The Best 3-Wood Metalwoods Of All Time?

[JungleJimbo]

15 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. 

@BIG STU These S2H2? 🙂 Did you prefer the Original... or the Warbird? 🦅
https://www.golfwrx.com/578080/top-10-modern-classic-fairway-woods-of-all-time/ 
 

Edited April 7, 2022 by JungleJimbo

[jplroper]

  My favorites are the Titleist PT with a x100 and the Original Callaway Steelhead with Memphis 10 shaft.

[BIG STU]

2 hours ago, JungleJimbo said:

@BIG STU These S2H2? 🙂 Did you prefer the Original... or the Warbird? 🦅
https://www.golfwrx.com/578080/top-10-modern-classic-fairway-woods-of-all-time/ 
 

The original which is a smaller head

[hammergolf]

Founder’s Club Fresh Metal we’re great fwy woods too. A TM/PT combo with rails….

[BIG STU]

16 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

Founder’s Club Fresh Metal we’re great fwy woods too. A TM/PT combo with rails….

My first metal driver (around 02 or so) was a small headed Judge of that type. Had a X-1000 steel shaft. Played it about a year and cracked it along the rail lines. Later on a friend of mine who was on Founders staff told me those Drivers and fairways were prone to cracking with those stiff steel shafts in them especially for a big strong guy like I WAS at the time. LOL these days I do not hit anything hard enough to crack an egg. Time and injuries march on

[hammergolf]

2 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

My first metal driver (around 02 or so) was a small headed Judge of that type. Had a X-1000 steel shaft. Played it about a year and cracked it along the rail lines. Later on a friend of mine who was on Founders staff told me those Drivers and fairways were prone to cracking with those stiff steel shafts in them especially for a big strong guy like I WAS at the time. LOL these days I do not hit anything hard enough to crack an egg. Time and injuries march on

First non wood driver I played was a Founder’s Club Judge Titanium with a Aldila HM40 shaft in it. They had a great college player program back then. At the time I thought it was like cheating because it was so long and forgiving…. Lol

Edited April 7, 2022 by hammergolf

[BIG STU]

5 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

First non wood driver I played was a Founder’s Club Judge Titanium with a Aldila HM40 shaft in it. They had a great college player program back then. At the time I thought it was like cheating because it was so long and forgiving…. Lol

I was the last man standing on the SE Mini tours playing persimmon. I had (and still have) a Penna Custom with a Tour only HM-55. In fact that driver was played on tour by Chris Tucker who is a friend of mine. The only graphite at the time I could not rope hook. The small headed Judge came off a Tour Van equipped with that shaft. The guy who we did business with sold it to me cheap like $10 or so because he said no one wanted it and he had it for a couple of years then. I could go at it as fast and as hard as I wanted to and absolutely could not rope hook it either. Man I cried when I cracked that thing. I also have a Penna Persimmon with a HM-40 factory shaft. I also just recently acquired a Penna Jupiter Slugger with a factory HM-30 shaft which fit me good these days. 

[MattTheTaff]

The 904f 17 degree 4 wood has been in my bag years and i cant get rid of it.

 

I used to play with a 13.5 degree 975f 2 wood (or strong 3 wood) and it made an amazing sound when nutted out of the middle. Great off the tee but difficult to get any sort of usable height without a perfect lie in the fairway.

[super20dan]

i had great sucess with the founders club judge fairway woods. the 3 wood was in my bag for a very long time

[Dr. Block]

I have a Taylormade Tour Burner with a True Temper EI-70 in it. I still question why I game anything else every time I hit it. Those pre copper colored TM’s were excellent golf clubs.

 

Those old Titleist PT’s like tiger favored also looked the business, but being a lefty, I never got to give one a whack. 

Edited June 2, 2022 by Dr. Block

[rangersgoalie]

s2H2

sonartech

and there was a Marumen that’s was amazing in the ‘90’s

[BIG STU]

4 hours ago, rangersgoalie said:

s2H2

sonartech

and there was a Marumen that’s was amazing in the ‘90’s

A few years back around here Sonartech had a cult like following. I do not see that many around any more. 

Edited June 12, 2022 by BIG STU

[Mitchell]

4 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

A few years back around here Sonartech had a cult like following. I do not see that many around any more. 

Still have a couple of Sonartec options myself, and just put a 20* SS01 Sonartec with Fujikura pro95s back in bag myself. Play a couple of courses where the SS07 Sonartec 15* with same shaft suits quite well off tee since driver is not the prudent play.

[scomac2002]

I had an NP-99 with GD YS-6+ shaft a few years ago that was a very good 5W.  Extremely long off the tee and quite easy to hit off the deck.

Edited June 12, 2022 by scomac2002

[JungleJimbo]

5 minutes ago, scomac2002 said:

I had an HP-99 with GD YS-6+ shaft a few years ago that was a very good 5W.  Extremely long off the tee and quite easy to hit off the deck.

@scomac2002Guessing that's a Sonartec NP-99? (i.e. named after Nick Price)

Edited June 12, 2022 by JungleJimbo

[scomac2002]

1 minute ago, JungleJimbo said:

@scomac2002Guessing that's a Sonartec NP-99? (i.e. named after Nick Price)

Yup!

 

So much for my proof reading...  Correction made.

Edited June 12, 2022 by scomac2002

[rangersgoalie]

11 hours ago, BIG STU said:

A few years back around here Sonartech had a cult like following. I do not see that many around any more. 

They were really good

i had a hard time hitting them off a tee, but if the deck they were amazing.  
I was always a sketchy 3W player anyway

[tatertot]

Just found a brand new, never hit TaylorMade Tour Cleek ... been struggling with the fairway forever and thought I'd build this out with a Golf Design YSQ and see if it solves things.

[dcopp7]

17 minutes ago, tatertot said:

Just found a brand new, never hit TaylorMade Tour Cleek ... been struggling with the fairway forever and thought I'd build this out with a Golf Design YSQ and see if it solves things.

Worth a shot!

[BIG STU]

7 hours ago, tatertot said:

Just found a brand new, never hit TaylorMade Tour Cleek ... been struggling with the fairway forever and thought I'd build this out with a Golf Design YSQ and see if it solves things.

IMHO those are still a great club if you can get a shaft set up for you.

[BIG STU]

On 6/12/2022 at 1:32 AM, rangersgoalie said:

s2H2

sonartech

and there was a Marumen that’s was amazing in the ‘90’s

Those S2 H2 5 woods were a little pocket rocket if you get one set up right. I have built a couple in fact my late friend Little Bear had one I built. He called it a little heater. In all honesty I built it for me and never could get it to work for me but for him WOW. Since he has passed I am not sure on the fate of it. As usual the family is involved. He had as many if not more clubs and stuff as I do. His family did call me and I sent a couple of dealers over because he had some current stuff as well. They thought they were supposed to get top dollar retail for stuff and do not understand the reality. My dealer friend backed off and I told his son I was washing my hands on the whole manner. 

Edited July 9, 2022 by BIG STU

[EmperorPenguin]

On 7/8/2022 at 7:02 PM, tatertot said:

Just found a brand new, never hit TaylorMade Tour Cleek ... been struggling with the fairway forever and thought I'd build this out with a Golf Design YSQ and see if it solves things.

The Tour Cleek is an excellent fairway wood.  I get a kick when the younger golfers ask me about the hybrid I'm using.  The shot goes about 215 and very straight, like a 1 iron, but if it flies a little higher.  I took mine with me to Scotland and reached a Par 5 in two with it at Kingsbarns.  It is in my bag on days when I don't need the 1 iron, and more often than not that is the case.

 

A few years ago, Taylor Made released one of their so-called hybrids, which I swear is a copy of the Tour Cleek.  When I set up to it, I told the rep, "Hey, this is the Tour Cleek!"  He smiled and nodded.

Edited July 10, 2022 by EmperorPenguin

[Hickory4ever]

40 minutes ago, EmperorPenguin said:

The Tour Cleek is an excellent fairway wood.  I get a kick when the younger golfers ask me about the hybrid I'm using.  The shot goes about 215 and very straight, like a 1 iron, but if it flies a little higher.  I took mine with me to Scotland and reached a Par 5 in two with it at Kingsbarns.  It is in my bag on days when I don't need the 1 iron, and more often than not that is the case.

 

A few years ago, Taylor Made released one of their so-called hybrids, which I swear is a copy of the Tour Cleek.  When I set up to it, I told the rep, "Hey, this is the Tour Cleek!"  He smiled and nodded.

It brings back memories. I have both the 16 and 19 degree versions and they still play very well, especially from the fairway.

[JungleJimbo]

58 minutes ago, EmperorPenguin said:

The Tour Cleek is an excellent fairway wood.  I get a kick when the younger golfers ask me about the hybrid I'm using.  The shot goes about 215 and very straight, like a 1 iron, but if it flies a little higher.  I took mine with me to Scotland and reached a Par 5 in two with it at Kingsbarns.  It is in my bag on days when I don't need the 1 iron, and more often than not that is the case.

 

A few years ago, Taylor Made released one of their so-called hybrids, which I swear is a copy of the Tour Cleek.  When I set up to it, I told the rep, "Hey, this is the Tour Cleek!"  He smiled and nodded.

How does this Tour Cleek's feel / shape = compare to the relatively newer "Retro Raylor" ? (which i believe =from Late 90's / early 2000's? My Retro Raylor came with the Aldila HM-40 Tour Gold which i think was a decent fairway wood stock shaft, ~95/97grams?)

Edited July 10, 2022 by JungleJimbo

[EmperorPenguin]

To me, the retro Raylor feels just like the Taylor Made Burner Tour Preferred 4 wood, which I also have.  They are both good, but to me I would prefer the Cleek because the Cleek's crown has a slightly bigger bulge and maybe a deeper face to it, and setting up I feel more confident I will hit a better shot.

 

I do not have the Raylor in my club rack, but I do have the Tour Preferred 4 wood, which is the Raylor minus the rails.  I remember that it has the same crown it has as the Raylor.  Here is a picture of the Tour Preferred 4 wood juxtaposed to the Tour Cleek.  I am pointing the bulge with a pen so you can better see what I am talking about.

 

After buying the Tour Cleek I liked it so much I bought a second one for backup.

[MizunoMayhem]

On 7/9/2022 at 5:39 AM, BIG STU said:

Those S2 H2 5 woods were a little pocket rocket if you get one set up right. I have built a couple in fact my late friend Little Bear had one I built. He called it a little heater. In all honesty I built it for me and never could get it to work for me but for him WOW. Since he has passed I am not sure on the fate of it. As usual the family is involved. He had as many if not more clubs and stuff as I do. His family did call me and I sent a couple of dealers over because he had some current stuff as well. They thought they were supposed to get top dollar retail for stuff and do not understand the reality. My dealer friend backed off and I told his son I was washing my hands on the whole manner. 

I once got a Callaway Bobby Jones S2H2 5 wood, from a LPGA tour player, with a RCH Tour Series shaft. That was the best fairway wood I have ever hit.

[84425]

On 1/2/2022 at 7:59 PM, EmperorPenguin said:

I think the Taylor Made Tour Preferred Burner 3 wood a direct copy of the MacGregor 693 3 wood.  I recall that Jack used that 3 wood for all eighteen of his majors.  I am quite certain Gary Adams imitated the 693 when he designed this venerable 3 wood.

Ha! I see i’m not the only one that has polished the head of the TM metalwoods (looks better and gets rid of the skymarks (of the previous owner obviously)). 
 

i grew up with the tour preferred TM woods. Had a Burner Plus driver, then a 8.5* Tour Driver with aldila hm40 shaft and bought a 7* Tour Burner with titanium shaft ~20 years ago that i havent really tried yet because i than discovered you could buy persimmon drivers on ebay cheap and i never looked back. 
 

have a tour spoon as my 3 wood, but usually just carry driver-2iron in my short set. 
 

always interested in the Titleist PT 3 woods as i seem to recall that the bore-through version came with a tapered shaft (.295?). Where the TM has a parallel .335 shaft. 

[Esox]

Not metal, but the old ADX carbon fibre fairways and drivers were absolute beasts back in the 90's. I played the 3 and 5 wood for over a decade, very workable and looong. My brother actually still plays the 5 wood every round. It fits him perfectly after I put a 1" extension in it, his 6'6" windmill swing carries it further than most people hit their driver. This spring I saw him go a little over a 535 yard par 5 with two 5 woods..........and the second shot had to carry all the way to the green due to a river in front.

Edited August 2, 2022 by Esox

[Wardonation]

IMO XHOT hands down

[SnowbirdTom]

Bomber bag has driver/2H because the Epic Flash 3W wasn’t behaving. At least I can work the 2H left or right and get 220/230 from it.