The commercials are totally intriguing.
“The distance of a high-performance driver and the accuracy of a fairway wood!”
They’re talking about the GX-7, X-Metal.
First, let’s break this down — this is not a new concept.
Back in the 60s Spalding saw the need for more loft on woods — thus was born the set that had a “1 1/2 wood” and a “2 1/2 wood” along with a “3 1/2 wood” and a “4 and 1/2 wood.” What the set contained, was basically a driver with more loft than normal, a strong 3-wood, a strong 4-wood and a strong 5-wood. The clubs were popular with senior golfers of the 60s, looking for more carry.
Then there’s the two-wood. Two-woods have been around seemingly forever. I have a set of Tommy Armour Model 63s, made in 1949 — a driver, two-wood and three-wood.
So today we examine the GX-7. Nothing earth-shattering here, it’s the modern version of the old two-wood. The GX-7 has 14-degrees of loft and a 43-inch shaft, same length as my three-metal.
Took it to the range with a tough opponent for the GX-7 — my PING G-30 driver.
Hit a half-dozen balls with the G-30 — didn’t need many, I know what it can do.
The GX-7 would get more chances, 15-20 balls to see how it stacked up against PING’s performance.
No surprises that day.
The GX-7 is a nice club. The head is a smaller size than today’s drivers, smaller face but overall, a very nice-looking club. Felt good as well.
Good trajectory, decent carry, a bit longer than my three-metal (and old PING with 15-degrees), which is what I expected.
But when the rubber met the road, the GX-7 was simply no match for my G-30. The GX-7 got me about 200 yards of carry but I couldn’t squeeze any more out of it, very little roll to boot.
The G-30 was longer and produces substantially more roll. So it was no contest.
But there is a very happy ending for the GX-7.
Hitting balls to my right was an older gentleman who told me he was 80-year-young. He was struggling with a 10 1/2-degree TaylorMade M3. His tee shots weren’t getting any height and not much carry. I invited him to try the GX-7. Voila! He was getting superior carry and distance. He NEEDED that 14-degrees of loft compared to the 10 1/2. He acknowledged the difference then handed back the GX-7.
It worked wonders for him and perhaps he’ll pay more attention next time he sees a GX-7 commercial.
The GX-7 could have a place in other bags but it will perform like a two-wood, or a very, very strong three-wood.
So basically, if you don’t have enough swing speed to get that modern big-head airborne to a decent trajectory, you might certainly want to consider the GX-7.
Retails for $199, which puts it right in there with fairway woods.
