Anyone playing driver & 5w with no 3w?

[CoachCraigie]

As title. Interested to see if anyone is playing Driver & 5w(or something similar) but no 3w? I know a bunch of people are playing driver & 4w but specifally want to see if anyone has skipped the 3w when playing a 5. Would love to hear reasoning, insane, daft or otherwise on your decisions!

 

The reason I ask is, I had a 3w and couldn't hit it for love nor money so out it went. So right now I go driver then 3 hybrid(19*). A friend of mine has swapped his 3 for a 5 and had some good results, thinking this might be something to look at for myself also.

[PixlPutterman]

Me

 

I just recently put a 5 wood in the bag, for over a decade though I just went driver 2 iron.

 

I have no use for a 3 wood, and little use for a 5 wood, but I had an open slot in the bag

Edited October 28, 2021 by PixlPutterman

[agood3putt]

Yup but more driver and 4w

 

Driver at 9.75* and 5W cranked down to 16.5* 

[mantan]

Used to play a 4-wood. Moved to a 5-wood as the lofts got as strong as the old 5-wood (17.5*)

 

Dumped that for a Cleveland Hy-wood and like it better than both. 

[animalgolfs]

1st fw is 17* - no need for 15* or lower really

 

I have way more shots between 215yds-175yds than <240yds. I can still hold greens relatively easy with 17*fw as well.

[sfdoddsy]

Yep. Driver and 17.5* wood (Cobra F6 Baffler).

[eric61]

I’ve thought about it. I have two clubs I really love that go the same distance: my Epic Speed 5W with a Diamana BF and my Apex UW. 
 

The UW is a super, super useful club (much like I’d imagine the Hy-Wood someone else mentioned is) that kind of does everything I’d need a 5W to do. So the UW stays.

 

…And yet… I love my 5W and hit it really well, and while a 3W makes more sense for gapping, I haven’t found one I can hit as consistently. Maybe it’s better to keep a club I trust and just live with the gapping issue.

[FlopShotGang]

I tried it for a while. I just wasn’t hitting my 3 wood accurately at all. Tried a 5 wood instead and it was certainly easier to hit and I had no real gapping issues since I played shorter courses. 
 

Started practicing again recently with my 3 wood and now that I hit it more consistently I’ve put it back in the bag along with the 5 wood. Only benefit for putting it back in the bag is off the tee or if I have a 250+ approach shot that needs some roll. 
 

Try it out yourself.

[bvanlieu]

My good buddy fell in love with a SIM2 5 wood this spring at a demo day and that's been his go to fairway all year. Loves that he can hit a 5 wood pretty far. Sometime this summer I grabbed it (he's a lefty so I can't swing it, no reason to pick it up otherwise) and lookie lookie the Taylormade Fitter turned it down to 17d.

 

Nice 4 wood amigo.

 

🙂

 

While I game a 16.5 4w I'd have zero issue if it was a 18d 5 wood I liked and call it a day. I am not generally trying to hit a precise 225-240 number with that club for me, its get it out there on long par 5s but also some loft for scraggly lies. 

 

- b

[Vater]

I do driver and 5W. 
 

3W was only off the tee as it was garbage from anywhere else on the course. But my driver has gotten so good that I rarely need it anymore. 
 

I thought I had enough options for long second shots with my 3 hybrid and 4 iron, but the 5W gives me a softer landing shape and a bit more reach than these other two. 

[Itsjustagame]

Haven't carried a 3 wood in 10 years. Can't hit if far enough or accurately enough to be of value.

[Jmccas]

42 minutes ago, bvanlieu said:

My good buddy fell in love with a SIM2 5 wood this spring at a demo day and that's been his go to fairway all year. Loves that he can hit a 5 wood pretty far. Sometime this summer I grabbed it (he's a lefty so I can't swing it, no reason to pick it up otherwise) and lookie lookie the Taylormade Fitter turned it down to 17d.

 

Nice 4 wood amigo.

 

🙂

 

While I game a 16.5 4w I'd have zero issue if it was a 18d 5 wood I liked and call it a day. I am not generally trying to hit a precise 225-240 number with that club for me, its get it out there on long par 5s but also some loft for scraggly lies. 

 

- b

This is what I do. I have a 4W but recently picked up a Mizuno ST-Z 5W that has replaced the 4W. I turn the 5W down to 17° and it seems even easier to hit than the 4W even though it’s only a ½° of loft difference between the two. 

[phil75070]

I went driver 5 wood or driver 4 wood for quite a while as I could not hit a 3W off the deck to save my life, even with an adjustable club. Then I picked up a Mavrik Max 3W and it is the easiest to hit and get airborne 3W I've ever tried.

[VanTheMan0519]

I have a Ping 425 5 wood, stock is 17.5 but I play it at 16.5. 
 

I needed a more accurate club and distance control. Club is great off the turf but honestly doesn’t see that action but maybe 1x every 2-3x rounds. Mainly a tee club for me. 
 

My course and others around here are tight and something that can be hit 250ish off the tee is ideal. 

[bvanlieu]

1 hour ago, Jmccas said:

This is what I do. I have a 4W but recently picked up a Mizuno ST-Z 5W that has replaced the 4W. I turn the 5W down to 17° and it seems even easier to hit than the 4W even though it’s only a ½° of loft difference between the two. 

 

Lengths the same? I would expect the 5w to be at least 1/2 shorter depending on brand. I also trimmed my 4w a bit, added some more weight to head to get SW back. I grew up with 43.5" drivers so don't mind a 'shorter' FW 🙂 

 

[lefthack]

I was until I got my Honma 3 wood. Then I bought an M6 D type 3 wood and I think the Honma is way better, so I might be selling the M6. 🤣

[Z1ggy16]

I used to. After my driver I went to a SIM Ti 5w opened to 17*. Stopped because it was just too fade biased and at 19* it wasn't quite long enough.

 

It was absolutely the longest fw I've ever used though. 

[getair23]

I am currently driver 5w.  I found a a 3w that I love, but don't need the extra distance on our course.    

[Primo1868]

10 hours ago, CoachCraigie said:

As title. Interested to see if anyone is playing Driver & 5w(or something similar) but no 3w? I know a bunch of people are playing driver & 4w but specifally want to see if anyone has skipped the 3w when playing a 5. Would love to hear reasoning, insane, daft or otherwise on your decisions!

 

The reason I ask is, I had a 3w and couldn't hit it for love nor money so out it went. So right now I go driver then 3 hybrid(19*). A friend of mine has swapped his 3 for a 5 and had some good results, thinking this might be something to look at for myself also.

I play driver, 2H, 3-pw

 

arccos averages:

driver: 287

2H:246

3i:227

[Jamie_Tee]

I go driver down to 5 wood.

 

3 wood off deck is too much of a high tariff shot, I rarely see amateurs hit it well.  I'd guess it costs average golfers more shots than it gains over a season.

 

Shotscope have shown that 3 wood is about 1% more accurate than driver off the tee, so what's the point in using it for safety.

 

5 wood is more versatile and doesn't give up much distance off the tee for me vs 3 wood.  

[DE-ILLINI]

I dropped the 3W over the summer and just go driver 5W.  I have found the extra length on a well struck 3W is not worth all the mishits.  Overall I am usually in better position after hitting my 5W than I am with the 3W.  Off the tee I found I am not really anymore accurate with the 3W than the driver.  I usually just take a little more controlled swing with the driver on a tight hole.  It seems to be working out well.

[Nickiet55]

I am! I technically have the Speedzone Tour 5wood, but it is 17.5 degrees! I know it is a fairly strong 5 wood, but I do not hit a three wood well, so that is the best way for me to do it! I love the setup and it is truly a lot better for me! I can hit it probably 20-30 feet higher than a 14.5 degree three wood, and it goes just as far (if I hit it well, it carries about 240-250)! 

[Billfitz]

I pulled my 3W out of the bag and put it into the garage for three years. I didn't need it off the tee, and it didn't work well off the deck. I did end up replacing it with a 2H, and my 5W and 7W with 3H and 4H. The hybrids are just as long for me off the tee, longer and straighter off the deck, and they even handle the rough.

[RainShadow]

I go driver, 16.5 3HL ( essentially a 4wd), 19* hybrid.

I've played a 4 wood for a couple of years now because I couldn't elevate the 3wd from the fairway anymore.

I just parted with the Xhot 3wood w/ and OG Blueboard 73xct that I'd had since the Xhot line came out in 2013.  

Edited October 28, 2021 by RainShadow

[VNutz]

I've been dabbling in this for a while. Have bagged the 5Deep for several years because of it's ability off the tee and the deck, but the past couple of seasons I've been lacking off the deck so I've tried out a number of true 5w. Currently on a TEE CB Pro with pretty good results. I don't often need the 260 3w ball off the tee and usually being that far out off the deck likely won't end well, so I've just eliminated that shot from the bag.

[third-times-a-charm]

My wife does. She loves it and is a low ball hitter so more loft is her friend. She loves her 5w off the deck on Par 5's.

[WarEagleGolf]

12 hours ago, agood3putt said:

Yup but more driver and 4w

 

Driver at 9.75* and 5W cranked down to 16.5* 

This.   Easier to hit off the deck.  Don't lose much off the tee.   Note I use at 3wd length

[ChipNRun]

A local clubfitter and teaching pro did this. He carries his driver shots ~280, but was having trouble with 3W. So, he went with a 5W with a 4W-length shaft. He said he only lost about 15 yards distance from the 3W, and setup was much more reliable.

 

Also, several players on here have a Ping 5W 17.5* loft, that they deloft to 16.5*. Or, some just keep it at stock loft. They get a shorter shaft for control, and a little more loft above a 3W to help launch.

[62@Oakmont]

Yep- SIM Ti 5w @ 18*.  At that loft and with the hot face it plays like a 4 wood.  The smaller head and extra loft makes it easy to hit of the deck too vs. a 3 wood.

[jonr38632]

Dr then 5wd. No need for 3wd. Tried some over the year but always end up as tee box only. Never find myself >260yds into green.