wood
The 5 wood is a club known in the golf scene as a tool that performs great when hitting a shot from the fairway to the green. It’s even appropriate for semi-rough situations, letting me exact some height on the ball to move on the course. The loft of the 5 wood allows easier ball hits when I swing. It’s usually a club for low handicap players.
Callaway Golf 2021 Epic Max Fairway Wood
The 7-wood, on the other hand, does more of what the 5-wood does. It can easily connect better than the 5-wood but can’t further hit the ball than the 5-wood. It’s appropriate for making towering shots from the fairway, from deep rough, and making shots off hardpan. It’s the tool of mid-handicap players.
PXG 2021 0211 7 Wood with Graphite Shafts
Below, I’ll be discussing the difference between the two wood clubs based on the construction, loft, yardage advantage they provide, versatility, and the swinging technique incorporated in the use of the two clubs.
Construction
There isn’t much difference in construction between the 5 wood vs 7 wood. The noticeable difference is the length of the clubs, with the 5-wood coming in at 42 inches long, while the 7-wood is 40-42 inches long. The average 5-wood is an inch longer than the average 7-wood. The longer the club, the more challenging it becomes to keep a steady swing.
The two clubs also differ in the size of their sole. The 7-wood has a larger sole than the 5-wood. The sole size of a club determines the ability of the club to execute in the different terrains found at a golf course.
The 7-wood club has a larger circular head than the 5-wood, which makes it easier to hit the ball due to the large surface of the clubhead. Although both make connecting with the ball easier, the 7-wood just does better than the 5-wood.
The last difference in construction between the two clubs is that they differ in their shaft length. The 7-wood has a shorter shaft than the 5-wood. The 7-wood has a better chance of providing consistency in my shot-making due to its shorter shaft length than the 5-wood.
The Difference in Yardage
The achievable distance using the two clubs depends on various factors such as the player’s skill level, physical attributes, and the wind speed on that particular day. I will focus on the skill level factor by comparing the yardage the two clubs can achieve in the hands of an average golfer. The 5-wood yardage distance is between 200-240 yards, while the yardage distance achievable through the 7-wood is 170-230. The difference in yards concerning the clubs, with all other factors being constant, is due to the difference in the loft. The higher the loft degree, the more sacrifice it makes in the distance in yards one can cover with a swing.
Loft Differences
Before I explain the difference in loft between the two clubs, I want to take a brief second to explain loft. A loft in a club is the angle between the clubface and the ground. It impacts the ease of connecting with the ball when I take a swing: the flight and the distance I can hit the ball is also majorly dependent on the club’s loft. The 5-wood has a loft degree of 18-19 degrees, while the 7-wood is 22 degrees. Although the 7-wood is easier to hit than the 5-wood, the 5-wood can cover more distances. The higher the loft, the less the yardage distance. It’s important to note that 5-wood covers long distances provided it is in the appropriate terrain.
Versatility
In my opinion, the versatility of a club determines my preference for the club. A club that serves various purposes and caters to different terrains in the golf course is a club I would love to have in my bag.
In terms of versatility, the 7-wood fares better than the 5-wood. The 5-wood’s strengths are mostly, if not only, showcased off the tee and fairway. The 7-wood, on the other hand, can get the job done on the fairway, off the tee, and in rougher terrain. The 7-wood, when dealing with the overall golf course, is more reliable than the 5-wood. It provides more consistency than 5-wood because of how versatile it is. The 7-wood gives you more options when facing different golf course situations.
With that said, I will look at the reason to pick between 5 wood vs 7 wood.
Reasons To Use a 5-Wood
It enables me to hit longer distances off the tee and fairway. Given the importance the modern golf play places on distances, a 5-wood covers that requirement of the game.
The large clubhead found in the 5-wood enables me to easier hit the ball when swinging. Connecting with the ball a bit easier is a confidence booster and allows for more satisfying performances, especially when I approach the green from the fairway.
The 5-wood is perfect for beginners. It’s the appropriate club to gain confidence in the mechanics of my swing.
Reason To Use a 7-Wood
The shortness in the 7-wood shafts provides more consistency in my shot-making. It’s perfect for when I want to have an overall, consistent performance in the course in exchange for a higher distance.
The length of the 7-wood makes it less challenging to keep a steady swing when hitting a drive.
The 7-wood, due to its versatility, provides me with more options with how I can deal with different terrains in the course. 7-wood’s ability to operate in the fairway, off the tee, and roughs makes the 7-wood worthy of being in my golf bag.
How To Decide Which Clubs To Use?
How to decide will depend on several factors, one of them being the distance I can hit with the clubs, given that the 5-wood allows me to hit further yards than the 7-wood. I will select the 5-wood clubs if I’m confident in my ability to stay on the fairway, and all I want from my game is to cover yards. I’ll use the 7-wood if I am working on my overall game. Given the versatility that the 7-wood has, it will be perfect if I want to tackle different terrain situations found in the golf course.
The skill level also helps when deciding which clubs to use. The 7-wood is perfect for beginners because it’s easier to control and keep your swing stead; its shaft length allows me to make shorts consistently. The 7-wood, although ideal for an amateur, is used by big golfers such as Bubba Watson. So, the 7-wood caters to most skill levels. Both amateurs and professional PGA tour players make use of the 7-wood.
Finally, the golf course I usually play at helps me decide which club to choose. If I normally play in a course with rough terrain and hardpan terrains, the 7-wood is the club of work. But if the golf course I play in doesn’t contain rough terrain, the 5-wood would ensure undisturbed performance review when using it.
Overall Verdict
As an amateur golf player, ease and convenience are the driving factors in deciding which club is better overall. While I am still building confidence in my swing, I must use a club that makes it easier for me to hit the ball. I regard versatility as another important factor determining my preference in a club. The 7-wood has all those factors in its operation. It’s easier to hit the ball using a 7 wood vs 5 wood.
The versatility of 7-wood provides convenience in my game by making it easier to strike the ball and provides comfort by lessening the load of my golf bag. With the 7-wood in my bag, there is no need to carry a 5-wood. That is because the 7-wood can do what the 5-wood can and more.
To conclude, the final verdict is that the 7-wood is better than the 5-wood. Because it caters to my skill level, the consistency I want from my game, and my physical attributes. The length of the 7-wood is perfect for me to ensure I keep a steady swing. If the 7-wood club worked for Tommy Fleetwood, Bubba Watson, and Louis Oosthuizen, just to name a few, I believe it will work for me.
