Does anyone carry a strong 3 wood? If so, why?

[mholmstrom]

Basic Question, do you carry a strong 3 wood (less than 15 degrees) and if so, why? 

 

My Driver total distance is 260-270.  I started playing the Cobra F7 3W a few years ago adjusted to 14 degrees, which can get me 240-250 total distance.

 

Most courses i play are 6500 yds so the strong 3 wood is what I need to reach many of the par 5's in two. More importantly, I have a lot of confidence with it off the tee, so if driver isn't cooperating, I have a comfortable Plan B, going to the "hot" 3 wood off the tee, without giving up much distance. Once in awhile i stripe the 3 wood 260+ and start thinking, wow now i know what Henrick Stenson feels like. haha. 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2020 by mholmstrom

[13wes13]

I currently play a Titleist 910f 13.5 that I have turned up to 14.25 I believe. For basically the same reasons you do. I primarily use it off the tee, but it's nice to have that little bit extra for long part 5''s. 

[Rapidcat]

35 minutes ago, mholmstrom said:

Basic Question, do you carry a strong 3 wood (less than 15 degrees) and if so, why? 

 

My Driver total distance is 260-270.  I started playing the Cobra F7 3W a few years ago adjusted to 14 degrees, which can get me 240-250 total distance.

 

Most courses i play are 6500 yds so the strong 3 wood is what I need to reach many of the par 5's in two. More importantly, I have a lot of confidence with it off the tee, so if driver isn't cooperating, I have a comfortable Plan B, going to the "hot" 3 wood off the tee, without giving up much distance. Once in awhile i stripe the 3 wood 260+ and start thinking, wow now i know what Henrick Stenson feels like. haha. 

 

 

I have a similar story and distances to you re par 5's and driver co-operation.

 

For a strange reason I don't like the look of small headed fairway woods off a tee (but like them from the fairway). For that reason I play the Cobra Fly-Z which is a  181cc head that has a large footprint but still shallow enough to elevate off the fairway. Been having some driver issues and have turned down the loft to 13 deg for now and hitting it beautifully as a tee club.

[DallasSteve]

I hit my 13.5* TE CBX farther than any 15* 3-woods.  I need as much distance as I can get from the fairway; don't use it off the tee because . . . I need as much distance as I can get off the tee, so it's driver all the time off the tee!

[Chuck905]

I sold my 13.5* Callaway Epic SZ, it just went too far at times that I needed more separation from the driver. The worst is hitting less than driver off the tee deliberately and hitting it thru the fairway of a dog leg or reaching a fairway bunker.

 

I went back to my 16* 4 wood Callaway Steelhead. Not as long obviously but I consistently hit the yardage I am looking for. 

[bvanlieu]

I gamed one for years as it was more a tee club on shorter 4's then a from the deck club: my public courses didn't have the fairways that I could confidently strike a strong 3 from the deck outside of winter rules. 

 

I've gone back to a 4w for a year now and not looking back: just looks yummy at address vs. I hope I get this airborn 😄 

[Myherobobhope]

I use mine, 13.5 Adams, as mainly a tee club... it’s great for holes where I can’t hit driver but want to maximize distance (with no roll). I can play it off the fairway, but rarely use it for that... not many 250+ yard shots into greens.

[Millhill88]

9 hours ago, mholmstrom said:

Basic Question, do you carry a strong 3 wood (less than 15 degrees) and if so, why? 

 

My Driver total distance is 260-270.  I started playing the Cobra F7 3W a few years ago adjusted to 14 degrees, which can get me 240-250 total distance.

 

Most courses i play are 6500 yds so the strong 3 wood is what I need to reach many of the par 5's in two. More importantly, I have a lot of confidence with it off the tee, so if driver isn't cooperating, I have a comfortable Plan B, going to the "hot" 3 wood off the tee, without giving up much distance. Once in awhile i stripe the 3 wood 260+ and start thinking, wow now i know what Henrick Stenson feels like. haha. 

 

 

What you said!  I bag a Srixon F85 3+.  It is automatic off the tee.  If the driver isn't cooperating, the 3+ always finds the fairway and not far behind a pured driver hit.  It's also straight and easy to hit off the deck for par 5's.  I play league at a course that is only 6,200.  There are 27 holes but all 3 - 9's are about the same length.  I only hit driver on 5 of the 27 holes.  The 3+ puts me in the fairway for a short iron in.  

[518TitleistX]

I play the 14* rocket SiM Ti 3w turned down to 12*, not only to fill a yardage/gapping need, but specifically for the spin reduction.  I had been playing a 917F2 13.5* turned down to 12.75* for a few years and the SiM was just better. 

[tannyhoban]

Yes. I carry a King F7 set to 13.5D. I'm not a long hitter at all but this club is handy for low bullets on breezy days.

 

 

[MtlJeff]

I use it off the tee a lot so yea. Both my 3 woods are adjusted strong (13 or 13.5)

 

I don't find it makes a massive difference over 15 degrees anyway. No more than probably 5-7yds i would guess

[cardoustie]

I don’t.  My 5w goes almost as far as my 3w so I dropped it.  Now if my home course was open and you could chase 3 woods onto par 5’s I would likely change things up.  I can hit my g400 3 wood off the deck even when turned down to big minus .. 13.5*

 

 

 

[BeyondVision]

I did the opposite.  I had a 15 degree 3 wood but got rid of it and now using a 16.5 (4 wood).  Better gapping with my Driver.  After the 4 wood i do a hybrid 19".  

[nitram]

Year before last (after 11+ years) I retired my CB2 3+ and replaced it with a CBX119 3+ (13.2* measured). I re-shafted it with more of a mid-launch shaft. The main reason I use a 3+ is because it's windy at my home course and a lower/stronger flight is preferred , I personally see zero difference in launching it from the deck vs its brother (a 15* CBX 119 built with the same shaft) and have to adjust for a flatter trajectory and more roll. Where it shines though is off the tee on short par 4's. It's normally around 20 yards shorter than my driver and I can turn it over left to right a little better (consistently). 

[Ri_Redneck]

I only adjust my 3w down to 3+ (13*+/-) when playing long courses where it will be an advantage. I typically play it at 15.5 so I can get a high trajectory when needed. It's strictly course dependent.

 

BT

[puttingmatt]

I owned a few 13* fairways in my time, and they have a place in my bag depending on what courses I play. My recent TM Sim 3 wood offers the best package for me, 

At 15 * , it has the adjustability to go to 13* which now gives me the options I need from time to time, given the v sole is weighted, its a breeze to get airbourne at 13*. And gets  a touch open when adjusting from 15* to 13*. It is a weapon with options.

Whether from the tee or fairway, 

[joostin]

13.5° as a second driver that hits low bullets and I can draw, as driver is almost all cuts keeping the left side out of play.  I don't care much about gapping at the top end, and have considered a 2nd driver that I can draw - something either draw biased or smaller headed like an Original One or an older model that's easier for me to turn over.  I went with 3W in case I need it off the fairway which is not difficult.  Good club.  It's been more useful than 15° ever was for me.

[llewol007]

There was a small time when I played strong 3 woods in the 13.5 range but after a while, hitting a par 5 in two became more risk than reward at times. For me the 3 wood wasn’t really give me that much greater of a shot to hit it in two. I was using it so sparingly, that when I used it, the confidence was not where I needed it to be. I think for me now, if I’m not inside 250 for a second shot into a par 5, the better golfer in me takes the setup shot versus the risk reward shot. I’m carrying a 15 now and it gets me the 240 I need if I have that opportunity. Other than that, I’m right at 95 yards after my second and suddenly I’m licking my chops with my gap wedge in my hand. All preference I think. 

Edited December 14, 2020 by llewol007

[SmashGolfBall]

Playing a Taylormade M5 FW (14 deg set to 12 deg). Very easy to hit from the deck. 

[Fairway14]

Today's 15* loft 3-woods have 43" or 43.5" shafts which make them a very long hitting club. Consequently, there is no practical purpose for a stronger lofted (12* to 14*) 3-wood.

In the old days the 2-wood (strong 3-wood) was carried by some players instead of a 1-wood (driver). But these days everybody wants to have a driver in the bag so that has made the 2-wood (strong 3-wood) obsolete.

[vman]

I've been using the X2 Hot 3 Deep since it came out, tried everything in comparison and it's still in the bag. It replaced a Sonartec SS07, which was also fantastic....3 woods tend to stay in the bag a loooooonnnng time.

Edited December 15, 2020 by vman

[mattman]

11 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

Today's 15* loft 3-woods have 43" or 43.5" shafts which make them a very long hitting club. Consequently, there is no practical purpose for a stronger lofted (12* to 14*) 3-wood.

In the old days the 2-wood (strong 3-wood) was carried by some players instead of a 1-wood (driver). But these days everybody wants to have a driver in the bag so that has made the 2-wood (strong 3-wood) obsolete.

It's not obsolete. No matter how close I hit my 3w relative to my driver off the tee, I still need something to go as far as I need it to out of the fairway.

[Fairway14]

2 minutes ago, mattman said:

It's not obsolete. No matter how close I hit my 3w relative to my driver off the tee, I still need something to go as far as I need it to out of the fairway.

 

If a 15* 3-wood does not produce enough distance from a fairway lie then you should probably play a shorter set of tee boxes.

I think any player swinging 3-wood from the fairway more than twice per round is likely playing a course too long for their game.

[dropkicked]

917 f3 13.5... Never leaving my bag.(I may switch with the ATI face in the FW)  Lasers from the Tee and missiles from the fairway..

 

[mattman]

3 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

 

If a 15* 3-wood does not produce enough distance from a fairway lie then you should probably play a shorter set of tee boxes.

I think any player swinging 3-wood from the fairway more than twice per round is likely playing a course too long for their game.

Simply incorrect. I play all kinds of courses with ~560 yd par 5's which, for me, require a 260-270 yard second shot. Which is what I get out of a 13.5*

Edited December 15, 2020 by mattman

[Fairway14]

2 minutes ago, mattman said:

Simply incorrect. I play all kinds of courses with ~560 yd par 5's which, for me, require a 260-270 yard second shot. Which is what I get out of a 13.5*

 

Typically a course will have four par 5 holes ranging from about 490 to 570 yards. And of that group two holes are usually narrow fairways with a well protected green and the other two are usually wider with a lager green. In any case modern 15* 3-woods have large heads and long shafts, suitable for level fairway lies. Strong lofted 13* 3-woods demand an even more perfect, sitting up, level lie. So, it's rare one would get the combination of great lie and long distance required more than twice per round.

For my own game I probably average playing a 3-wood shot from the fairway once every three or four rounds of golf. It's in the bag because I swing it from three to five tee boxes per round.

[mattman]

23 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

 

Typically a course will have four par 5 holes ranging from about 490 to 570 yards. And of that group two holes are usually narrow fairways with a well protected green and the other two are usually wider with a lager green. In any case modern 15* 3-woods have large heads and long shafts, suitable for level fairway lies. Strong lofted 13* 3-woods demand an even more perfect, sitting up, level lie. So, it's rare one would get the combination of great lie and long distance required more than twice per round.

For my own game I probably average playing a 3-wood shot from the fairway once every three or four rounds of golf. It's in the bag because I swing it from three to five tee boxes per round.

Right, so on average twice a round I'll have an opportunity to go at a par 5 in two from about 260 yards. Maybe 250 which is not the hardest adjustment with a 3w, and even if it does go a bit long, fine. At my home course, there are three holes where I tend to hit the 3w off the tee, and it's more so about it being easier to draw than a driver than it is staying short of trouble. I've got a 230 yd club for the 250 yard hazard. 

To your point about playability, I played a 15* for years and don't find the lower loft to be any more difficult to hit. If anything, it's 10 yards longer and a more piercing ball flight. 

Whether I had a 15* or a 13.5*, I wouldn't hit it more than a couple times a round. But I'd rather have that extra length for when I need it, because why not? Take advantage of modern technology and try to get as many strokes from the course as you can out of length. If I had a 15*, I might find myself locked out of the carry I need from time to time, playing different courses.

It seems you and I have different uses/philosophies about our 3 wood, but the 13.5* not an obsolete club. 

Edited December 15, 2020 by mattman

[Ri_Redneck]

I was REALLY under the impression that each individual golfer got to choose what was appropriate for their game. If Mattman and I both play with strategies that periodically call for a strong 3w, then I supposed we should be welcome to carry said club without being browbeaten about playing the wrong tees. Part of the game of golf is the challenge. As for myself, I sometimes play courses that others deem "too long for my game". When I do this, I make every effort to maintain my normal pace of play which is right behind the group ahead of me or 3 hrs on an open course. Even on courses that are "typical" in design and length, the need for a strong 3w comes up. Say I have a hole where I would like to drive the green, but the group ahead of me is taking their time putting out and another group has pulled up. In that case, I take my strong 3w and place the ball just short of the green. Just because FW14 thinks there is no reasonable need for a 3w+, doesn't mean that is the case for everyone.

 

Also, to suggest one needs a perfect lie to play a shot with a 3w+ is borderline offensive IMHO.

 

BT

Edited December 15, 2020 by Ri_Redneck

[GSDriver]

I did when I was young and strong enough to hit it well, now I use a 5 wood.

 

Anyone remember the Callaway Deuce?

 

I also used to play my TM Burner Bubble 9.5 as a fairway wood, these mailbox size drivers not as easy to hit off the deck.

[Fairway14]

2 minutes ago, Ri_Redneck said:

Just because FW14 thinks there is no reasonable need for a 3w+, doesn't mean that is the case for everyone.

 

 

Obviously players can put whatever clubs they want within their bags. This is a discussion forum and my contribution to this thread was to make points about why the strong 3-wood is not especially popular. Sorry if you interpret those points to mean "no player should carry a strong 3-wood", because that was not my intention.

In my own bag I carry a 64* wedge, a loft I am certain lots of people would believe does not make good sense. But I was struggling to play particular shots well and found the 64* to be helpful. If you guys who carry a strong 3-wood find it helps you shoot lower scores that's great.