5 wood easier to hit than 3 wood?

[rudebhoy]

I 'm trying to fill a gap between my driver and 3 hybrid. We have a couple of 200 yard par 3s, I'm too long with driver, but typically about 30 yards short with the hybrid, so need something in between, as well as an option to get more distance for the 2nd shot on our par 5s.

I bought a 3W recently to try to fill this, but just couldn't get on with it, when I hit it well, it went for miles, but too often I'd be topping it. Ended up moving the club on.

One guy was telling me they switched from 3W to 5W, and found it much easier to hit, I'm wondering if there is any truth in this?

(The obvious answer is to try it and see, unfortunately our shop is in the middle of changing owner and has no demo clubs in. I was tempted to buy a 5w from GC4C with an option to return it if it didn't work, however their prices for a decent 2nd hand one are near as dammit to the new price - I'm looking at Ping G425 to match the driver and hybrids.)

 

[Deleted member 15717]

More loft, shorter shaft.

A lot of amateurs will likely find they hit 5w better than 3w

 

[Imurg]

If you have G425 3 wood the loft is 14.5° unless its the SFT model and then it's 16.
14.5 is useless for the majority of amateurs as the can't generate enough club speed to get the best out of them
You could try raising the loft 1.5° - it may make enough difference but beware that the face will close.
Ping 5 woods are 17.5° and should be easier to use due to the extra loft and slightly shorter shaft
Basically a slightly weak 4 wood.

 

[Beezerk]

I cannot hit a 3 wood for love nor money but my 5 wood is superb. Really not sure why I struggle with a 3 wood, I’d love to know

 

[Slab]

You might also consider the face/head profile (not all 3W’s are created equal)

I have two, a 15° mizuno & a 16° Cobra and despite just the single degree diff in loft they couldn’t be more different to use off fairway & (for me anyway) its all to do with head shape
No issue with either off a tee but the mizuno has a slight convex sole while the cobra sole is much flatter and consequently 10x more reliable off the fairway

I have a bag full of mizuno irons & driver and really want to put the same brand 3W… but its sitting in the cupboard while the cobra gets the job done without having to drop any distance compared to 5W

edit, these aren't exact match for mine but hopefully gives you an idea what I mean

 

[SteveJay]

I have recently changed from having a 3w to 5w. I think I hit the 5w further and it is so much more consistent, with very few really poor shots (tops/fats etc, which i would have every now and then with a 3w).

Also prefer the shallower face models as above.

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

I 'm trying to fill a gap between my driver and 3 hybrid. We have a couple of 200 yard par 3s, I'm too long with driver, but typically about 30 yards short with the hybrid, so need something in between, as well as an option to get more distance for the 2nd shot on our par 5s.

I bought a 3W recently to try to fill this, but just couldn't get on with it, when I hit it well, it went for miles, but too often I'd be topping it. Ended up moving the club on.

One guy was telling me they switched from 3W to 5W, and found it much easier to hit, I'm wondering if there is any truth in this?

(The obvious answer is to try it and see, unfortunately our shop is in the middle of changing owner and has no demo clubs in. I was tempted to buy a 5w from GC4C with an option to return it if it didn't work, however their prices for a decent 2nd hand one are near as dammit to the new price - I'm looking at Ping G425 to match the driver and hybrids.)

With the swing-speed of an average recreational player,
a 5-wood will hit as far as a 3-wood with a bit more carry and less roll out, at least from the deck.
A 16.5° 4-wood, splitting the difference between a 15° 3-wood and an 18° 5-wood, is another option to try on the sim.

A thought for topping fairway woods.
You're trying to hit a 200+ yard putt.
You do NOTHING with your swing to elevate the ball, just to move it forward.
The ball goes egg-shaped at the angle of the clubface and then jumps into the air at that angle just by making itself round again.

 

[pendodave]

More loft, shorter shaft.

A lot of amateurs will likely find they hit 5w better than 3w

Exactly
Is the same reason most people hit their 8 iron better than their 5 iron.
I would also add that even pros don't reliably hit 3 woods off the deck (at least not the ones I've seen), so why us choppers think it should be a go-to skill I'm not really sure.

 

[jim8flog]

More loft, shorter shaft.

A lot of amateurs will likely find they hit 5w better than 3w

Some manufacturers now use the same shaft length, even my 7 wood has a 3 wood length shaft in it.

 

[patricks148]

i found when i first started to play i couldn't hit a 3 wood for toffee. at the time i hit a 5 wood no problem off the deck, in fact id say it was my go to club. but as i got better i found the 3 wood was far more useful and have not had a 5 wood in the bag in that time since 2008.

 

[IanMcC]

I have recently changed from having a 3w to 5w. I think I hit the 5w further and it is so much more consistent, with very few really poor shots (tops/fats etc, which i would have every now and then with a 3w).

Also prefer the shallower face models as above.

Same here.

 

[harpo_72]

I have always loved a 3 wood, I would play mainly as my tee shot and was happy off the deck. Then I got a 5 wood which was long and the 3 wood needed to be dropped until I found a longer one. In the meantime I got a 7 wood, this was 10 yards short of the 5wood so I was always wondering do I need a 5 wood.
In the end my bag goes either driver 3wood , 7 wood then 4cross over or driver , 5wood then 4cross over .. it’s just a case of what the distances are. We don’t have 200 yard par 3s so that doesn’t affect my decision making.
I often think you have really consider the lie for a 3 wood, and what your going to get - so being pragmatic. Sometimes it’s better to hit something that gives a favourite club/yardage in and be more successful.

 

[VVega]

I 'm trying to fill a gap between my driver and 3 hybrid. We have a couple of 200 yard par 3s, I'm too long with driver, but typically about 30 yards short with the hybrid, so need something in between, as well as an option to get more distance for the 2nd shot on our par 5s.

I bought a 3W recently to try to fill this, but just couldn't get on with it, when I hit it well, it went for miles, but too often I'd be topping it. Ended up moving the club on.

One guy was telling me they switched from 3W to 5W, and found it much easier to hit, I'm wondering if there is any truth in this?

(The obvious answer is to try it and see, unfortunately our shop is in the middle of changing owner and has no demo clubs in. I was tempted to buy a 5w from GC4C with an option to return it if it didn't work, however their prices for a decent 2nd hand one are near as dammit to the new price - I'm looking at Ping G425 to match the driver and hybrids.)

What loft is the hybrid? Could a longer hybrid be another option? Otherwise, 7w is all the rage on r/golf nowadays.

 

[Orikoru]

That was certainly my experience. I can hit 3 wood a bit longer, but the average distance between that and 5 wood were about the same because 5 wood is more consistent to hit. I'd rather have something I can hit 190-200 more often than not, than something I could hit 215 or 150.

 

[pendodave]

What loft is the hybrid? Could a longer hybrid be another option? Otherwise, 7w is all the rage on r/golf nowadays.

For me, the advantage of the 7w over a low loft hybrid is the higher flight that I get. Obviously that advantage is quite specific to my elderly body and the type of course that I play though.

 

[Oddsocks]

I 'm trying to fill a gap between my driver and 3 hybrid. We have a couple of 200 yard par 3s, I'm too long with driver, but typically about 30 yards short with the hybrid, so need something in between, as well as an option to get more distance for the 2nd shot on our par 5s.

I bought a 3W recently to try to fill this, but just couldn't get on with it, when I hit it well, it went for miles, but too often I'd be topping it. Ended up moving the club on.

One guy was telling me they switched from 3W to 5W, and found it much easier to hit, I'm wondering if there is any truth in this?

(The obvious answer is to try it and see, unfortunately our shop is in the middle of changing owner and has no demo clubs in. I was tempted to buy a 5w from GC4C with an option to return it if it didn't work, however their prices for a decent 2nd hand one are near as dammit to the new price - I'm looking at Ping G425 to match the driver and hybrids.)

Maybe demo a 5w and crank the loft down to a 4w?

I’ve got a 7w cranked down to a 6w which is defo easier to hit than a 5w with the loft pushed up.

 

[hairball_89]

For ages I had a 15º 3wood and a 19º 5 wood. hit them both the same distance really. Maybe 10 yards more on the 3 wood but pretty much used the 5 wood off the deck and 3 wood off the tee.

Switched them out, bought a 3 HL (high launch) or 4 wood at 16.5º. its brilliant. consistent distance and shot shape off the ground or the tee. I couldn't recommend the change highly enough.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

As several people have said there can be little difference between the 2. In my case the carry of the 5 wood negates the flight of the 3 as it launches lower. They are interchangeable for me so one or other often depending on conditions.

 

[elmoag]

Often the 3 wood is barely used by players who like their driver so 4 woods have become increasingly popular to bridge the gap you described. It’s a bit more versatile than a 3. I have a Callaway xr16 one and I use it far more than my 3 wood was ever used.

 

[Burnsey]

At my recent fitting, I told the fitter I didn't want to carry a club I used only one or twice a round, usually off the tee, which I cannot hit off the deck.

Top of the bag ended up 11 degree driver adjusted to 12, 18 degree 5 wood adjusted to 18.75 and a 24 degree hybrid adjusted to 25.

So far, so good and can use the 5 wood or hybrid off the tee for those long par 3's and off the deck too.