If you followed professional golf in 2021 and 2022, you saw that more and more golfers were taking the hybrid out and putting the 7 wood in. This was a rare change, but some of the best 7 woods came out on the market, and golfers wanted to have this technology in their game.
The 7 wood is a really helpful golf club; it’s meant to replace a long iron, but to make sure it’s a good fit for your golf game, the distances have to be right.
Let’s take a look at how far you should be hitting a 7 wood.
How Far You Should Be Hitting a 7 Wood
One of the best ways to determine how far you should be hitting a 7 wood is to look at your skill level. Of course, players can have varying clubhead speeds within each of these skill levels. When clubhead speeds increase, the overall distances will undoubtedly increase.
Beginner
Beginner golfers usually hit the 7 wood between 170 and 180 yards. However, for a slower swinging beginner golfer, the total distance may only be 160 or 150 yards.
Beginner golfers don’t always have the slowest swing speeds. In fact, some beginner golfers make great contact with the ball and get the tremendous distance. The key for beginners is to use a 7 wood that is highly forgiving.
High Handicap
The higher handicap golfers can hit a 7 wood around 180 yards on average. The problem that many high handicappers will encounter is that the distances are very inconsistent. There are times that 200 yards is possible, and others times that you may only hit the ball 160 yards.
For high handicap golfers, it’s smart to be careful where you take the 7 wood out. Don’t pull it out when hitting over a water hazard if you feel you are not entirely confident with it just yet.
Mid Handicap
Mid-handicap golfers usually hit a 7 wood around 190 yards. The faster swinging mid handicappers can push closer to that 200 mark, and slower swing speeds may be around 180. Technology for 7 woods is continually changing, and golfers are getting more and more distance with the shots they hit.
If you are a mid handicapper, the thing you will likely love most about the 7 wood is the amount of forgiveness it offers.
Low Handicap
Low-handicap players sometimes have swing speeds and accuracy almost as good as the professionals. Many lower handicap golfers can hit a 7 wood about 210 to 220 yards.
Of course, if you have a 7 wood that is 15 years old, the chances of seeing this kind of distance are really slim. However, for golfers that have high swing speeds, you may still get over 200 with an older 7 wood.
New golf clubs are designed with materials that help to increase total launch, and therefore players see quite a bit more distance.
Professional
Professional golfers hit their 7 wood around 225 yards. Some players may get 230 yards depending on the club head speed, how close to the center of the clubface they contact the ball, and whether or not they have a lower or higher lofted 7 wood.
When a professional golfer puts a 7 wood in their bag, it is usually to help increase accuracy on longer approaches to the green.
Workability and control tend to be more important than total distance for professional golfers.
When to Use Your 7 Wood
Now that you have a general idea as to how far the 7 wood goes, you have to also know when it makes sense to hit it. The club has a slightly longer shaft than the hybrid in your bag, so you have to be smart about when and where to hit the 7 wood.
From The Tee
The 7 wood is a great club to try hitting from the tee box if you struggle with your driver. In addition, you may like the performance of the 7 wood if you are on a par 3 or a shorter par 4 and just need something to end up in the fairway.
From the tee box tee, the ball is quite low, essentially just high enough that it is not touching the ground.
Many amateur golfers make the mistake of teeing the ball too high. Doing this can cause issues with getting too much ball flight, and you will lose the power you may need.
From The Fairway
I like my 7 wood from the fairway. When there is a par 5 or a long par 4, and I have a nice lie in the fairway, the 7 wood is a great club to take.
With the extra loft in the 7 wood, it is one of the most forgiving fairway woods to hit, and the chance of getting a straight shot down the center is considerably higher. From the fairway, I would recommend hitting the 7 wood just forward or center in your stance and trying to be conscious about a smooth tempo.
With 22 degrees of loft, you should get enough of a high ball flight that the ball can stop on the green.
From The Rough
Surprisingly the 7 wood is also quite good out of the rough. I can’t tell you that it has as much forgiveness as a hybrid club, but it certainly does well enough to get you out.
I like to first take a look at the lie that I have in the rough and make sure that it makes sense to hit the 7 wood. For instance, if the ball is buried and I’m only looking at the top portion, I’m not going to take out the 7 wood.
If, however, it’s sitting up nicely and I have a chance of making solid and clean contact, the 7 wood is a great option to consider.
Other Clubs That Could Replace a 7 Wood
If you find that the 7 wood distances we mentioned are just not attainable for you, there may be a reason behind this. Chances are the 7 wood is not the best golf club for you.
As more and more alternatives to long irons are being created, we see players with a wide variety of clubs in their bags.
Some players will use a 4 iron or 4 hybrids instead of a 7 wood. There are also utility clubs with 22 degrees of loft that will have similar performance to the 7 wood.
Most players find that the 7 wood is the longest option as the club length is longer and has a bit more of a lightweight feel to help promote extra distance. The 7 wood is still an accurate club, but it’s just a little easier to increase clubhead speed when you swing with this in your hands.
Tips for Hitting Your 7 Wood Further
If you want to hit your 7 wood further, you must be smart about setup, swing length, and weight transfer. Here are some of our favorite tips for learning to hit your 7 wood further.
Check Ball Position
Even though the 7 wood is a fairway wood, it does not need to be pushed to the front of your stance quite like a 3 or 5 wood does. The 7 wood is not as long, and it has a higher loft. Keep it just forward of middle, and you will have more luck getting the total distance you need.
Even when you are hitting the 7 wood off the tee, you won’t want it too far forward as it could end up costing you some distance.
Remember The Importance of Tempo
Even though the tempo can certainly go a long way when hit correctly, you must have a good tempo in place. Take some practice swings where you feel like you are letting the club do the work.
Don’t force something to happen with the 7 wood; this club can do a lot on its own.
A Sweeping Motion is Best
With the 7 wood being a fairway wood, you won’t want to take a big divot or try to compress this ball too much. Instead, it’s best to try and sweep the ball and hit a high lofted shot that lands softly on the green.
Sometimes the setup can lead to a better sweeping motion, but I encourage golfers to have this as part of their mindset.
Look for Something with Newer Technology
Although it may seem like cheating, the newest 7 woods go considerably further than a 7 wood from five years ago. If you want ultimate distance, you may have to pay for it.
Look for something that has a large sweet spot, a low center of gravity, and is known for being aerodynamic. Extra distance from your golf fairway woods can also come about as a result of low spin in the club head.
Lower spin increases total roll and gets the ball to continue moving even when it hits the ground.
Brittany Olizarowicz
Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.