Is the 3 wood becoming redundant?

[btyh]

I say the opportunity is less now that drivers are longer and more accurate on miss hits. I use mine on long par 5s and when hazards fall on the same yardage as my driver. 

[VanTheMan0519]

33 minutes ago, El Kabong2 said:

 

so, a 4W? 😉

 The head cover it came with says 5 😃

[llewol007]

It really depends on what yardage you are trying to have available. Either for teeing off or for a getable par 5. Nowadays you can adjust your loft to make them lower or higher in loft. Don’t let the guys on Tour fool you since your par 5 is their par 4’s and that is why you often see 13.5 degree 3 woods. 

[Flip4000]

I thought I was a 5w guy as in the past I could not hit 3 woods off the deck with any accuracy or reliability.  Picked up a g425 and I am a 3 wood believer again. I hit it about 10 yards longer carry wise than my 5 wood, but I can hit it of the deck and out of meh lies without thinking about it. Off the tee its pure point and shoot

 

I think it comes down to finding what fits your game whether thats a 5w, 4w, or 3w.

[eht8266]

11 minutes ago, Flip4000 said:

I thought I was a 5w guy as in the past I could not hit 3 woods off the deck with any accuracy or reliability.  Picked up a g425 and I am a 3 wood believer again. I hit it about 10 yards longer carry wise than my 5 wood, but I can hit it of the deck and out of meh lies without thinking about it. Off the tee its pure point and shoot

 

I think it comes down to finding what fits your game whether thats a 5w, 4w, or 3w.

 

I have all 3 (not all 3 are in the bag at the same time, though).

[Ger21]

I just dropped my 3W and replaced it with a 4W. Higher flight, lower spin, easier to hit.

[mgoblue83]

Still a valuable club for good players but a waste of money and bag space for the vast majority of golfers. They simply don't have the speed to hit it any farther than a 5w or hybrid or any straighter than driver. 

Edited November 11, 2021 by mgoblue83

[bbanksp]

16 hours ago, PuffyC said:

Hot sports opinion: 3W is a total waste of bag space.

 

Off a tee they're fine but off the deck? No way, and I don't need another one trick pony. I've been playing for decades and I've yet to encounter an amateur who helped themselves in any way trying to hit 3W off turf. They'll tell you they hit it 230+ , and maybe they did that one time back in 2007, but when they pull it out it always seems to go about 163 into the woods. But then maybe I exclusively get paired up with terrible golfers so who knows. All I do know is the gain in consistency with 5W far outweighs the few yards I may pickup with the 3W the 1 time out of 20 I actually hit it correctly off the deck.

this is perfect. i'm just getting over being the guy you're talking about. looking the 5W now. if im 230 from the green and the total distance of the 3w is 230*(215-225 with 40 yds roll) i almost never try to go for green in 2. feel like wedge game is dialed in to the point where if i have 4 60-80 yd shots into par 5's, i'll be reliably looking at 4 15' or less birdie putts/rd. With 3 wood I'll almost always hit one clunker that leaves me scrambling and then 3 gambles--maybe simple chips/pitches/sand shots, but maybe not. All depends on the lie i get. So basically my strategy now is to only use 3W when its needed to get me into that 60-80 yd range. i know i'm gaining strokes on  most competitors with this approach. certainly above a 5hcp this is true

[ChipNRun]

17 hours ago, PuffyC said:

All I do know is the gain in consistency with 5W far outweighs the few yards I may pickup with the 3W the 1 time out of 20 I actually hit it correctly off the deck.

 

Not just amateurs. The golf pro who works on my clubs ditched a 3W for a 5W with a 4W length shaft. Says he only loses 15 yards distance, and the 5W is much more reliable.

 

As for me, I just finished season No. 11 with some combo of 4W + 7W. At a 2019 golf expo, a custom-shop fitter said he tries to steer average-speed golfers to 4W + 7W, instead of 3W + 5W.

 

[PEI_Golfer]

All depends on how I'm hitting the driver that day or the length of tee shots needed for that particular course.  It's been a few years since I've bagged a 3wd over a 4wd, but in both cases, they were rarely hit off the deck anyway as I just didn't have those shots or it wasn't worth the risk.

 

When I bring out my Sunday bag and play a minimalist setup, it will either have a 3wd of a strong 3wd in the top spot.

[MattM97]

My 3W is alive, well and comfortable in my bag. I play my 3W on the lower end of loft at 13°. It's a point and shoot rocket off the tee and easy off the deck when needed. 

 

I think for me my hybrid is redundant and might prefer a wood in place of it honestly. 

[Nixhex524]

I will say, I have opted to try the 4 wood this week as my Sim Ti 3w has been seeing the same spots on the course that my driver does, or really close to it.  I hit it well enough that I don't really want to take it out of the bag but the distance is almost too much.  Off the deck, it can be more of a weapon for longer par 5s, but I rarely need to hit it for that reason...  I think if you can strike the 3w well, it is an excellent tool to have, but if you struggle with them, then the newer 4 or 5 woods will really help get the ball in the air with plenty of distance.

[macedan]

Probably more of a trend-based thing with recent wins. i.e. Hybrid popularity in the earlier 2010's, driving iron craze of the late 2010's, and the ongoing 7w craze. Per my signature, one can see I am part of two of these haha

[The Pearl]

The 3-wood is no different than any other club in the bag.  It either serves a purpose or it does not.  To make sweeping generalizations is lazy.

 

1.  If your 3-Wood is redundant with your driver, you most likely have a driver fitting problem.  If you do not have proper gaps in all of your clubs, you have a fitting problem. 

 

2.  You don't need "speed" to hit a 3-wood.  You need a properly fit 3 wood.  

 

With that said, yes, the 3-wood off the deck is probably the hardest "shot" to execute for your average amateur.  Even with a properly fit 3-wood, problems hitting the 3-wood are often present. In this case, experimenting with a 4/5 wood in lieu is your only option.  Again this dependent on how often you are required to hit a 3-wood in your normal round.  In this case the argument against a 3-wood is that a golfer is simply not presented with an opportunity to hit a 3-wood, therefore, they would be better served with "another club" that they use to help them score. This probably applies to "longer" hitters.  For shorter hitters, a proper fit 3-wood is a huge weapon. 

 

If you are using a 3-wood for "tight tee" shots, you might want to try choking down on your driver and hitting bunt driver out there.  Heck with a weapon.

 

I would argue, the most dangerous club9s) in the bag for the average amateur in terms of "losing strokes" are the lob wedge and to a lesser extent, the sand wedge. 

 

 

 

 

 

[NoTalentLefty]

17 hours ago, Lemonde said:

Most people can hit a 3 wood off the tee and longer more consistently than a driver. Ditch the driver.  

This is the truth for around 70 pct of those golfing. 

[Fairway14]

19 hours ago, justcallmemoses said:

With 3 woods going to far, are they becoming a waste of bag space?

 

 

 

Twenty five years ago, when 43" graphite shafted 3-woods became common, the club's role changed from fairway club to tee box club. If players have the discipline to swing a modern 3-wood from the par 4 and par 5 tee boxes (instead of a driver), then chances are good their 18 holes scoring average will improve.

 

[scooterhd2]

Analytics has killed the 3 wood. 

 

Most people are no more accurate with a 3 wood than a driver, and for those that are, the numbers still show its better to have the added distance from the driver. And off the deck, amateurs are way better off hitting 5 wood or a hybrid. Yes, when you pure a 3 wood it will go further, but over 100 shots with each club and counting all your tops and chili dippers with the 3 wood that went 20 yards, the 5 wood is longer. And for some the 5 wood is longer even on good shots as the added launch and spin keeps the ball in the air longer. 

 

The reasons to keep the 3W in the bag, are if you are a very good fairway wood player, obviously. And if you use the 3W as an alternate driver. Maybe driver is fade, and 3W is draw. Or your home course is very tight, has tons of doglegs, or has creeks or ravines, that forces driver out of your hand on many holes.   

[Bdck]

Right now I'm gaming with flat carries according to launch monitors at my club...

 

Driver at 6.5 - 330 (tee)

3 wood at 14 - 280 (tee)

2 iron at 16 - 260 (tee)

5 wood at 20 - 250 (deck)

3 iron at 21 - 225 (deck)

 

My biggest gap is between driver and 3 wood (50 yards).  Looking at making a move to a 12.5 3 wood since speed and spin aren't issues for me.

 

My 2 iron and 5 wood go about the same off the deck, but they get there in very different ways.  It's a weird setup, but I use both clubs a ton so who cares right?

 

4-iron got the boot because my gapping between 3 iron and 5 iron is less than 20 yards.

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by Bdck

[PixlPutterman]

19 hours ago, Cellis said:

I would have a hard time calling them redundant. Going from a driver to 2 iron or 5 wood that is probably around 18* is a massive gap. You also do not need a "crazy" amount of speed to launch a 3 wood, more so just a good swing. 

 

The only contemplation I have with my 3 wood is moving it from 13.5 to 15*, but it will definitely not be leaving my bag.

I played driver to 2i for over a decade. While is was a large gap (240 to 290) there was hardly ever a time where I "needed" a 260-270 club, and the times that I might have needed one, the risk certainly wasnt worth the reward.

 

OP's question isnt about being able to launch them its about them going so much further than in the past, do we really need a wood that goes 95% of our driver distance.

 

I currently go driver 5 wood (turned down a degree), 2i

 

I still dont "need" the 5 wood but I had an open slot in my bag so why not lol

 

 

[PixlPutterman]

14 hours ago, El Kabong2 said:

 

so, a 4W? 😉

Yeah, but if you are a lefty, there really isnt much in the way of 4 woods these days lol

 

That and a 5 wood can be a lot more compact of a head than most 4 woods (which I like)

[Scrubby]

5 minutes ago, scooterhd2 said:

Analytics has killed the 3 wood. 

 

Most people are no more accurate with a 3 wood than a driver, and for those that are, the numbers still show its better to have the added distance from the driver. And off the deck, amateurs are way better off hitting 5 wood or a hybrid. Yes, when you pure a 3 wood it will go further, but over 100 shots with each club and counting all your tops and chili dippers with the 3 wood that went 20 yards, the 5 wood is longer. And for some the 5 wood is longer even on good shots as the added launch and spin keeps the ball in the air longer. 

 

The reasons to keep the 3W in the bag, are if you are a very good fairway wood player, obviously. And if you use the 3W as an alternate driver. Maybe driver is fade, and 3W is draw. Or your home course is very tight, has tons of doglegs, or has creeks or ravines, that forces driver out of your hand on many holes.   

 

That's philosophically my goal with my woods(whether it's actually consistently executed is another story lol).

 

Driver (8.75 or 9.5 degrees, 270ish total distance) - Power fades for normal/long par 4's with no OB/little trouble

 

Deep face 3W(14.25 or 15 degrees, 245ish total distance) - Controlled straight/draws for normal/long par 4's with OB/trouble.

 

Hybrid(19 degrees, 220ish total distance)- Super straight for par 4's 350 yards or shorter.

 

It is annoying when a nutted 3wood off the tee is going longer than the driver. Also I cant really "sweep" a deep face 3W off the deck but a stinger/take a divot 3wood can produce those lowish, running shots that finish longer than a hybrid would, but the hybrid is way more consistent off the deck so why even bother with a 3W off the deck.

[mjc1130]

19 hours ago, PuffyC said:

Hot sports opinion: 3W is a total waste of bag space.

 

Off a tee they're fine but off the deck? No way, and I don't need another one trick pony. I've been playing for decades and I've yet to encounter an amateur who helped themselves in any way trying to hit 3W off turf. They'll tell you they hit it 230+ , and maybe they did that one time back in 2007, but when they pull it out it always seems to go about 163 into the woods. But then maybe I exclusively get paired up with terrible golfers so who knows. All I do know is the gain in consistency with 5W far outweighs the few yards I may pickup with the 3W the 1 time out of 20 I actually hit it correctly off the deck.

The 3 wood is the most consistent club in my bag. Unless I need 300 or more off the tee I'm going with the 3 wood. About 270 off the tee with ability to get it into the 280s, can play the draw and fade almost on command with it. Off the deck im probably 5 yards shorter than that with the same accuracy. For the people you are playing with I can guarantee they all have off the rack 3 woods. Do yourself a favor and get fit for all your woods at least. Stock wood shafts are extremely cheap and inconsistent. Couldn't trust the old 3 wood I had an now that this one is fit to me it works wonders. If your curious is a SIM2 Titanium with a Ventus Red 7x with VeloCore. 

[mcs4]

For me, it is the 5 wood that is now redundant given that 3 woods are easier to launch than ever, particularly at what are now considered higher lofts but would have been standard in years past (16 deg or so), and hybrids fly further than ever.

 

If I need to hit a fairway, I'm typically pulling 3 wood unless I really feel the need to go down to hybrid.

[Vlade15]

1 hour ago, Bdck said:

Right now I'm gaming with flat carries according to launch monitors at my club...

 

Driver at 6.5 - 330 (tee)

3 wood at 14 - 280 (tee)

2 iron at 16 - 260 (tee)

5 wood at 20 - 250 (deck)

3 iron at 21 - 225 (deck)

 

My biggest gap is between driver and 3 wood (50 yards).  Looking at making a move to a 12.5 3 wood since speed and spin aren't issues for me.

 

My 2 iron and 5 wood go about the same off the deck, but they get there in very different ways.  It's a weird setup, but I use both clubs a ton so who cares right?

 

4-iron got the boot because my gapping between 3 iron and 5 iron is less than 2 yards.




This is the most WRX post I have seen in a while.

 

 

[DFDLT]

Move back a tee or two 

[RoyalMustang]

21 hours ago, manima1 said:

4W is the answer w/ these new lower spinning fairway wood heads in my opinon.

 

15 degree 3W's to me nearly chase driver length 

 

Same here; even with a 4W, I can get out there 280 off the tee. But it also gives me the option to choke down a bit, make a controlled swing, and be 260 in the fairway. It is a great club to have in the bag and I can hit it off the fairway.  Honestly, a 3W could replace a driver for a lot of people.  

To the OP: You just need a good swing, not insane speed, to launch a 3W, but the 4W does get more height.  My SS is just over 110 all-in, but I am learning to cruise at 104-105 with my driver and sacrifice a few yards for fairways.  If I just make a good swing (shoulders and hips are leading the hands and club at impact) I am going to get plenty of height on my 3W or 4W.  A bad swing doesn't get it done.  

[dubbelbogey]

Warning: sweeping generalizations below, your mileage will likely vary...

 

I agree with those that say that a 3w is not a beneficial club for many mid to high handicappers. Too often, I will see golfers in this skill range try to "drop down" to a 3w on the tee box when they're uncomfortable hitting driver, and proceed to skull, sky, or otherwise hit the edge of the 3w clubface to a result that is effectively a full lost shot, possibly two if OB is in play. It is not a reliable club for these players. The shaft is too long relative the compact clubface and is just plain hard to hit well for those reasons.

 

But for players who actually practice with this club, and have a higher level of skill, it can be a very useful club. It makes a significant number of par 5s reachable, when they would not be with other clubs. This can save strokes for the player that has the skill to hit this club, even though it's only used a very limited number of times a round.

 

Personally, I think a chip driver is easier to hit off the tee than a 3w, but that is a matter of preference since I do actually practice this skill.  I can see others preferring a 3w off the tee when a shorter shot is demanded. Note, I don't think that a 3w has very much better dispersion than a driver. To me, this should be more about not blowing the tee shot too far downrange into trouble.

 

As usual, the answer is it depends...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Billy__Baroo]

I’ve been playing a 5 wood at 3 wood length turned down a degree, and it works great. I know that’ll mess with lie angle a tad, but that club is my go to. Easy to launch off the deck, can shape it, and the smaller head fits my eye more.

[RoyalMustang]

8 minutes ago, dubbelbogey said:

 

 

As usual, the answer is it depends...

 

 

 

My favorite term!

 

I use the 4W 6 times a round on my local course:

 

Hole 1 tee box par 4: need a 270-ish drive straight or 250-ish drive pushed right.  Driver is dangerous and easy to hit into trouble

 

Hole 2 tee box par 4: water lurks at 300 yards from the tee box.  Hit a nice 4-W with spin and land it about 270, setting me up perfectly for a 9-iron into the green.  Can't hit driver here, even from the back tees, as you hit right into a hazard

 

Hole 8 2nd shot: 540 yard par 5.  Going directly at the green is tough as it is well protected by bunkers and hazards, but flushing a 4-W left of the green will let the ball roll down the hill right toward the green, leaving you with a short chip and birdie chance.  

 

Hole 10: 2nd shot, 280 yard approach after a 270 yard uphill drive (so the hole plays long).  Hard to reach in 2, but you can play it well and get within 20 yards.  

 

Hole 15: drive downhill: Trouble at 310 yards, bunker at 240.  This is tailor made for a 4W.  Fly the bunker but don't drive yourself into the trees 310 out.  

 

Hole 17: 2nd shot: carry the bunker at 225 after hitting a 280 yard drive or so.  Roll out just above the hole after the 260-270 yard 4W, leaving an easy chip and hopefully birdie opportunity.  Again, protected hole and tough to attack directly from this distance.  

 

If I didn't have this club in my bag, I would either be inviting risk by hitting driver, or bringing bunkers into play with my hybrid

 

Often my round will largely be dictated by how well I hit this club (and my 4-iron, as there are a couple of well-guarded 215 yard par 3s on the course)

[SmashGolfBall]

Depends. If the 3W can be hit well and having an appropriate gap between the driver and the 5W or 3 hybrid, then it is a must have.