On this week’s Fully Equipped podcast with Johnny Wunder, we talked about Tommy Fleetwood’s 9-wood in the bag for the Masters. Fleetwood has said the addition of the 9-wood is to make sure the ball is getting high enough and landing steep enough to battle the increasingly tough greens at Augusta. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should run out to buy a 9-wood. I’ve already gotten roasted in our YouTube comments, but I stand by my explanation of where I feel the club category falls.

My argument is that the 9-wood is great for either the player who has tons of control, or the player who needs all the help they can get to launch the ball. It’s the group in the middle that may have a hard time finding ultimate success with a 9-wood. I fall into this bucket. I am also a big fan of hybrids, so I don’t really ever have moments where I wish I had a 9-wood or a 7-wood in the bag. So let’s talk about the two sides of the game for a second.

First, we’ve got the tour-level guys who are putting high-lofted fairways in the bag. Fleetwood’s got one, Scottie Scheffler has messed around with it, and Dustin Johnson is the original high-speed 9-wood player. The reason they choose to put a 9-wood in the bag has been to make sure that they are getting enough height on the club at the distance they need with their stock shot. And that’s an important designation. The stock shot. By starting with a club that’s going to launch higher than any other alternative, these pros and their elite ball-striking can figure out how to bring flight down or add spin when they need to. These 9-wood builds going in their bag have a bit of versatility, but they are really meant to do a specific job. And that job is to get high up in the air with little effort and enough spin to fall softly onto firm greens just like this week at Augusta.

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The reason tour pros and other high-skill golfers can get away with this, though, is because it’s situational and they treat it as such. It’s a tool in the bag to do a job. When a situation comes up for that distance, but the tool can’t fulfill the outcome with a stock shot, they are able to manipulate that offering to do what they need it to do. The best example, of course, would be into the wind. For an amateur, any amount of wind in the face would normally take the fairway wood out of the hands. It’s simply too high and produced with too much spin for the ball to fly properly. It is quite fun to watch a high-lofted fairway get hit into the wind because it’s almost an exaggerated penalty, but again, not useful. And this is where the middle ground of players begin to falter. Fleetwood has no problem controlling the flight and spin of his 9-wood. He may find a situation where he chooses to go with another option for the shot he needs to create, but it’s not out of the question for him to flight the 9-wood to a more reasonable peak height window if he’s battling some mild elements. For the average 10 handicap though? Likely not an option. They’re better off with a large, driving-iron style club in that area of the bag, or my choice: a hybrid.

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That brings us to the other side of the spectrum — the golfer who just needs launch help.

This is the golfer that I think SHOULD buy a high-lofted, forgiving fairway wood, and as many as they see necessary to play well. I’m talking 11-woods, heaven woods, spinners, all of it. Whatever you need to get that ball up in the air. The beauty of this category, which usually coincides with slower players as well, is that the high-lofted fairway woods are just so easy to hit. There’s no fear of getting steep on the ball, the more shallow face makes it easier to pick off the turf, and the size of the heads gives plenty of confidence if you’re in a sticky situation like long rough, pine straw, debris or even in a fairway bunker. For slow swing speed players, the speed benefits that a fairway wood will get you over an iron replacement or a hybrid are going to be pretty extreme. In most cases, you’ll see a 2-to-3 mile per hour difference between the groups, with the fairway wood leading the way. Because of the size, shape and center of gravity of the club head, you’ll also see a strong increase in forgiveness over other options of the same loft. Really, the only argument for the slower swing speed or lower-skilled category to not play a high-lofted fairway is if they just absolutely hate how it looks behind the ball.

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The group in the middle and the group that I do not think needs a 9-wood is the largest group on the bell curve. Fleetwood even mentions in the above video that a 9-wood isn’t built for speed or distance, and it’s also not particularly built for tee shots. With the shots that are left to play at that point, I just don’t see the value in a 9-wood as a 4-iron style replacement for many golfers. The range I’m talking about here is a five-to-12(ish) handicap range. They’re good enough players to hit a more forgiving iron-replacement style club, or choose the flight characteristic benefits of a hybrid. Now, if those players really hate the look of the hybrid, or maybe have zero confidence in the iron, sure, spring for the high-lofted fairway wood that makes you more confident with that longer distance shot. That decision, though, will come with drawbacks, mainly a lack of versatility and a club eliminated when playing in the wind.

As always, my opinion on any club is that if it works for your bag and you’re fitted for the club with an understanding of the role it plays in your bag, then add it to the bag. Nothing is off limits. That’s the beauty of the game that stresses us all out. There’s endless options. Sometimes that can be overwhelming and create some stress to decide, but work with a fitter and find out what you NEED for your bag. If it’s a 9-wood, then I hope it ends up being the best club in your bag.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fred Couples stood at the podium and winced, thinking about what could have been.

“I mean, I had a good time,” he said. It was clear he meant that. It was also clear he was still thinking about Augusta National’s 15th hole, where he’d made 9 on Thursday and 6 on Friday, singlehandedly dooming his chance at the cut line.

“I’ve never wedged it into the water there,” he said. “Now it’s water, water, water every time I look at the goddamn thing, and I don’t know why.”

He shook his head.

“What’s a nine? Is that a quad? Quad-double-double, wow.” That was in reference to his deflating Thursday finish. When he teed off on 15 he was two under par. When he walked off 17 he was six over. “That’s 8-over [on three holes]. I think that’s almost impossible to do, but I did it.”

But he made something clear despite his disappointment.

“You would have to be an idiot not to love Augusta National,” he said. “There are great courses all over the world, but there are none of them like this.”

THE CRUELEST, COOLEST THING that only happens on Friday at the Masters is this: we actually hear from the golfers who miss the cut.

In a typical week the golfers who shoot the lowest scores are the ones who talk to the media. Those who don’t? They’re generally permitted to trunk-slam in peace. But this week there’s more media, infrastructure and consequence to a missed cut, so it’s worth hearing about. It’s perhaps that much crueler that the one week pros are asked about their missed cuts is the week that missing the cut hurts the most — but so it goes at one of three small podiums just outside Augusta National’s scoring area.

That’s where, on Friday morning, you could have heard a heartbreaking admission from Andrew Novak, who’d just bogeyed two of his last three holes to cost himself a weekend tee time.

“Yeah, I mean, I was kind of coming up 18 thinking, ‘This could be the last time I ever get to play here,’” Novak said.

Long-term, he said, getting back to this place and earning a spot in this tournament will be motivating. But in real time?

“Yeah, this is my favorite week of the year. This is the best tournament I’ve ever played in. Just makes it a little bit more disappointing that I’m not going to have two more rounds to play in it,” he said.

Tom McKibbin came through a short while later, having just signed for a second-round 76 that cut his first-ever Masters short. The Northern Irishman admitted that he wasn’t sure what he was feeling, exactly. But he was feeling a lot.

“I don’t know. A bit annoying. Fun. Yeah, it was a bit of everything. Probably a little bit of every emotion,” he said. Mostly he described it as feeling different.

“I think it’s probably the first time I’ve come to a place and sort of felt that feel to try to not miss it again,” he said. “It’s definitely the best golf tournament that I’ve ever played.”

Anybody who has ever been to Augusta National can speak to its dreamworld quality. For one week, you’re at the center of the sporting world — with unlimited chicken sandwiches at your fingertips and an immaculate golf course in every direction. It’s a far smaller fraternity who actually gets to play the event, and nobody’s dream week ends halfway through.

“Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, the preparation was unbelievable,” said Min Woo Lee, in disbelief after 78-77. “You would think I would be winning the tournament the way I was [playing] leading up to the event.”

BEFORE THE MAGIC NUMBER WAS DECIDED, those on the bubble hoped they’d done enough.

“I mean, it’s tough to say. Should be fine,” said Danny Willett after posting his two-day total of five over par. “Fingers crossed we get a bit of wind blowing through and we should be all right.”

“It’s not over yet,” said Harry Hall several groups later after he, too, posted five over. He called his chances 50-50. “Hopefully I’ll be around on the weekend. I’ll stay positive and see how it goes.”

But Willett’s wind never arrived. The greens stayed receptive. The cut settled at four over par, sending the two of them — plus 35 other players — home early.

Like them, Aldrich Potgieter was forced to move on to the next. It seems impossible that there could be another tournament in just a week. But sure enough…

“I’ll just enjoy the time with [my family], and then they fly back on Monday back to South Africa, and then we’ll go to RBC,” he said. “Looking forward to an elevated event next week, so we’ll try and get the game ready for that.”

In fairness, not everybody talked. As the day grew late and the property’s attention re-routed to the six-shot lead belonging to Rory McIlroy, two pros saw their tournaments suddenly go up in smoke. Akshay Bhatia needed par at the last and made double bogey. Bryson DeChambeau needed bogey and made a horrifying triple. But Bhatia wasn’t asked to speak, and by the time a reporter put in a request for DeChambeau, he was already out of sight, headed at high speed for the parking lot.

The end of their tournaments arrived abruptly, and it was only fitting that their exits did too. But others seemed happier to linger and reflect, even in disappointment.

“Special place to be. I had a lot of fun out there,” said Casey Jarvis. “Obviously a disappointing day, trying hard to make the cut. Unfortunately, that’s golf, but yeah, really happy to be here.”

As for his weekend plans?

“I’ll come watch. I’ll watch Rory. Maybe I’ll learn something, you know.”

Some amateurs were able to separate the good from the disappointment, even in real time.

“We chatted a decent amount, and he’s such a nice guy,” said high schooler Mason Howell, who played alongside McIlroy. “Yeah, I mean, that was such a special moment for me to play with my idol. Other than making the cut, that was everything I dreamed it would be.”

“I think it exceeded my expectations. I had a blast,” said Jackson Herrington, who has long-term plans for his return. “I’ll be back and will be getting one of these green jackets on.”

In the short-term?

“Maybe if I’m allowed to come out and practice, I’ll be out here tomorrow,” concluded Herrington. “It’s the best place on earth. I know that.”

Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.

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