Wood Review: Adams Tight Lies

by John Kim

Adams Tight Lies – Probably the most heavily marketed fairway wood of all-time, how could any self-respecting golfer at least not give this club a try? Despite the company's claims that the shallow face makes it an easier club to hit, the smaller face actually bothered me at first. There is not any type of alignment aide on top, so be sure you set up square to your target prior to the swing. When you do swing, the club does deliver. The strong 3 wood (which I carry) makes many par 5s reachable – some of my most dramatic shots ever were with this club, and almost all of my eagles came about due to the Adams. But, when I miss with it, I really miss. Have your swing in good shape before getting this club, I don't find it as forgiving as they like to say. Also, the shallow face makes it quite difficult to tee off with, so it kind of puts you at a disadvantage when you want a 3 wood off the tee.

The Good: Easy to get the ball airborne, and the club is strong. You can really send one into orbit if you get a hold of it with this club.

The Bad: Tough to tee off with, tough to align, and misses can be really bad.

Overall: Although it's lasting power has proven itself as more than a fad, I think that the shallow faced clubs are starting to fade in popularity. When swinging well, this club is a great fairway wood, but I've since decided that the trade off for it (and not having a 3 wood to tee off with) isn't quite worth it. If you use fairway woods consistently to reach par 4s, maybe this club is for you. If you just want one to reach par 5s, there are better woods out there for you.