Driver vs 3 Wood

[keepersunion]

So sorry for needing to ask this question, I've recently posted about adjustable drivers etc. I currently use a 3wood off the tee and get it out 240, which is fine but on some holes into wind, i'm suffering having to hit four irons and longer into greens. What is the difference you all experience with yardage between the two clubs? I do have a driver at the moment, but its completely the wrong spec so goes only 220 and blocks right with the stiff shaft.

Thank you everyone, enjoy the bank holiday celebrations!

Also, I'm aware the best way to do it is a launch monitor and compare my 3 wood against potential drivers but fairly busy with work currently so need to kill this curiosity sooner than later!!

 

[kid2]

If you are carrying that 3 wood to 240 then you are probably further than the majority of club players with their driver....
Thats no bad distance for a tee shot either.....A driver into the wind may give you a few more yards but i dont think that its going to be a 3 club distance letting you use a 7 instead of a 4 for instance.....

In windy conditions your always going to a couple of clubs more than normal into a wind at least....


Also i dont know what 3 wood you have but try and learn to keep it under the wind by teeing it down a fraction more than usual and moving the ball back in your stance a little as well.

 

[Neddy]

If you can hit a 3 wood 240 you don't have a problem. I can only hit mine 200 and struggle with the driver so my advice would be to be thankful for what you've got!!!

 

[keepersunion]

I see where you're coming from, but a lot of people are saying that I'm leaving yards out there. I love to play a nice high draw with my three wood, and I'd want something around a 10.5 or 11degree driver, so at the moment, I can't see if there is an advantage of paying £240 for four degrees difference in loft. Is that how I should see it? Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather hit an eight iron into the green than a six iron but just need to be persuaded by the lovely folks on GM that i should part with my cash!!

 

[Shiny]

I dream of 240 with my driver let alone my 3 wood.

 

[ScienceBoy]

My driver carries 240 and I am not a short hitter!

If you are a big hitter then what you need is to get a properly fitted driver shaft, the cost will be quite steep for you to get the most out of it but it would be worth it. You could probably have any old head but the shaft MUST be right for you!

240 for a 3 wood is more than enough distance off the tee for most courses so if you are not willing to go with a big spend to get it right save your cash and don't bother at all!

 

[keepersunion]

Thanks! I'll bear that in mind. I think my old driver is that bad for me, I've lost trust in drivers completely, hence why i have so much confidence in a three wood to get it out there! Like I said, my three wood is fine for pretty much all the holes apart from two where I struggle to reach! I just can't see me justifying getting fitted for a driver that will most likely take me up to an extra 10 or 15 yards, especially for two holes.

To be honest, I love my three wood as I've always gone for accuracy over distance and with most the holes being three wood, 8 iron, I think I might just leave the driver and get working on the short game area of my game. Thanks!

 

[munro007]

Drivers are over rated, IMO. I only play my 3 wood, i manage to hit it out 250 ish. I just don't get as much run as others using drivers. Some of the guys in my course are hitting over 300 yards, and it is a little depressing. lol But the majority of player i play against, i out drive them with my 3 wood.

 

[keepersunion]

Yeah I'm similar, but I don't like to compare myself to other players, because the players I play against have different motivations and targets etc compared to me. I just want to hit it as accurately as possible, and as far as possible without sacrificing this accuracy. I've also heard moving a ball with a driver is more difficult than a three wood? I love moving my three wood low high left right so another reason to stick with it!

 

[Ian_S]

I'm eyeing it up the other way. When I catch my driver, it goes about 270-280, but I just don't catch it often enough and it costs me too many shots when I miss the fairway (3 fairways hit with driver yesterday, 2 over par - 8 fairways missed, 16 over par) so I'm thinking of finding a 3 wood and sacrificing distance for accuracy.

 

[Andr3w]

well down

You've just joined this forum and made 4 pointless posts. What's your game?

 

[ScienceBoy]

Drivers are over rated, IMO.

I agree the effect of a driver head is over-rated. Having said that the driver is the most forgiving club in the bag, offers the greatest distance and is one of the most technically advanced clubs in the bag.

The problem is most people have a shaft that is not optimal for them, is too long and a swing that is all about power with no thought for precision.

With time and practice for a repeatable swing, the correct shaft and the control not to lash the ball into oblivion the driver can become a reliable weapon to take many shots off the score.

I know, doing those things above made my driver my go to tee club on any at least moderately open hole!

 

[Andr3w]

I don't really find myself reaching for my 3wood if I need more accuracy. Find it harder to hit with the smaller face. The only benefit is that it goes less far into the trees.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I don't really find myself reaching for my 3wood if I need more accuracy. Find it harder to hit with the smaller face. The only benefit is that it goes less far into the trees.

Brilliant

 

[Shiny]

I don't really find myself reaching for my 3wood if I need more accuracy. Find it harder to hit with the smaller face. The only benefit is that it goes less far into the trees.

:rofl:

 

[duncan mackie]

I don't really find myself reaching for my 3wood if I need more accuracy. Find it harder to hit with the smaller face. The only benefit is that it goes less far into the trees.

totally agree, although sometime it goes less far towards the fairway bunker or stream

that and a slightly different ball flight...

 

[RGDave]

There are two amateur players who I really admire, both for the same reason.
One is our club champ and the other, the scratch team captain at my club in Birmingham 15 years ago. (He's still there, but I wouldn't know if he's still playing the way he did back then).
Both of them hardly ever use a driver, and when they do it's on the wide driving holes and they don't hold back.

If you hit your 3 wood up to 240, then a 5 wood or 3i/3hybrid to follow is going to cover most yardages on long holes.

The difference between a driver and 3 wood isn't likely to make the difference between a 4 iron and a wedge but clearly it could make a 4 iron a 6 iron. Either way, there's not much difference between the two if you hit the ball straight or have a hot short game.

Play your way.

I wish I could have your problem

 

[Foxholer]

I'm eyeing it up the other way. When I catch my driver, it goes about 270-280, but I just don't catch it often enough and it costs me too many shots when I miss the fairway (3 fairways hit with driver yesterday, 2 over par - 8 fairways missed, 16 over par) so I'm thinking of finding a 3 wood and sacrificing distance for accuracy.

Hang on a tic. Those stats look more to me that they are indicating a different problem - that you simply score badly when you miss a fairway - almost certainly because you don't 'manage the course' properly when you miss the fairway. According to those stats. you would get better results using a PW or 9-iron from the rough to advance the ball closer to the green and back onto the fairway, from where your stats are better than 1 over/hole!

And 'short-game' practice would help your stats even more on those holes where your recovery within range for PW or other wedge.

 

[Ian_S]

Hang on a tic. Those stats look more to me that they are indicating a different problem - that you simply score badly when you miss a fairway - almost certainly because you don't 'manage the course' properly when you miss the fairway. According to those stats. you would get better results using a PW or 9-iron from the rough to advance the ball closer to the green and back onto the fairway, from where your stats are better than 1 over/hole!

And 'short-game' practice would help your stats even more on those holes where your recovery within range for PW or other wedge.

That's very possibly true too, but when my driver goes wrong it misses by a looong way (Google Earth tells me one of them was 90 yards off to the right ). Three of the drives resulted in penalty strokes (one lost, one unplayable, one wet ball).

So yes, I'm sure there's an element of bad course management but if a 3W can keep me on the fairway or less far into the rough then it would knock strokes off, at least until I've got my swing consistent enough to start using the driver again.