Do you really need a 3 wood?

[naws-golfer]

Just now, jacobEDGE said:

I am in Colorado elevation. But it's not uncommon to hit a 300 yard drive with my 3-wood. A very consistent slight draw. Whereas my driver is a decent fade that can turn into a slice if it gets away from me. 

 

My 5 wood also is a slight draw, that I average 255-260 off the tee with. 

Well that makes more sense. I get that 3 woods can be easier to hit straight because of the shorter shaft.

 

for my $, I get so much more utility out of having a more consistent driver swing and an extra wedge, than multiple woods. 
 

if I carried a 15* 3 wood, it would probably carry 270 or so. I’ve hit a few 13* woods well past my driver. They don’t work for me and the courses I play, and compared with people I play with, they would be better off working on their driver than dropping back. 
 

stats have shown that 100 yds from the rough is easier to get close than 150 from the fairway.

[LeoLeo99]

I carry a few clubs that are not needed but I don't need to free up a spot in the bag so why not.  I carry 4, 5, and 7 woods.  They cover the 220 to 190 range.  My bag is much happier to with bunching at the top and no lob wedge.  The lob wedge stays home.  My most lofted wedge is 54° and that's all I need.  I also have a 3w at home.  The 4w goes the same distance and is more consistent.  

[bryanwmilburn]

Here's a wrinkle - who uses both a driving iron and a 3 wood? I've found since I put a DI in the bag - I very rarely use the 3 wood off the tee on tight holes any more. However - if I have 260 in I'm pulling 3 wood all day vs the driving iron. The top of my bag is a beautiful mess.

[JohnKHawk]

Got rid of the 3 wood years ago. After some testing I found that there was basically no difference in distance between my 5 wood & 3 wood. However I was more accurate & the ball flight was much better with the 5 wood. Was basically redundant to carry a 3 wood. In my case all the 3 wood was good for was ruining my round. A well struck 5 wood goes about 225 yards for me.

[hobbstc]

About to find out.  Just bought a PXG Proto 3W to fill the gap between driver (250) and 3H (210). 

Edited July 9, 2021 by hobbstc

[BostonWRX]

Really the only club in my bag I can draw off the tee. Besides that I could get away without having one no issue 

[jacobEDGE]

1 hour ago, bryanwmilburn said:

Here's a wrinkle - who uses both a driving iron and a 3 wood? I've found since I put a DI in the bag - I very rarely use the 3 wood off the tee on tight holes any more. However - if I have 260 in I'm pulling 3 wood all day vs the driving iron. The top of my bag is a beautiful mess.

I did. 3 wood (tee) was 275, 2 iron (tee) was 250.

However, I couldn't hit the 2 iron off the turf to save my life, so I swapped it out for a 5 wood. Similar distance, but higher flight and better for approaches on Par 5s. So now I rock Driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, 3 iron on down.

[Hack Daddy]

You guys are crazy. Always hit driver. 

 

Off a tee, short par 4, tight fairway?

 

Always. Hit. Driver. 

[Barfolomew]

I was thinking bout this recently as only on par 5s.... very rarely off the tee.  So is it needed for 2 shots a round?

 

BUT why its so important is its the birdie club..... when is the best opportunity to grab a couple birds.... par 5s.... if I can hit the green or get real close great chance for bird

[proninja]

I played for years with a driver and a 3 wood as my only woods, and I'm getting back into golf after 20 years of hardly playing at all. Getting off the tee is my distinct weakness right now, and I've been using my 3 wood almost exclusively to tee off with. So I got an Original One 11.5 to replace my 3 wood and added a 5 wood delofted down to 16.5. I took out my 4 iron - I hit into greens from 200 yards a lot less often than I tee off, so I can choke up on the 3 hybrid for those shots in exchange for more options off the tee. 16.5 gives me a nice distance differential from the 3 hybrid. 

For some courses I'd leave the driver at home, but not going to lie, it's kind of fun lofting it down and using it exclusively to hit the ball hard. 

So I guess no, I don't have a 3 wood in the bag right now, but I've sure got it surrounded. 

[wkndhckr]

After a year of realizing that I never used it I finally took it out of the bag. For a while I just left it in to make it look like I had a full set with more than a single wood. The whole time I had been using a 3 hybrid that I cannot live without. 

[Dan Drake]

Everyone needs a “longest club you can consistently hit off the turf.”  
 

For most people, this will be a fairway wood of some sort.  What number, length, or loft it is makes no difference as long as it accomplishes the goal.  

[Fairways to Heaven]

Never. I have sold my 3 wood and now play ping g410 5 & 7 woods set @ 16.5 & 19.5 degrees. my 5 wood pretty much plays like a 4 wood and is just as long and is so much more consistant both off the tee and off the deck. The 7 Wood is a game changer aswell.  

 

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by Fairways to Heaven

[TiDriver]

I dropped my 3 & 5 wood and added a 4wd. I can consistently get 230-240yds off the tee with it on shorter par 4s, a little less off the deck. By going with 1 fairway wood, I added a gap wedge PW, 52, 54 and 56 sandwedge. This leaves no gaps down to 80yds

[jah7838]

There was a time when I thought a 4 wood was plenty for me, but when I moved to the DFW area from Houston, I began to realize that a 3 wood was a better option than the 4 wood off the tee on certain courses that my friends and I have in the rotation.  That little bit of extra distance off the tee that I get from the 3 wood has made those courses a bit easier for me to play.  I will still lean towards the 5 wood off the deck if I'm in the fairway because there is more trust in that club.  

[Kentendo]

I rarely hit my 3 wood and have thought about pulling it from the bag this year.  I have a 19* hybrid that I hit really well off the tee and from the fairway, so the 3 wood gets overlooked.  

 

 

[RoyalMustang]

I have a 4-wood that I like. Good height and nice distance.  I really have to swing well off the fairway to get it dialed in perfectly, but it is great on those long par 5's where I just want to be in the close vicinity of the green and traps aren't a concern.  I have hit it 280 on the 2nd shot to reach in 2 more than once, but just getting it within 15 yards of the green gives me a great up and down birdie chance.  I also find a hole here and there where a flushed driver brings traps into play and the 4-wood is a nice alternative.

 

However, I totally don't need it. I have a hybrid that goes only 30 yards shorter and is more versatile. I haven't been hitting my long irons well and yesterday I used it on a 215 yard par 3 to get within 8 feet of the hole.  It will go 245 on a normal swing and find the fairway if I make a solid swing. I wish my driver were this accurate! If I were traveling, I would bring Driver/3 Hybrid, and if it were a tight course, just play the hybrid off any driver tee.  

 

If I had to drop 3 clubs from my bag, it would be 4-wood, 4-iron, and gap wedge.  Those 3 just don't get a ton of love

[shanx]

I dropped it last season, I hit my 4 wood better, and almost as far.

[minhjn]

After years of denial and many wasted dollars on various three woods, I’ve finally accepted that I am a 4 wood guy

 

I’m happy to join the club

[teedub21]

Pulled my Mavrik 3 wood a while back and replaced it with a PXG Proto 5 wood turned down to a 4 wood. Wasn’t super blown away by its performance. Swapped the Mavrik 3 wood back in the bag today and was absolutely smoking it. Think the Mavrik 3 will stay. Probably the easiest to hit 3 wood I’ve ever had. 

[Chef23]

Depending on wind and the tees I play I hit 3 wood 4-6 times a round.  I am not super long though so I need it.

[bobfoster]

I get all new clubs every year or two. Try all sorts of new things - grips, shaft composition, weight and length, etc. The one thing I've never fiddled with is loft. Top of the bag is a Driver, 15* 3W, 18* 5W, 21* Hybrid. With the same consistency in lofts throughout the bag year after year. Last thing I changed was about 15 years ago - swapped out a 21* 3i with a 21* Hybrid. (Resisted the Hybrid for a while, but finally gave in. It is the same loft as I was using, but has different characteristics. For me, it is not as workable as an iron, but is a lot more consistent.)

 

Reason for not fiddling? I know exactly what every club/loft in my bag will do - how much I can draw or fade, what the distance on a full shot and a 3/4 swing will do. Don't just know it, but feel it in my gut. No matter what new clubs I have, or what new course I'm playing, I rarely need to think about club selection. 

 

So I'll always have a 3W. Some days won't use it at all (depending of the course and conditions), Other days 5 or 6 times. But when I need it, it has to be there. 

 

The pros, and even some of the great amateurs at WRX fiddle with their clubs perpetually (as this thread shows). Heck, the best of the PGA Tour builds a custom bag for every major. (Two drivers? A 64* wedge? Really Phil?) I'm not good enough to continually fiddle with clubs and lofts. Try to replace the lack of experimentation and flexibility with consistency. 

 

3W will always be here.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by bobfoster

[brutus27]

Zero , due to the fact that I don’t own a 3 wood.

I don’t practice enough to groove my 3 wood off the deck swing.

[quizzylish]

I like a lot of the comments about a 4 wood, something I may have to look into in the future.  However for right now my G425 max 3 wood has been amazing.  I wasn't sure I would like the shallower face of a Ping fairway but it hasn't bothered me at all.  The only complaint I have is about the finish.  I don't think the matte black paint is going to hold up very well at all.  

[harlequine]

No…

[danglingangler]

At my home course, I hit a 3 wood on the second shot on all the par 5's. There are also a few holes that, when my driver is giving me problems, I will hit 3 wood off the tee.

 

So I hit mine a minimum of 4 times and a max of 7 times. I love my 3 wood so I could never pull it completely. I would be better off pulling one of my long irons.

[buckrogers71]

I bought a g400 3 wood and reshafted with a tour blue, but keep going to back to my rogue 4 wood. Just more confidence with the 4 wood off the deck

Edited July 14, 2021 by buckrogers71

[Drumdog]

On my home course I use the 3 wood at least 4 times a round. 3 times off the tee and once on the long uphill par 5 on the back nine.

[Tiptx1122]

Maybe 4-5 times a round as I really the EpicMax is one of the easiest 3W to hit either off there Tee or deck

[akronswitness]

On 7/6/2021 at 10:35 PM, Stinger83 said:

I can go months without pulling a 3 wood out of the bag

Honest to God, the only time I ever use my 3 Wood is as a rescue club when I need to burn a ball across the ground when I'm in the trees keeping the ball low.

 

I probably actually hit my 3 Wood for it's intended purpose 2-4x per year. 

 

Not sure when your all from, but not a lot of Ohio courses leave you 225+ yards out after a 275 yard drive.