Need a Wood, 3 or 5?

Hi Everyone,

So Im going to be starting my third season of golf, last year was my first full year and got in 25-30 rounds. I use an app for scoring and HC and am around a 20. I typically shoot low 90s. I struggled early last season with the driver but with enough practice have gotten away from hitting my 4i off the tee and now go driver as much as I can.

Ok, enough background info and on to my question. Ive upgraded my entire starter set at this point to the clubs in my signature with the exception of woods. Right now I dont have a wood in my bag, I have my driver and then my next longest club is my 4i. Im not great at hitting woods and I wont get any better by avoiding it, so I need to add a wood to my arsenal this year. My driver is 9.5* and my 4i is 20* so my question is would adding a 3w or 5w be more beneficial if I have to choose one (which I do). I know there are some HL 3w options to also split the difference even more. Also, would it be good to stick with the TaylorMade Aeroburner series to match my driver? I can still find these new and gently used for a steal!

Thanks,

Tom

Hi Everyone,

So Im going to be starting my third season of golf, last year was my first full year and got in 25-30 rounds. I use an app for scoring and HC and am around a 20. I typically shoot low 90s. I struggled early last season with the driver but with enough practice have gotten away from hitting my 4i off the tee and now go driver as much as I can.

Ok, enough background info and on to my question. Ive upgraded my entire starter set at this point to the clubs in my signature with the exception of woods. Right now I dont have a wood in my bag, I have my driver and then my next longest club is my 4i. Im not great at hitting woods and I wont get any better by avoiding it, so I need to add a wood to my arsenal this year. My driver is 9.5* and my 4i is 20* so my question is would adding a 3w or 5w be more beneficial if I have to choose one (which I do). I know there are some HL 3w options to also split the difference even more. Also, would it be good to stick with the TaylorMade Aeroburner series to match my driver? I can still find these new and gently used for a steal!

Thanks,

Tom

Hi Everyone,

So Im going to be starting my third season of golf, last year was my first full year and got in 25-30 rounds. I use an app for scoring and HC and am around a 20. I typically shoot low 90s. I struggled early last season with the driver but with enough practice have gotten away from hitting my 4i off the tee and now go driver as much as I can.

Ok, enough background info and on to my question. Ive upgraded my entire starter set at this point to the clubs in my signature with the exception of woods. Right now I dont have a wood in my bag, I have my driver and then my next longest club is my 4i. Im not great at hitting woods and I wont get any better by avoiding it, so I need to add a wood to my arsenal this year. My driver is 9.5* and my 4i is 20* so my question is would adding a 3w or 5w be more beneficial if I have to choose one (which I do). I know there are some HL 3w options to also split the difference even more. Also, would it be good to stick with the TaylorMade Aeroburner series to match my driver? I can still find these new and gently used for a steal!

Thanks,

Tom

Generally with a fairway wood a little more loft is your friend. It takes some decent speed to optimize a 3 wood carry off the deck over a 4 or even 5 wood so I'd probably lean toward splitting the difference with either a 4w or a 3HL. No need to match your driver unless that's something that you really want to do. If you want to stick with TM and save a few bucks I'd go a year newer than the Aeroburner and get a '16 M2 3HL. The original M2 is pretty widely regarded as one of the best fairway woods in recent memory.

Generally with a fairway wood a little more loft is your friend. It takes some decent speed to optimize a 3 wood carry off the deck over a 4 or even 5 wood so I'd probably lean toward splitting the difference with either a 4w or a 3HL. No need to match your driver unless that's something that you really want to do. If you want to stick with TM and save a few bucks I'd go a year newer than the Aeroburner and get a '16 M2 3HL. The original M2 is pretty widely regarded as one of the best fairway woods in recent memory.

Thanks Ill check out the prices on those! I would like the look of the matching head covers but thats just me being OCD... Of course all my TM clubs are in a cheap Top Flight bag so looks really dont matter at this point.

I agree with above. I haven't played a 3 wood in years and have no intention of going back. I recently placed an order for a 5 wood that I can lower the loft to 17 degrees so essentially plays as a 4 wood.

I like my RBZ 3HL

I had a much more long winded post that was basically asking the same thing - I need a fairway wood to get a step up from my 18* 3h.

Since I want to get something I can hit from the deck, I think I’ve settled on a 4w if the shaft I’m fitted to doesn’t work well with the Ping Anser 3w head I currently have. Right now I don’t get great launch with it from off the grass. Plus there are lots of reviews on YouTube showing that 4w might give some players better results than 3w from a distance perspective, based on launch conditions.

Adding a wood or hybrid that matches your driver make/model is not really important. I think the look and feel of the club is more important. If that turns out to match, then fine. Too, it might be easier for you to hit a 5 wood than a 3 wood and that would lessen the gap between your current 4 iron and a 3 wood. Good luck with your adventure!

If you’re having any doubts about a wood, then a 4 or 5 wood is probably for you. I’m a 10 handicap but I hit a good 3 wood once every 10 shots at best. Having the extra loft on a shorter club really makes a difference. You may also consider a hybrid in the range of 18-22°. As far as choosing a brand, this website is full of people who buy the latest and greatest... except for fairway woods! This is the hardest club to crack and people play v-steels, original big berthas, etc. Henrik Stenson uses a diablo octane from 2011 because even he is afraid to lose the magic.

I recommend the adams tightlies (in 14.5 3w or 16.5 4w), Wilson Fybrids (Padraig Harrington 10 years ago) or Burner Superfasts (my buddie loves the club) as cheaper fairway woods to try. More recent offerings that people have rated highly here (though I haven’t played) include the Callaway X2hot, indeed the Aeroburner, and the Big Bertha Alpha 816. There is also a recent ”best FW’s of the last 5 years thread floating around now.

Best of luck to you, you may find this to be the most elusive club in your bag to get right!

Consider getting a 4W or a 5W. The average golfer hits a 4W more reliably than a 3W, and often just as far. Some big hitters get more out of a 4W, depending how they come into the ball.

If you're sticking with TM, you might try the 3W.HL (17*), which the rest of the golf kingdom calls a 4W. One note: the 3W.HL has a shaft the same length as a 3W, so you might need to trim the shaft to get better control. (Aeroburner has a decent one, from what I hear)

Personally, I have been playing a 4W + 7W combination since 2012. Whether to get 7W or hybrid? Just do a side-by-side test. Some people hit high lofted FWs better, others hit hybrids better.

If you can find any Tour Edge FWs, give them a try. If you square up decently, these have square faces and won't give you trouble with hooks. If you can find a single-owner TE fairway wood, it would be cheaper than buying a new one. The Exotics brand has a cult following.

And if you can find one, try the Exotics XRail, a really helpful fairway wood model. Not the longest FW, but it launches the ball well.

Callaway has decent FWs. If you can find a Steelhead XR 4W or 5W, give it a try. A really decent club, it just got squeezed out quickly by "the next big thing." Callaway PreOwned has them for $100 or so. But, hopefully you can find one you can hit before you buy. The stock Tensei shafts came in both 55 and 65 gram.

Also, check out Cobra. For a great price, look for the fairway woods and hybrids from the FlyZ model (a couple of years back). Be aware that the FlyZ shafts are a bit firm to flex, so don't be afraid to try a Lite-flex if the R-flex feels a bit robust. (I still play FlyZ hybrids, see below.)

I would try or add hybrid first.

1. easier to hit then woods

2. cheaper than woods(typically)

Callaway Rogue 4 wood is my advice!

I'm going with a 4 wood this season. 16.5 917f2

I went with a 4 wood, right in between. You can choke down, open the face, whichever method you employ to vary distance.

Without knowing anything else, I would also suggest the 3HL or something in the 17*-18* loft range. Generally, unless you are swinging 100 mph+ (driver) and consistently making perfect contact, a 3 wood (15* or less) is going to be difficult to play effectively off the deck.

Would also suggest giving a 5HL/7 wood or 4 hybrid (something in the low 20*s) a try. Most likely, this will be much easier for you to hit than a 4 iron.

4 or 5 wood. I play a 4 wood 17 loft and it’s easy to hit of the deck and easy off the tee. In the past when I didn’t have the confidence to hit a 3 off the deck, I went with a 5 wood and seen little or no loss of distance.

I’d suggest go hybrid as well. Look for a 16-18* to use as a “4 wood” then a 19-22* to use as a 3 iron replacement. Hybrid would give you more versatility. Speaking from personal experience.

If you have a 20* 4i that you like then I'd get a 3w. Most 5w are 18* so not far off of your 4i. Get a forgiving 3w, with a shaft that fits your swing, that you can hit off the tee and off the deck.

3HL sometimes called a 4 wood is a great option! Easier to get in the air and might fly just as far for you as a 15* 3 wood.

Low lofted hybrid instead. No need to hit fairway woods these days.

I'd also consider the type of local courses you would be playing the most and seeing your yardages are on the par 5's/if you were thinking about teeing off with the 3/5w on the par 4s.

When I was just starting to play golf (not very long ago) I played driver, 16 deg hybrid, 21 deg 3 iron. This combo worked very well.

Another option is try a 4 wood. I am sure you could find a nice hybrid and 4 wood for fairly cheap to try

I consider the option of going for a 5 wood lofted head with a 3 wood length shaft. This serves the purpose of having added length for distance and the extra loft to aid in launching the ball down the fairway, or achieving a difficult carry.

High swing speed=3/4 wood (can go for eagle on par 5's and 4's)

Low swing speed=play whatever you want

I would say 4 wood or 5 wood. Or something that can be adjusted in loft up or down depending on results.

I'd suggest a 4 wood. Easier to hit and fits the gap you have better.

Also true on the hybrids...could always grab an 18* hybrid which will be the same as a standard 5w

Thanks for the replies! I think a 3W HL or 4W is probably the best for me right now. Im looking for something off the turf on long par 5s and something I can hit off the tee with more length than my 4i and more control than my driver. I dont swing very fast.

I accidentally created multiple threads and in my other one many people suggested a low hybrid. My 4i is already lofted at 20* so that already takes some out of contention. Also, when I have tried hybrids in the past they have produced nothing but giant slices for me and never went further than a regular iron anyways.

If you have a 20* 4i that you like then I'd get a 3w. Most 5w are 18* so not far off of your 4i. Get a forgiving 3w, with a shaft that fits your swing, that you can hit off the tee and off the deck.

I disagree with this approach. While a 5-wood is 18*, the longer shaft and hotter face will yield plenty more distance than a 4-iron.

My advice would be to buy a Ping 5-wood, and learn to love it. They are easy to hit, and can become very dependable.

When you find a 5-wood that works, you can then add a 3-wood or 4-wood.