3 wood trouble....

[Spooky67]

I think we can all agree that the 3w is the toughest fit in the bag and when you find one that works you hang on to it. My problem: I find one that works great, and then it stops working, and then I get another.....wash, rinse, repeat...

 

The first 3w that I had a good relationship with was a Nickent 3dx pro with an Aldila VS Proto 85-X that I was super consistent with initially but then of course the inconsistency found its way back. I hit low bullets with this set up but this was the first 3w that really clicked with my swing, especially off the ground.

 

Thinking loft was the problem I went to an Adams Speedline prototype 9033f 18deg with an Aldila NV Protopype 80-s. This thing was pretty tough to hit consistently, but when you did catch it...wow. Lots of weight removed from the rear of this head so forgiveness is minimal. But again, the clean shots I did catch were so epic I kept coming back for more...and rarely got it.... Ground and tee were similar with this club, both were tough.

 

Next I joined the V-steel gang and thought I had finally found my keeper. 15deg with an Aldila RIP Alpha 70X. Monster off the tee and a little tougher off the ground, but the tee action kept it in the bag. Finally got the itch for another and found a:

 

V-steel 13deg T/S with an Aldila NVS 85-S, never got along with this set up and it saw limited action. Couple of stinger tee shots that were nice but that’s about it.

 

Next up was a Callaway X2 Hot Pro with an Aldila Tour Green 75S. Loved this one right away, tee or turf were both super easy, ballflight may have been a bit soft but it was high and long. Never played this set up in the wind but it might suffer in those conditions? I initially really liked this club, but the shaft seems a bit soft for my swing, especially the tip, just a bit too much dispersion with this set up so I continued to search.

 

Tiliest 910f with a made for Diamana Kai’li 75S. Laser straight off the tee but had trouble off the turf.

 

Last and latest entry into the club was the Titliest 915f with a Diamana S+ 70S. This club was iffy at first, ball flight w as super high and short. I adjusted it to D1 and that seemed to help a bit. Seems like a balance between tee and turf, but it does seem shorter than some of the other clubs listed. However the ballflight is more controlled vs something like the Callaway.

 

So here I am, with a gaggle of 3ws, none of which fit me perfectly but all of which have redeeming qualities. I’m thinking of giving the Nickent and the Cally another shot. Both of those clubs were super easy to hit off the turff.

 

Anyone have any thoughts or experience with the 3ws I mentioned, or have a 3w buying problem like me...?

[craz-e]

Never found a 3 wood I could play so I never had one in the bag, have toyed with a 5 wood and low lofted hybrids but recently tried and loved the Ping G410 3 wood.

Luckily I had a Ping demo day coming up, so I booked a slot and went through the fitting process, tried the G410 and LST model but the standard model just did everything I needed.

So..... my advice is try as many as you can find, you might stumble on one that just works otherwise just find something else!, low lofted hybrid? driving iron? to fit the gaps you need.

Best of luck with the search!

 

Side note....... I also hit the Taylormade one mini driver thing and that thing is a freak!, too long for my gapping and I wasn't very consistent off the deck but still worth a try.

[Kingcat990]

What's your normal miss with the 3 wood when it acts up?

[Spooky67]

> @craz-e said:

> Never found a 3 wood I could play so I never had one in the bag, have toyed with a 5 wood and low lofted hybrids but recently tried and loved the Ping G410 3 wood.

> Luckily I had a Ping demo day coming up, so I booked a slot and went through the fitting process, tried the G410 and LST model but the standard model just did everything I needed.

> So..... my advice is try as many as you can find, you might stumble on one that just works otherwise just find something else!, low lofted hybrid? driving iron? to fit the gaps you need.

> Best of luck with the search!

>

> Side note....... I also hit the Taylormade one mini driver thing and that thing is a freak!, too long for my gapping and I wasn't very consistent off the deck but still worth a try.

 

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it. I do have a DI that I play for most long second shots or off the tee on occasion. I’m not married to the idea of a 3w but with my current slection of clubs 3w, 5w and hybrid are all the same with regards to consistency. I do enjoy the search so hopefully I find that “one”.

> @Kingcat990 said:

> What's your normal miss with the 3 wood when it acts up?

As embarrassing as it is to admit, it’s just mis hits. Poor contact, mostly thin shots. This is a swing issue, not a club issue for the most part. I do take lessons, I do work on my swing. But it’s so interesting to me that a different club/different feel promotes success early on but then that fades and my troubles resume. This occurs while my driver and iron contact/swing stay relatively stable, had the same driver and irons for several years.

 

With 3ws I find that some for me lend themselves to tee balls and some to turf, but the only one that was easy for both was the Cally. But that shaft felt pretty soft so it makes sense.?

 

 

 

 

 

[Unteachable]

Ive been fit for a few different 3 woods over the years but my all time favorite was the original rocketballs with the stock stiff shaft that i bought off the rack. I hit that thing so good off the tee and pretty well off the deck and it went in and out of the bag for various reasons (mainly i thought it was too long at times) until I stupidly traded it in for about $20 about a year ago. If I ever find a 3w that i absolutely fall in love with again I'm keeping it forever even if it rotates out of the bag. My current g400 is no slouch but is nowhere near as long.

[Chuck905]

Have you had lessons?

 

I carried a 4 wood most of my life until I took lessons and a fitting; now I play a strong 3 wood with ease.

 

For me, ball position is important. The shaft I play is in the 75 grams range which I learned gave me consistent sweet spot strikes vs 65 vs 55.

[setter02]

I would think its more a shaft issue than a head issue. Once you find a shaft that you like and works for you, you can carry it to others. Have played V2's for many years and am very comfortable with them, same with the 80X Kai'Li. I think people get too wrapped up on trying to 'optimize' things year in year out when they don't have repeatable swings to garner it or see a truly meaningful change.

[ChipNRun]

Research shows the average golfer can hit a 4W more reliably than a 3W - and sometimes even longer. A couple of degrees of loft really helps.

 

A few demo days ago the Tour Edge rep had willing golfers hit both the 3W and the 4W of the new Exotics model. Most of us did better with the 4W, including a couple of the long bombers. I am now in my eighth season of 4W and 7W mix, plus a 4H most of the time. In a related item, the pro who does my clubsmithing carries a 5W with a 4W-length shaft as his sole fairway metal.

 

You might get a fitting and try some 4Ws. Also, make sure the shaft is not too long for you. The long-shafted driver craze crept into FWs, and several players I know improved their FW hits by trimming the shafts. (**Note**: for some FW models, the 4W has the same length as the 3W; if this is the case, consider a factory trim on the shaft to improve control).

[theboyslater]

have a think aswell about what you are using the club for i.e. tee only? that may help a decision

[TheRaven]

I've had great success since switching to a 4 wood. I typically play 10.5* Driver, 16.5* 4 Wood, 20* hybrid, and then 23* 4 iron. I'm going to experiment this year with a 7 wood instead of a 20* hybrid and carrying a 4 hybrid. I hit my 4 wood better than any club in my bag and often use it on the tee 70% of the time.

[naj959]

Its always fun to try and find that unicorn. I happened to find mine on a whim. After browsing around here for years I wanted to see what all the hype was about the TEE exotics line. Bought an xcg6 on a whim for dirt cheap. Best 3 wood I've ever owned. High effortless ball flight, super forgiving, and fairly long. I've never hit a club that is this easy. You may want to give it a shot.

[srksi]

I had 3w problems until I tried the f3 version. Something just works with it. Deeper face or less offset? Not sure. It is great off a tee or the deck.

[nuttinbutapeanut]

Been through a warehouse of 3 woods. Some great, some dogs, but this year I hit on two that are both great. The Cobra f7 (Rick Shiels) 3 wood and a Callaway Rogue 3 wood (non sz model). As of the last month the Rogue is solidly in the bag. It's so good I may be in the market for a Rogue 5 wood with HZRDUS Yellow 6.0 to match.

[kcd38]

Look at the G400/G410 line. I love them because of the low profile. For me, they're as long as anything i've tested off the tee and are much easier to launch off the fairway.

[jokerusn]

3 woods are my addiction. Had every major OEM in my bag at one point or another... My current gamer M5 is really something special. It's actually hitable from the grass as opposed to the M3 I used to play. I don't have any plans or interest in looking at the moment which is something new for me. However, the r7 TP 13° and 15° of mine still get play occasionally. I've never been a good wood player from the grass on the course so I tend to look mostly for tee performance but both the M5 and r7 TP are easy enough for me to hit from the grass.

[buckeyefl]

if you had success with it and then you dont then you posted in the wrong section. A productive swing makes the search much easier.

[Nixhex524]

Just tried the Cobra F9 14.5*. Has to be one of the easiest off the deck yet. I still get the occasional mis hit but overall, it's been really friendly so far. I don't know if its the rails or what but I dont worry about getting down after it... I am also experimenting with a 16.5* 2016 M2. So far, so good, again, occasional mishit but I can see it is much easier than it's 15* brother off the deck and still really sends the ball out there. I think the advice of finding a shaft or two that work is very good advice... find one that helps you hit is more consistently straight and it will be a weapon, no matter what head you learn to hit it with.

[Joelsim]

I had one u til recently, and whilst I could hit some good shots I could also get in a lot of trouble. I score better without it and just lay up.

[Spooky67]

Thanks for the comments and input gents, lots of good info for sure.

> @buckeyefl said:

> if you had success with it and then you dont then you posted in the wrong section. A productive swing makes the search much easier.

 

Thanks for the comment but I couldn’t disagree more. I mentioned in my original post that I am taking lessons and I do work on my swing. It’s the same swing I use on all my other clubs, 3w just seems to be a hard fit for most. My original post and all of the others are talking about equipment. Whenever someone changes any equipment they are usually looking to change performance. We all know it’s the Indian and not the arrow, but some arrows are sharper, and some fly straighter. Let’s talk about those....

 

[Vinny Nguyen]

I can relate friend. I had a 910f for about 6 years. Eventually I couldn't hit the shots I was comfortable with anymore. Till recently I've tried all kinds of 3 woods with no success. Somehow I settled on the f9 pro, which is something I never would have considered. I just hit a point where I was willing to try anything because it was the weakest part of my bag.

[pinestreetgolf]

> @Spooky67 said:

> I think we can all agree that the 3w is the toughest fit in the bag and when you find one that works you hang on to it. My problem: I find one that works great, and then it stops working, and then I get another.....wash, rinse, repeat...

>

> The first 3w that I had a good relationship with was a Nickent 3dx pro with an Aldila VS Proto 85-X that I was super consistent with initially but then of course the inconsistency found its way back. I hit low bullets with this set up but this was the first 3w that really clicked with my swing, especially off the ground.

>

> Thinking loft was the problem I went to an Adams Speedline prototype 9033f 18deg with an Aldila NV Protopype 80-s. This thing was pretty tough to hit consistently, but when you did catch it...wow. Lots of weight removed from the rear of this head so forgiveness is minimal. But again, the clean shots I did catch were so epic I kept coming back for more...and rarely got it.... Ground and tee were similar with this club, both were tough.

>

> Next I joined the V-steel gang and thought I had finally found my keeper. 15deg with an Aldila RIP Alpha 70X. Monster off the tee and a little tougher off the ground, but the tee action kept it in the bag. Finally got the itch for another and found a:

>

> V-steel 13deg T/S with an Aldila NVS 85-S, never got along with this set up and it saw limited action. Couple of stinger tee shots that were nice but that’s about it.

>

> Next up was a Callaway X2 Hot Pro with an Aldila Tour Green 75S. Loved this one right away, tee or turf were both super easy, ballflight may have been a bit soft but it was high and long. Never played this set up in the wind but it might suffer in those conditions? I initially really liked this club, but the shaft seems a bit soft for my swing, especially the tip, just a bit too much dispersion with this set up so I continued to search.

>

> Tiliest 910f with a made for Diamana Kai’li 75S. Laser straight off the tee but had trouble off the turf.

>

> Last and latest entry into the club was the Titliest 915f with a Diamana S+ 70S. This club was iffy at first, ball flight w as super high and short. I adjusted it to D1 and that seemed to help a bit. Seems like a balance between tee and turf, but it does seem shorter than some of the other clubs listed. However the ballflight is more controlled vs something like the Callaway.

>

> So here I am, with a gaggle of 3ws, none of which fit me perfectly but all of which have redeeming qualities. I’m thinking of giving the Nickent and the Cally another shot. Both of those clubs were super easy to hit off the turff.

>

> Anyone have any thoughts or experience with the 3ws I mentioned, or have a 3w buying problem like me...?

 

Try using a women's 3 wood head. I know that sounds silly but I game a women's Tight Lies three wood and its lie angle is way flatter than a man's (since women are shorter than men on average, some manufacturer's make the heads flatter). It made a huge difference for me.

 

It's this one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-RH-Adams-Tight-Lies-19-5-Fairway-Wood-45g-Ladies-Flex-Graphite-Shaft-/223014530259

except with an Aldila X-Flex 75 DWS shaft at 42.5". Its way flatter than any men's 3 wood i've had at that length and the shaft goes right through my belt. I love the club.

 

Two saturdays ago, i was in the left rough on a par 5 (#11 at bayou oaks south course in NOLA). Marshall asked if i "really" thought I could reach - 257, slight uphill. Hit the front edge. The thing is a lavender monster.

[Dash Boogie]

Just get a used Ping G25 4 wood... problem solved :p

[handyquacks17]

> @"Dash Boogie" said:

> Just get a used Ping G25 4 wood... problem solved :p

 

totally agree...i have the g25 3 wood and dont ever see a scenario where it leaves the bag. Easiest 3 wood to hit off deck ive ever touched. tried to replace it with a 917 f2 but it didnt match up distance wise or accuracy

[NDGolfer13]

> @Spooky67 said:

> I think we can all agree that the 3w is the toughest fit in the bag and when you find one that works you hang on to it. My problem: I find one that works great, and then it stops working, and then I get another.....wash, rinse, repeat...

>

> The first 3w that I had a good relationship with was a Nickent 3dx pro with an Aldila VS Proto 85-X that I was super consistent with initially but then of course the inconsistency found its way back. I hit low bullets with this set up but this was the first 3w that really clicked with my swing, especially off the ground.

>

> Thinking loft was the problem I went to an Adams Speedline prototype 9033f 18deg with an Aldila NV Protopype 80-s. This thing was pretty tough to hit consistently, but when you did catch it...wow. Lots of weight removed from the rear of this head so forgiveness is minimal. But again, the clean shots I did catch were so epic I kept coming back for more...and rarely got it.... Ground and tee were similar with this club, both were tough.

>

> Next I joined the V-steel gang and thought I had finally found my keeper. 15deg with an Aldila RIP Alpha 70X. Monster off the tee and a little tougher off the ground, but the tee action kept it in the bag. Finally got the itch for another and found a:

>

> V-steel 13deg T/S with an Aldila NVS 85-S, never got along with this set up and it saw limited action. Couple of stinger tee shots that were nice but that’s about it.

>

> Next up was a Callaway X2 Hot Pro with an Aldila Tour Green 75S. Loved this one right away, tee or turf were both super easy, ballflight may have been a bit soft but it was high and long. Never played this set up in the wind but it might suffer in those conditions? I initially really liked this club, but the shaft seems a bit soft for my swing, especially the tip, just a bit too much dispersion with this set up so I continued to search.

>

> Tiliest 910f with a made for Diamana Kai’li 75S. Laser straight off the tee but had trouble off the turf.

>

> Last and latest entry into the club was the Titliest 915f with a Diamana S+ 70S. This club was iffy at first, ball flight w as super high and short. I adjusted it to D1 and that seemed to help a bit. Seems like a balance between tee and turf, but it does seem shorter than some of the other clubs listed. However the ballflight is more controlled vs something like the Callaway.

>

> So here I am, with a gaggle of 3ws, none of which fit me perfectly but all of which have redeeming qualities. I’m thinking of giving the Nickent and the Cally another shot. Both of those clubs were super easy to hit off the turff.

>

> Anyone have any thoughts or experience with the 3ws I mentioned, or have a 3w buying problem like me...?

 

I am in the same boat as you. I think I am going to look at carrying 4w from now on. Easier to hit and if I hit it consistently distance doesnt matter if its crooked,

 

Good Luck.

[Cpr3584]

I found Callaway 3woods work the best for me. i have the epic 15 degree. for a 3 wood you are really looking for control. For this reason i would recommend going to a heavier shaft (at least 80grams) which will make you stay in the shot longer. good luck!

[buckeyefl]

> @Spooky67 said:

> Thanks for the comments and input gents, lots of good info for sure.

> > @buckeyefl said:

> > if you had success with it and then you dont then you posted in the wrong section. A productive swing makes the search much easier.

>

> Thanks for the comment but I couldn’t disagree more. I mentioned in my original post that I am taking lessons and I do work on my swing. It’s the same swing I use on all my other clubs, 3w just seems to be a hard fit for most. My original post and all of the others are talking about equipment. Whenever someone changes any equipment they are usually looking to change performance. We all know it’s the Indian and not the arrow, but some arrows are sharper, and some fly straighter. Let’s talk about those....

>

"I find one that works great, and then it stops working, and then I get another."

 

ou can disagree if it makes you feel better about trying to buy shiny new things but the fact remains that its you at the end of the day. No one here is going to be able to fit you into a driver but they will be happy to tell you their favorites. Decide what you need it for, get the style that matches tha use you have and what gives you confidence. and take one of the several that have mostly worked for you and learn to hit them. A simple shaft change may be all you need. Again if you hit it ok in the beginning then the Indian is the variable. Good luck in your search.

[Spooky67]

> @buckeyefl said:

> > @Spooky67 said:

> > Thanks for the comments and input gents, lots of good info for sure.

> > > @buckeyefl said:

> > > if you had success with it and then you dont then you posted in the wrong section. A productive swing makes the search much easier.

> >

> > Thanks for the comment but I couldn’t disagree more. I mentioned in my original post that I am taking lessons and I do work on my swing. It’s the same swing I use on all my other clubs, 3w just seems to be a hard fit for most. My original post and all of the others are talking about equipment. Whenever someone changes any equipment they are usually looking to change performance. We all know it’s the Indian and not the arrow, but some arrows are sharper, and some fly straighter. Let’s talk about those....

> >

> "I find one that works great, and then it stops working, and then I get another."

>

> ou can disagree if it makes you feel better about trying to buy shiny new things but the fact remains that its you at the end of the day. No one here is going to be able to fit you into a driver but they will be happy to tell you their favorites. Decide what you need it for, get the style that matches tha use you have and what gives you confidence. and take one of the several that have mostly worked for you and learn to hit them. A simple shaft change may be all you need. Again if you hit it ok in the beginning then the Indian is the variable. Good luck in your search.

 

Again, I appreciate your feedback. What 3w do you use and how long has it been in the bag?

 

[buckeyefl]

Callaway xhot pro since about a year after they came out. Before that Cleveland quad pro since they came out. I prefer low profile. I use it from tee and fairway but only carry it in certain courses. I always carry a 4 wood though in the same brand.

[Cornwall1888]

My answer was the rogue 4 wood, great off the tee, great off the deck, very forgiving

 

I find drivers go nearly as far a drivers these days so are kind of pointless, 4 wood gives better gapping and added bonus of more forgiveness

[jah7838]

I’m currently using the Cobra F6 Baffler with the Nventix Nunchuk set to 16*. I’ve messed around with it at 16.5*, but I seem to be more consistent with it at 16* for some reason. For years, I also used the original Adams XTD 15* Super Hybrid with the Proforce V2 Hybrid shaft. Ball speeds with that club were just as good as any fairway wood I tried. Those 2 clubs seem to be the most consistent clubs I’ve ever used in that spot in my bag.