919FD FAIRWAY DRIVER
A Superb Fitting Option for More Control on Tight Holes
The 919F/D Fairway Drivers are the answer for players looking for a high COR “mini-driver” or for a tee shot club for use on tight par-4 and par-5 holes for greater control without losing any distance normally achieved with a conventional high COR titanium driver. Wishon’s proprietary bendable hosel allows an extremely wide range in custom fitting specs for loft, lie and face angle.
Features:
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Designed for the golfer who needs more control off the tee or wishes a much smaller size driver head
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Thin, variable thickness, high strength steel face for high 0.830 COR for maximum distance
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Bendable hosel for a wide range of fitting options for lie and face angle, +/-4° from spec
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Can also be played off the fairway by more skilled players who want every bit of second shot distance on long holes
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Available in RH in 14°, cosmetically designed to complement the appearance of the 919THI Drivers
© COPYRIGHT 2019 WISHON GOLF
Hi Tom I have a older white 919D with the longer hosel, assuming it’s bendable for lie and face angle. As you have stated many fitters don’t have the machine to do that. Would it be best to send it to Diamond with or without shaft in it? Live in Albuquerque, you don’t buy chance have one in Durango as I could drive up there since I bought it there? I also want to reshaft it with a 43-43 1/2” shaft with more control. It’s your stellar inerflexx. 2S2 White 43” to whippy. I hit my 929 and 515 fairways… Read more »
GARY For sure, I remember you from the days you would be in the Durango area and stop by at our company. Yes, any of the 919’s with the longer hosel would be of the bendable version. You know Diamond is in the UK so that would be a bit of a hassle for you to send a driver head to them to be bent. Of course they can do that for sure if that becomes the only way. What about Sherm Haworth in ABQ? Sherm’s as good as there is when it comes to working on clubs and clubheads.… Read more »
Hi Tom, I had a couple of questions regarding this driver head (919F/D) when compared against a 460cc driver (EG 919 THI) and was hoping you might be able to help. By having a smaller head size, I understand that this might give a potential advantage for good players that are capable of playing this size head from good lies on the fairway. The additional COR and potentially lower loft of this head in comparison to a 3-wood might see a distance gain in these kind of scenarios, that aid in reaching the green in 2 shots on a PAR… Read more »
DAN Not at all contentious, these are all good questions for sure and I enjoy having the chance to respond. The 919F/D is a specialty design that has a handful of small things that it can do over a normal large volume driver, but one big thing it can’t. It’s primary use is as a club to use off the tee on tight holes that otherwise would require a driver. The F/D headweight means you won’t build this to a length any longer than 43.5 with 43 being what most would do. With our knowledge of high strength alloys and… Read more »
I currently use a Cobra M/Speed Offset 3-Wood with an Accra shaft as my driver. I had the shaft installed by my club fitter. I use the 3-wood because my slow swing needs loft for maximum distance. Can the 14-degree Fairway Driver be fitted onto my Accra Shaft?
Fred:
As long as the Accra Shaft has a tip diameter of 0.335″ which is most likely, it can be removed from the other head and installed in the 919F/D with no problems. As to what length it would come out to be, that depends on the difference in the distance from the bottom of the shafting bore to the ground between the two clubheads. That is something a competent clubmaker should know about to be able to allow for any differences there might be in this dimension in the two heads.
TOM
Tom,
Thank you for answering all of my questions, especially in a timely manner.
Does the F/D have any amount of face progression? I couldn’t find the measurement. As mentioned before, I own a 12 degree model that is 1 degree open and the face progression seems minimal.
Thanks as always.
BEN To give you a frame of reference, the FP of the 919THI 11* loft driver is 19mm. The FP of the 919F/D-11* model is 17mm and the FP of the 929HS #3wood is 16mm. As a designer I only see FP as a visual aspect of the head that has to be matched to the size of the head. In very, very minute terms only with players who have a very late release, more FP on a head can contribute to a slightly higher trajectory for any given loft while less FP is the opposite. But these things are… Read more »
Hi Tom,
Does the hosel bore open up to the sole of the club? I am wondering how I can get hotmelt to that area, mostly for sound purposes.
Thank you.
Ben All metal woods regardless of maker are manufactured so there is a small hole in the bottom of the bore that will open up into the open cavity of the head. The head production factories do this so they can inject a special “sticky glue” into the heads that is intended to catch and hold small particles that may break loose from inside the head during the life of the club. All makers of metal woods do have a stopper plug installed in the bottom of the bore to close off that access hole so when a shaft is… Read more »
Tom,
I have the F/D and I just noticed there is a tubular hollow near the toe end on the underside of the club. It seems that there was a sort of cover for the hole, but the cover is no longer there. Ironically, the club whistles in the key of D along with the Doppler effect when swung, Ha, and that is how I discovered that there was this hole in the club. Would you explain to me what the purpose of this void is for?
Thank you,
Jarrod
BTW, love the club.
Jarrod that is one of the two weight bore chambers in the head which are there to enable the clubmaker to add weight to the head to get it to the swingweight or head feel that best fits each golfer’s strength + swing tempo and sense of headweight feel for good timing and rhythm in the swing. The other weight bore is below the tip of the shaft in the hosel. The weight bore on the toe end of the sole is covered by a little oval shaped medallion with an adhesive back. Unfortunately it sounds like it just gave… Read more »
Love the 919 F/D! I’ve played a 10 deg 919 thi for a few years and absolutely love it, but for me with the modern driver head sizes I really have a tough time hitting a draw with them, not sure why, but it isn’t a huge deal because most tee shots I just want to hit a nice little controlled fade anyways. The 919 F/D fills the perfect spot for an alternate tee shot club for me. Slightly larger face than a 3 wood gives a little more confidence, but its small enough I can really turn over a… Read more »
Tom,
Can the f/d hozel be bent 4 degrees in any direction as the driver can? The description says only two degrees. Also, is it possible to ream these hozels bores to accept a .370 shaft, or even a .355 shaft? Thank you for your response in advanced.
Sincerely,
Jarrod
JARROD Yes, the 919F/D has the same identical construction and materials as the 929, 950 and 775 which are the other steel/high COR face models with bendable hosels. So the F/D can be bent +/-4* in any direction provided the clubmaker has the right bending machine to properly clamp and secure the body of the head to enable the hosel to be bent. While the hosel could stand reaming to a 0.355 taper or 0.370 parallel I would question doing this from the standpoint of performance with an iron shaft. This is a wood, made to the weight of a… Read more »
I purchased a 919FD @ 11* and shafted it with the TW shaft that was recommended for my 98-100 mph swing speed. I struggled to elevate my shots and Not hit a fade with it. I generally have a high ball flight and I don’t usually hit fades, so I re-shafted it 2 more times with similar results. I also never got much distance out of it. 3 Questions: 1)Can I order another head at 1 or even 2 degrees closed? 2)Is my swing speed enough to compress the face to get max output out of the 919? 3)Should I… Read more »
RICH: First questions I would ask to try to get to the bottom of the performance issue you have had with the FD would bem 1) what length did you make it, 2) what swingweight did you build it to at that length, 3) what length is your 3 wood or 4 wood in your previous woods, 4) did you have any issues at all in the past hitting a fairway wood high to fly and carry. Most people who use the FD play it at a length of between 43-44″. Most build it to have the same shaft and… Read more »
Hi Tom,
I have a TM 16 degree mini driver for short or tight holes. I have a 17 degree Callaway 4W for the fairway. I am a 14 HC with a driver speed of 93-95 MPH. Could I use a 16 degree 919F/D for both so I could put an extra wedge in my bag?
Thanks
Bruce
Bruce The 919F/D is offered in spec loft models of 11* and 14*. Through our Hand Select service, we could sort through inventory and potentially find lofts of 10, 12, 13, 15 in addition to the spec lofts of 11 and 14. But we would not be able to find one at 16* because the production tolerance on the heads is only +/-1* from spec. I kind of doubt you would want to use the F/D as a fairway wood because it has a 40mm tall face height. Typical fairway woods these days have a face height between 32mm and… Read more »
I have a wishon fd driver 14* and love it. Hit it high with good distance but no roll because of high ball flight. Would like to try 11* to possibly get lower flight. But all fitters have only 14* and also believe that absolutely nobody could be a fit for a 11*. We’ll I know I would be. This same attitude is why I can’t buy or try a wishon driver. I currently use a 9* callaway with a blue stiff shaft and hit it good. I think I could go from good to great with wishon but absolutely… Read more »
ALLEN Sigh. . . . having been a teacher to the clubmakers for over 30 yrs now through my books and articles and information, I can tell you with great disappointment that there are some of the clubmakers who start to spew out bad information when they think they are starting to get smart in this field. I used to call it “sophomore-itis in clubmaking” when I began to see this among some clubmakers many years ago. Whoever said that you no one could use an 11* 919F/D head is ignorant and has no idea what he is talking about,… Read more »
Allen Griggs I’ve got the fd driver in 11 deg and it’s the best thing I’ve ever hit I don’t think I need a driver as this is long off the tee but I do want to try Tom’s driver as people say it’s long It’s easy to hit off the fairway and when in the rough it flys out with no spin (I was laying up to a par 5 hit it out of the rough and it rolled on to the green 250yards could not believe it) Just wished they could do this club in 8 deg to… Read more »
I found a 10* and had it bent closed 1 1/2 degrees and I am loving it. I use it instead of my 3 wood since I also bought a 8* driver and finally hitting the ball straight. Love it
Hi Tom, I’m interested in understanding a little more about the 919f/d, particularly how it compares against the stronger lofted options in the 929HS Fairway Wood line, and why someone would choose one design over the other. Reading between the lines I would assume that the 919F/D offers more forgiveness (and distance?) off the tee due to the larger face/head, and the 929HS offers more playability from the fairway due to the shallower face/head? I see you sell a 12 and 14 Degree 929HS and an 11 and 14 Degree 919f/d, how do the two designs compare in terms of… Read more »
Hi Garry Thanks very much for your interest and we’re always happy to help. I designed the F/D to offer an alternative to those players who, 1) disliked the larger size drivers and just mentally wanted a driver that was much smaller, 2) wanted a shorter tee shot club for tight holes and wanted a larger head with larger face and potentially higher COR than what they could get if they used a 3w for such shots. Because of the larger face area vs the 929HS woods, the COR of the F/D is higher than the 929, but not by… Read more »
Tom,
I was just wondering if you could clarify something for me – what is the actual size (volume) of the 919F/D? I have seen both 200cc and 260cc, both in multiple places. What would be the size difference between this and a 365PF 3 wood?
Thanks,
Bill
BILL
Sorry for the confusion. The 919F/D is 260cc not 200cc. To contrast to the 365PF #3 wood, the 919F/D has a face height of 39.5mm while the 365PF has a face height of 33mm. To give you more of a frame of reference, a typical 460cc driver will have a face height anywhere between 52mm and 58mm. Hope this gives you a better sense of the relative size difference with the 919F/D head.
TOM
Tom,
Thanks for the info, that was just what I wanted to hear. I am thinking about making up a set of woods with the 11 degree 919F/D, and 4/79 365FS fairways.
Bill
In the catalog it says the f/d has an adjustable hosel that can be bent 2 degrees. The website description says it can be bent 4. Just wondering which one is correct.
Thanks again for the time you spent sharing and answering our questions and I wanna wish you happy holidays.
KOURT
Actually, the hosel on the 919F/D head is a BENDABLE HOSEL and it can be bent to change either the lie or the face angle or both by a range of +/-4 degrees, not 2 degrees. This must be a typo in the catalog, I am sorry. Lots and lots and lots of spec numbers to get right and I have always missed a few when I do the catalog info work.
TOM
Good evening Tom. It’s me Rob again from the UK. I have a question about shaft fitting on the new 919FD. Your UK agents recommended the white shaft 60 gram stiff flex to my coach for fitting. This shaft is rated for 90 to 105mph swing speeds.My swing speed average is 103 mph and quite an aggressive swing. So my coach built the club with the recommendations of the UK agents. However when I hit the club there is a terrible aftershock from a clean ball strike and it feels like the shaft will shatter. The result is total loss… Read more »
ROB Than that sounds to me like you should be into either the S2S Black 85 S with a bit of additional tip trim such as +1″ or you could be into the S2S Black 85 X with normal 0 tip trim to fit your more aggressive move at the ball. Whether you go tipped S or std X depends on your sense of feel for the shaft – if you have a definite dislike for a shaft to ever feel even slightly soft, then go with the X. Other wise the tipped S. The 85g weight of these shafts… Read more »
Tom, does the 919F/D use a driver or fairway driver headcover?
Ronnie, the fairway wood covers will fit the 919F/D.
TOM
Hi Tom: Can you comment on the strategy of building a mini driver from a 919THI versus a 919F/D? I very rarely use a fairway wood off the deck. Almost exclusively off of the tee. I suppose if I built my mini driver from a 919THI then I definitely could not hit off the fairway, but then I am not sure how useful an 11-14* 919F/D (with a slightly higher face hight than some of your other woods) would perform off the fairway either. Really looking forward to hitting some next summer!
BRETT: When I designed the 919FD fairway driver, I designed it chiefly to be a club to use off the tee with a peg under the ball for tight tee shot holes. While I knew that better players could hit it off the deck, that was not the intent. So any use of the FD for fairway wood shots off normal lies is an afterthought, not a primary intent. Mini driver to me is a smaller head size built to a driver length. What you sound like you want is a driver that you can control better and hit much… Read more »
Brett I’m sure Tom will answer this properly, but I can tell you what I have found with the 14 deg 919 F/D after putting it in the bag a few months ago. The main benefit for me is that I can use it for accuracy on tight holes, and also can use it instead of my driver for the whole round if my driving isn’t that good. Perfect example just yesterday. I hit two poor drives and then just used the F/D for the rest of the round. I lose very little distance and am more accurate. With my… Read more »
Thanks Tom and Frazer I think this kind of club is exactly what I am looking for. A 2-wood. Maybe even have it as a 15th club that I can alternate with a 4-wood depending on the course. My driving can be my biggest weakness so having a go-to straight club is ideal. My only thought is that building the 2-wood from a 919THI head would give a lot more off-center forgiveness. I have to admit that I do like the smaller size of the F/D head. Either way, something to discuss with my fitter when the time comes. As… Read more »
Building a 43″ 919 FD per my fitting. Do I tip trim inbetween Driver (none) and 3-Wood (1″) for the S2S Red Stiff shaft? Thanks!
David
We’ve always advocated a 0″ tip trim for the F/D,even if it is to be built to 42 or 43″ playing length. It’s been that way ever since we intro’d the model and never had anyone say a negative comment about the shaft installation being done that way.
TOM
All things being equal (shaft weight, flex, length etc) if I had a 919thi 10 degree vs a 919f/d 10 degree swung at the same speed and same center contact, would there be a difference in distance or ball speed?
Kourt For all things being completely equal as you say and especially with respect to the same point of impact IN RELATION TO THE BALL’S CG, there would be no difference in distance or ball speed. The only difference could come from +/- tolerances for the COR of the face in the specific heads of both types that are chosen. But if you equalize that by measuring enough of each head so you find one of each with the same COR, it would be the same for performance. The only place that size of the head matters is with regard… Read more »
Tom, So all things be equal the distances should be the same. Okay, in another post by you, you mentioned that if your driver is 44″ then your next longest club(3wd) should be 43″. Again all things being equal where does the extra distance come from when using a driver over a 3wd, is it all in the extra length (44″ vs 43″) of the club/shaft that produces the extra distance? IS this the same for the tour pros who seem to hit their 3wds almost as far as their drivers, typically anywhere between 20 to 30 yds difference. I… Read more »
Walter I believe what I mean to say is that if your driver is 44 then the absolute longest you would ever want to make the 3w would be 43. I do not mean that anyone with a 44″ driver should be locked into a 43″ #3 wood. In fact most people who have had accuracy or off center hit problems with the 3w are finding they are doing better and not really losing any real distance if they go with a 42 to 42.5″ #3 wood length. Two things bring about more distance with the driver in your example… Read more »
I should have added that both the 12* 3wd and 919FD would only be used off a tee peg. What loft would you think would be good for the 919FD, the fight of the 12* is just about perfect and I typically hit it anywhere between 250/260 depending on weather conditions. My present driver is stated as 10* and when I hit it center of face(or close) I like the flight height. would the 10* 919fd be a fit. I know tough question to answer, just your gut feeling/experience is enough.
Thanks again
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your detailed reply. I think I’ll give one of your 919FD a try and just see how it works out at 44″. With the “hand picked” option you mentioned in other posts, does it cost extra for every spec you want changed? Looking at the specs the +/- of each spec is quite wide.
For example I’d like a loft of 10* square face, standard 57* lie, head weight of 202/203g(easier to add weight than remove for SW adjustment in the future). Do each of these spec changes constitute an hand pick? Thanks again.
Walter the tolerances of +/-1* for loft lie and face angle are the best any factory on the planet will offer. You just have to understand how incredibly difficult it is to make clubheads from scratch and try to get them all dead on the many different specs beyond loft, lie and face angle that there are to have to deal with. The Hand Pick charge covers loft, lie and face angle – in other words they do not charge separately for each spec that is requested. The head weight is separate though because mass is totally different than geometry… Read more »
Hi Tom, Thanks again for your reply. I understand what you’re saying and believe you when you stress the extra mile you have the factory do when getting the specs as close as humanly possible. I was just asking if these specs requested would be checked when doing a hand selecting pick. If a 10* loft and 57* lie are asked for that that is what is picked and I believe the answer is yes, which is what I expected. I don’t mean to question you on this, but the last go around I had with another companies product( a… Read more »
I should clarify that the first driver model I purchased from this company did have the static loft on the head, which was 10*, the second and different year model I purchased from them did not have any loft marked on the head or in their literature, which led me to question them as to what it was.
Hey Tom, I did a fitting with Tom Summerhays in Utah a few weeks ago for the single length irons. He also had a 14 degree f/d that he let me hit. It was built a little longer than I typically would hit but I hit a fairly consistent straight but very low ball flight. I was wondering if that is typical with this club. I figured at 14 degrees loft I would hit it at least as high as my driver but I was surprised at the low flight because I’m typically a high ball hitter. Is this typical… Read more »
Kourt Without being there in person to see you hit the club and observe several things, I can;t really say for sure why this club is generating a lower ball flight. For most everyone else that we get a chance to see or hear from, we’ve not heard that. The smaller size head does put the center of gravity closer to the face than in a 460cc driver by a good bit. That’s one possibility. but in truth, the ONLY way one can know for sure is to see launch monitor data from a normal driver you do hit high… Read more »
Hi Tom I thought I would comment here, if only to give you a break from the Sterling Irons thread 🙂 I have been playing the 560 MC’s and 919 Driver for a few years now and love both. My fairway woods were however not fitted, and I’ve wanted to get some TWGT clubs to complete my set. This became more of a priority recently when I started to struggle off the tee with my 4 wood and 15 deg hybrid which I switched between periodically. I couldn’t get the tee height to work – I would either have it… Read more »
Thank you Frazer, I really am pleased to hear you have things pretty well sorted out for your fitting needs and that you like what you have now. Very interesting that you mentioned the F/H heads. They truly were a very nice design that very few people had the chance to discover this. In fact, my 3 and 4 hybrid clubs in my personal set are 915F/H heads (21 and 24.5) and have been for years and will be for years as well. I too wish I would have kept some of them around !!
TOM
I am interested in the 919 F/D driver. I am 65 and use your one-length irons and #4H and 3H Wishon. My problem has always be squaring the club at impact so have used a Mini from Taylor. Hit about 1/2 of fairways generally, but would like to be more consistent. My club builder made the shafts for the one-length and other hybrid between a senior and regular. I have no problem squaring the one-length or Wishon hybrids. What shaft would you recommend and what length to go with the 919 F/D
ROY The question of what exact shaft model and flex a golfer should use is one that cannot be accurately answered by email. That decision is best done after an analysis of the golfer’s clubhead speed, downswing tempo, point of release. Since you said you have worked with a clubmaker for some of your previous clubs, I suggest that you go back to meet with him to have him do the swing analysis that can help him make the recommendation for what shaft would best fit you, to then be installed in the F/D clubhead. If you are currently playing… Read more »
What are the specs on the 919 F/D
For example, CC, face width
ROY
Dimensional specs for the 919 F/D are as follows – 260cc volume, 40mm face height, 88mm face to back breadth, 92mm face width.
TOM
I currently use a mini from Taylor. How would you compare 919FD with the mini drivers from Taylor or Callaway? I recently purchased your single length clubs with the 5H. Do you plan to build a 4 hybrid when you make the 4 iron?
ROY I am sorry but I never look at any of the other companies’ designs or models. They’re of no interest to me in my work and there is no reason I would ever need to look at them. So I cannot tell you anything about the mini drivers from these other companies. I can tell you that the people who have been fit into one of our F/D heads do like it and the COR is every bit as high as any large size titanium driver for ball speed and distance. We will be adding a 4 hybrid and… Read more »
I have been building and playing Wishon clubs for the last couple years. I love the 919 full size 460 cc driver head and was intrigued by the mini-driver concept with the smaller head and shorter shaft length. In years past I remember the confidence of using drivers that were shorter than what is now common / standard. This last week I built one in 11 degrees loft, Wishon Black stiff shaft. I used it in play today and absolutely fell in love – didn’t miss a fairway with it. Compared to my full size 919 head which I play… Read more »
Thank you Daniel for sharing your experience with the new F/D driver !! We’re very pleased to hear that the new club is working well for you and doing everything it was supposed to do for your game !!
TOM
Any idea if or when the 919F/D may be offered in a left handed version? I really like my 919THI.
ADAM Thanks very much for your interest and we are very pleased to hear you like the performance of the 919 driver you have. Unfortunately at this time, we do not have plans to develop the 919F/D in a left hand version. Our decision to develop any model in a left hand version is dependent on the demand for its right hand version. In all my design experience, never has a left hand version of a model sold more than 8% of the units it will in left hand. The 919F/D is just a little bit too limited in its… Read more »