Question:
You lose backspin, but not so much sidespin. For me, the ball loses the spin much quicker. If you want a club to shoot at the green from 200, get a 24 degree wood. More loft, more mass, more spin…need I say more? Rob – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It’s an original Cleveland TA3, 22 degrees IIRC. Stiff steel TT Dynamic Gold. Standard lie. So I guess that’s where I stand. With a 2 degree increase in loft and a little more mass behind the ball (I assume), what gives? I am curious to know how the ball behaves. I know these clubs have been discussed to death over the past week here, but I haven’t read much regarding actual ball behavior when you hit them. Do you lose backspin? Do you lose sidespin, as in draw? Assuming the club has an iron-type shaft, where is the tradeoff between loft and clubhead mass? I’ve seen ten or so variations on the component sites. Can anyone comment on which head materials have which affect? I just don’t have the need for a club to "rescue" me from trouble. My interest is purely in the context of my previous post. So the ball flight characteristics are very critical to me. If these questions have been addressed, I’ve missed it. I would appreciate a simple refresher. Joe
Response:
<snippage All in all, the club will change the way I play, save me many shots and annoy the purists who think the high rising shot with lots of backspin is the only way to play golf properly.
I think a certain pro by the name of Bobby Locke did a pretty good job hooking everything. <snippage Rob
Scott (who should be named Scotty Locke for his regular ball flight)
Response:
If you want a higher trajectory, you’ll want more loft and a longer shaft. I have my 5 wood for that. <SNIP
That may very well be the only answer. As I noted, I find the low profile fairway woods very easy to hit. I can certainly tell you that my wife would be glad if there were no implicit advantage to the rescue type club. 
She doesn’t quite understand the never-ending quest for something better. I am just curious to know if there is any inherent advantage to the hybrid clubs other than the "rescue" aspect. If the lower boring flight is an advantage, it’s one I’ll pass on. But if there is any other advantage over a 5 wood, I’m all ears. Joe
Response:
The concensus seems to be that the Rescue type clubs are somewhat longer than a same-lofted iron. Probably due to the deep wood-like head. There’s no need for a consensus. The specs of the Rescue clubs are online at the Taylor Made web site. They are iron length. As for the other "Rescue type clubs," that varies. -joseph
I took ROdent’s statement to mean they hit longer.
Response:
snip…. So are rescue-type clubs a replacement for fairway woods, or long irons, or an addendum the range in your bag?
I’ll keep the Jackaroo for the low running shots, as nothing can compare. For higher trajectory shots, I like my fairway woods and irons. Under what circumstances do you think you would carry each one (i.e. rescue-type club, low CoG fairway wood, traditional fairway wood, long iron)?
Long irons are getting ridiculous with the stronger lofts. Who in their right mind wants to try to make a shot with an 18 degree iron? Even the better players I see almost never make a good shot with a long iron. I am really not interested in any iron less than about 26 degrees in any event, and play best when I carry a large selection of irons in the 32-60 degree loft ranges. I’m not going to hit any part of any barn with a more strongly lofted iron regardless of the design. I prefer the slimmer fairway woods from about 24 degrees down to about 15 degree lofts. I have big gaps in the 25-35 degree loft ranges, in fact right now I carry one club in that range (32 degree, "6-iron"), but so what? I’ve only just started using a couple of low CoG fairway woods of the Tight Lies-type. Am I out of date already? 
Nope. Sounds right to me! Rob
Response:
Get a 24 degree wood. Rob – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – So I’m thinking of putting together a rescue type club to, you guessed it, replace my 3 iron. I don’t have a great deal of trouble hitting the 3 iron, but I have found that it has limited advantages (for me) over my 4 iron. For instance, the difference in distance is marginal. I hit the 4 iron ~195 and the 3 iron ~205-210. If I’m hitting a 3 iron over 200 yards, it’s not landing very softly and thus running to the back of the green. So here’s my bright idea (Read: Excuse to build a new club). I might be able to make a hybrid club that hits the ball as far as my 3 iron but with a higher lofted flight. So tell me, do they land softly? Is there any reason my bright idea is not so bright? My fairway wood is 16 degrees and can usually stop within 10 yards after flying 220 or so. How likely is a rescue club to fit between this and my 4 iron? Thanks in advance. Joe
Response:
Look at what Orlimar has done. They’ve dropped all the prices on the shallow face models and have introduced a deeper face fairway wood line at a higher price. There are still plenty of shallow face woods on the market, but I get the impression that the faces aren’t quite as shallow as they used to be.
Ahhh…I’m not the only one who’s noticed that! Adams did the same thing, so have others… To many complaints from people skying their drives due to their not being bright enough to tee the ball LOW. Isn’t it interesting that "rescue" club emphasis has shifted from *saving* those nasty lies (no one wants to admitt having hit there in the first place)…to replacing "Long Irons". I for one don’t intend to give up my lcg fairway woods…The rescues aren’t as long or any "easier" to hit (for me anyway.) ]]]Z[[[
Response:
Joe, I didn't get mine directly from Golfsmith. I got it from a local clubmaker (saved a few bucks that way). However, I did ask him if he was having any trouble with getting the components from Golfsmith and he said he'd had no problems lately. - Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text - Rob, It's interesting to read how you're using your Jackaroo. It's very different from what I'm doing with my Snake Eyes Quick Strike. I've been using mine much more for full out normal trajectory and high cut shots than I have for the low runner. This reinforces my belief that these Rescue-type clubs can be used for a lot of different things. I've yanked all the fairway woods out of the bag and am planning on putting together an 18* SE to go with the 22* I already have. Kenny Stultz http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/stultzk.htm Kenny, how is Golfsmith's service now? I've been considering the Quick Strikes, but have been a little leery about ordering after their fiasco earlier this year. -- http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm
Kenny
Response:
Is your 3 iron a newer club with (strong) 21 degree loft? If so, a 24 degree rescue club will probably go about the same distance with higher trajectory, thus landing softer. Jackaroo only comes in 15, 18 and 21, but I think the Hornet can be had in 24 degrees. Looks like that's what you need.
It's an original Cleveland TA3, 22 degrees IIRC. Stiff steel TT Dynamic Gold. Standard lie. So I guess that's where I stand. With a 2 degree increase in loft and a little more mass behind the ball (I assume), what gives? I am curious to know how the ball behaves. I know these clubs have been discussed to death over the past week here, but I haven't read much regarding actual ball behavior when you hit them. Do you lose backspin? Do you lose sidespin, as in draw? Assuming the club has an iron-type shaft, where is the tradeoff between loft and clubhead mass? I've seen ten or so variations on the component sites. Can anyone comment on which head materials have which affect? I just don't have the need for a club to "rescue" me from trouble. My interest is purely in the context of my previous post. So the ball flight characteristics are very critical to me. If these questions have been addressed, I've missed it. I would appreciate a simple refresher. Joe
Response:
The concensus seems to be that the Rescue type clubs are somewhat longer than a same-lofted iron. Probably due to the deep wood-like head.
There's no need for a consensus. The specs of the Rescue clubs are online at the Taylor Made web site. They are iron length. As for the other "Rescue type clubs," that varies. -joseph
Response:
Ah, yes. That would make sense too! :-/ -joseph - Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text - The concensus seems to be that the Rescue type clubs are somewhat longer than a same-lofted iron. Probably due to the deep wood-like head. There's no need for a consensus. The specs of the Rescue clubs are online at the Taylor Made web site. They are iron length. As for the other "Rescue type clubs," that varies. -joseph I took ROdent's statement to mean they hit longer.
Response:
- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text - Rob, It's interesting to read how you're using your Jackaroo. It's very different from what I'm doing with my Snake Eyes Quick Strike. I've been using mine much more for full out normal trajectory and high cut shots than I have for the low runner. This reinforces my belief that these Rescue-type clubs can be used for a lot of different things. I've yanked all the fairway woods out of the bag and am planning on putting together an 18* SE to go with the 22* I already have. Kenny Stultz http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/stultzk.htm
Kenny, how is Golfsmith's service now? I've been considering the Quick Strikes, but have been a little leery about ordering after their fiasco earlier this year. -- http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/reedj.htm
Response:
[...] So tell me, do they land softly? Is there any reason my bright idea is not so bright? My fairway wood is 16 degrees and can usually stop within 10 yards after flying 220 or so. How likely is a rescue club to fit between this and my 4 iron?
If you want a higher trajectory, you’ll want more loft and a longer shaft. I have my 5 wood for that. The lower, penetrating trajectory of my 18 degree Rescue is more appropriate for me in the wind, especially if I am using it as a driving club on firm fairways. I can hit that sucker pretty far into/under the wind. If you want a high trajectory "rescue" club, get one of the types that accepts a wood shaft and install a shaft that is fairway wood length or perhaps midway between fairway wood and 1-2 iron length. -joseph
Response:
Colin, <snip So are rescue-type clubs a replacement for fairway woods, or long irons, or an addendum the range in your bag?
Really, they could be any of the three. Or they can be used as a driving iron. The rescue-type clubs seem to come in two different flavors: some take an iron shaft (diameter and length) and some take a wood shaft. Mine has a wood type shaft. I use it to tee off on short par 4’s and as a fairway wood. I’ll also choke down on it and use it inplace of my 3I. I find it works wonders out of medium rough. Under what circumstances do you think you would carry each one (i.e. rescue-type club, low CoG fairway wood, traditional fairway wood, long iron)?
Well the rescue club is in my bag for the long term. I find I hit the low CoG fairway woods (I have an Orlimar) just plain too high and I don’t like them out of the rough. I hope I never see my 3I again. I’m just too inconsistent with it. As far as traditional fairway woods go, I hit those as well as I hit anything, but I feel like the rescue-type clubs can do everything a traditional fairway wood can do and more. I’ve only just started using a couple of low CoG fairway woods of the Tight Lies-type. Am I out of date already?
Look at what Orlimar has done. They’ve dropped all the prices on the shallow face models and have introduced a deeper face fairway wood line at a higher price. There are still plenty of shallow face woods on the market, but I get the impression that the faces aren’t quite as shallow as they used to be. Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.1 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Kenny
Response:
<SNIP Isn’t it interesting that "rescue" club emphasis has shifted from *saving* those nasty lies (no one wants to admitt having hit there in the first place)…to replacing "Long Irons". I for one don’t intend to give up my lcg fairway woods…The rescues aren’t as long or any "easier" to hit (for me anyway.) ]]]Z[[[
I know everybody swings the club a little differently, but I can’t imagine a club that’s easier to hit than the original Tight Lies. My buddy plays an Orlimar knockoff and it seems to play pretty similarly. So I have no intention of abandoning my fairway wood. If I feel the need to use it off the tee, I tee it low with no problem. In deep rough, I hit down more like a long iron anyway, so I don’t really have any problem with skying the ball. So I’m thinking of putting together a rescue type club to, you guessed it, replace my 3 iron. I don’t have a great deal of trouble hitting the 3 iron, but I have found that it has limited advantages (for me) over my 4 iron. For instance, the difference in distance is marginal. I hit the 4 iron ~195 and the 3 iron ~205-210. If I’m hitting a 3 iron over 200 yards, it’s not landing very softly and thus running to the back of the green. So here’s my bright idea (Read: Excuse to build a new club). I might be able to make a hybrid club that hits the ball as far as my 3 iron but with a higher lofted flight. So tell me, do they land softly? Is there any reason my bright idea is not so bright? My fairway wood is 16 degrees and can usually stop within 10 yards after flying 220 or so. How likely is a rescue club to fit between this and my 4 iron? Thanks in advance. Joe
Response:
Look at what Orlimar has done. They’ve dropped all the prices on the shallow face models and have introduced a deeper face fairway wood line at a higher price. There are still plenty of shallow face woods on the market, but I get the impression that the faces aren’t quite as shallow as they used to be. Ahhh…I’m not the only one who’s noticed that! Adams did the same thing, so have others… To many complaints from people skying their drives due to their not being bright enough to tee the ball LOW.
The "keel sole" design of the medium to high profile clubs like the Callaway GBB fairway woods was more than adequate for getting the clubhead down near the ball. I still prefer this design to the "flying saucer" shaped heads. A Raylor-like design would probably be fine with me too, but I’m not disenchanted with my GBB woods and see no need to replace them. The nice thing about the deeper faced woods is that they’re much more workable off the tee. You can always tee the ball up a groove higher in front of a GBB 3 wood. If you tee it up a groove higher in front of an Orlimar fairway wood you get an idiot mark. :-) -joseph
Response:
It’s interesting to read how you’re using your Jackaroo. It’s very different from what I’m doing with my Snake Eyes Quick Strike. I’ve been using mine much more for full out normal trajectory and high cut shots than I have for the low runner. This reinforces my belief that these Rescue-type clubs can be used for a lot of different things. I’ve yanked all the fairway woods out of the bag and am planning on putting together an 18* SE to go with the 22* I already have.
So are rescue-type clubs a replacement for fairway woods, or long irons, or an addendum the range in your bag? Under what circumstances do you think you would carry each one (i.e. rescue-type club, low CoG fairway wood, traditional fairway wood, long iron)? I’ve only just started using a couple of low CoG fairway woods of the Tight Lies-type. Am I out of date already? Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.1 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Response:
I’m starting to get the idea of the rescue club. It is most reliable, for me at least, in hitting a low running shot. Today I topped a drive on a 400 yard par 4, it went about 190. I was in 2" bermuda rough. I pulled the jackaroo and hit a low running hook onto the green and almost made the putt. On a 420 yard par 4, I pushed a drive about 250 into a tuft of 4" bermuda rough. I used the jackaroo and hit a low running hook about 150 yards, and almost made the up and down for par. On par 5’s, where I can’t reach the green, I hit the low running shot to place the ball as well as I can for the approach shot to the green. I also used it to hit 2 par 3’s into strong crosswinds. I missed the third par 3 to the left. On a 400 yard par 4, where the tee shot leaves a hanging lie, with water all along the left side of the fairway (which slopes sharply to the left), I nearly always hit my second shot into the water. With the Jackaroo, I can hit the low hook and run it up to the front of the green, and on most of the time. All in all, the club will change the way I play, save me many shots and annoy the purists who think the high rising shot with lots of backspin is the only way to play golf properly. Not that I can’t hit a shot with a nice trajectory with the Jackaroo, it’s just not as reliable as the low running shot, and thus is not the best choice of shots to try with the club. Needless to say, the 21 degree Jackaroo is a keeper for me. Right now, the 5 iron is out and I have only 13 clubs in my bag. (6-PW, SW, AW, LW, 19 degree wood, 24 degree wood, Driver, putter and Jackaroo). I want a 15 fairway wood. Rob
Response:
Rob, It’s interesting to read how you’re using your Jackaroo. It’s very different from what I’m doing with my Snake Eyes Quick Strike. I’ve been using mine much more for full out normal trajectory and high cut shots than I have for the low runner. This reinforces my belief that these Rescue-type clubs can be used for a lot of different things. I’ve yanked all the fairway woods out of the bag and am planning on putting together an 18* SE to go with the 22* I already have. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I’m starting to get the idea of the rescue club. It is most reliable, for me at least, in hitting a low running shot. Today I topped a drive on a 400 yard par 4, it went about 190. I was in 2" bermuda rough. I pulled the jackaroo and hit a low running hook onto the green and almost made the putt. On a 420 yard par 4, I pushed a drive about 250 into a tuft of 4" bermuda rough. I used the jackaroo and hit a low running hook about 150 yards, and almost made the up and down for par. On par 5’s, where I can’t reach the green, I hit the low running shot to place the ball as well as I can for the approach shot to the green. I also used it to hit 2 par 3’s into strong crosswinds. I missed the third par 3 to the left. On a 400 yard par 4, where the tee shot leaves a hanging lie, with water all along the left side of the fairway (which slopes sharply to the left), I nearly always hit my second shot into the water. With the Jackaroo, I can hit the low hook and run it up to the front of the green, and on most of the time. All in all, the club will change the way I play, save me many shots and annoy the purists who think the high rising shot with lots of backspin is the only way to play golf properly. Not that I can’t hit a shot with a nice trajectory with the Jackaroo, it’s just not as reliable as the low running shot, and thus is not the best choice of shots to try with the club. Needless to say, the 21 degree Jackaroo is a keeper for me. Right now, the 5 iron is out and I have only 13 clubs in my bag. (6-PW, SW, AW, LW, 19 degree wood, 24 degree wood, Driver, putter and Jackaroo). I want a 15 fairway wood. Rob
Kenny Stultz http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/stultzk.htm