drivers Vs 3 wood

[Putting_Green_Pro]

well basically im getting rid of my driver and had a thought that i would save same money and get a 3 wood, especially with the way my 5 wood has been performing. the 3 wood would again be titleist but 13* instead of the 11.5* titleist driver that i would buy to replace the 10.5*

therefore i was wondering how many others use a 3 wood over their driver, or think if they have the choice (or the money would do this!) any thoughts?

 

[mattyb0y]

Amen to that!!

3-wood all the way wish i had realised sooner! i have paid to get a good shaft in my 3 wood which is a Callaway BB (the head is slightly bigger) i love titleist but must admit Callaway make sweet fairways!

I challanged any amature to try and drop the driver and use a 3-wood i bet they are suprised at how much little difference in distance!

a strong 3wood is 13* and most drivers are 10* degree anybody that get 20 yard extra from 3/4 degrees of loft isnt telling the truth!

 

[RGDave]

I challanged any amateur to try and drop the driver and use a 3-wood i bet they are suprised at how much little difference in distance!

Are you sure?

I love my 3 wood and use it probably more than my driver over a round, but the right driver can add 30-40 yards in the summer.

 

[mattyb0y]

Are you sure?

I love my 3 wood and use it probably more than my driver over a round, but the right driver can add 30-40 yards in the summer.

On every hit it can be increased by 30-40 yards? i doubt that id like to see it over 50 balls each with averages i would bet that there is little or no improvement

 

[tonecapone]

I can relate to this i hit my 3 wood as far as my driver and i am 9 times out of 10 on the fairway.I would always sacrifice 20/30yards to be on the fairway.Callaway steel head 3 vrs Titliest 983.I will use callaway steelhead 3 3 wood every time.Did it last week was hitting 3 wood as far as my playing partners driver 3 wood gets my vote

 

[mattyb0y]

exactly my point in my society i often win the long drive comps and i hit a 3 wood to there driver and often win! i really think at amature level there isnt a great deal of difference!!

 

[brendy]

This week I used my 3+ ERC and have to say Ive really enjoyed hitting it, one lowheely one on the 10th but apart from that, all par 5s were still within reach of my second shots and scored well when the irons were going off properly, I did hit a couple of shocking wedges and the leass said about them the better.

 

[Jahmoo]

I can relate to what you are saying, but that was a few years back for me. The 1st at Tylney is a Par 5 dogleg, in the Winter its a Driver off the tee, in the Summer its a 4wood of the tee, otherwise your 30-40yds longer in the Rough.

 

[CrapHacker]

I'm not hitting it as good as I want, yet. But I recently picked up a Wilson 10.5* driver with a 400cc ( ish ) head and a shorter than average shaft.

So easier to hit than a 3w, coz the the head size, but also easier to hit than a standard driver, coz of the shaft length.

In theory at least

I'm a great believer that most average golfers who are inconsistant with a driver could vastly improve just by having a slightly shorter shaft.

 

[Parmo]

There is about 20-30 yard difference in my 3 wood to driver if both hit correctly and obviously you get the one creamed shot, I had one on Monday where I hit my 3 wood around 260 on a par 4 and it finished 6 foot from the pin!! but that said my 3 wood is not as forgiving as my driver so it would be a tougher shot under pressure with a 3 wood.

 

[jammydodger]

On every hit it can be increased by 30-40 yards? i doubt that id like to see it over 50 balls each with averages i would bet that there is little or no improvement

Balderdash , you must be playing a different game , have never had a decent driver , or maybe you dont have a swing that can hit a driver well.


Yes , it is possible to hit a 3-wood as far as a driver in softer ground with equality in carry perhaps. But much more often than not (if both shots are hit well) the driver will give you more distance without a doubt , particularly at this time of year.

 

[Adrena1in]

I hit my 3W a lot worse than I hit my Driver, but I can't even hit that at the moment, so I'm leaving the woods in the car when I go for a hack around the course these days.

 

[Imurg]

Using a 3 wood off the tee is ok and at times the right thing to do. But into the wind your 3 wood is going up, up, up and not very far, far, far. If you're a high handicapper then using a 3w makes sense, you've got the shots to play with. When you get to lower figures you can't afford to lose that 30 yards on a 440 yard par 4 that you don't get a shot on.
If I hit a Sunday Best driver I can get a carry 0f 250+ yards + another 30+ of roll in the summer. My Sunday Best 3 wood carries about 230 and rolls out another 10-20. So the difference can be anything up to 30/50 yards. There will be times when a poorly hit driver will be outpaced by a well struck 3w but hit them both well and you'll see that you need the driver.

 

[jammydodger]

Using a 3 wood off the tee is ok and at times the right thing to do. But into the wind your 3 wood is going up, up, up and not very far, far, far. If you're a high handicapper then using a 3w makes sense, you've got the shots to play with. When you get to lower figures you can't afford to lose that 30 yards on a 440 yard par 4 that you don't get a shot on.
If I hit a Sunday Best driver I can get a carry 0f 250+ yards + another 30+ of roll in the summer. My Sunday Best 3 wood carries about 230 and rolls out another 10-20. So the difference can be anything up to 30/50 yards. There will be times when a poorly hit driver will be outpaced by a well struck 3w but hit them both well and you'll see that you need the driver.

Excellent post

 

[JustOne]

Excellent post

I agree.

Driver will goes miles further than a 3-wood not only because it has less loft but because it imparts less backspin so a) cuts through the air more b) will roll out further.

If you NEED to find fairways because you can't hit a driver properly for some reason then hitting a 3-wood is an acceptable second best. Dropping it from your bag is pretty lame... why not just take a 7-iron and a putter everytime you play?

 

[LPW]

3 wood I prefer due to accuracy and more confidence.

 

[RGDave]

Are you sure?

I love my 3 wood and use it probably more than my driver over a round, but the right driver can add 30-40 yards in the summer.

On every hit it can be increased by 30-40 yards? i doubt that id like to see it over 50 balls each with averages i would bet that there is little or no improvement

You and I play a different game.....obviously.

In the summer, yes, I stand by my original post.

"Little or no improvement" with 50 balls? pie in the sky.

- - - - -

Not carrying a driver is basically admitting to yourself that you can't hit a driver either straight or properly.

76 this very day with 8 driver tee shots and only 4 3 woods.....am I disappointed to be hitting wedges to greens rather than 7 and 8 irons.....No.

 

[RGDave]

Driver will goes miles further than a 3-wood not only because it has less loft but because it imparts less backspin so a) cuts through the air more b) will roll out further.

If you NEED to find fairways because you can't hit a driver properly for some reason then hitting a 3-wood is an acceptable second best. Dropping it from your bag is pretty lame... why not just take a 7-iron and a putter everytime you play?

Thank goodness for some sanity round here.

I'm all for 3 woods, but let's not pretend that half decent players would benefit from only using 3 woods??

 

[USER1999]

I play my 3w on 4 holes at my course.

The first, as a driver is too long, and puts me in prime shanking territory of the half shot in. I also hate leaping out of the car and hitting my driver.

The 8th, where a driver runs out of fairway (it is all down hill, and the fairway ends at the edge of a big dip full of rough).

The 12th, where it dog legs left, and if a driver doesn't draw it is lost in the woods the other side.

The 15th, which like the first, is too short to hit a driver and leave a full shot in.

There are 4 par 3s, but on the other holes I use my driver.

Why? Because it is longer than a 3w. By about 30 yards, and this makes a massive difference. Sometimes the difference between hitting a 21° rescue as a second, or being short with said 3w off the deck, which is a much harder shot.


Maybe for a higher handicap there is an arguement for the 3w, but for me, as a mid handicap golfer, I'll take the driver please.

 

[thecraw]

I have recently had my driver chopped to 44.5" and I'm hitting it superbly. Just that little bit of extra control is exactly what the doctor ordered and I have lost no distance. 46" inch driver shafts are too long the the majority of club golfers to control consistantly and it may surprise allot of people to know tour pros usually only have 44"-45" shafts in their drivers.

I am now going to get my 3 + 5 woods chopped by an inch as the 3 wood shaft is now nearly as long as my driver.