I Gave In and Got a 7-Wood. Why Did I Wait So Long?

During February’s PGA TOUR detour to Torrey Pines for the displaced Genesis Invitational, many of the game’s biggest names were looking for a different way to tackle the South Course’s difficult winter conditions.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler’s solution? A TaylorMade 7-wood.

As an amateur who has been thinking about gaming a 7-wood for some time now, I was surprised to see Scottie opt for a high-loft wood. But after giving it some thought, this shouldn’t be a shock at all. A 7-wood flies higher and spins more than a long iron, which results in more stopping power on the greens and more control out of the rough. At a course like Torrey Pines, this just makes sense.

A 7-wood hasn’t always been seen as the sexiest club you can use — a sleek long iron almost always looks better. Five years ago I might have leaned into the fairway wood’s definitively non-sexy presence in a golf bag, but so many players are using a 7-wood these days, it turns out I’m just late to the party. In 2025, a 7-wood is almost a necessity.

Indeed, Scottie isn’t the only pro playing a 7-wood these days. Nelly Korda, the best female golfer on the planet, uses a 7-wood. Adam Scott has used one, Dustin Johnson has used one. Fred Couples, the Tempo God himself, uses a smattering of woods and hybrids—and the list goes on.

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The choice between a 7-wood and long iron may be a week-to-week decision for PGA and LPGA players, but for a mid-handicap player like me, one who is decidedly mediocre, the benefits of a 7-wood well outweigh the benefits of trying my way with a long iron.

Armed with this knowledge, I knew there was no point in trying to suffer through any more rounds with a 3-iron. I was given the opportunity to test Takomo's IGNIS Fairway Wood and haven’t looked back.

My new 7-wood is forgiving, inspires confidence, and adds easy distance and height to shots that I simply could not pull off without it. It’s great from the fairway, from the rough, and is even a weapon I can use for tricky greenside chips.

Its 21 degree loft is comparable to the Titleist T200 Utility 3-Iron that goes with my iron set, but the ability to adjust the loft by 2 degrees in either direction gives the 7-wood an undeniable edge when it comes to versatility. In addition to loft adjustability, the fairway wood has three different weight options to optimize spin, and the overall feel of the club.

This isn’t unique to Takomo; any 7-wood will offer more versatility and shot options that a traditional long iron.

The simple fact is, a 7-wood is easy to hit. Obviously, how easy a club is to hit is really up to the individual, but “easy to hit” can hardly be said for many other clubs in the bag. I can hit it higher, meaning I actually have a chance to eke out some distance and land the ball safely on the green, something that really can’t be said for a long iron. And as a 14 handicap, I’ll take all the GIR chances I can get.

Related: Three Good Reasons to Try an Adjustable, High-Lofted Fairway Wood—and six models to check out