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Strong 3w to try?


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I don't really know if this would work or not.  One, I don't know if I have the swing speed to get anything out of the strong 3w.  But I am considering replacing my driver with a strong 3w.  I hit my driver on the range just fine, but I have a mental block with it on the course.  My 4w though isn't too bad.  Yep, I have bad swings, but it is more consistent than my driver has ever been.  An average shot for my 4w is 225-230 with roll.  A well struck shot can get out to 255 with roll.  My driver can get out to 275 with roll, but I am more likely to top it 75-100 yards on the course.  I realize my swing needs to be fixed.  I tried teeing my driver down and lofting it all the way up, but I don't like the way it looks at address and I couldn't keep it from going right.  My 4w is a Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero with the stock rogue white msi 130 shaft, which I think has a slightly open face, or at least a face that isn't closed.  I get decent height, I can't say exactly how high, but I get it above the trees off the deck.  Swing speed with driver max's out around 105, and I can get the 4w to 100.  

 

Like I said, I'm not sure if this is a road that leads to anything good.  Ultimately what I would like is for the strong 3w to go 250-260 with roll on an average shot, and be able to control it well enough to shape.  It's probably asking a lot. 

In the bag

Driver: Taylormade Sim2 Max 9*

4w: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero

Hybrid:  Apex 19 3h 20*

Hybrid:  Apex 19 4h 23*

Irons: Callaway Apex CF 19 5i-AW

W1: Vokey SM7 54* S

W2: Vokey SM8 60* L

Putter: Swag Handsome Too

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If you have money to burn then it's worth a try I guess. Honestly though I think you'd be better off either finding a way to fix your "mental block" or spending that money on a diver you felt more comfortable with.

 

This isn't exactly the same, but I carried a 13* 3 wood for many years (in addition to driver and hybrid). Although I loved it, I eventually got to the point I needed something that I could get a bit higher in the air. The strong 3 wood was great for hitting low bombs that would roll out a ton, but it wasn't so good at hitting it into par 5's and holding the green.

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29 minutes ago, Abh159 said:

If you have money to burn then it's worth a try I guess. Honestly though I think you'd be better off either finding a way to fix your "mental block" or spending that money on a diver you felt more comfortable with.

 

This isn't exactly the same, but I carried a 13* 3 wood for many years (in addition to driver and hybrid). Although I loved it, I eventually got to the point I needed something that I could get a bit higher in the air. The strong 3 wood was great for hitting low bombs that would roll out a ton, but it wasn't so good at hitting it into par 5's and holding the green.

Thanks for the reply.  The intent wouldn't be for par 5s, just mainly a tee club.  And to be frank, I don't have the money to burn.  What I want to know is how much more distance I can expect from a strong 3w vs a 4w, or even how much distance you lose going from driver to strong 3w.  I imagine since the shaft is the same length and the lie is the same, it is just the 3* difference and spin.  I would most likely go with a low spin option since my 4w is low spin.  

 

But playing around with the trajectory optimizer I am thinking I will not launch the 13.5* high enough to matter.  

In the bag

Driver: Taylormade Sim2 Max 9*

4w: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero

Hybrid:  Apex 19 3h 20*

Hybrid:  Apex 19 4h 23*

Irons: Callaway Apex CF 19 5i-AW

W1: Vokey SM7 54* S

W2: Vokey SM8 60* L

Putter: Swag Handsome Too

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Pic for interest.

 

2E21C8E2-9CBD-4724-954F-BC038A9B6F72.jpeg.21b912b123b828a409e5a34fe8327620.jpeg
 

These are both great clubs. I never play them together.

 

IMO -

 

You hit the driver fine on the range because you have unlimited repetitions available to produce acceptable results. You don’t hit it consistently in play because it takes more than zero repetitions to translate the changes needed in swing mechanics from the rest of your set to the driver.

 

It’s not because its generically “a driver”, and switching to a generic strong 3 wood won’t make the issue evaporate. You need to find a fitter (at least in the style of TrueSpec) that understands how to integrate your driver with the rest of your set. Otherwise you’re just guessing. That’s inefficient, and generally expensive.

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Driver - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 5S

FW - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 6S

Hybrid - SIM2 MAX / Ventus Blue 7S

Irons - ZX5 / C-Taper Lite S

Wedges - SM9 50/08 56/10 60/04

Putter - Odyssey Ai-One Milled #7 T

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I went to DSG and hit a Rogue ls 13.5 and a stealth turned down to 13*. The rogue had an x stiff shaft, the stealth had the Hzrdus 6.0. I couldn’t hit the Stealth plus in the 13.5 since they didn’t have a demo. First, everything went left, I didn’t get any good hits until I went with it and setup for a right to left flight. I was a little disappointed in the rogue, I like the Mavrik so much I thought it would be money, but the stealth had more speed to it.

I got ball speed into the mid 140s and carried it 225 with rollout to 250. Launching at 12* off the mat and reaching an apex of 25 yards.

These numbers aren’t any better than my current 4w. Maybe they get better off a tee, but I doubt it would be good enough. I will say that pretty much everything I have ever demoed at DSG goes left and it is extremely difficult for me to get a feel for a club there. Add to that I use mcc+4s in a midsize and a stock grip feels awful to me as well. 

In the bag

Driver: Taylormade Sim2 Max 9*

4w: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero

Hybrid:  Apex 19 3h 20*

Hybrid:  Apex 19 4h 23*

Irons: Callaway Apex CF 19 5i-AW

W1: Vokey SM7 54* S

W2: Vokey SM8 60* L

Putter: Swag Handsome Too

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20 minutes ago, Jeff58 said:

Pic for interest.

 

2E21C8E2-9CBD-4724-954F-BC038A9B6F72.jpeg.21b912b123b828a409e5a34fe8327620.jpeg
 

These are both great clubs. I never play them together.

 

IMO -

 

You hit the driver fine on the range because you have unlimited repetitions available to produce acceptable results. You don’t hit it consistently in play because it takes more than zero repetitions to translate the changes needed in swing mechanics from the rest of your set to the driver.

 

It’s not because its generically “a driver”, and switching to a generic strong 3 wood won’t make the issue evaporate. You need to find a fitter (at least in the style of TrueSpec) that understands how to integrate your driver with the rest of your set. Otherwise you’re just guessing. That’s inefficient, and generally expensive.


That is probably good advice.

And nice sticks btw!

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In the bag

Driver: Taylormade Sim2 Max 9*

4w: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero

Hybrid:  Apex 19 3h 20*

Hybrid:  Apex 19 4h 23*

Irons: Callaway Apex CF 19 5i-AW

W1: Vokey SM7 54* S

W2: Vokey SM8 60* L

Putter: Swag Handsome Too

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  • 1 month later...

Have you ever tried a TM mini driver?

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G430 LST 9 Matrix 50M4 R Black Tie

BRNR Mini 11.5 Midr Proto 65R*

Epic Speed 16.5 4w 21 7w IM10 60 5.5*

Apex UW 2021 17 Smoke Black RDX 70 5.5*

Stealth DHY 17 20 23 AV Raw Blue 70R*

TSR2 21 & 24 AV Raw Blue 75R*

T350 6-48 AMT Red R300

RTX Full Face Black 54 60 KBS Hi Rev 2 115

Odyssey White Hot OG 7 CH 34in SS Pistol 1.0

Srixon  Star XV

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Have you tried a shorter shaft on the driver? I've played with a 44 inch shaft at 10.5 deg all year and it has helped heaps in terms of not hitting it OB. I'm now searching for a normal length shaft as I feel confident again.

 

But for strong 3W - I played a Cobra F6 turned down to 13.5 and it helped cover my driver deficiencies for a long time. I also tried the Cobra Big Tour, and it was a rocket and easy to hit, but fairly expensive at that point.

Cobra Aerojet LS Driver/3 Wood Kai'li Blue/White S

Cobra Aerojet 5W at 19.5 deg - Kai'li Blue S

Srizon ZX 4 iron - Recoil 95 F4

Cobra MIM Tour 5-PW - Recoil 95 F4

Cleveland 50 RTX 6 Zipcore, Callaway Jaws 56

Cleveland 60 CBX Zipcore

Odyssey WhiteHot OG Double Wide/Cleveland Frontline 8

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Have you hit the StealthPlus 3 wood?  I will bag the 3 and 5 wood depending on the course but have had many great days with this club.  Stock shafts (Kai'li for me) but other options avail too.

Tour AD XC 6S Callaway Smoke 3D 9deg
Kali' White 70x shaft Ping 430LST 3W

Accra TZ6 M4 Hybrid Shaft Ping 430 3H
C-Taper L:ite S T150 4-Gap
SteelFiber PR Wedge Ping Glide 4.0 46, 50, 54 and 58 degree
Bettinardi Inovai 6.0 Slant Neck

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I was playing the cobra f9 tour 13.5° for about 1/2 a season. Was just to low spin for me. I could still launch it fine off the turf. But the upright lie angle didn't suite me. Put a callaway diablo edge tour 15° in the bag, a club I played for a long time but gave away. And it's been the best 3wd I've played since then. It came with a diamana kai'li 80 stiff, a shaft I've never played. Liked it so much I got one for my driver.

Taylormade Sim 9.0° Diamana ZF 60 stiff

Taylormade Sim Ti 15° Diamana ZF 70 stiff

Cobra F7 4-5 Ti 18.5° Diamana Kai'li 80 stiff

Ping G25 Hybrid 23° Kbs C-Taper Lite stiff 

Bridgestone Tour-B X-CB 5-PW Project X LZ 6.0

Cobra MiM Black 50°v, 56°v, 60°w Kbs Hi-REV 2.0 125 stiff 

Maltby Ptm-1

Srixon Z-Star 

Titleist Players 5 Stand Bag

Bagboy Nitron 

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Are you trying real hard to swing up with a positive angle of attack? 

If so have you tried going back to a more normal swing with a 0 to slightly negative angle of attack?

Driver 9* Mavrik Max Evenflow Riptide 50 Stiff

3 wood 16* Cobra F7 Kuro Kage Silver 80 x-stiff

7 wood 21* Cobra F7 Kuro Kage Silver 80 x-stiff

22* & 25* SIM DHY Tour AD-DI 85 Stiff
6-9: TEE C721 Elevate 95 Stiff

43/8*, 48/9* CBX Zipcore DG Spinner 115

54/12*, 58/8* ES21 KBS Hi-rev 2.0 115

2 Ball Blade

 

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On 8/12/2022 at 9:40 PM, nosedive32 said:

Have you ever tried a TM mini driver?

This.  I was always better off the tee with a strong 3 than driver.  I now carry a TM mini as it works well for someone like me.  I swing it faster than a standard driver, even at the shorter length.  It is probably the aerodynamics.  

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