Spinny short 3 wood, but is it a problem?

[ThreePuttForPar]

Went to local golf store intending to pick up a 5 wood to fill the slot in my bag from 215-230…

 

Tried a few, ping 425max was okay but a bit long. Pass. Rogue st ls was a bit long and felt like required me to swing it harder than I wanted to to get “that feeling”, but it did deliver when hit harder. Pass. Rogue st max was a hook machine. Pass.

 

Really liked the clearance Mavrik, but it was flying 5-10 yards shorter than I wanted, overlapping my 3 hybrid. So I tried the 3 wood. Loved it. Kept hitting the number consistently, 215ish carry, 230ish with roll out.

 

Long winded story, sorry. So the mavrik 3-wood was leaning next to the ping 5-wood when I noticed they were the same length… sure enough the 3-wood was short and about the same as all the 5-woods, but was brand new and never cut down.

 

The question, it was launching and spinning like a 5 wood 4300-4500, 13-14ish launch. Do I not worry that this is skinny for a 3-wood? Just enjoy a five with a 3 on it? Or will this face potential problems down the road?

 

Anyone who read this far, thank you.

 

 

[tomg1969]

I wouldn't worry about it. If it works and you're comfortable with it, I'd say go for it.

[vandyfan]

11 minutes ago, ThreePuttForPar said:

The question, it was launching and spinning like a 5 wood 4300-4500, 13-14ish launch. Do I not worry that this is skinny for a 3-wood? Just enjoy a five with a 3 on it? Or will this face potential problems down the road?

 

So I landed in a similar boat but with a driver. Basically, I know myself and my game. I (for the time being) am good with the ceiling on my driver distance being 20 yards shorter if that means much more consistent contact and fairways hit. Basically I swapped a 9* driver for a 12* driver in the same head and shaft (which is trimmed to 43.5"). I don't play courses at 6,800 yds+ so I don't feel like I need more distance at the expense of accuracy. Only you will know if this works out for you but so far I am in love with my consistency and so long as I don't have a 20+ mph wind in my face, I'm good. 

 

Also, I want to throw this in there, I think this "low spin" craze hurts as many players as it helps. I may be wrong but for a lot of the mid - high handicappers, I think a bit of spin can help them keep the ball airborne and hit it a little straighter, albeit not as far. The constant search for a few more yards and out and out distance being the main selling point for new drivers is not helpful to the average golfer (in my opinion), especially someone who struggles with their driver. This is not directed at the majority of Golfwrx'ers (which is not me) who have a 110+ mph swing speed and need to keep spin down. I have just found that being up around 3000 rpm spin (with a 105 mph SS) is actually beneficial to my game in many cases. Sorry for the rant...

[ThreePuttForPar]

1 hour ago, vandyfan said:

 

So I landed in a similar boat but with a driver. Basically, I know myself and my game. I (for the time being) am good with the ceiling on my driver distance being 20 yards shorter if that means much more consistent contact and fairways hit. Basically I swapped a 9* driver for a 12* driver in the same head and shaft (which is trimmed to 43.5"). I don't play courses at 6,800 yds+ so I don't feel like I need more distance at the expense of accuracy. Only you will know if this works out for you but so far I am in love with my consistency and so long as I don't have a 20+ mph wind in my face, I'm good. 

 

Also, I want to throw this in there, I think this "low spin" craze hurts as many players as it helps. I may be wrong but for a lot of the mid - high handicappers, I think a bit of spin can help them keep the ball airborne and hit it a little straighter, albeit not as far. The constant search for a few more yards and out and out distance being the main selling point for new drivers is not helpful to the average golfer (in my opinion), especially someone who struggles with their driver. This is not directed at the majority of Golfwrx'ers (which is not me) who have a 110+ mph swing speed and need to keep spin down. I have just found that being up around 3000 rpm spin (with a 105 mph SS) is actually beneficial to my game in many cases. Sorry for the rant...

Thanks for taking the time for the response. I have to agree, I’m not sure the low spin thing is any good for my game, makes me swing harder than I want to now that I’ve hit 40.
 

Problem is though, it’s usually the low spin models that have a square face at address. I’ve had a case of the lefts my entire life, even when there is a “draw model” the more “standard” model seems to sit slightly closed. 
 

First world problems I guess…

[ThreePuttForPar]

1 hour ago, vandyfan said:

 

So I landed in a similar boat but with a driver. Basically, I know myself and my game. I (for the time being) am good with the ceiling on my driver distance being 20 yards shorter if that means much more consistent contact and fairways hit. Basically I swapped a 9* driver for a 12* driver in the same head and shaft (which is trimmed to 43.5"). I don't play courses at 6,800 yds+ so I don't feel like I need more distance at the expense of accuracy. Only you will know if this works out for you but so far I am in love with my consistency and so long as I don't have a 20+ mph wind in my face, I'm good. 

 

Also, I want to throw this in there, I think this "low spin" craze hurts as many players as it helps. I may be wrong but for a lot of the mid - high handicappers, I think a bit of spin can help them keep the ball airborne and hit it a little straighter, albeit not as far. The constant search for a few more yards and out and out distance being the main selling point for new drivers is not helpful to the average golfer (in my opinion), especially someone who struggles with their driver. This is not directed at the majority of Golfwrx'ers (which is not me) who have a 110+ mph swing speed and need to keep spin down. I have just found that being up around 3000 rpm spin (with a 105 mph SS) is actually beneficial to my game in many cases. Sorry for the rant...

Also, shorter driver high lofted driver sounds like a great idea for me to try. I switched from 9 to 10 a few years ago which was an improvement, but shorter and loftier never crossed my mind…

 

Did you cut down a driver shaft from stock? If so how did it effect the driver? Or was it fitted to you that way from the get go?

 

[ThreePuttForPar]

Just now, ThreePuttForPar said:

Also, shorter driver high lofted driver sounds like a great idea for me to try. I switched from 9 to 10 a few years ago which was an improvement, but shorter and loftier never crossed my mind…

 

Did you cut down a driver shaft from stock? If so how did it effect the driver? Or was it fitted to you that way from the get go?

 

9-10.5*

[vandyfan]

6 minutes ago, ThreePuttForPar said:

Did you cut down a driver shaft from stock? If so how did it effect the driver? Or was it fitted to you that way from the get go?

 

I just butt trimmed it down to 43.5". I was fitted in the 9* driver at standard but that was also when I had hit about 60-70 drivers in a row and was in a groove. I could flush it when hitting it over and over but on the course and under pressure I was hitting it all over the face. The extra loft and shortened shaft has cleared that up dramatically, for me. 

 

Shortening the shaft will change (decrease) the swingweight of the driver. I have a speedzone cobra driver so I bought the heaviest weight I could find (18g) and put it in the back to compensate for this. You can also use a ton of lead tape as well. Or just play it light and see if you prefer it that way. 

 

This wasn't my first experiment like this, I have a Nike Sumo that is 13* that I cut down to 42.5" and it is very straight. If you want to experiment you can always find an 11*-13* used driver online from 4-5 years ago rather than diving straight in on a new driver with this experiment. I doubt I will ever go back to single digit lofts on a driver, personally. 

 

Finally, if you have an issue with the lefts that is another advantage of the higher lofted driver in that you can loft it down (open the face) more easily. 

Edited June 30, 2022 by vandyfan

[MK Anderson]

If the club hits your launch windows and distance you are looking for, who cares what the numbers on the actual club say.  Think of it more if “this is my 230 club” not “this is my 3/5 wood”

[Radeon962]

Many play a 4w (16.5/17 loft) or turn a 5w down to similar lofts and play at 3w 43” or 42.5” length.

 

I play a 16.5 at 42.25 and it fits the gap I need which is 220-240.

 

I play all of my woods short by 1/2” to 3/4” depending on the clubs and worry more about what gap I’m trying to fit with it.

 

We all have different swings so if the current setup fits you well, you hit it well and it hits the gaps you want/need then go with it.  

[Augie53]

I love the Mavrik line enough that I have the entire lineup, D, 3w, 4w, 5w, 7w.  Actually, I went on a bender on CPO and ended up with all of them.  If you like the 3w you should check out the 4w for comparison.  I have always played a 3w but currently have the 4w in the bag.  Ball gets up in the air and, most importantly, hits the distance slot for many shots on my home course.  I hit the 3w about 235-250 and the 4w about 225-240.  The 10 yard reduction keeps me out of going for it and hitting into trouble on several holes yet still gives me good distance.  Ball launches better too.

 

The advice from earlier, don't worry about the number on the bottom of the club just worry about launch window and distance, is spot on.  If the 3w works for you, let it fly.

[Kingcat990]

It sounds like you found a 3 wood a lot of people are trying to obtain. Consistency. Run it. 

[Roejye]

Another vote for not getting bogged down with the number on the bottom of the club. The "fairway woods" part of my bag is pretty bunched up in regards to loft, but there's a reason for it. My 3 wood is 15° and the next club in the bag is an Adams XTD ti super hybrid at 17.5°. I have that setup because it works well for me. The 3 wood is primarily used off the tee, and the super hybrid is a Jack of all trades club that gets used a lot.

 

I ended up with the super hybrid because I too was looking for something for a specific gap and it filled it, it's ended up being one of my favorite clubs to hit.