When most golfers think of woods to have in their bags, they think of the 3-wood or 5-wood. The less common 4-wood golf club has a loft between those two clubs and can be useful for golfers with slower swing speeds.
This article will explain what a 4-wood is and how it can be used around the course to navigate lower scores. We will also include two 4-wood reviews and discuss what golf company sells a 4-wood in case you are interested in purchasing one.
What Is A 4-Wood Golf Club?
A 4-wood is part of the wood golf club family that has a large round head. In size, it is between the 3-wood and 5-wood.
It can also be used by those who prefer to hit the ball off the deck compared to the 3-wood which is harder to hit. It is also a good option for those who desire more distance than a 5-wood.
A 4-wood typically has less loft than a 3-wood and more loft than a 5-wood. You can pair a 4-wood with a 7-wood in your bag rather than carrying a three and a five which is the traditional setup for many players.
The 4-wood is a golf club that has 16-18 degrees of loft to it. It is not as popular as the 3-wood and 5-wood, but still has a lot of features that can boost your golf game.
Compared to the 3-wood, which has a loft of 13-15 degrees, the 4-wood club has a higher loft of 16 degrees.
The higher degree of loft on the 4-wood makes it easier to swing and also and adds more height to the golf ball in the air.
The 4-wood together with the 7-wood can be used to replace hybrids and long irons as well.
This gives you more space for adding another club or extra wedge to your golf club collection.
4-Wood Loft Explained
Standard 4-woods have 16 degrees of loft to them. Some have slightly less or more. A 3-wood usually comes in 13-15 degrees and a 5-wood, 17-19 degrees.
The higher the loft, the easier it is to hit. A 4-wood can help you launch the ball with a higher trajectory than a 3-wood or driver when facing a long par 3 or short par 4. This also helps the ball land softer and have less rollout.
How Far Should You Hit A 4-Wood?
Depending on how experienced you are and what length hitter you are determines the 4-wood golf club distance you should be hitting.
A short hitter should be able to hit it around 180-200 yards.
A medium-length hitter should hit it around 200-220 yards.
A long hitter can average between 220-240 yards with the club.
What Length Is An Average 4-Wood Golf Club?
Most 4-woods are usually around 42 inches in length. This helps make it easier to swing than a 3-wood that is usually an inch longer.
The club also has around 10 grams in weight added compared to a 3-wood. This also aids the golfer in hitting it higher in the air off the deck and producing more spin than a 3-wood.
When To Use A 4-Wood Golf Club
There are a multitude of scenarios where you could use this club. An ideal time to use a 4-wood would be when you’re on the fairway or on the tee box.
You might even be able to employ it around the greens on a flat surface when you’re trying to chip it through a fringe or some short grass.
Marty Jertson, a senior design engineer for Ping explained to Golf Digest how you can get more spin with a 4-wood compared to a 3-wood.
“The ball just spins so much less off a 3-wood than a 4-wood,” said Jertson. “We also saw more golfers hitting down on a 3-wood but having more of a sweeping motion with a 4-wood. The extra loft just seems to provide confidence.”
Matt Kuchar, who is a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour, has found great success using a 4-wood in the past.
What Iron Does A 4-Wood Replace?
A 4-wood can replace a 2-iron or 3-iron depending on the loft and way it is played.
If a 4-wood is closer to 17 or 18 degrees it will be closer in distance to a 2-iron which usually is 18 degrees. Although different manufacturers make different lofts for their clubs.
A lower lofted 3-iron for example, can be closer to a 4-wood.
The biggest difference between the clubs and why you would replace them is due to the difficulty it is to hit long irons.
Hitting long irons is much harder than hitting woods. Whether it be off the tee or off the deck. The 2-iron is arguably considered the most difficult club in the bag to hit. It is rarely carried by amateur golfers.
3-Wood vs 4-Wood
As mentioned earlier in this article, the 3-wood is a harder club to hit than the 4-wood and also provides less spin as well.
Different scenarios on the course and different types of players can employ one of the two clubs. It doesn’t make sense to carry both since they are so similar in loft.
If you’re trying to get enough height to clear some trees or land on the green softly enough with more spin to get yourself a shorter putt than reach for the 4-wood.
If you have a tight fairway and prefer a longer tee shot then hit a 3-wood. Another situation would be if you enjoy hitting a hybrid or 5-wood into greens off the fairways and you don’t tend to hit your 3-wood off the ground.
If you’re consistent at hitting the 3-wood off the deck and don’t mind less spin then opt for it rather than a 4-wood.
If you are a less experienced player and want to make solid contact more often and have trouble shaping shots then use a 4-wood.
It all comes down to experience and preference when choosing which club to use.
4-Wood vs 5-Wood
The standard yardage of a 4-wood will be about 5-15 yards longer than that of a 5-wood depending on the loft of each club and shaft flex.
A 5-wood will be slightly easier to hit off of the fairway and will be more forgiving.
Most 5-woods will be 18-20 degrees compared to the 16-18 degrees of a 4-wood.
The 5-wood will also be shorter in length and have a smaller clubhead.
4-Wood vs 3-Hybrid
A 4-wood will be much longer in distance than a 3-hybrid. Around 20-30 yards in some cases.
Most 3-hybrids will be between 22-23 degrees for their loft angle.
You would hit a 3-hybrid into a green from around 175-200 yards versus a 4-wood from 200-225 if you’re around standard length.
The 3-hybrid will be much more forgiving and have a tiny club head compared to the 4-wood. Hitting it out of fairway bunkers will be much easier.
It’s also going to be easier to chip with it through the fringe than with a 4-wood.
Hitting a full-swing 3-hybrid is also a better option when trying to clear water with a three-quarter swing 4-wood.
How To Hit 4-Wood Golf Club
In the video below, renowned online golf coach Danny Maude teaches how to hit your woods and not top them like many amateurs and even experienced players tend to do.
Recommended: Best 4-Wood Golf Clubs
If you’re asking yourself, ‘Does anyone make a 4-wood?’ At Golfible.com we have found two 4-Woods that we recommend for our male and female golfers.
Both are packed with technology and are designed to be easily hit. The Callaway Epic Speed 4-Wood is our recommendation for men.
For women, we recommend the Ping Rapture 4-Wood. It is one of the more famous and highly rated woods ever created by Ping.
Best 4-Wood For Men – Callaway Epic Speed 4-Wood
The Callaway Epic Speed was specifically designed to help golfers create mishits into good hits. The company using top-of-the-line artificial intelligence, focused on increasing the ball speed and good results on hits that aren’t on the screws. For example, strikes on the toe or heel.
The club is made from C300 Maraging Steel for extra durability. A face cup helps golfers improve their ball speeds at impact while also keeping the spin equal on the entire face of the club.
Callaway placed the center of gravity in the forward center of the head and also updated the leading edge to help trajectory on ball flight.
It also helps players create shots like fades or draws in a simpler manner.
What is the loft of a Callaway epic 4-wood? It is 16.5 degrees. It comes with a graphite shaft.
The club is black, silver and lime green and has a white Callaway logo as an alignment aid.
Best Women’s 4-Wood Golf Club- Ping Rapture V2
This fairway wood was created for distance thanks to its stainless steel frame, tungsten sole and machine steel face.
The Rapture line is known around the golf world and this V2 has a stainless steel head with a 61 gram sole plate made from tungsten that helps shoot the ball high into the air and reduce spin.
Its shallow face also helps produce more distance from the tee or fairway and increases rollout.
The women’s version is 17.5 degrees and its colorways are black, silver and lime green similar to the epic flash.
Recap
Buying a 4-wood can definitely help you improve your scores and manage the course better. Although it isn’t the most popular club in people’s bags, its combination of higher spin and easier usability compared to other woods can help you in different situations such as in the fairway or from off the tee.
Be sure to comment in the queries with your thoughts and experiences with 4-woods and your favorite brand of woods to use.
FAQ
What golf club companies sell 4 woods?
Callaway, Titleist, Ping, Cobra, TaylorMade, Adams, Srixon, Bridgestone, Reload, Niklaus, and Wilson are a few of the most trusted brands that sell 4 wood golf clubs. These brands have come up with additional loft, small-sized heads, and shallower faces. All these brands, with their quality 4 wood golf clubs, allow golfers to strike the ball cleanly from longer distances.
What is the difference between a 4 wood and a 4 hybrid?
The difference between the 4 wood and a 4 hybrid is in their loft. The stock loft in 4 wood is 17 degrees, while the loft is 21-242 degrees in 4 hybrids. Also, a 4 hybrid goes about 120-171 yards, while a 4 wood can go as high as 110-220 yards. However, 4 wood is a versatile club from the tee or off the deck. As compared to a 4 wood club, a 4 hybrid is versatile and easier to hit off the turf.
Which is better for beginners; a 4 wood or 5 wood?
A 5 wood golf club comes with a lot of range of between 18 and 20 degrees. Also, 5 wood has a higher launching shot and covers a distance of 200 to 240 yards. So, they would be more accurate with the strike and produce less spin than a 4 wood. It is consistent, easy to launch, and more forgiving and accurate. Also, a 4 wood club has less distance and high launching angle, making it perfect for beginners.
