Is there a Preferred or standard length for a 3 wood

[AddisonMP]

Now this comes about b/c I've recently cut my 915 D2 down to 44.5" from 45.5" and even though its just an inch I feel the clubs easier to control. So i'm curious what the proper length of my 3wood should be? If there's a standard or preferred length? I also use a XR fairway which I believe is longer than average anyway.

 

Thanks in advance,

Jon

[RandomGolfGuy]

Its all personal preference but like my 3 wood at 43 or just under. 42.5-43 is my comfort zone. I am comfortable with my driver at 45.

[AddisonMP]

I'm going to take mine down to 42.5" and try to gain more control. I'm impressed with the control I've gained from my driver being shortened. Hopefully I get the same results from the 3w.

[Stuart_G]

There is no real standard anymore, but with that driver length, a 1-1/2" to 2" length difference between the driver and 3wd usually works fairly well for most. But that's just a starting place, don't hesitate to play around with different lengths (choking up) to find what works best for you.

[chicagolongball]

I play mine at 42 inches. It just feels best at that length. 43 is pretty standard.

[nova6868]

43 is standard now.

 

I prefer 42.5-43.

 

[AddisonMP]

Stopped by golfsmith this morning and had it cut down. Looking forward to playing it tomorrow. Not sure if my hybrid is supposed to fall in line with the 2" length increment change but I looked it up on Titleist website and it measure's 40.5" stock. So i'm currently at 44.5" Driver, 42.5" 3wood, 40.5" 19* hybrid. In my mind thats great b/c I like things to fall in line equally, hopefully that translates to me being more confident and controlled.

[Swingem]

I've been playing my 3w at 42" for years, driver at 44.5".

[sixtysevensixtyseven]

43" is standard. I play a shorter 5 wood but maintained D3 swingweight it in for more control. I mostly use my 3 wood off the tee so 43" is comfortable for me where 42" in the 5 wood gets it done. I also don't carry a 3 iron or hybrid so it cut a little distance off the 5 wood which works out perfectly.

[jgripp81]

42.5-43 here also. Bubba plays his at 43 I believe and he's a tall guy. Tiger I think I saw plays his 5 wood at like 41.5 (as do I). He's 6'1 or 6'2.

Only issue with shortening shafts a bunch is gaining the swing weight back. Glad I own a hotmelt gun just for that reason.

[Boricua Golf]

Agreed on a shorter shaft, I play 44.25" on the driver and 41.75" on the 4W, way more control and accuracy, did not lose any distance either...but like stated above it is up to what works best for you, I have caddied for the pros for the last 6 years and they differ in lengths, so get fitted and go shoot low scores...good luck

[sixtysevensixtyseven]

42.5-43 here also. Bubba plays his at 43 I believe and he's a tall guy. Tiger I think I saw plays his 5 wood at like 41.5 (as do I). He's 6'1 or 6'2.

Only issue with shortening shafts a bunch is gaining the swing weight back. Glad I own a hotmelt gun just for that reason.

 

+1 on setting the right swingweight. I play all Titleist so it is easy enough to just buy a weight kit.

 

As an addition to playing the shorter length in the 5 wood what I found was the by playing it a little shorter I tend to swing it a little more upright and take a little baby divot. I make much better contact and the ball tends to land more softly.

 

On the flip side my 3 wood gets about 95% of its use off the tee and I like to play it at 43".

[The Chicken Connoisseur]

For the guys playing it like an inch shorter than standard: besides adding weight to the head, do you have to tip the shaft as if it was like a 7-wood?

[sixtysevensixtyseven]

For the guys playing it like an inch shorter than standard: besides adding weight to the head, do you have to tip the shaft as if it was like a 7-wood

 

I've got a frequency machine so I tip it to the frequency I like. It takes a little playing around with but I get it to where it needs to be in the end.

[AddisonMP]

42.5-43 here also. Bubba plays his at 43 I believe and he's a tall guy. Tiger I think I saw plays his 5 wood at like 41.5 (as do I). He's 6'1 or 6'2.

Only issue with shortening shafts a bunch is gaining the swing weight back. Glad I own a hotmelt gun just for that reason.

 

+1 on setting the right swingweight. I play all Titleist so it is easy enough to just buy a weight kit.

 

As an addition to playing the shorter length in the 5 wood what I found was the by playing it a little shorter I tend to swing it a little more upright and take a little baby divot. I make much better contact and the ball tends to land more softly.

 

On the flip side my 3 wood gets about 95% of its use off the tee and I like to play it at 43".

42.5-43 here also. Bubba plays his at 43 I believe and he's a tall guy. Tiger I think I saw plays his 5 wood at like 41.5 (as do I). He's 6'1 or 6'2.

Only issue with shortening shafts a bunch is gaining the swing weight back. Glad I own a hotmelt gun just for that reason.

 

Good to know, I wouldn't have thought to add weight. Only one inch being cut requires some new weighting?

[The Chicken Connoisseur]

42.5-43 here also. Bubba plays his at 43 I believe and he's a tall guy. Tiger I think I saw plays his 5 wood at like 41.5 (as do I). He's 6'1 or 6'2.

Only issue with shortening shafts a bunch is gaining the swing weight back. Glad I own a hotmelt gun just for that reason.

 

+1 on setting the right swingweight. I play all Titleist so it is easy enough to just buy a weight kit.

 

As an addition to playing the shorter length in the 5 wood what I found was the by playing it a little shorter I tend to swing it a little more upright and take a little baby divot. I make much better contact and the ball tends to land more softly.

 

On the flip side my 3 wood gets about 95% of its use off the tee and I like to play it at 43".

42.5-43 here also. Bubba plays his at 43 I believe and he's a tall guy. Tiger I think I saw plays his 5 wood at like 41.5 (as do I). He's 6'1 or 6'2.

Only issue with shortening shafts a bunch is gaining the swing weight back. Glad I own a hotmelt gun just for that reason.

 

Good to know, I wouldn't have thought to add weight. Only one inch being cut requires some new weighting?

 

If you wanted the same swing weight, it would require about 12 grams!

[Stuart_G]

Good to know, I wouldn't have thought to add weight. Only one inch being cut requires some new weighting?

 

If you wanted the same swing weight, it would require about 12 grams!

 

But unfortunately, the same swing weight does not necessarily mean the same feel.

 

Whether some additional weighting is needed after cutting down a shaft, and how much, depends on quite a lot of different things. It takes some trial and error (usually done with some lead tape) to really figure it with any degree of accuracy.

[DNice26]

42.5-43 here also. Bubba plays his at 43 I believe and he's a tall guy. Tiger I think I saw plays his 5 wood at like 41.5 (as do I). He's 6'1 or 6'2.

Only issue with shortening shafts a bunch is gaining the swing weight back. Glad I own a hotmelt gun just for that reason.

 

+1 on setting the right swingweight. I play all Titleist so it is easy enough to just buy a weight kit.

 

As an addition to playing the shorter length in the 5 wood what I found was the by playing it a little shorter I tend to swing it a little more upright and take a little baby divot. I make much better contact and the ball tends to land more softly.

 

On the flip side my 3 wood gets about 95% of its use off the tee and I like to play it at 43".

42.5-43 here also. Bubba plays his at 43 I believe and he's a tall guy. Tiger I think I saw plays his 5 wood at like 41.5 (as do I). He's 6'1 or 6'2.

Only issue with shortening shafts a bunch is gaining the swing weight back. Glad I own a hotmelt gun just for that reason.

 

Good to know, I wouldn't have thought to add weight. Only one inch being cut requires some new weighting?

 

If im not mistaken, Bubba plays his 3 at 42".

[linkerpan]

Good to know, I wouldn't have thought to add weight. Only one inch being cut requires some new weighting?

 

If you wanted the same swing weight, it would require about 12 grams!

 

But unfortunately, the same swing weight does not necessarily mean the same feel.

 

Whether some additional weighting is needed after cutting down a shaft, and how much, depends on quite a lot of different things. It takes some trial and error (usually done with some lead tape) to really figure it with any degree of accuracy.

 

I think I know what you mean by feel, but how you define the feel more than using swingweight to get to it?

[Stuart_G]

I think I know what you mean by feel, but how you define the feel more than using swingweight to get to it?

 

The million dollar question that club makers/fitters have been trying to find a good answer to for as long as anyone can remember.

 

MOI is generally considered more accurate than swing weight in this respect but still has it's limitations since it's not completely independent from the full static weight of the club.

 

The problem is (at least as I see it), that this feel is a product of both the specs of the club (static weight and MOI the club) and the specific swing mechanics of the individual. So very hard to come up with a "one equation fits all" approach. And "the feel" will always be a potentially complex combination of both the effort needed to rotate the club (MOI), where the actual center of rotation might be (to accurately compute the MOI), and the effort to impart linear motion to the club (static weight). e.g. static weight might play a bigger role for someone with a quicker transition vs someone with a smoother transition. MOI might play a bigger role for someone with a very late release vs someone with an early release.

[jedc]

I think many would be better off with a length shorter than standard, which has changed(gotten longer) over the many years of this game. I play my driver at 44" and 4-wood at 42". I think fairway woods are hard enough for most amateurs to hit off the deck and a longer length just makes it worse, unless they have a very well timed swing. I had my club tip weighted so the feel wasn't affected by the length change. With all that said, go get fit and make sure they address the length of your clubs.

[njauq676]

 

Tom Wishon has a lot of good stuff on here about club length (see his chart above). In short he basically states that "standard" club lengths off of the shelf are way too long for the average golfer and lead to very inconsistent play.

 

My wrist-to-floor measurement is 36". I have been playing my woods at the following and have seen much greater consistency since experimenting with this.

 

Driver - 44"

3Wood - 42"

5Wood - 41"

[TomWishon]

Now this comes about b/c I've recently cut my 915 D2 down to 44.5" from 45.5" and even though its just an inch I feel the clubs easier to control. So i'm curious what the proper length of my 3wood should be? If there's a standard or preferred length? I also use a XR fairway which I believe is longer than average anyway.

 

Thanks in advance,

Jon

 

Driver and wood length are fit to the golfer's ABILITY, never with anything to do with golfer height or arm length or wrist to floor measurement. And it is a good idea to not try to tie the 3w length to the driver length in some type of automatic assumption for x" shorter on the 3w compared to the driver length. Hitting a 3w off the deck has its own different ability requirements vs hitting a driver off a tee.

 

So if by experimentation you find that your best driver length is 44.5, You never subtract 1" or 1 1/2" or any preset assumption to figure out your 3w length. You go at the 3w with the same experimentation you did with the driver that led you to your best driver length. Rarely do you find a player who hits 43" better than 42.5" or even 42" with the 3w because you are talking trying to hit a 14-15* loft head with the ball sitting on the ground. That's actually more skill than hitting a driver off a tee.

 

And the idea is to find what is the longest length that you can achieve your highest percentage of on center hits for shots hit off the deck, to hit the ball well up in the air to fly. For most, that is more than likely UNDER 43", if you are really honest with your evaluation. And at the end of the day, you always ERR ON THE SIDE OF SHORTER with the 3w. Because when it comes down to it, a half inch is nothing in terms of distance effect for most golfers, but it can be quite important with regard to on center hit and higher launch achievement with the 3w.

 

So if you are torn between 43 and 42.5, go the shorter one. If you are torn between 42.5 and 42, go with the 42. Golf is a game of playing the percentages, not betting on the higher risk. if you only hit the 3w four times in a round, you want the percentages in your favor to achieve at least 3 of those to be really good, solid high flying shots. Going with the half inch less than you might think is a really good way to do that.

 

Then once you have your best 3w length, from there with the other woods you go down 1" in length for each 2 number change down in the woods as your guide. 3w = 42.5", then 5w = 41.5" as your starting point, and you see how that goes. You never want only a half inch between 3w/5w or between 5w/7w because for later release players that can compress the distance gaps too much.

[TomWishon]

 

Tom Wishon has a lot of good stuff on here about club length (see his chart above). In short he basically states that "standard" club lengths off of the shelf are way too long for the average golfer and lead to very inconsistent play.

 

My wrist-to-floor measurement is 36". I have been playing my woods at the following and have seen much greater consistency since experimenting with this.

 

Driver - 44"

3Wood - 42"

5Wood - 41"

 

It has been in the last 2 yrs that I have DUMPED THE DRIVER LENGTH FROM THIS CHART - because I see driver and wood length as being related to ability of the golfer and having nothing to do with wrist to floor. This chart comes from before I had that realization in my fitting research, so now when I see this chart I AM EMBARRASSED !!!!! Because it is bogus for the driver length now !!!

[sixtysevensixtyseven]

 

Tom Wishon has a lot of good stuff on here about club length (see his chart above). In short he basically states that "standard" club lengths off of the shelf are way too long for the average golfer and lead to very inconsistent play.

 

My wrist-to-floor measurement is 36". I have been playing my woods at the following and have seen much greater consistency since experimenting with this.

 

Driver - 44"

3Wood - 42"

5Wood - 41"

 

It has been in the last 2 yrs that I have DUMPED THE DRIVER LENGTH FROM THIS CHART - because I see driver and wood length as being related to ability of the golfer and having nothing to do with wrist to floor. This chart comes from before I had that realization in my fitting research, so now when I see this chart I AM EMBARRASSED !!!!! Because it is bogus for the driver length now !!!

 

+1. I struggled with my FWs mightily for years. I started playing a weak 42" 5 wood after playing with only a 43" 3 wood in the bag for a long time. I couldn't believe what a shorter 5 wood has done for the top end of my bag and I couldn't believe that a 1/2" could make such a drastic difference.

 

I don't think there is a hard and fast rule when it comes to playing length but I would suggest Tom's chart as a starting point and then adjust from there. In hindsight I should have started at the longest length that I could hit solidly consistently and then adjust the loft to achieve the distance I was looking for.

[njauq676]

It may not have much to do with wrist-to-floor, but is it not still true that the average golfer will drive the ball much more consistently with a 44" driver as opposed to a 45" driver?

[Coheed]

44.5" driver but still play my 3w at 43" which I think is pretty standard.

[drscho]

44.5 driver and 42.5 3 wood. All of my other clubs are at standard length.

[toad37]

This topic is so important, wish there was more understanding of it among golfers. The big club making companies are doing us no favors with these super long shafts... and I'm 6'3"

[Banker]

And you measure by running the ruler from the hosel line up to the grip in playing position right? Putters are the only club measured from the center of the face?