- Updated: December 16, 2022
7 Wood Distance, Purposes, & Practicality
A 7 Wood golf club is one of the highest lofted fairway woods and has a more oversized head and a longer shaft than a hybrid, making it a perfect replacement for most golfer’s longest irons (2-3-4 iron) or hybrid.
The distance of a 7 wood is between 180-200 yards for the average golfer. A PGA Tour golfer will average 225 yards.
A 7 Wood’s larger head profile, more loft, and more length than most hybrids and long irons results in a more forgiving, versatile, and softer landing golf club off for golfers needing a change in the gap between their longest iron and 3 wood or driver.
The higher ball flight and launch angle created by a 7 Wood’s natural design allows approach shots from long distances to have a better opportunity to land softly and hold more greens, leading to increased scoring opportunities.
7 Wood Distance and Loft Angle
Most golfer’s average distance will likely conform more closely with their 4 iron or current hybrid length (whatever that may be).
Most 7-woods have about 20-22 degrees of loft, comparable to a 4-hybrid club or a 3 iron designed for moderately skilled players. This high loft angle results in soft landing approach shots and a lot of workability off the tee and around tight fairways.
Why Did The 7 Wood Have a "Bad Rap"?
Because older players and female golfers tend to carry higher lofted fairway woods like a 7 Wood, an unfortunate stigma grew around the humble 7 Wood golf club and left many golfers thinking only those types of players would find benefit or use one.
Many golfers who fell for the false stigma around the club began to correlate the 7 Wood with an admission of guilt to the “slower swing speed player” society, or as if its use meant they could no longer hit their long irons correctly.
All of this changed when the then World #1 Dustin Johnson implemented the use of a 7 Wood in late 2020.
Following its implementation into DJ’s bag at TPC Harding Park in 2020, he went on to finish the next four PGA Tour starts and his summer T2-1-2-1, adding an additional 20$ Million to his bank account and crediting a large chunk of this success to his newly befriended SIM 2 MAX 7 Wood.
As often happens in the world of golf and golf equipment, golf gear nerds, the golf media world, and other professional golfers began to take notice that players of the Cam Smith, Adam Scott, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, and Max Homa caliber started playing 7 Wood’s.
Slowly the stigma vanished once the PGA Tour win’s started racking up with a 7 Wood on player’s equipment lists.
Professional golfers everywhere are falling in love with the 7 Wood partially because where off center hits go significantly shorter with a hybrid, they are going nearly as far and are often accompanied by straighter shots with a 7 Wood.
7 Wood's Purpose
The purpose of a 7 Wood is to provide players with a confidence inspiring option in their golf bag that does all the same and more than the current hybrid clubs in their golf bag.
Where a long iron can leave players only run-up options to long shots, a 7 Wood can provide more carry distance to these longer shots and hold more greens than low ball flight alternatives.
Modern 7 Wood designs are highly customizable, with loft sleeves on new 7 Wood’s being adjustable up or down +/- 2 degrees from its standard loft. This lets players have a fine-tunable option they can depend on at any golf course from week to week or round to round if conditions change.
Additionally, the “easier to hit” nature of the 7 Wood makes it a great option out of the rough or fairway bunker.
7 Wood vs. 3 Hybrid, 3-4 Iron
When comparing the construction of a 7 Wood in comparison to a Hybrid golf club, a 7 Wood has a larger hitting area, more loft, a wider sole, and a deeper and lower center of gravity, making it an incredibly forgiving tool to have in your golf bag and great club for getting out of the rough for fast or slower swing speeds.
From Titleist’s Director of Playing Promotions, Van Wezenbeeck, “The 7-wood is just such a forgiving golf club.” “Hybrids are more forgiving than a 4-iron, yes, but if you put a hybrid and a 7-wood down together, you see how much bigger the 7-wood is back to front. The center of gravity is so much lower. It’s just a more-forgiving golf club.”
What's Better for Beginners?
Most of this answer will come down to personal preference, but most mid handicappers and beginners will love the increased forgiveness a 7 Wood provides.
From the low center of gravity and larger club head design, most mid handicapper type players will find a 7 Wood easier to hit than a majority of the clubs in its length category.
If the driver or other tee box alternatives aren’t cooperating for the day, a 7 Wood can be a game changer for some players. It provides a solid tee shot for long Par 3’s, Par 4’s, or multiple shots on Par 5’s.
7 Wood Length, Ball Flight, and Apex Compared to Others
7 Wood Length for PGA Tour
PGA Tour players’ average distance with a 7 Wood is comfortably over 210 yards, but since they have just recently become part of the golf equipment scene for PGA Tour pros, we still need to get more information on the 7 Wood’s full capabilities.
Rising young talent Viktor Hovland switches each week between the 3-iron and the 7-wood, depending on the characteristics of that week’s venue. When he’s looking for higher, softer-landing approach shots in the 240 to 260-yard range, or playing a long, fast course, Hovland will opt for the 7-wood.
It’s safe to assume that Viktor Hovland’s distance with his 7 Wood is likely longer than the PGA Tour average, but we’ll have to wait for the Tour’s stat people to have better data.
Who Makes 7 Wood's?
With their rising popularity in the last 2 years, plenty of major golf equipment manufacturers have taken the leap to create fairway woods that fit the 7 wood loft category.
As mentioned previously, the highly adjustable nature of the modern 7 Wood design allows players to finely tune their playing experience with the club, much more so than hybrid golf clubs or driving irons.
Manufacturers like Ping, TaylorMade, Cobra, Titleist, Callaway, Cleveland, and many more create highly adjustable and “customizable before purchase” 7 Wood options that would be a valuable addition to many golfers’ games.
About The Author
Writers of Independent Golf Reviews
Independent Golf Reviews has tested and reviewed 1000+ golf products over the past 10 years. We use our experience and expertise to give golfers an unbiased insight on the market.
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