The Best 3-Wood Metalwoods Of All Time?

[Scully13]

I have a thing for the Taylormade retros.

 

Retro Spoon- 13 degrees and the Retro Raylor -16 degrees.

 

HM TM 200 Steel and Callaway Steelhead/Steelhead Plus.

 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by Scully13
updated

[JungleJimbo]

5 minutes ago, Scully13 said:

I have a thing for the Taylormade retros.

 

Retro Spoon- 13 degrees and the Retro Raylor -16 degrees.

 

HM TM 200 Steel and Callaway Steelhead/Steelhead Plus.

@Scully13 Am curious to get your thoughts (+other folks here) on feel/sound/playability of the Tour Spoon 13*, vis-a-vis the Retro Raylor

(i own the Retro Raylor 16* and 19*,

but never bought the Spoon , as it seemed too daunting for my limited golf ability at the time!)

 

IMHO... the Retro Raylor = wonderful clubs... meaty & solid (and to my ears, nicer sounding vs newer-tech woods with thin face/ slots on the sole ... albeit i have to acknowledge those slots bring performance benefits on non-sweetspot contact) 

Edited January 4, 2022 by JungleJimbo

[Scully13]

I compare the TM retros to modern day hybrids. I love the "Thumping" sound of the retros as compared to the modern day "Clinking" sound of fairways and hybrids. I believe that the older TM FW were foam filled to deaden the sound but I could be wrong.

 

However, I loved the Callaway Steelheads for distance and forgiveness on mishits. 

 

 

 

 

[dcopp7]

9 hours ago, Scully13 said:

I compare the TM retros to modern day hybrids. I love the "Thumping" sound of the retros as compared to the modern day "Clinking" sound of fairways and hybrids. I believe that the older TM FW were foam filled to deaden the sound but I could be wrong.

 

However, I loved the Callaway Steelheads for distance and forgiveness on mishits. 

 

 

 

 

You are correct on the foam

[RSinSG]

On 1/2/2022 at 1:38 AM, JungleJimbo said:

”Top 10 “modern classic” fairway woods of all time” (30 Oct 2019)

https://www.golfwrx.com/578080/top-10-modern-classic-fairway-woods-of-all-time/

I wasn’t going to admit it but the Taylormade RBZ I used with success made this list. It was ugly white so I refinished it and painted it flat black. It’s one club I wish I would have kept. 

[mat562]

I've only full-time bagged two 3-woods since 1991.

 

A Taylor Made Spoon with a Flex Twist Graphite shaft - which i only swapped out because changes in ball technology clobbered its all-round performance - and, from 2005-on, a Nike T60. I've tried all sorts of other clubs, and some were good bits of kit and gave me a boost in some areas, but I'm a big believer in the old adage that a fairway wood is a hard club to get right, and once you find a good one, you stick with it.

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by mat562

[HoosierHacker89]

I loved my Taylormade steel woods the most of any of them up to this point. 

Edited January 7, 2022 by HoosierHacker89

[seis]

I don’t use 3 woods much anymore because of loss of distance off the tee due to age so using a 3 wood to avoid trouble doesn’t come up anymore. When I did though my favorite, which I still have, was a TM V steel, with a TT regular flex metal shaft. The club was very accurate off the tee. I have fond memories of keeping that in the fairway on tight driving holes while my playing partners would bomb their driver tee shots out of bounds or into hazards.😁

[elwhippy]

One of our fourball, who doesn't spend a lot on hardware, has a 15 deg V steel and still hits it well. My personal favourite would be a Warbird 4+ with a 6.0 Rifle. Great off tight lies and workable off the tee. 

[@_the_crook]

 I still have a few BB and GBB drivers, any of those matched with Warbird 3+ and 4 fairways is solid gear. 

[darkhelmet]

The first and best 3W I ever owned was a Callaway Steelhead with the Memphis 10 shaft -- off the tee, I could hammer that club longer and straighter than any driver of the time. 

 

First comment from people I played with was, "Wait -- you don't even own a driver?"  Followed not long afterwards by, "Wow, the way you hit that thing, I guess maybe you don't need to carry a driver!"

 

Somehow developed a slight bend in the shaft, reshafted it 2 different times, never could get it to play or feel the same again.😢

[nitram]

My favorite 3WD I've ever swung is the Tour Edge Exotics CB2. If I could still swing as good as I did 15 years ago, I'd still be bagging it with a TP7HD. It is the M-B AMG of 3WDs past and present. I still have 3+, 3, 5, and 7.

 

The V-Steel is the best overall performer I've tried as it is so easy to hit well and offers plenty of performance. I still have them in 3, 5, 7, and 9.

 

One that hasn't been mentioned is Bridgestone J33. It's very worthy of love and praise and quite possibly the best looking fairway ever made.

 

 

[Shallowface]

My favorite is a Wilson Staff DF6 with a stock NVS stiff that was a thrift store find several years ago.  Ideal face depth to be good off the tee and off the deck, although the only time I use it off the tee is to lay up short of something.  Other clubs come and go, but that one has stayed in the bag for a long time now.

 

Shallowface is mostly just a pen name at this point.  Some tastes change with time!   

[BIG STU]

20 hours ago, darkhelmet said:

The first and best 3W I ever owned was a Callaway Steelhead with the Memphis 10 shaft -- off the tee, I could hammer that club longer and straighter than any driver of the time. 

 

First comment from people I played with was, "Wait -- you don't even own a driver?"  Followed not long afterwards by, "Wow, the way you hit that thing, I guess maybe you don't need to carry a driver!"

 

Somehow developed a slight bend in the shaft, reshafted it 2 different times, never could get it to play or feel the same again.😢

No 2 shafts bend or frequency out the same despite what the manufacturers try to tell you. And believe it or not sometimes the position of the shaft may be right for that club too. Stuff like that happens all the time. As much as I mess with clubs if I get one that feels and hits good I do not mess with it. I know this is about 3 woods but years ago I had a repo Wilson R-90 I bought new. I literally wore the face concave and you could barely see Wilson on the sole. It was stock with no mods had the brown faux pyratone shaft. Went through 3 or 4 of them brand new and never could find one that felt the same. 

[BIG STU]

23 minutes ago, Shallowface said:

My favorite is a Wilson Staff DF6 with a stock NVS stiff that was a thrift store find several years ago.  Ideal face depth to be good off the tee and off the deck, although the only time I use it off the tee is to lay up short of something.  Other clubs come and go, but that one has stayed in the bag for a long time now.

 

Shallowface is mostly just a pen name at this point.  Some tastes change with time!   

The NVS Green is one of like 3 of my all time favorite shafts. The V-Steel 3 wood in my signature has one. I did not build that club I found it on the scrap pile at work just like it is. It is beat up and the ferrule is missing. No I am not taking it apart and putting one on it. I am not even going to put a 2 piece on it because it may mess with the tip flex some. The 7 wood in my signature I have had since new some 20 years ago now. I think 5 years into it I snapped the original MAS TM shaft at the head. Ended up putting a UST Pro Force Gold R in it. That shaft is still in it and I darn sure aint messing with that thing

Edited January 10, 2022 by BIG STU

[NRJyzr]

22 hours ago, BIG STU said:

No 2 shafts bend or frequency out the same despite what the manufacturers try to tell you.

 

This is especially true when talking about stock shafts from the first decade or more from Callaway.  Price is the primary determinant.

 

There used to be stories shared by shaft industry folks on the various forums, in the early days of the century, of various OEMs approaching them for a stock shaft agreement.  They'd be interested in such-and-such shaft, but wanted it at $2 each, instead of the $20 (or whatever) it cost them to build the product that caused the OEM inquiry.

 

It helps explain the legendary stories of stock shafts.  🙂

 

[BIG STU]

6 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

 

This is especially true when talking about stock shafts from the first decade or more from Callaway.  Price is the primary determinant.

 

There used to be stories shared by shaft industry folks on the various forums, in the early days of the century, of various OEMs approaching them for a stock shaft agreement.  They'd be interested in such-and-such shaft, but wanted it at $2 each, instead of the $20 (or whatever) it cost them to build the product that caused the OEM inquiry.

 

It helps explain the legendary stories of stock shafts.  🙂

 

I remember I had a Hogan GSS driver with a stock Green Aldila NVS shaft. I got it new at our golf shop when Callaway bought Hogan and dumped all the Hogan equipment at fire sale prices. Man I could hit that thing. Not long after that in 09 we closed the shop. I ended up on a deal with another bud in the golf business that sold Infiniti ,Wishon , KZG and Alpha. I was basically working for him on a deal with him. He was fitting me into a Wishon driver and we were trying the Green Aldila shafts--- We went through like 15 trying to match the numbers with the Hogan never could match up any within reasonable numbers. what was funny was the variance of numbers inbetween new stock shafts. Come to find out he had bought some of those from a wholeseller and we suspected that they were some of the Cally dumped NOS Hogan Stock. Ended up putting a stock UST Pro Force Gold 65 in it un tipped and it worked fine. One of the reasons why when I found the V-Steel 3 wood in my signature and found out I could hit it I never have messed with that shaft. Even though that club was not built for me it hits well for me like it is. 

[JShaw]

I've always liked the Callaway Warbirds and their generation prior.  The longest 3 wood shot I've ever hit was with a Mizuno T-Zoid forged. My all time favorite of the old metal woods is the Titleist Starship.  I still have the 3 and 5 my parents bought for me when I qualified for my high school golf team.  I did have them reshafted with x100s several years ago.  They never get much love, but for me they're easy to hit off the ground and a tee.  They certainly aren't the longest woods though.  I even picked up a 7 wood a few years back.  It's also a good club.

[CDLgolf]

I liked the Cleveland launcher. With the gold Fujikura shaft. 

 

Close runner up would be the Cleveland launcher comp that was released a few years later.

 

Those 2 were my favorite fairways(and drivers)  for several years.

[UofAGolf007]

Does the R7 TP 3wood count? Best 3 wood I have ever owned. Had a pink Aldila 65X in it. Was a cannon. Would still be gaming it but seems to have lost its pop

[BIG STU]

On 1/9/2022 at 4:07 PM, nitram said:

My favorite 3WD I've ever swung is the Tour Edge Exotics CB2. If I could still swing as good as I did 15 years ago, I'd still be bagging it with a TP7HD. It is the M-B AMG of 3WDs past and present. I still have 3+, 3, 5, and 7.

 

The V-Steel is the best overall performer I've tried as it is so easy to hit well and offers plenty of performance. I still have them in 3, 5, 7, and 9.

 

One that hasn't been mentioned is Bridgestone J33. It's very worthy of love and praise and quite possibly the best looking fairway ever made.

 

 

Funny I was reading through this early this AM. I am going to experiment with a V-Steel 4 wood I found in the stash yesterday. It appears dead nuts stock but is pristine. I do not recall hitting it and I think it may have been one of my junkpile finds. I believe I never have hit it because I do not have any of my lead tape mods on it. From what I gather the 4 wood is kinda like Hens Teeth rare. Basically I am hitting the old 3 wood ok but I am experimenting this week with lofting up some for more carry. I am more than likely going to loft up the M-6 some. I had adjusted it but never measured it per say. A bud of mine had a sheet on one and I double checked it on my plate with the protractor. I had it set at 8.5 but I was swinging at it hard. Since I have reduced my stance and swing arc I do not get it as high and have lost some distance even hitting it solid so I think lofting up may work for me. Well experimental day

[ColinKelvin]

[grooveolator]

On 1/2/2022 at 9:11 PM, PeterPing said:

Orlimar 

I got this head, but I don't think it's the kind you are talking about?

Is it especially worth shafting? I already have 20* and 26* hybrids, the 26* works very well for me; I just got the 20* so haven't hi t** yet, but it's the sister of the 26*

[AdExec]

Titleist 970 is the only answer. Still use the 20* 5 wood often in place of my 3H sometimes. Fujikura VT80D shaft in one of them, and another one with an s300. Also have a 13* with x100 that’s a rocket launcher. 

[ac6]

Sonartec SS-02 is my pick. Others might prefer the SS-03 or NP-99 but I found those to set up a touch too closed and launch just a little too low for my game

Edited September 30, 2022 by ac6

[Wham49]

love the early warbirds and steelheads. ALso love the PT titleist

[Wham49]

I see the TM old schools all the time should pick some up

[BIG STU]

51 minutes ago, Wham49 said:

love the early warbirds and steelheads. ALso love the PT titleist

Nothing at all wrong with those and I can tell you the sleeper in the Cally line the old S2H2 heads. Thos things are hot and hard to find because anyone who has them will hold on to them like gold. 

[Wardonation]

CALLY XHOT

[Wham49]

3 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

Nothing at all wrong with those and I can tell you the sleeper in the Cally line the old S2H2 heads. Thos things are hot and hard to find because anyone who has them will hold on to them like gold. 

I have the 2 wood of the s2h2, like it, it needs a new shaft