Anyone ditch the 3 wood for a 4 wood?

[TLUBulldogGolf]

I've been thinking about this move, I have a 15* 917 that I had turned down slightly but felt it was going too far, went back to standard and I like the flight but kind of miss the more open face. I think the TSr3 is going to get a hard look now that they've gone back to the full scorelines. I'm looking for a bit more reliability off the tee while still being able to hit it off the deck when needed. 

[Rbsiedsc]

Traded in my super hybrid for a rouge st ls HL3w. Prior was an EF SZ 3w. The HL3 is so easy to elevate and for the most part easy to square up.

[firehole]

Long time 3w/5w player, 105-110ss mid-high ball hitter. Last couple months I have been playing a tsi3 15 and tsi3 18 and found the 3w to be a rocket off the tee but wasn’t getting the height I wanted off the fw for me. Really liked the 5w but found that it flew too close to the 3w to have a functional gap. So took a gamble and traded both in for a tsi2 16.5. I’ve been playing it for the past month and couldn’t be happier with it. 4w carries just as far off the tee as 3w but with less rollout (slightly shorter overall but gaps better with driver) and it carries further off the fw with better height. Wish I made the switch earlier. 

Edited July 14, 2022 by firehole

[Frank_Kasule]

Swapped out my 3 wood for a 17° Apex UW. No loss in distance and huge gains in accuracy. 

[mxskier]

For those of you who did this swap to a 4W (for reference I'm looking at 16.5 TSi2), did you play it at 3W length (43") or play it at the stock 4W length (more like 42.5")?

 

I hit my 5W remarkably better than my 3W so wouldn't mind having the top of my bag be a D, 4W, then a 7w/3h/3i options, then 4 on down. but wondering if you just play it at 3W length and get the height advantage, and then go to stock lengths for everything else.

[third-times-a-charm]

22 minutes ago, mxskier said:

For those of you who did this swap to a 4W (for reference I'm looking at 16.5 TSi2), did you play it at 3W length (43") or play it at the stock 4W length (more like 42.5")?

 

I hit my 5W remarkably better than my 3W so wouldn't mind having the top of my bag be a D, 4W, then a 7w/3h/3i options, then 4 on down. but wondering if you just play it at 3W length and get the height advantage, and then go to stock lengths for everything else.

 

Play length is personal preference. There's people with 42" 3w and 42.75" 5 woods out there, and etc. All that does is net you +-5yds and fits your height and/or helps dispersion. Also the swing weight will change with shaft length which is also preference.

[Rbsiedsc]

1 hour ago, mxskier said:

For those of you who did this swap to a 4W (for reference I'm looking at 16.5 TSi2), did you play it at 3W length (43") or play it at the stock 4W length (more like 42.5")?

 

I hit my 5W remarkably better than my 3W so wouldn't mind having the top of my bag be a D, 4W, then a 7w/3h/3i options, then 4 on down. but wondering if you just play it at 3W length and get the height advantage, and then go to stock lengths for everything else.

I'm at 42.75" and that was only because i gripped down at my fitting.

[ShortGolfer]

I'm short, so my driver is at 41.25, the 3HL is a 40.75, and the 11W is at 40.25 after a full bag fitting session.

My fitter was really surprised at  how good the TrackMan numbers looked hitting the 3HL off the mat as my swing speed wasn't very high.

The shaft choice has a lot do with whether the club  will work or not.

Edited July 21, 2022 by ShortGolfer

[ARL67]

I prefer the bigger "chassis" that a 3W head offers over a 4W head.

I have my TSi2 15* lofted up, and I play it a bit shorter at 42.5" ungripped.

 

I tried many 4W & 5W, but found my misses with them to be spin'y , short, and directionally challenged 😆.  After my 3W I go to a 21* TSi2 hybrid, then 5i.   My bag has only 12 clubs.

Edited July 15, 2022 by ARL67

[me05501]

I've fallen in love with my Epic Speed 4 wood. It makes a really good secondary tee club. Based on Garmin data I've been averaging about 225 with it from a tee which works on a ton of holes from the tees we play. 

 

Looking at the Garmin data for my driver I see an average of only 238. There are more out-and-out duffs included in the driver data for sure, but that's real world stuff. My best drives are more like 255-260 total. I'd like to see more of those and less of the others. 

 

I've scheduled a lesson for next week at a fitting studio that has Trackman and Swing Catalyst and all that stuff. My goal is to nail down all the elements that help me get the best launch conditions I'm capable of generating. Going to explore ball position, tee height, setup orientation, swing weight/shaft length, hosel settings, etc. and try to home in on the best set of variables for me.

 

Hopefully I can get my driver average up from 238 closer to 250. If I can't I'll probably go back to using a mini driver or 3+. There's no sense in using a driver if it's only 12-14 yards longer than my 4 wood!

 

 

[Mascot]

I've been thinking of making this switch.  My 3 wood occasionally thinks its a driver and I have too big of a gap between it and the next club.  Seems like this could be a perfect solution

[Is Golf Fun or Work]

Went 4 wood long ago, easier to elevate, can open/close to flight similar to 3/5 woods

[philly2kuk]

I ditched my three wood for a five wood years ago then switched to an m4 3hl about two years back. It misbehaved one too many times Saturday so I went looking for a replacement and gave numerous three woods a go thinking now would be the time to try again.

 

After an hour or so hitting different three woods and struggling, my coach passed me a tsi2 4 wood. So my 3hl was replaced with another club of the same loft. I’ve given up on three woods officially now.

[ChipDriver]

On 7/14/2022 at 12:47 PM, mxskier said:

For those of you who did this swap to a 4W (for reference I'm looking at 16.5 TSi2), did you play it at 3W length (43") or play it at the stock 4W length (more like 42.5")?

 

I hit my 5W remarkably better than my 3W so wouldn't mind having the top of my bag be a D, 4W, then a 7w/3h/3i options, then 4 on down. but wondering if you just play it at 3W length and get the height advantage, and then go to stock lengths for everything else.

I use a stock Cally X2Hot 4W - love it.   If you want - put in a longer shaft and just grip down for less yardage.  Use a Golf Pride CP2 Pro grip (lower hand is built up) or add a few wraps to the lower hand of your favorite grip....and when you grip down, it feels normal.

[philly2kuk]

On 7/14/2022 at 5:47 PM, mxskier said:

For those of you who did this swap to a 4W (for reference I'm looking at 16.5 TSi2), did you play it at 3W length (43") or play it at the stock 4W length (more like 42.5")?

 

I hit my 5W remarkably better than my 3W so wouldn't mind having the top of my bag be a D, 4W, then a 7w/3h/3i options, then 4 on down. but wondering if you just play it at 3W length and get the height advantage, and then go to stock lengths for everything else.

i tried the tsi2 3w at stock vs the 4w at stock and walked out with the 4w. The slightly shorter shaft just helped massively. My old m4 3hl was 3w length with 4w loft and I could be inconsistent.

[Gtyler14]

On 7/14/2022 at 12:47 PM, mxskier said:

For those of you who did this swap to a 4W (for reference I'm looking at 16.5 TSi2), did you play it at 3W length (43") or play it at the stock 4W length (more like 42.5")?

 

I hit my 5W remarkably better than my 3W so wouldn't mind having the top of my bag be a D, 4W, then a 7w/3h/3i options, then 4 on down. but wondering if you just play it at 3W length and get the height advantage, and then go to stock lengths for everything else.

42.5 but I’ve always gamed a 3 wood at a shorter length.

[hagimihale]

Not a direct replacement... But about 2 years ago I pulled 3W in favor of a 12* driver that I'm still using as a 2W on short/tight holes.  Was rarely using the 3W from the fairway, and the 2W has been more effective off the tee. 

 

Recently I had an open spot in the bag, and one gap was on long approach shots (230+).  So I just added a TSi2 16.5* 4W that will get time in the bag.   Will not use it regularly off the tee, but early results from the fairway have been good.

[myspinonit]

28 minutes ago, hagimihale said:

Not a direct replacement... But about 2 years ago I pulled 3W in favor of a 12* driver that I'm still using as a 2W on short/tight holes.  Was rarely using the 3W from the fairway, and the 2W has been more effective off the tee. 

 

Recently I had an open spot in the bag, and one gap was on long approach shots (230+).  So I just added a TSi2 16.5* 4W that will get time in the bag.   Will not use it regularly off the tee, but early results from the fairway have been good.

A 16.5 fairway (that is still adjustable if one must tinker) with a stock 42.5 shaft is very appealing. If I ever leave Ping I may give the Titleist 16.5 option a try, if still offered then.

[NayaBKL]

just did this.

 

Was using Mavrik 3 wood which i was hitting pretty ok but sometimes wasn't the best club to use when hitting off the fairway.

 

Switched to Tsi2 16.5 and it's been great to say the least. Probably lost 5-10 yds but the accuracy is far better compared to the 3 wood.

 

There's this course I play often that has 531 yd part 5. I've been getting on the green on 2 almost every time since switching to the 4 wood. 

Edited July 30, 2022 by NayaBKL

[Yuck]

I switched earlier this year.  I had used a TEE 15 degree since prehistoric times and still hit it well.  I switched because of wedges.  I had played 48 or 47 degree pitching wedges along with a 52 and a 58 for decades.  With stronger lofts, I now have TCB’s with a 46 PW and the yardage gap to 52 had gotten too large.  So I went to 50 /54/58 in the wedges and took out my three iron.  I went to a 17 degree 4 wood.  (Mavrik SZ adjustable) and a 7 wood (Mavrik SZ bonded 20 degree).  I like my new yardages gaps.  I do hit the 4W about 10 yards shorter than my 3 w.  The 7w is 12 yards shorter than my 5 wood was, so it flows nicely to the 4 iron.  I do not miss the 10 yards at the top of my bag.

[WidespreadPanic]

I played a 4 wood for years, until I found the Mavrik 15* which is pretty easy to launch of the deck, and boy is it long off the tee.

[jtmagic]

3HL for me.  Much better given launch is higher than normal 3 woods.

[Augie53]

On 7/31/2022 at 2:58 PM, WidespreadPanic said:

I played a 4 wood for years, until I found the Mavrik 15* which is pretty easy to launch of the deck, and boy is it long off the tee.

I've played the Mavrik 4 wood all summer,  a 4W/7W setup.  In the last two weeks I have taken the 4W out of the bag and put in the Mavrik 3W 15*.  Longer off the tee and I can get an extra 15 yards on it that allows me to reach the green on a couple of holes at my local course.  I also seem to just hit it better, a more penetrating shot than the 4W.

 

So I've gone in the opposite direction this season.

[teedub21]

TM Sim2 Max 3HL.  So easy to hit off the tee and fairway.  

[third-times-a-charm]

3 hours ago, Augie53 said:

I've played the Mavrik 4 wood all summer,  a 4W/7W setup.  In the last two weeks I have taken the 4W out of the bag and put in the Mavrik 3W 15*.  Longer off the tee and I can get an extra 15 yards on it that allows me to reach the green on a couple of holes at my local course.  I also seem to just hit it better, a more penetrating shot than the 4W.

 

So I've gone in the opposite direction this season.

The Mavrik fairway wood line is kind of a unicorn. Such a great line of fairways and so easy to hit.

[Scotch021]

I’m looking for a 4/5 wood to tune down a couple degrees as well. Some good information here. 

[jah7838]

I've used the 17* Callaway UW for most of the summer and hit it pretty well off the tee.  I just had issues hitting it higher...opposite problem of many here on WRX.  I recently got rid of it and got a PING G425 5w that I have turned down to 16.5*, and the stock ball flight is much higher, which is what I want from it.  It's really good off the deck and long enough off the tee for me.  

[lazyjc4]

My fairway has some serious Identity issues.  It's 16.5*, classic 4-wood loft, but it says 3-wood on it, and I carry it further than I did most 15* 3-woods I've played.  Is it a 4-wood that identifies as a 3-wood?  A real 3-wood?  A 3-wood trapped in a 4-wood's clubhead?  It's so confusing!!! 

[myspinonit]

1 hour ago, lazyjc4 said:

My fairway has some serious Identity issues.  It's 16.5*, classic 4-wood loft, but it says 3-wood on it, and I carry it further than I did most 15* 3-woods I've played.  Is it a 4-wood that identifies as a 3-wood?  A real 3-wood?  A 3-wood trapped in a 4-wood's clubhead?  It's so confusing!!! 

Ha. Marketing. I see the same model also has a 15 degree "3 wood" also a 43" shaft.  Probably the perception (probably true) that the average golfer figures they need something with a 3W label in the bag.

I remember when I got my first Ping 27 degree "5 hybrid" fixed hosel and some brands were marketing one at around 24 degrees. "What did you hit there, Fred?"  "My 5 hybrid."  "Wow, Fred, you hit that as far as my Ping 4 hybrid."

Edited September 9, 2022 by myspinonit

[AlexSWFL]

Kinda resurrecting an older thread here but I’m definitely submitting another vote for 4 wood.
 

I had been wanting to try one instead of cranking up the loft on my TM Sim Ti 3W. It was tough to find one since I’m a lefty but I located a used TSi2 16.5
 

Boy am I glad I did. I took it out to my home course here in Southwest Florida this afternoon and since it’s 93 and humid the course was pretty empty. That allowed me to hit 3 balls each time while testing with Arccos to gather some solid data. Shot after shot after shot the ball stayed perfectly online with a slight draw. High launch but didn’t balloon. I teed it very low on tee box occasions, basically the ball was just hovering over the grass. My normal 3 wood off the tee is around 240 at sea level. The TSi2 was going 235 off the tee and off the deck. The difference was off the deck I’d usually see a 10 yard drop off with the 3W and there was no drop off with the 4 wood so it actually out carried/totaled the 3 wood but launched at least 25 feet higher and stopped within 5-7 yards. Making it possible to hold a green from 235 out. 
 

I usually swing very controlled with everything but driver where I am going for max distance rather than consistent distance. I decided to see what my controllable max was with the 4 wood and I had a bit of a tailwind on a short par 4. I cranked it up to 95% and hit a towering shot that went dead on line and finished at 276 yards. For reference my average drive on Arccos is 266 (usually have 1 or 2 per round that go 275-280). The crazy thing is that it still went perfectly on line with a slight draw. It looked exactly like my standard 85% shots just went an extra 40 yards (with some help from the wind). 
 

It’s my opinion that the vast majority of amateurs should be carrying something 16° or higher as their longest club off the deck. 
 

My setup now is:

Driver - Titleist TSR2 10° (Set to A1)

4 wood - Titleist TSi2 16.5 (Set to D4)

7 wood - PXG 0341x 21° (standard setting)

4i - Cobra Forged Tec 

5-PW - Cobra King Tour MIM 

52/56/60 - Cobra King MIM Black Wedges

Putter - Taylormade Spider GT Single Bend