9 Wood Vs. 11 Wood – Which Club to Use and When

9 Wood Vs. 11 Wood – Which Club to Use and When

Shorter hitting woods hit high launching and shorter distance shots than longer woods and the fact is that they certainly have their place on the course.

While you won’t typically find a 9 wood or 11 wood included in modern golf club sets, you still may be able to benefit from both of them.

There are a lot of options in terms of golf clubs but you can only choose 14 to keep in your bag. How do you choose when you need multiple woods?

The choice can be tough but the best way to figure it out is to go out and play both. We will also help you out in the following comparison article.

 

An Overview Of 9 And 11 Woods

9 and 11 woods have a lot of similarities but the few areas in which they differ are very important.

Your 9 and 11 woods are both going to have longer shafts than most irons.

Your typical 9 wood is going to be 41 inches and maybe half an inch more if it’s fitted with a graphite shaft.

The 11 wood will be close behind a 9 in terms of length at around 39.5 inches.

Both of these clubs can be used off the deck and from the tee. However, they are more helpful to you replace the mid range irons in your set and they are also useful from the light rough to get a good launch angle.

Also, you wouldn’t typically use a 9 or 11 wood off the tee unless you were a beginner and not accustomed to your driver and it was a short par three.

Your typical 11 wood will yield distances of about 140-165 yards. In most cases, a 9 wood will yield distances between 100 and 150 yards.

These might be suitable distances for par 3’s and par 4 holes to use off the tee, but that’s about it. 9 times out of 10, you’re going to use these clubs from the deck.

They are characterized by high launching shots with limited roll, perfect for finding the green almost any time.

 

What’s The Difference Between A 9 And 11 Wood?

The main differences between these clubs have to do with length, distance, head size and loft.

While many clubs differ from each other because of composition, your 9 and 11 woods are going to be the same in terms of composition.

Where they differ mostly is head size and length. Also the average loft for a 9 wood is around 28 degrees while the average loft for an 11 wood is 29 degrees.

 

When Would You Use Both Clubs?

 

There are forgiveness and distance factors at play when deciding which club to use.

Right off the bat, you would definitely use an 9 wood if you need more distance. They play longer than 11 woods and have slightly stronger lofts.

You would use a 9 wood when you want a high launching shot that won’t roll so much when it lands.

they play longer and have comparable lofts to 11 woods.

The 9 wood is also a possible replacement for a 5 iron. If you are having trouble mastering your mid range irons, a 9 wood is a user-friendly alternative that yields just about the same distance.

 

11 Wood Pros & Cons

Every club has its up and downs; 11 woods are no exception

Pros:

• Plays high and short for green hunting.
• Has a larger head
• May be more forgiving
• Well-weighted
• Good for beginners
• Can be used on short holes

Cons:

• Not as forgiving as hybrids
• They can be awkwardly long
• They can be a bit heavy
• Not very versatile

 

9 Wood Pros & Cons

The 9 wood is more common than the 11 wood but there are still some cons you should know about.

Pros:

• Very beginner friendly
• Great for getting out of the rough
• Comparable launch angles to 11 woods
• They can be used to replace 5 irons
• They can be used to replace 6 hybrids
• Larger heads than hybrids

 

Cons:

• They’re Stigmatized as a beginner’s club
• Not commonly used on tour
• Not very workable

 

What Club Does a 9 Wood Replace

The distance of 9 woods correlate nicely to both irons and hybrid clubs.

So which ones do they replace. 9 woods are typically used to replace 5 irons and 6 hybrids because they yield similar distances.

Also, some people simply don’t like playing hybrids and beginners may want to replace a 9 wood with a 5 iron because they can be easier to hit with.

A 9 wood is going to shoot a higher, shorter rolling shot than the hybrid or iron will produce.

 

Hybrid Vs. 9 Woods

A hybrid is a mix between a wood and an iron and may be more suitable for some players.

While the 9 wood is considered an easy club to hit with because of the head size, hybrids may be more forgiving for some and better to hit from the rough with that sharp leading edge and chunky head.

They typically feature shallower, wider faces.

 

What Hybrid Does the 11 Wood Replace?

11 woods can also be used to replace hybrids if you don’t like hybrid clubs.

The 11 wood is typically used to replace the 7 hybrid. The head of the 11 wood is going to be bigger than the 7 hybrid so it may inspire more confidence at address position.

The sharper edge of the hybrid will be better from the rough however.

 

11 Wood Vs. Hybrid

The best choice will depend on your style of play and skill level.

As mentioned in the previous section, your 11 wood will always sport a larger head than a 7 hybrid.

This may possibly make it more user-friendly for beginner players and high handicappers.

Their distance is comparable but usually, the 11 wood will lack some of the workability of the 7 hybrid from the rough, as it also known as a rescue club.

This is because hybrid clubs have the larger head of a wood, some of the performance aspect of irons and a sharp edge for cutting through the taller grass.

So if you like to shape your shots a certain way, a 5 hybrid would be the better choice.

 

Final Assessment

Which club you use will depend on the situation.

In the simplest terms; 11 woods play longer than 9 woods.

They can both be helpful to use when you need to get out of the rough.

However, if you need most help with forgiveness and distance, the 11 wood would be the club to use.