Should I carry a 3 wood?

[Palmydrain]

Here's my dilemma...

 

I would consider myself a long hitter (probably average 320 off the tee). Most courses I play are on the shorter side... for instance my home course is 6,900 from the tips. I only hit driver a handful of times, and when I do, it's for fun and not really necessary. Most of the time I find myself hitting my 3 iron (Titleist U505) off the tee since it carries around 260 and depending on the condition rolls out to 270-280. I have never had much confidence in a 3 wood, and really never have the need for one. I honestly can't remember the last time I hit it. Should I keep it in the bag or find something else to fill a gap? My current iron setup is 3-PW all standard lofts, with the 4-PW being Ping I-blades, and then 50/54/58 wedges. The gap between my 3 iron and 4 iron is pretty significant but idk what I would get to fill it. 

 

Thanks for the advice. 

[HillbillyHoma]

I have ditched the 3 wood for a mini driver and am not turning back anytime soon. My home course is short at 6,300 yards and rarely found myself hitting 3 wood except for the occasional shot on a par 5. Mini driver is just so good off the tee and can be hit off the deck if need be. 

[Louis_Posture]

29 minutes ago, Palmydrain said:

. Most of the time I find myself hitting my 3 iron (Titleist U505) off the tee since it carries around 260 and depending on the condition rolls out to 270-280.

 

I do not believe there is a player on the PGA Tour who hits a 3-iron as long as you do.

You may one of the longest hitters in the world today and as such are probably best served having in the bag a driver,  3-iron thru PW, 50*-54*-58* wedges, putter. That's 13 clubs. For the 14th club I guess you might benefit from a 64* wedge.

Definitely with your driver length and 3-iron length you don't need a 3-wood.

[Bad9]

If you have to ask on the internet then the answer is likely no

[Kai Slater]

You only average 320 off the tee?  That's pretty lame for GolfWRX (hahaha, just joking)......as for the 3 wood, I would put it on the shelf if you're saying that you do not have much confidence in it right now.  You probably have enough speed and carry distance to cover most any situation.  I wonder about some sort of hybrid that could fill that gap?

[Kmagnuss]

If I had the good fortune to hit as long as you do, and be confident with a 3i like you, there's no need for a 3w on the course you play.  That gap you have between your 3i and 4i could be filled with another 4i that ends up in the middle of them.  Of you could find an easy to hit 5w to fill between the 320 driver and 260 3i.  Maybe even a hybrid... something a little easier to hit than your 3i but still gets it out there to 280-290. 

[radiman]

This was me.  I loved 3w off the tee but struggled with it off the deck.  And, a 3w was basically a few yards shorter than my driver.  But, this year I decided to go in and just see if I could find one that I could hit off the deck consistently.  I ended up finding that the G430 Max 3w was an absolute breeze for me to elevate off the deck.  It launches super high and is really forgiving.  Since the profile of the club is not really low spin for me, I am finding that it now gaps better.  It's not as close to driver distance as some of the other 3w's I have hit.  I am a longer player too.  And, it's pretty rare that I am 3w distance out from a green even on a par 5.  But, I have needed it after some poor tee shots.  Or into the wind.  Or on new courses I play.  

Honestly, I think for a longer player it's a great option.  I don't need my 3w to be a ball speed monster.  I just need it to be easy to hit and be shorter than my driver for those tight tee shots.

[forrester_fire]

If you don't use it, and don't have much confidence in it, I would ditch it.

[Primo1868]

I'm not nearly as long as you but still longer than the average person. I dropped my 3 wood for a 5 wood - it just fits my gapping better. Plus, as an 8 handicap, I should be trying to hit a Par 5 in two from 280 yards anyway.

Driver is 290 carry

5 wood is 265 carry

3 iron is 240 carry

[Hammer_Hands]

I don't think a golf bag looks right unless it has three clubs in the top section - Driver, Fairway, and Putter - Each club should have unique statement headcovers.  The rest is filled with irons and rusty wedges.  I would carry a 3 wood for this reason alone.

 

Extra points if your 3 wood is old enough to have an x100 shaft tipped to length.  

 

And I wouldn't dare add a hybrid.  No one of your caliber and standing would be caught dead with a hybrid club. 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2023 by Hammer_Hands

[vandyfan]

I don't hit it nearly as far (280-290 on a good day with driver) but I have never gotten along with fairway woods. The new hybrids are so "hot" now that they can easily keep up distance-wise, but they have different launch and spin characteristics since the CG placement is a bit different. All that said, I use an 18* hybrid as my next longest club after the driver and have been very happy with it. I carries about 230-235 off the tee and can roll out to 255 in dry conditions. That is generally about all I could ever get out of a 5W. 

[Mcdgolfsalot]

I did “kinda” ditch the 3 wood for a 16.5 4 wood that does not give up much distance, has a little more control off the tee, and is easier to elevate off the ground. Might fit the bill nicely 

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

12 hours ago, Louis_Posture said:

I do not believe there is a player on the PGA Tour who hits a 3-iron as long as you do.

Utility iron /= Set 3-iron.  Still a gigantic distance though.  Sounds very much like 'Tiger with the 2-iron stinger', kind of flight.

 

OP, have you thought about a 21-24°-ish Hybrid to fill the 4-iron to utility iron gap?  Or a 7-wood? 

Nice problem to have...

 

Aside, why don't you hit 1W more?  Accuracy issue?  

 

If you're not needing the 3W to get onto Par 5s in 2, I wouldn't get a 3W either, vs filling that U-iron to 4-iron gap you mentioned.

[Ri_Redneck]

14 hours ago, Palmydrain said:

Here's my dilemma...

 

I would consider myself a long hitter (probably average 320 off the tee). Most courses I play are on the shorter side... for instance my home course is 6,900 from the tips. I only hit driver a handful of times, and when I do, it's for fun and not really necessary. Most of the time I find myself hitting my 3 iron (Titleist U505) off the tee since it carries around 260 and depending on the condition rolls out to 270-280. I have never had much confidence in a 3 wood, and really never have the need for one. I honestly can't remember the last time I hit it. Should I keep it in the bag or find something else to fill a gap? My current iron setup is 3-PW all standard lofts, with the 4-PW being Ping I-blades, and then 50/54/58 wedges. The gap between my 3 iron and 4 iron is pretty significant but idk what I would get to fill it. 

 

Thanks for the advice. 

No, you don't NEED you 3w. You MIGHT if you started playing some mid 7K or longer courses, but I doubt it. The clubs in your bag are there so you have what you need to hit the distance necessary on each shot. What they are doesn't matter. I don't think Berkshire carries a 3w either as he hits mid-irons as far as most hit a 3w.

 

BT

[Kmagnuss]

13 minutes ago, Ri_Redneck said:

No, you don't NEED you 3w. You MIGHT if you started playing some mid 7K or longer courses, but I doubt it. The clubs in your bag are there so you have what you need to hit the distance necessary on each shot. What they are doesn't matter. I don't think Berkshire carries a 3w either as he hits mid-irons as far as most hit a 3w.

 

BT

Berkshire hits lob wedges as far as most people hit mid irons.  🙂

Didn't he hit a 300 yard 8 iron with Bryson?  That's just nuts.  Obviously that was a coiled up rip of a shot on a Trackman and would never carry over to the course, but still quite a feat.

[JAMH03]

Gut feeling, you've got to get more benefit out of that driver. Obviously you're a low cap with serious SS that manages his game and can golf his ball. You're better and more talented than the vast majority of all golfers. Not gassing you up just facts.

But as you age things change. So if you can figure out a way to utilize that driver distance and SS more often you'll be playing closer to your potential and there's everything to like about that.

So I'd say figure out a plan to make your driver 5-10% more accurate and same w/your first fairway wood.

As a player who likes to play safe make good choices. Drilling down on driver or 3 wood 4 wood would help push you to your limits, potentially shoot lower scores and leave less regrets.

Advice: Improve accuracy with driver, use it more often. Get a 3 or 4 wood that's more useful for you.

Hit em' well!

[Palmydrain]

Thanks everyone for the advice!

[blades_are_life]

19 hours ago, Palmydrain said:

Here's my dilemma...

 

I would consider myself a long hitter (probably average 320 off the tee). Most courses I play are on the shorter side... for instance my home course is 6,900 from the tips. I only hit driver a handful of times, and when I do, it's for fun and not really necessary. Most of the time I find myself hitting my 3 iron (Titleist U505) off the tee since it carries around 260 and depending on the condition rolls out to 270-280. I have never had much confidence in a 3 wood, and really never have the need for one. I honestly can't remember the last time I hit it. Should I keep it in the bag or find something else to fill a gap? My current iron setup is 3-PW all standard lofts, with the 4-PW being Ping I-blades, and then 50/54/58 wedges. The gap between my 3 iron and 4 iron is pretty significant but idk what I would get to fill it. 

 

Thanks for the advice. 

The iBlade 3 iron seems like a pretty obvious solution here.

[st1800e]

7 wood or 9 wood, there's some on the tours.  Vijay had a 9 wood back in the day. 

 

You'll never know if you don't try.....

[PARETO]

I ditched 3w a while ago. Never going there again. Driver right to a Titleist H1 at 20 degrees. I grab that H1 with confidence every time I need it. Could never say the same about 3w. 

[tlinnert]

I’m much shorter than you but this year I turned my 3 wood to 16 degrees and adjusted my 7 wood down 1 degree. Effectively playing a 4 wood and 6 wood I guess. Worked well for me.
 

 

[mantan]

I will beat this drum on WRX every single year. The overwhelming majority of amateur golfers cannot hit a 3-wood consistently enough off the deck to make it worth a place in their bag. And it likely doesn't provide useful gapping between their driver and 4/5 wood off the tee.  It's usually too close to one or the other.

[getitdaily]

At your length and the length of courses you play...no 3w

[kthomas]

1 hour ago, mantan said:

I will beat this drum on WRX every single year. The overwhelming majority of amateur golfers cannot hit a 3-wood consistently enough off the deck to make it worth a place in their bag. And it likely doesn't provide useful gapping between their driver and 4/5 wood off the tee.  It's usually too close to one or the other.

 

I agree.

 

My only FW is a 3W (turned up 1°). If I was to do it again, I would get a 5W instead.

 

Off the tee, it's not far off from my driver distance. And it requires a very good lie for me to even consider hitting it off the deck, and I haven't always been consistent off the deck with it. 

 

For someone in my position, a 5W is a lot more versatile. I think that's probably the case for a lot of amateurs.