Ping fairway dilemma 14.5 3 metal or lofted down 5 metal.......What did you go with and why?

[af592]

Title pretty much says it all. Cannot seem to decide which way to go, and wanted to hear the peoples feedback. 

 

Big Thanks 

[courcy75]

Following this thread too. Just bought a 7 wood to turn down a bit. These newer heads fly a bit further than my 07 burner TP's lol. 

[North Butte]

Do you want the half inch longer shaft or not? 

 

Do you want a face that looks square or one that looks open?

 

Those are the only two aspects that matter in the decision, as far as I can tell. 

[Hougz79]

I'd add forgiveness as a smaller, tertiary factor.   A 5w will be smaller than a 3w and thus slightly less forgiving.  Generally extra loft and shorter shafts make a 5w forgiving, but if a player struggles with impact, it could be a factor, especially with a cranked open face and less loft.  

[rp4golf]

Totally depends on your gapping to your next club in your bag, and the course(s) you play.

Personally I have a high-lofted 17-degree 3-wood (really a 4-wood) in my bag as my primary fairway wood, and then a 7-wood as my next club. This gives me about 20 yards between them.
If I had a lower-lofted 3-wood in my bag, then to get decent gapping I'd have to carry a normal-lofted 5-wood.

[Sub_Roc]

I had both, but ultimately the lofted down Ping G 5 wood to 16.5 worked the best off the deck and the tee.  That said, I did add back a 3 wood primarily for the par 4s to set up for the 2nd shot.  I could easily go without a 3 wood, but it is so nice to smoke a tight laser straight shot off a low tee.

[animalgolfs]

SFT 16* 410 setting small + 42"

 

I tried 410 5wd but no matter what setting I used......my 7wd in the small - setting covers most of the distance the 5wd had, I got an extra 12yds of carry using the SFT over the 5wd....which fits my 7wd next club gap best

 

SFT 205yd carry 42" flat +1*

7wd 190yd carry 41.25" small -

9wd 175yd carry 41" small +

 

I could only carry the 5wd 194.....I used Tour 80 shaft in both SFT & 5wd

 

Edit: shocking part is that 9wd😃 if you haven't-try one

Edited June 10, 2021 by animalgolfs

[PJE]

Tough choice. I think it depends on your own tendencies and your set makeup.  

I've gone with the 5 wood turned down to 16.5 ( to make it like a 4 wood). I like the shorter shaft versus a 3 wood and the open face makes me think I can't hook it. Maybe it's just the look of the club at address that agrees with me but I've hit lots of good shots with that set up. 

I've also experimented with a 16 degree hybrid in lieu of the fairway wood. It goes pretty far, almost as far as the fairway. But if it's windy, I favor the fairway wood.

[benclab]

I depends on miss. If you miss left, opening a 5 wood makes sense. If you're miss is right, lofting up a 3 wood makes sense.

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, af592 said:

Title pretty much says it all. Cannot seem to decide which way to go, and wanted to hear the peoples feedback. 

 

Big Thanks 

I was a 4wd guy for a long time. But with the g410 I’m able to play the 3wd and get the launch I want off the deck. But, that being said if you struggle getting the launch you need off the deck, and don’t mind a smaller head the 5wd lofted down would def be easier to hit off the deck.

[ChrisLC40]

Stopped carrying a 3w two years ago when I finally got properly fit for a driver. Recently added a 5w, minus 1 degree in flat, and it works great for me. I have yet to use it off the tee, but it's perfect for second shots into par 5s. I should start using it sometimes off the tee on par 4s...perhaps this weekend.

[pmgolf9409]

Echoing what some of the folks here have said.  For me it was a decision on the main purpose of the club and what you want to see at address.  For that distance, I'm using it as a fairway finder or to hit greens in two on long par 5s (or after topped drives on a par 4... 🙂), so I want some added comfort from a larger head size.  I also play to a fade with my woods, so the lofted up 3 wood was the way to go for me (oddly enough for me, I tend to try and shut the club face when it sits open, so square or slightly shut works better for me).

[Creasy729]

I made this choice a few months ago and went with the Ping 3 wood instead of the 5 wood to deloft. My primary rationale was that, at the end of the day, I more often use my 3 wood off the tee than to reach long par 5s in two shots. As a result, I was more concerned with the tee shot capabilities, and in that context, the 3 wood option was going to be superior.

 

Since I've bought the 3 wood and played around with it more, I've found that the 3 wood is still easy to hit off the deck, even at 14.5 degrees. Perhaps the 5 wood would be even easier, but I've used my 3 wood from the fairway and not had any major issues.  This decision has also saved me from worrying about whether or not the delofted face is causing strange issues with my face angles in the takeaway.  

[ChipNRun]

What others have hinted at:

• lofting down will open clubface slightly, useful if hooks are a problem.
• lofting up will close clubface slightly, useful if slices a problem.

And another consideration: can you hit a 14.5* 3W decently? Many golfers can hit a 4W more reliably then a 3W - and sometimes just as far. If standard 3W is iffy, consider getting a Ping 17.5* 5W and lofting it down to 16.5* (a 4W). It would have more loft than a 3W, and with a shorter shaft would be easier to control.

 

I didn't do Ping, but I did downloft a Callaway 5W to 17* for a single fairway wood.

[WarEagleGolf]

5wd lofted down 1* in the flat setting.  3wd length shaft.  

 

Best of both worlds.  The new ping max fairways are bombers...got the 7wd in flat, not delofted.  Love it as well.