How often do you look in a players bag and see a FW Wood from the Clinton era parked right next to a shiny new driver? Often, right?

Here’s the big question – is it even worth it? Is there any technology that can even help a player hit a FW Wood better? That is a definitive YES!! Another big question is – What am I even shopping for? Most players will say “I need a new 3-wood.” I say that is incorrect, sir. You are not shopping for a number on a headcover – you are shopping for a yardage that arrives at it’s destination via the right trajectory. The third question is what are you going to use it for? Start with the goal. Are we looking for an additional tee ball club? A green-hunting second shot on a par 5? A gapping club between driver and hybrid? That answer sets the stage, and the more yes’s will require more creativity in your fit.

Let’s start with head design. Elyte’s stepped-sole design makes it easy—great turf glide without sacrificing face contact. The larger head (compared to a hybrid) makes it more forgiving that a hybrid. The deeper sole will make the ball fly higher. The number one trend in golf right now is players are replacing stronger lofter hybrids with more lofted FW Woods. They’re just easier to hit. That’s not marketing, that’s just a better fit.

Turf interaction is critical with these clubs. Too steep of a swing and you get big divots and distance that is hard to control. Too shallow of a swing, and hit location gets hard to control. Some players will do better with a hybrid due to the shorter length – despite the recent trends. Be aware of this.

In general, though, fairway woods are weird. They are one of the most misunderstood, misfit, and often mistreated clubs in the bag. They’re not quite drivers, not quite irons. Some players love them off the deck, others only use them off the tee. Some carry two or three, others none at all. There’s no one-size-fits-all here—and that’s the first thing you need to know.

Fitting a fairway wood is part art, part science, and all about matching the right club to the right swing. So let’s walk through it—raw and real, like always.

Here’s how I approach it:

Start with the goal (what’s it for, how far does it need to go to work for the player). Then, we hit balls. Old school. Look at his current club data and compare to the new club. We get numbers, we get feel, we watch ball flight. There’s one number I’m paying extra attention to—apex height.

Why? Because a lot of golfers launch their fairway woods like line drives. If you can’t get the ball high enough, you’re not maximizing carry—and that usually means you’re leaving distance (and consistency) on the table. I want to see an apex that gives you a chance to hold a green, or at least a window that’s playable off turf or tee. Launch angle is important, sure—but apex tells us what’s actually happening in the air.

So what is the Apex number we want? Simple. We use this number for every club in the bag. Take the players swing speed with the driver in MPH. Whatever the number is, remove the MPH and replace it with FEET. That is your optimal Apex Height. Yes. Seriously. You want that number for every club in the bag. Say your driver club head speed is 87 MPH = that means your optimal Apex Height is 87 feet high. If the player hits a 3-wood and it’s apex is 50 something feet high – guess what? He needs more loft. Add more loft until you get as close to that magic number as possible. You may go down a rabbit hole here and find that a 9 wood or an 11 wood is a better solution than the hybrids he currently has in his bag too. Don’t shy away from that conversation. After all, it is Fairway wood week.

Keep the players goals in mind. He said he wants a FW Wood to be used as a driving club. Does a Mini Driver do the trick, or can he hit a 3-wood high enough off a tee? You have to let him hit it, and show him the differences. He’ll tell you what the best solution is for himself.

Heads are only part of the puzzle. Shaft is next. Typically, we are fitting for a driver at the same time (or if the player was recently fit for a driver and he likes the shaft that is in there), I will do the same shaft but make it 10 grams heavier to compensate for the shorter length. I will stop doing this in 2 instances – first, if the driver shaft is very light – 40 to 50 grams – in that case, I keep them the same. Second – if the driver shaft is very heavy – a 75-gram driver shaft would = an 85 gram FW Wood shaft. I’m not a fan of something that heavy, but I will let a player try it to rule it out. Ultimately, you want something that complements the delivery—not necessarily just a driver shaft copy-pasted into a shorter build. Tempo, release, ball speed—those all matter. I’m looking at how the shaft loads, how it launches, and how it feels through impact.

And yeah—length matters too. Stop assuming the 3-wood has to be 43 inches long. If the player can’t find the center of the face, all that ball speed is wasted. We’ll choke it up. We’ll cut it down. We’ll do whatever it takes to get that thing flying properly. Conversely, if a player hit’s it really solid, but wants more distance, a longer shaft can also work.

Gapping these clubs is next. What distance does the player have with the driver? What is the next club that is staying in the bag? A hybrid?? OK, what is that distance? Gapping is real. The 3-wood shouldn’t fly 10 yards behind the driver—or 10 yards in front of the 5-iron. We’re building a set. Everything needs to make sense, distance-wise. Find the total yardage hole, and ask yourself How many clubs do you need to fill that gap? I strive for 15 – 20 yards between them, and about 4 degrees and an inch or so in length.

The 3 HL/ 7 wood is a great combination. Heavenwood/ 9 wood? Also great. And there’s old faithful – the 3w/ 5w combo. A little more loft can do wonders for spin and height. A little less can turn it into a bomber. fine-tune the combo until it fits the player, not a spec sheet.

Here’s the bottom line: feel matters. Sound matters. Confidence at address? it matters. All of it. If you don’t like how it looks sitting behind the ball, you won’t swing it right. Doesn’t matter how great the numbers are. Fairway woods deserve a real fitting. The attention you give to the players driver and irons – give that to the other clubs at the top of the bag too. The Elyte fairway woods are legit—but only if you build them to match the player swinging them.

Fairway Wood Week. Let’s go.

Happy Fitting!!!

Jim Yeager, PGA