Fairway woods - shaft

[nmartyn]

hi all,
i'm really struggling with my 3wood off the deck on par5's.
in the range i'm fine - long and straight. but on the course its a mess. i constantly top the ball and when i do hit it clean i invariably slice it.

i wasn't fitted for the 3wood and i'm concerned the shaft (regular) may not be right for me - my driver was fitted with a stiff, and the fitter said i'm only just a stiff so at a quandry over what to do as its not something i can really work on with the pro as i'm fine off the deck in the range

 

[bobmac]

Hi nmartyn,
It's really hard to diagnose a swing fault without seeing the swing, but you have given me a few clues.
When you say you are thinning it, do you mean the ball shoots along the ground about 6 feet off the deck, or are you hitting the ball into the ground first and then it runs along the ground?
I'm afraid to say I doubt very much its the shafts' fault.......sorry lol

 

[nmartyn]

well i know i'm not perfect but since changing to my new driver - and adapting my swing a little - i've gone from a banana slice to a slight fade and can even manage a draw on occaisons. but with the 3 off the deck i usually top it.. goes about 50feet along the floor - and the only way to compensate/get a clean connection seems to be to go back to my old swing but then i can't cope with the slice.

i think the best solution would be to probably stop hitting those par5's in two and hit a 6iron lay-up! lol

 

[bobmac]

If you had a slice, you used to come out to in on the ball with quite a steep angle of attack.
When you are on the range, I imagine you have a nice smooth swing and the slice is reduced to a fade or a straight shot.
Unfortunately, when you get on the course, I suspect the full power swing sneaks back in and the out to in steep swing returns, hence the tops or slices.
A little tip is to look down at the ball and imagine it is a clock face. When you slice, the club hits the ball about 1- 2 o'clock. Next time, try and hit the ball about the 4 o'clock position. You could even place the makers name in the bottom right hand corner and try and hit that. That will help with the slice and make the downswing a bit more shallow, which will help to cure the 'tops'
Hopes this helps

 

[nmartyn]

I'll definately give that a try on the weekend bobmac.
striking the ball at 4, makes sense. and hitting it with a slower string is what i normally do but on sunday for some reason i just couldn't catch it right. i stood there on the par5 (nobody else on the course) and hit 5 balls before eventually giving up and hitting a short iron.

its always the way - my long irons used to be very good and my driver was erratic, now my drivers bang on and everything else is suffering. grrrr

golf!!

 

[USER1999]

I rarely use a 3w off the deck. To me, it is a high risk shot, so I am normally safer, and more consistent with a 5w or hybrid. I think it is a hard shot ot play.

 

[nmartyn]

i have a 4 rescue which i don't get the same sort of distance from. i've never tried a 5wood to be honest.
distance wise that going to sit somewhere between the two?

 

[USER1999]

Yes. I find it more versatile than a 3w. I really only use the 3w off a tee peg, and only if the hole is short and I am playing for position, or it is a long par 3. Or, maybe if the driver is misbehaving, which is rare.

I find in medal play the 3w is too risky, and quite often is not as long, or straight as my 5w or 3 hybrid.

You still need to sweep it though, so if your swing is topping it, maybe it's not for you.

I would guess you get away with it at the range because the mat is so hard it straightens the face out a bit, and you can't nail the ball into the ground so much.

 

[nmartyn]

its funny cos i NEVER use my 3wood off the tee, am more confident with my driver now and use the 4hybrid on long par 3's, short par 4's.
next post - for sale/px 3 wood for a 5 wood! lol

would you say i should go for the same shaft as i have in my driver (which works well for me) and just try a 5wood?

 

[bobmac]

Try and borrow a 5 wood from someone and see how you get on with it or...............have an on course lesson with the pro where he will see your 'real'swing

 

[nmartyn]

will do, cheers for the advice.

 

[RGuk]

I'm no expert, but would say the following (it's just my experience).

bobmac is entirely correct in his suggestion that there is bound to be a difference on the course to the range.

I'm not using my 3 wood a.t.m. (a la Murph) because I just don't want to risk the 10-20% chance of hitting a real stinker.

I have a 5 wood (unfitted) with a similar shaft to the ONLY 3 wood I ever had 99% success with.....a Callaway warbird soleplate from mid 1990s. My current 3 wood is a big 180cc thing, simply AMAZING off a tee peg, but harder to use off the fairway, for sure. All but one of my collection of woods have a "non-fitted" shaft, the rest are a complete mish-mash of stuff, one steel 5 wood (unused now) 2 graphite fairways and 3 graphite drivers.

In the good old days, I used to hit a dozen 3 woods off the range mats every session and rarely messed it up.....although off a mat is impressive (you need to be really clean, don't you?) the course is never the same; undetected sloping lies, mis-alignment, general anxiety....it's a jungle out there.

For now, I'm sticking with the 5 only. 15 yards shorter (or more) but far easier to hit consistently. Odd considering that I even hit my driver off the deck in years gone by.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My whole take on this is someone looking to try and get on par 5's in two. WHY? There are clearly swing issues and you must be getting shots on most of the 5's so why try especially in cold damp conditions from far enough away to warrant a 3 wood.

Take a hybrid or even a mid iron andl leave a nice ay up and concentrate on getting the wedge or 9 iron close in 3 and one putting for a birdie. Much safer ploy than topping it 50 yards and being left with 180+ for a third shot

 

[theeaglehunter]

My problem with recreating range form on the course comes from trying to hit it too hard and over swinging. I almost get too 'in the zone' on the course and end up trying to hit everything hard. This may be a simplified fix- but the others are perhaps closer to the mark.

 

[RGuk]

My whole take on this is someone looking to try and get on par 5's in two. WHY? There are clearly swing issues and you must be getting shots on most of the 5's so why try especially in cold damp conditions from far enough away to warrant a 3 wood.

Homer....you know this is my theory (of course) but can I play Devil's advocate?

If you get really solid with your 50-60-70 pitches, are you not going to be tempted to blast away for maximum distance, in the hope that you leave yourself these distances?

I've been laying up for months and this is OK, till I miss a green with my 3rd shot. If you have a consistent method of "covering ground" with Driver-3 wood or Driver-3h, is this not a good tactic.

We have a par 5 at mine which, if everything goes well I hit Driver-5-wood and have 80-100 yards left. I par this a lot. The assistant pro (young chap) hits 3 wood and then 6 iron to leave a full wedge.....with his distance 2 x 3 woods could get him to 30-50 yards? (he can't go with a driver off the tee for a pond). I can't persuade him, even for fun.....I want to see him knock it on (one day?!) and one-putt for an eagle; spoil-sport!

 

[nmartyn]

i think the difference is our approaches to golf.
i'm still trying to improve my game and not so concerned with scores. so on the weekend i played a round on my own, on this particular par 5 i hit a nice drive about 250yards, then had a straight fairway shot up to the green of around 200ish yards, slightly uphill with no real hazards in front.
IF i'd been playing a competitive round with friends i'd probably have hit an iron leaving a short pitch, but i know i can do that - what i wanted to do was hit the 3wood on.

playing in my first tournament in a couple of weeks and i'm sure i'll take the safe route then, but whilst practising i'll try the big shot every time

 

[Nikki]

I don't think it is wise to hit a 3 wood off the deck, for a professional, let a lone a amateur. I think the professionals only try it if the hole is extremely long, and quite easy.

What i did read once is that Butch Harmon said that if you have a 4 wood, it really makes a difference. Thats because the 4 wood as about 2/3 degrees more loft than a 3 wood, a slightly shorter shaft and a smaller head (easier to cut through the turf). And he said that there is very little difference in distance between a 4 wood and 3 wood.

He also said that the only player that actually needs a 3 wood are professionals.

That's what i think is the best solution.

It would be brilliant to hit 3 wood to green (if you've watched the mvie tin cup, you'll probably get an idea why, it's a one shot in a million, but isn't that what makes the shot so interesting). But i doubt if most professionals can do it consistently. So my advice will be to try it (as you do now) in a practice round.

 

[nmartyn]

so who wants to take my 3wood off my hands?

 

[toyboy54]

nmartyn...pity that I've(or rather SWMBO)has just bought me aTM V Steel2 3 wood that I would'nt think of trying to hit off the deck.I only use it off the tees on 4's and 5's.
Otherwise it's the 5 or 7 woods(usually the 7 as its easier to hit,if I slow it down to the speed of sound,not light!!)

 

[Imurg]

When I really try to go at my 3 wood then all hell breaks loose. But if I smooth it down and try to not hit the ball but just swing the club through it I get results. its just a question of remembering to do that in the heat of battle.