Do you really need a 3 wood?

[lefty1978]

I use mine every round. There are 2 tee shots at my course where it is very important to me. The club I seem to use the least is my 52 degree wedge, I could many rounds before ever using it.

[Shanker84]

My driver and 3 wood are fairly redundant so I do use both but usually not on the same round and I'm trying to figure out what works best. On the rare occasion that I catch my driver in the middle of the face AND I hit it straight, sure it will go 30yds or so further than my 3 wood but if I'm being honest, those shots are rare and my average 3 wood is probably equal in distance to my driver with less chance of OB.  I use my 5 wood usually once twice a round but aside from the tee, there's generally little use for me to use my 3 wood. That being said, I spent nearly $300 on it and I don't want to sell it and if I removed it from my bag I likely wouldn't add anything to replace it so it's either leave it in the bag or leave it in the garage. 

[nitram]

IMHO I need a 3 wood I can depend on and keep it in the bag for a long time once I do.

 

Thinking about it I've never been without one in over 40 years of golf and have only had three in the bag since the turn of the century. 

[benclab]

I've toyed with the idea of going with a 4 wood, but I use my 3 wood about 4 to 7 times a round, depending on the course... of course.

 

On the contrary, I use my 5 wood maybe once a round and that's a strong maybe.

[johnseg]

I still play a 15 degree 3-wood. I replaced the 5-wood with a 18 degree hybrid. Both are quite reliable off of the tee and the ground. It might be redundant but I also think that adding wedges is similar. I play just a 52 and 56. I don't think I have a need for a 60.

[Pepperturbo]

I am considering switching out my 16.5' 4wd for a 15' 3wd.  With my current shafts I am hitting the ball further than expected.  A 3wd could make long Par5s a bit shorter, maybe?   This weekend I need to turn down 16.5 to 15' and see the result.  As it is, 4wd gets me to about 75-100yds on Par 5s.  Not likely I'll use 3wd on short holes, as I prefer my point and shoot club, 210-230+ 2 iron. 

 

Typing this, I think I just decided to stick with what I have.  Guess that answers the Ops question.

Edited July 7, 2021 by Pepperturbo

[bma725]

Rarely.  At most of the courses I play if I can't hit driver off the tee because it brings trouble into play the 3 wood would as well, so I'm laying up off the tee with my 3 iron something shorter.  Same story with Par 5s, the ones that are reachable in two can be reached with a hybrid/iron and the ones that aren't usually require a layup with something that's going to fly shorter to avoid trouble and give the better angle to the green.

 

The only time I really hit it anymore is if we have odd weather which makes it an option, or I use it around the greens for a bump and run shot.  Its gotten to the point where I'm considering dropping it for a 64* wedge.

[Highlander 24]

The question should be how many are playing both 3 and 5 wood. Seems very few still both which was the norm for the longest time 

[Moonlightgrm]

Yes, I need my 3-wood. At my home course, I use it off of the tee on one hole and generally use it from the fairway on 2 of our 4, par 5s. We also have one long par 4 that plays 470 from the tips that occasionally requires a 3-wood into the green. 

[Lasorcier]

Only playing with a 5 wood that I lofted down to a 4 wood.  Works well.  The next club then is my 3-iron.  Sometimes I even remove the 5-wood and put in a 2-iron.  More often, the 2-iron.  I just like irons better.

[JohnnyCashForever]

Love my 3W.  Use it off the tee when 1W would go too far.  I never use the 3W off the deck (above my pay grade).  For me, that's what hybrids are for.

 

Actually switched out the 60* wedge for a 5W.  It looked cool, but the 60 was the club that I would never use round after round.  Just too unforgiving.  Might as well have a 5W in the bag as an alternate to the 3W off the tee or the hybrids from the deck.  Lots of overlap with the woods/hybrids in my bag in terms of yardage under ideal conditions, but that's OK with me.  Each feels different and may be optimal under different lies/less-than-ideal-conditions.  I'm sure my thinking would change if I played a different set of courses regularly.

 

This is actually one of the cooler things about golf that is much more interesting/complicated than other sports: mixing and matching the 14 tools to play with. 

[garyt]

31 minutes ago, Highlander 24 said:

The question should be how many are playing both 3 and 5 wood. Seems very few still both which was the norm for the longest time 

I still play both but I'm a slow swinging old guy. My 3 wood  goes 190- 210 and my 5 wood goes 175-180. I have no problem elevating either.

[jacobEDGE]

1 hour ago, Highlander 24 said:

The question should be how many are playing both 3 and 5 wood. Seems very few still both which was the norm for the longest time 

Me! It's a recent thing too.

I was playing a 2-iron. Great for 250 yard fairway finders off the tee...nearly impossible to hit off the fairway/rough as approaches. So I swapped that for a 5-wood. Slightly longer off the tee, but allows me to hit higher flighted shots into Par 5 greens. Fits the gap between my 235 yard 3-iron and 270 yard 3-wood.

[arsedawg13]

I'd say yes. I use a 17.5 degree 5-wood (probably more a 4-wood) instead of 3-wood, but without one, the gap between longest iron (for me 220ish) and driver (275ish) is too big off the tee. Less about accuracy, but more about picking the right club to get to a good 2nd shot distance. If it's a 350 par-4, I can hit driver to awkward pitching distance (75 yards) or 5 iron to 130 yards and nothing in between. 5W allows me to get to 100-110 yard full SW which i like. Numbers may be different for you, but the thought it same. 

 

And off the deck, you really limit yourself if you don't have a club where you can be aggressive when a par-5 calls for it. For longest time, I'd hit 9 iron everytime I was 240-250 out to set up 90-100 wedge in, which i still do sometimes depending on hole, but being able to womp a fairway metal up there and have a chip instead of 100 yard full shot can help you can a birdie or two a round. 

[arsedawg13]

1 hour ago, Highlander 24 said:

The question should be how many are playing both 3 and 5 wood. Seems very few still both which was the norm for the longest time 

 

I play Driver (275ish), 17.5-degree 5w (240-250ish), 7W (215-225), 5I (210-220) but the 7W flies like a wedge where my 5I flies more low. 7W, for me, is clutch for landing softly on greens when I hit it there. 

[motts]

I changed my 3w to a 4w for both distance/gapping, as well as just hitting it better

[Bye]

It’s a yes for me. Some rounds I might not use it, but others it’s used quite a bit. Mainly from the tee, but the odd approach shot.

 

I have gone to a 15 degree adjustable (currently lofted up), I might play it lower in the winter. I tried the 4 wood thing which was fine, but not quite the best option as a back up for driver.

 

3 Wood has been an unsettled spot it my bag since making the switch from a steel shaft whenever that was 10+ years ago. I miss my Callaway X, badly.

[Duffner's Waggle]

You could probably say I have a thing for three woods...but that would be putting it mildly to be honest. I have been obsessed with finding the right one for a very long time. In the end, what I settled on was a 4w (16.5), but despite my obsession, I also realized I didn't hit it a ton. Like a lot of guys on here, I hit all my woods/hybrids a long way, and with that being the case, balls offline go a long way offline. 3w is not measurably more accurate, either by my testing, or in a lot of the tests I've seen. I still have the 4w in the bag, but I've played 4 rounds in the last week and didn't touch the club other than two tee shots where I chose to use it simply because it had been sitting there untouched for the entire round. 

I play Driver at 7.5*, fw @ 16.5*, hybrid @ 20*; 4i is actually 19*, but flight is totally different than hybrid, and I tend to use both. 

Been thinking a lot about the top of the bag because I'm not getting all I can out of a couple of those slots. Bottom line: depending on the course, a fairway wood might be necessary, but hybrids are so long, and if you can find one that doesn't go left, they're easier to hit and control. So no, as much as it pains me to say it....I don't think you need a 3w/fairway in your bag. 

[Highlander 24]

2 hours ago, arsedawg13 said:

 

I play Driver (275ish), 17.5-degree 5w (240-250ish), 7W (215-225), 5I (210-220) but the 7W flies like a wedge where my 5I flies more low. 7W, for me, is clutch for landing softly on greens when I hit it there. 

Very similar to my current set up. Driver 5 wood and 7 wood. My 7 wood is my favourite club in the bag!

[scooterhd2]

2 hours ago, arsedawg13 said:

I'd say yes. I use a 17.5 degree 5-wood (probably more a 4-wood) instead of 3-wood, but without one, the gap between longest iron (for me 220ish) and driver (275ish) is too big off the tee. Less about accuracy, but more about picking the right club to get to a good 2nd shot distance. If it's a 350 par-4, I can hit driver to awkward pitching distance (75 yards) or 5 iron to 130 yards and nothing in between. 5W allows me to get to 100-110 yard full SW which i like. Numbers may be different for you, but the thought it same. 

 

And off the deck, you really limit yourself if you don't have a club where you can be aggressive when a par-5 calls for it. For longest time, I'd hit 9 iron everytime I was 240-250 out to set up 90-100 wedge in, which i still do sometimes depending on hole, but being able to womp a fairway metal up there and have a chip instead of 100 yard full shot can help you can a birdie or two a round. 

 

I like how you are agreeing, but then dont have a 3 wood. 

 

 

[John76]

My driver is used on most every hole that’s not a par 3.  I carry a 17.5 degree 5 wood that carries 190-200 yards that I use on long par 3’s or when I want to go for a par 5 in two.  Otherwise it’s my 21.5 degree 7 wood that gets the most use for longer shots, 175 yard carry.  I try to play from 5,700 to 6,100 yard tee boxes.

Edited July 7, 2021 by John76

[Juice1121]

You definitely don't need a three wood. As long as you're playing a 4 woods instead. 

[dvq9654]

There have been times where I've essentially relied on my 3 wood as a driver replacement and used is 10+ times per round. However, lately, I find myself rarely using a three wood, except on par 5 approaches where my 3 iron won't get me there. As I've become a better driver of the golf ball, I just don't find a 3 wood necessary off the tee at most the courses I play. More often I'll play a 3 iron if the hole is on the shorter side of things. Even with that, I would find it hard to drop my 3 wood entirely, as it's a great fallback when driver just isn't working. 

[karstens_ghost]

Here's a very unpopular opinion...

 

If you're hitting 3-wood off the tee a lot, either your driver doesn't fit, or the shaft is too long, or you suck with driver.

 

Want an experiment? Most of you with 3-woods have some interchangeable shafts. Stick that 3-wood shaft on your driver and go pound fairways a couple of rounds, and then tell us how badly you miss it.

 

If you use it off the deck, by all means, do your thing. If you're 90% off the tee, maybe it's your 46" driver that's the problem. Didn't Jack go with 42.75"?

 

Solve the correct problem.

Edited July 8, 2021 by karstens_ghost
sp.

[Tdonatello36]

I'm starting to think that mini drivers like the new TM one might remove the need to carry a 3 wood.  Set make up could legit be driver, mini driver (what Mickelson refers to as a "2-wood") for tight par 4's, 4 wood for fairway into par 5's, etc., 7 wood (if you're an old fart like me), 5-P, G, S, L, and putter.

[nvr3putt]

49 minutes ago, karstens_ghost said:

Here's a very unpopular opinion...

 

If you're hitting 3-wood off the tee a lot, either your driver doesn't fit, or the shaft is too long, or you suck with driver.

 

Want an experiment? Most of you with 3-woods have some interchangeable shafts. Stick that 3-wood shaft on your driver and go pound fairways a couple of rounds, and then tell us how badly you miss it.

 

If you use it off the deck, by all means, do your thing. If you're 90% off the tee, maybe it's your 46" driver that's the problem. Didn't Jack go with 42.75"?

 

Solve the correct problem.

This is a brilliant idea!! One question, how much "off" would the swing weight be if you connected your 3W shaft with Driver head?

Edited July 8, 2021 by nvr3putt

[rkillian]

I have periods of time where my driver is all over the place and will use my 4 wood almost exclusively. Its my only fairway wood in the bag right now. On courses I play most of the time I will hit 4 wood off the tee more than driver. I can hit the 4 wood off the deck better than a 3 wood. When I play more wide open course I’ll hit driver more. 
 

I’ll add that the courses I play are muni’s mostly and pretty short, even from the back tees. So sometimes driver can go too long on some par 4s. Might try a shorter shafted driver again though too. 

Edited July 8, 2021 by rkillian
Added info

[ratdg1]

I'm more likely to take the driver out and keep the 3 wood.  There are a lot of courses around here with holes just long enough that a 5 wood is too short, and just short enough that a driver is too long. 

[Highlander 24]

Isn't todays 3 wood basically a driver from 30 years ago anyway?

[naws-golfer]

Haven’t played A 15* fairway wood in years, thought 4 wood was the answer, had good height but not enough spin or land angle. Moved to an 18* 5 wood. 
 

perfect club as far as distance needed on the course I play a lot, I went with a heavy, x stiff shaft to make sure it fades.

 

still only hit it into one par 5 and mostly from the tee needing a fade