Fairway Woods are Evil
It is more than a headline, that is really the way I feel. Fairway woods, particularly those with the number "3" on the bottom, are vile little creatures that take great pleasure in breaking a golfer's heart at the worst possible time.
You can argue with me until you are blue in the face, but you will not convince me that they're just pieces of steel and graphite with a little epoxy thrown in. There's just too much evidence to the contrary. I won't bore you with all the details, but there have been enough worm burners, pull hooks and sky marks to sway even the most cynical naysayer. The only reasonable explanation is that the moment the shaft penetrates the hosel, a little golf club life is conceived with a soul that immediately runs to the dark side.
It could be that I have been singled out for retribution because when I took up the game somewhat late in life -- at age 30 -- I never used fairway woods. For some unexplained reason, I could hit the snot out of a 2-iron, and that became my go-to club off the tee on tight par 4's or from the fairway on par 5's. So why bother with a 3-wood? Well, I'm in my 50's now and that 2-iron clubhead speed is long gone. As I explained earlier in the week, I'm into hybrids in a big way, including a 2h. But I could use the little extra distance that a 3-wood can provide. Unfortunately, every time I try to work one into the bag, it misbehaves to the point that I have to banish it to the basement, where it sits and plots against me with its evil little friends.
By now, I'm sure some of you are wondering: What's your problem, radio boy? My 3-wood is the best club in my bag. I'd be lost without it. Man-up and just hit it.
Oh, how I wish it was that easy. My friend George McNamara, the head pro at Brandywine CC, tells me "what happened in the past has no bearing on the present." My head hears him, and as much as I respect George and his Extraordinary Golf teachings, my heart just can't seem to embrace that phrase yet. This spring, however, I am hoping it will be different. I am beginning a quest to make 3-woods my friends, and I am so confident (or brainless) that I will let you come on the journey with me. I want my golf partners to hold me accountable. If you see me at the course, look in my bag and make sure I haven't abandoned the experiment after the first ground ball.
If your golf psyche is fragile, run the other way now! But if you stick around for this, we all just might learn a few things together. All golfers have issues, whether they involve 3-woods or some other club or situation that makes them squirm.
The next step will be a fairway wood fest at the local range to see which one of the ten or so in the basement wants to cooperate in the first stage of this. I'll report back with the results next week. One thing I can say with certainty -- I like Callaway clubs, but the winner won't be the Callaway "Diablo." This is going to be tough enough. The last thing I need from my 3-wood is a graphic reminder about whose camp it's in every time I pull off the headcover.
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Ed Abrams anchors mornings on KYW Newsradio, and you can hear his Golf Reports there on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. He has also created a new website at www.DealTrackerGolf.com, a resource for golfers seeking the best bargains on clubs, apparel and everything golf.
