Gary Woodland Is Straight Up Launching It With This Club—Maybe It's Time You Got Board?

Fans of professional golf love to take a peek inside the golf bags of the world's top players, but in most cases, the clubs they use aren't that applicable to us regular golfers, especially when it comes to lofts and shaft flexes.

RELATED: GolfWRX.com - Gary Woodland What's In The Bag

But as more courses get longer and techniques change, so do the needs of the world's best, which is exactly why you should consider a club that Gary Woodland has in play this week at the BMW Championship.

A Cobra OPTM X 7-wood.

RELATED: Just Play The Damn Blades

It might sound crazy, but it's true. One of the fastest players on the PGA Tour (actually the FASTEST based on ball speed) plays a high-lofted fairway wood for the same reason many weekend golfers need to try one: it's easier to launch and control.

RELATED: Three Reasons To Play An Adjustable, High-Lofted Fairway Wood

Compared to long irons or hybrids, fairway woods have longer, lighter shafts that allow golfers to generate more clubhead speed, creating extra ball speed and spin for longer carry and more stopping power. Now, in Gary's case, I wouldn't consider a 9X Fujikura Ventus Black tipped 2" and playing short, built to generate speed, but Gary's not like the rest of us.

(Photo: GolfWRX.com)

To go along with helping generate extra speed, fairway woods also have a more rounded face profile to help push grass out of the way and extricate balls from the rough more easily. These rounded profiles work like a boat hull to keep the club moving, rather than trying to cut through it with an iron.

(Photo: GolfWRX.com)

So even if Gary happens to be a lot faster and a lot better at golf than the rest of us, doesn't mean we can't utilize the same type of gear to help our games too.