Whither the 3-wood?

[Gdmichael]

Should the 3-wood be compact or in proportion to our driver?

Whither the 3-wood?

Should it be growing, staying in proportion to the big drivers or should it remain compact and closer in size to today's hybrids?

Edited by Mike Stachura
Golf Digest
June 2007

We all know our drivers are supposed to be the size of mailboxes, but what about the driver's younger sibling, the 3-wood? Should it be growing, too, staying in proportion to the 460 cubic-centimeter driver (such as the PING Rapture and COBRA Speed LD), or should it remain compact and closer in size to today's hybrids? Or perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the middle (like the ADAMS Insight BUL). Just how this will play out in the marketplace isn't clear yet. Some manufacturers have introduced size options within the same line. They include the Adams Insight, the Cobra Speed and the TaylorMade Burner. In each case the smaller model is designed for better players, and the husky version for the rest of us. But the right one for you isn't that simple, and the arguments for each side are compelling.

The Nickent 4DX brazes a steel face and body with a titanium crown; the Adams Insight's three models braze a titanium cup face and crown to a steel chassis; the Callaway Big Bertha is oversize but maintains a shallow face.

"The big head doesn't give you the confidence at address," says Jesse Ortiz, creator of the more conventionally sized and low-profile Bobby Jones line of fairway woods. "From a tight lie in a fairway, the smaller head makes it look like the ball is teed up. A bigger head, to me, just seems to engulf the ball."

Another factor to consider is moment of inertia (or stability), which results in forgiveness. "Certainly, larger heads are more forgiving than smaller heads--that's as true for fairway woods as it is for drivers," says Jeff Colton, Callaway's senior vice president of research and development. "Sometimes a larger head is easier to get up in the air because it might have a lower center of gravity and will be less influenced by mis-hits."

It depends on how a designer utilizes the club's volume. The low-profile look is designed to keep the weight low. Its sacrifice, though, is a smaller face. Bigger heads give you more contact area (as well as the potential for higher ball speed on mis-hits) but can pose a challenge with how the size interacts with the ground. Still, a bigger head doesn't necessarily mean a taller face. Designers are stretching the shape while maintaining a low profile.

The TaylorMade Burner comes in steel, titanium and the smaller TP; the Nicklaus Dual Point places 35 grams below the center of gravity to help get the ball in the air; the Cobra Speed line includes the compact Pro and the larger LD.

Looks, of course, are only part of the issue. Larger heads on 3-woods give designers more material to work with. A large-headed 3-wood also makes for a smoother visual transition from a big-headed driver. However, some say that's focusing on the wrong idea. Arriving at a particular head size should be "an output, not an input," says Tim Reed, vice president of research and design at Adams Golf. "We're looking to set an ideal inertia number, and then we try to build the smallest possible head to meet that inertia goal."

Controlling size is important, Reed says, because of how the sole of the club interacts with the grass or sand: "The fear is always that you can get the head so big that you lose playability from a variety of lies," he says.

Reed's advice is useful: Focus on what you want the club to do. If its primary function is as a No. 2 driver, going too big should be less of a concern. But realize that you might suffer playability options if you have to hit the club from the fairway.

Most tour players continue to use 3-woods that are conventional in size (about 160cc on average), and Ortiz is betting that won't change. "If those guys start using big fairway woods, I'll go out and eat all my headcovers," he says. It's worth noting, however, that just as with driver size, 3-woods on tour--just like those for sale in stores--are getting bigger than they used to be.



Take a look at this season's hottest fairway woods >

[oregongolf]

wow, after looking at the chart and seeing the disparity between the smallest and the largest volume heads, i'm pretty amazed. i guess i've just never really paid much attention.

 

personally i prefer a slightly smaller head, but that may just be because i love my np-99.

[golfdigest]

For the past two seasons, my "3-wood" has been a TM R5 Dual 5-wood. The head's plenty big enough for me, and there's not much of a distance gap between that and my TM R7 Driver (which is straight enough for me on all but the tightest driving holes). I get much more use out of my gap wedge than any 3-wood it took the place of...

[Cal]

It's bizarre.... If you look back to the size of drivers we played in the 80s they were about 180ccs or less even!.

 

If three woods keep getting bigger most players won't have a club over 200 yards that they can work either way when they need it or get through some light rough.

[oregongolf]

It's bizarre.... If you look back to the size of drivers we played in the 80s they were about 180ccs or less even!.

 

If three woods keep getting bigger most players won't have a club over 200 yards that they can work either way when they need it or get through some light rough.

 

there's also the trend of hybrids going lower and lower in loft (14-ish degrees), so hopefully there will always be options.

 

also, working the ball is a little different than it used to be in years past. balls today are engineered to hold a straighter line. i'm not saying it can't be done, but it's nothing like bending a balata.

[laseranimal]

I think a lot of people have come to the realization that they just don't hit 3 wood the way they used to.

 

There are a number of factors at play here:

 

1. Many better players are getting longer with the driver, which means means that they're going to be going into par 5's with higher lofted woods, hybrids, and long irons rather then 3 wood and they're just as likely to take driver out and go OVER the hazards then take 3 wood and lay up short.

 

2. The proliferation of low lofted hybrids. Your average 20 handicapper has no business trying to hit a 3 wood off the deck, lets face it, many of them don't hit WEDGE well, and now you're asking them to try to hit a 150cc 15* lofted wood with a 43 inch shaft? For MANY people a hybrid is going to be easier to hit off the deck without much of a distance loss off the tee.

 

3. The new 460cc high MOI drivers and low spin balls are straighter. With all the weighting options available today I think a lot of people are finding that its easier to have a driver that locks in one shot shape, whether its straight, draw, or fade. While there are always going to be a large group of people who look for workability in the driver, a significant number of golfers have decided that being able to hit one shape consistently is better for their game. The 3 wood then becomes more valuable for its smaller head shape and lower MOI which allows greater shot shaping potential off the tee.

 

 

I've made this observation before, but I think you're going to see conventional 3 woods become rarer and rarer in the next few years. Instead people are going to start putting 14-17* hybrids or "2" woods ie 12-14* lofted 200-250cc clubheads with 44-45 inch shafts as drivers start to creep out to 46-47 inches as OEM's look for more distance to sell to the public.

 

Will there be players who will continue to use conventional 3 woods? I think so, despite all the emphasis on replacing long irons with hybrids and fairway woods, there are still more then a few players who still carry 2, 3, and 4 iron so I don't think the 3 wood is going the way of the niblick, but I could be wrong.

[Cal]

It's bizarre.... If you look back to the size of drivers we played in the 80s they were about 180ccs or less even!.

 

If three woods keep getting bigger most players won't have a club over 200 yards that they can work either way when they need it or get through some light rough.

 

there's also the trend of hybrids going lower and lower in loft (14-ish degrees), so hopefully there will always be options.

 

also, working the ball is a little different than it used to be in years past. balls today are engineered to hold a straighter line. i'm not saying it can't be done, but it's nothing like bending a balata.

 

 

Gotta love those old balatas... remember they way they would take off..... the first hundred was low and then they would make that humming noise and climb into the air.. Beautiful... great feedback. Boy could you bend em.... You could nearly hit four Iron out over the fairway next door and bend it back to yours.

 

I have tried the low loft hybrids and have not got on as well as with a 3 or 4 wood. The swings are different enough that your low loft hybrid will start to pick up your long iron swing faults and magnify them. Thats why I stick with the 4 wood. A 19* hybrid is as low as I will go. I tried a 17* and it started to get ugly.

 

I'm hoping they still make some nice neat woods like the Sonartecs and the companies don't get on the ping rapture bandwagon... that thing is huge.

[Gdmichael]

Laseranimal makes somne excellent points.

 

Currently, I am playing to an 11 on my way to my usual 9 while the winter rust shakes off! My 3-wood (TM r580) has become my driver on short courses. It's incredibly reliable and accurate for me and on those par-4s under 400 yards I don't need the extra distance my driver delivers. Cost/benefit dictates my decision. I like it the way it is-slim compact profile. My 3-wood is in for the long haul!

 

Last year I took my 4-iron out of the bag and replaced it with a TM Rescue Dual 22 degree. The course I play regularly has two par 3s that play 195 to 210. The switch has been perfect and its become my ace in the hole when I need 200 yards and accuracy is key.

 

With such results from that change, this year I took the 5-wood out of the bag and replaced it with TM Rescue Dual 19 degree. It is becoming my lay up club off the tee...similar results so far.

[Goldenhawk]

I used to carry a large-head 3-wood...a Callaway X-Hot. The shaft snapped right above the hosel during a lesson. A large head means a large mass at the end of the club. It could make the shaft more prone to breaking from the stress. So I went back to my Callaway GBBII. I have had this club since 2004 and it still performs.

[jpbouffard]

For me, a 3-wood is now a specialty club. Here's why:

 

1. Drivers are so much easier to hit today, there's little use for a 3 wood off the tee. The exception is a hole where you have to lay up short of something. Usually a hybrid or higher lofted metalwood works just as well in this situation.

 

2. I find it very difficult to hit a 3-wood consistently off even a good lie in the fairway. Hybrids are much easier for me from the fairway, with less shot dispersion and comparable distance on mis-hit shots. What you lose is the 15 extra yards on the pure 3-wood from the fairway, which happens about once every 6 months for me.

 

3. Leaving the 3 wood out allows for an extra wedge, which is typically used multiple times per round, and is a scoring club.

 

What I'm giving away is 2-3 shots per round where the 3 wood could possibly allow me to reach a green that I can't reach with my second longest club (2 hybrid). These are low percentage shots, and the extra wedge is used more often in high-percentage situations.

 

I think the average golfer only needs a three wood if there are a number of situations where it is useful. And maybe there are golfers who can hit one well off the fairway, but I'm a 13 and I can't, so I think you have to be a darn good ball striker to get much use out of one.

[geeza_1]

I think the 3 wood still has a place in the modern game.

 

I would definitely like to see more fairway woods at shorter lengths (3 wood 42"), with much shallower faces and better stock shafts.

 

Even the pros are starting to see this trend with shallower wider faces. These clubs are simply easier to hit from tightly mown fairways.

[iCollector]

Well, I like my 3w, and my 5w - very much. I prefer the smaller volume heads, I seem to feel more comfortable with them, and confidence is a big plus out on the course. I also think the smaller head is easier to hit off he fairway. I've hit my 5w 220+ of the deck more than a few times. I don't hit my hybrids nearly as far. I say keep them small... at least for me.

[Superman]

The origional big bertha DRIVER was about 230cc, the rapture fairway wood is that size. How sick is that. I like tiny fairway woods, just like a driver the sweet spot is fairly high on woods and so why would you want to have to take a divot with a wood to hit the sweet spot?

[kenfuji]

a 3 wood has always been the hardest club for me to find. I always had an issue with the weight and feel of the club due the shaft length. It always feels like an in between kind of club and could never get consistant results.

[threeputter]

I haven't carried a three wood in years. I do carry a 4 wood (17*) however for about 3-4 years and while I've tried to replace it with maybe a 3 wood for extra distance or a hybrid, nothing seems to meet my needs. Full swing I get 240 or so. Choke up an inch and swing 3/4, and I'll get 215 or so. I need to work it left or right, can do. Need a little more height or need to hit a stinget, it can do that to. It's a 980f with a speeder shaft. It has dings and chips out of the paint, but lo and behold it stays in the bag. I've liked some others but it seems I have to give up something. Sure I can hit the burner further, but it hooks and I lose the low shot. I can work a few others but it seems I lose distance. Also, the larger headed woods throw me off and don't feel comfortable off the deck with them.

[stage1350]

I don't mind a more compact head from heel to toe, but I want a DEEP FACE! I remember the old persimmon Tommy Armour 693 fairway wood that Jack used. It had a six screw insert on a 3 wood. Super deep face.

 

This lets me really work it off the tee and still have a compact head for getting through rough. The closest that I've seen in modern 3 woods is the Nike T-60. I have a buddy that uses it and he destroys it.

 

The absolute last thing that I want is a low-profile 3 wood. I would think with the composite and weight technology available today from the OEMs that we can have a deep face with an extremely low center of gravity.

[geeza_1]

I don't mind a more compact head from heel to toe, but I want a DEEP FACE! I remember the old persimmon Tommy Armour 693 fairway wood that Jack used. It had a six screw insert on a 3 wood. Super deep face.

 

This lets me really work it off the tee and still have a compact head for getting through rough. The closest that I've seen in modern 3 woods is the Nike T-60. I have a buddy that uses it and he destroys it.

 

The absolute last thing that I want is a low-profile 3 wood. I would think with the composite and weight technology available today from the OEMs that we can have a deep face with an extremely low center of gravity.

 

The Nike T60 is probably the one for you then. It is still a popular club. I have never had any luck with deep faced fairway woods off tightly mown fairways, even when all the weight is in the sole. Maybe it's a psychological thing. Who knows!

[pbjoe]

I like the idea of compact woods.

[smittysbar]

Love my 3w, wouldn't like a big one. I think it would actually hurt my confidence when trying to hit off the ground in a fairway or rough.

[scotte]

For me, in my opinion, I like them small. the titleist 980f is perfect. THe newer bigger titleist woods are not nearly as easy to hit.

 

I have tried the bigger clubs, and I just can't pick the ball clean with them.

[abefroeman]

I've made this observation before, but I think you're going to see conventional 3 woods become rarer and rarer in the next few years. Instead people are going to start putting 14-17* hybrids or "2" woods ie 12-14* lofted 200-250cc clubheads with 44-45 inch shafts as drivers start to creep out to 46-47 inches as OEM's look for more distance to sell to the public.

 

I have been waiting for a club like this, 3-woods are just so much easier to hit than drivers. it would be great to carry a Driver and 2-wood (250cc, 11*, 44"), and then 17* hybrid. A lot of people seem to like the 2 drivers approach but, I would rather have a really low lofted 3 wood as the consistent tee club.

 

Love my 3w, wouldn't like a big one. I think it would actually hurt my confidence when trying to hit off the ground in a fairway or rough.

 

oh, i would have zero confidence of the deck with one of these. But i would also have zero intensions of using one of the deck.

[g8a_golf]

i think that there's such thing as too small and too large. i have launcher woods and they are a bit deep in the face, but definitely look shallow compared to the big bertha. my woods have a smaller head, and i like that, but the face seems a bit longer heel to toe, and that instills confidence to me. when i was watching the open, i noticed that the announcers said "Cabrera going with driver..." when it was actually his 3 wood. some of these new fw's are absolutely disgusting, but most seem to still be taking the conservative approach to the design and those are the ones i will stick with...

[golfebj]

If they would just create a newer version of the Original Titleist PT that was slightly larger, same sound, same feel with the added forgiveness...My God! I would sell my driver for it. And I love my driver!

 

The PT just sits so well behind the ball it's ridiculous. It's just hard to look at the fact that my 585H felt probably larger (in volume) than the PT.

 

Long live the PT.

 

I remember taking it out of the bag and getting ready to hit a tee shot and someone asked, "What kind of hybrid is that?"

[drewmart2004]

I've never been able to hita 3-Wood well off of the deck. For the few months or so I've been usng a 16.5* Mizuno F-50 4-Wood which is about as low a loft as I can hit off the fairway. When I had a higher handicap, above 20, I just used a 5-Wood, I didn't lose a lot of distance (10-15 yards compared to my 4-Wood) and it is much easier to hit.

[drewmart2004]

I've never been able to hita 3-Wood well off of the deck. For the few months or so I've been usng a 16.5* Mizuno F-50 4-Wood which is about as low a loft as I can hit off the fairway. When I had a higher handicap, above 20, I just used a 5-Wood, I didn't lose a lot of distance (10-15 yards compared to my 4-Wood) and it is much easier to hit.

[handmadeaddicted]

The nike is the closest thing to a big pt i have seen or maybe the 906 f2 but i love them both so so much.

[granitebaygolfer]

abefroeman,

You might want to look at this clubhead from Wishon, which sounds exactly what you are looking for. Click on the right side for the Specifications.

 

It was designed as "Thriver" part 3w and part driver. Primarily designed for use off the tee, though golfers with high swingspeeds could use it off the deck.

 

QUOTE(laseranimal @ May 22 2007, 02:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I've made this observation before, but I think you're going to see conventional 3 woods become rarer and rarer in the next few years. Instead people are going to start putting 14-17* hybrids or "2" woods ie 12-14* lofted 200-250cc clubheads with 44-45 inch shafts as drivers start to creep out to 46-47 inches as OEM's look for more distance to sell to the public.

 

I have been waiting for a club like this, 3-woods are just so much easier to hit than drivers. it would be great to carry a Driver and 2-wood (250cc, 11*, 44"), and then 17* hybrid. A lot of people seem to like the 2 drivers approach but, I would rather have a really low lofted 3 wood as the consistent tee club.

[hodsy811]

I just bought a Ping Rapture 14*. I rarely hit 3 wood off the deck because either I don't need to hit that long of a club into the par 5s I ususally play, or, there is too much trouble around the green and it isn't worth the risk. For me, it is easier to transition from the large driver clubhead to the large 3 wood clubhead. I carry a 16* hybrid for the longer shots off the deck.

 

There are enough times that a driver would be too long, and that a 3 wood is needed off the tee where I play.

[ezra76]

I have a 13* Taylormade TP. I find it a very useful club. I purposely got the club with a shaft I could elevate off the deck and hit a draw off the tee with. I have trouble drawing my driver, the 13* is a stock draw for me. I also hit it consistantly off the fairway or a good lie in the rough. I've seen a lot of the new GI type 3W's and they are ridiculous. I could hit my driver off the deck as consistantly as a 20capper is going to hit one of those.