'Second Club' Dilemma

[Orikoru]

Sometimes distance can be a beguiling mistress. Just because the driver seems to be longer you want everything to be longer. It would help if you analysed (I know you don't do stats) where your strengths and weaknesses are. Is it missing greens from say 150-180 and are you missing more than perhaps you should for your handicap. Are you not able to get up on the par 4's. Are you missing those long par 3's (190-210 yards where driver is too much). Work out what the issues are and work back to the gapping you have and want

I do some stat recording, but my problems seem to be different every week. Most often though lately it has been tee shots - new driver should help but it's also why I want a reliable fairway finder that isn't too short to be useful, if that makes sense. Just over 200 yards would be ideal.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

How about a 3 wood that’s adjustable?
I bought a Cobra 3 wood I have set at what would be a 4 wood loft, off a very nice(sorry dodgy) bloke off here
It stopped working at the weekend, and was thinking about asking for a refund…
No, I’m not selling it

 

[jimbob.someroo]

In a past life I worked for TaylorMade in marketing when the first Mini Drivers came out and it was amazing during magazine days how many people were comfortable hitting them off the deck, particularly the 14 and 16 degree versions. The bigger heads seemed to be more confidence inspiring for most, and we often saw people hitting it the same distance off the deck as the tee.

This is an area of the bag that I've been relatively obsessive over, and still haven't got it quite figured out - but think I'm getting closer.

Currently go - BRNR Mini @ 12 degrees, Hybrid @ 18 degrees, 4 iron @ 23 degrees.

Pretty rare that I have a gap that's too long for the hybrid, but too short for the mini. Not currently using a full driver, but have one in the locker still for away matches at particularly long courses.

@Orikoru Instinct would be to suggest trying an older Mini Driver in 14 or 16 off eBay to see how you get on - if you want something more forgiving than a normal three wood, but that splits the gap better between driver and your 'third' club

 

[HomerJSimpson]

In a past life I worked for TaylorMade in marketing when the first Mini Drivers came out and it was amazing during magazine days how many people were comfortable hitting them off the deck, particularly the 14 and 16 degree versions. The bigger heads seemed to be more confidence inspiring for most, and we often saw people hitting it the same distance off the deck as the tee.

This is an area of the bag that I've been relatively obsessive over, and still haven't got it quite figured out - but think I'm getting closer.

Currently go - BRNR Mini @ 12 degrees, Hybrid @ 18 degrees, 4 iron @ 23 degrees.

Pretty rare that I have a gap that's too long for the hybrid, but too short for the mini. Not currently using a full driver, but have one in the locker still for away matches at particularly long courses.

@Orikoru Instinct would be to suggest trying an older Mini Driver in 14 or 16 off eBay to see you you get on if you want something more forgiving than a normal three wood, but that splits the gap better between driver and your 'third' club

I thought mini drivers were undergoing something of a comeback

 

[Orikoru]

How about a 3 wood that’s adjustable?
I bought a Cobra 3 wood I have set at what would be a 4 wood loft, off a very nice(sorry dodgy) bloke off here
It stopped working at the weekend, and was thinking about asking for a refund…
No, I’m not selling it

Most woods are adjustable, that's practically a given these days. I'm certainly looking at around 4 wood loft, so either a 3 wood with high loft or a 5 wood with lowered loft.

In a past life I worked for TaylorMade in marketing when the first Mini Drivers came out and it was amazing during magazine days how many people were comfortable hitting them off the deck, particularly the 14 and 16 degree versions. The bigger heads seemed to be more confidence inspiring for most, and we often saw people hitting it the same distance off the deck as the tee.

This is an area of the bag that I've been relatively obsessive over, and still haven't got it quite figured out - but think I'm getting closer.

Currently go - BRNR Mini @ 12 degrees, Hybrid @ 18 degrees, 4 iron @ 23 degrees.

Pretty rare that I have a gap that's too long for the hybrid, but too short for the mini. Not currently using a full driver, but have one in the locker still for away matches at particularly long courses.

@Orikoru Instinct would be to suggest trying an older Mini Driver in 14 or 16 off eBay to see how you get on - if you want something more forgiving than a normal three wood, but that splits the gap better between driver and your 'third' club

I just think mini drivers look a bit too niche for me - it's not something I'm really looking at trying. Will bear it in mind if I don't find another solution though.

 

[Imurg]

What hotel setting do you have at the moment..?

 

[Orikoru]

What hotel setting do you have at the moment..?

Was that meant to say hosel?

So the 5 wood I was using was set to 17° which is the lowest possible setting (it defaults as a 19°). For a while I had it in 17.5 Draw, but I wanted it lower and there is no Draw version at 17 for whatever reason. Ironically the hooks started after it was no longer in 'Draw' so I'm not sure that actually has much effect. It's just the face angle I guess.

The Paradym X HL is actually a rare breed nowadays in that it is not adjustable - it just comes in 16.5.

 

[Bdill93]

Ping 3 wood - jobs a goodun.. The profile Ping make their woods at just makes them all look good on the eye behind the ball.

Might not see much difference in carry distance to the 5W but in the right conditions you'll certainly get more roll out.

 

[Imurg]

Was that meant to say hosel?

So the 5 wood I was using was set to 17° which is the lowest possible setting (it defaults as a 19°). For a while I had it in 17.5 Draw, but I wanted it lower and there is no Draw version at 17 for whatever reason. Ironically the hooks started after it was no longer in 'Draw' so I'm not sure that actually has much effect. It's just the face angle I guess.

The Paradym X HL is actually a rare breed nowadays in that it is not adjustable - it just comes in 16.5.

Bloody bloody autocarrot....

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Just to clarify - I'm looking for a 3 wood or 5 wood to sit between driver and 7 wood. Not something between driver and 5 wood. Yeah a mini-driver isn't going to be much use for me I don't think. I think I'm leaning towards another strong 5W and hope it's a little longer than my old one.

You have a 3HL which is ultimately a 4 wood which sits between a driver and a 7 wood

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

By 'second club' I mean next longest after driver basically. I'm having a bit of a dilemma over what I should be using there now. For about four years I had 5 wood and 7 wood in the bag (both Cobra F9) and this worked fine. But just lately I've had a change up for a couple of reasons:

1. On a couple of Toptracer sessions I realised there wasn't a very big gap between 5 & 7. 5 wood is maybe 5 yards longer on average. I might be striking 7 wood better than I used to which has squeezed the gap a little, I'm not sure. The lofts are set at 17 and 21.
2. Very unusual for me but I hooked a few tee shots with the 5 wood, while setting up for my typical fade, which killed a couple of rounds for me. So lost a bit of faith in it.

So last month I ordered a Callaway Paradym X 3HL on a bit of a whim. I've not had a 3 wood for years because I found them difficult to hit with my low-ish swing speed. So I went for the high launch version - at 16.5 it's only half a degree less than the 5 wood I was using, so I thought it was worth a try - got a great deal on Callaway pre-owned as well. Having used it for a couple of rounds and on the range, there are a few thoughts going round in my head now:

• It is a bit longer than my 5W when I flush it, but it's probably harder to hit also. On the plus side it only seems to fade - more than the 5W did - but that's possibly preferable to having a two-way miss. The Paradym X is meant to be slightly draw-biased but I'm not really seeing that, it only really fades/slices.
• Just got a new driver which seems like a bit of a beast - a lot of the point of your 'second club' is to be a fairway finder, but I'd wouldn't say this 3 wood is any easier to hit than my driver now, which gives me less reasons to reach for it really. Off the deck I wouldn't hit it all that often, as there would be a reasonable chance of a fat or a big slice. I'd only hit it if I thought the extra distance would get me on the green and there was relatively not much trouble to worry about.
• Is there a more forgiving 3 wood out there than the one I've bought? Instinct says there probably isn't, so the fact that I'm prone to slicing this one is just me being me.
• Perhaps I'd be better off simply upgrading to my 5 wood to a newer 5 wood and that may get me more distance anyway? And be easier to hit straight than the 3HL?

Sorry for the long ramble - has anyone else gone through a similar dilemma over what to use as their second longest club? What options did you try and what did you end up with? Is there an unsliceable 3 wood out there or shall I narrow my search back to 5 woods?

Cheers all.

Callaway calls their 4-wood a 3HL because so many younger players are not accustomed to even-numbered woods.
That's also why so many OEMs call their 13 and 14° clubs Strong 3 or 3+ instead of what they are, a 2-wood.

Callaway's Heavenwood is a really fun club that works for a lot of players.
It's got 3-wood length and lie, and very nearly 3-wood head volume, but it has twenty degrees of loft.
It hits the ball ball a mile high, maybe not great for the UK, and pretty close to 4-wood distance---and it wants to hit the ball very straight.

My Heavenwood overlaps my 4-iron in loft,
but I hit the former into greens and
use the latter exclusively as a driving iron on tight driving holes.

Also, there's insignificant difference in overall length between my Heavenwood and my 4-wood on the fairway--just a different carry-roll out split--
but the 4-wood is a club longer off the tee.

 

[Voyager EMH]

10.5° Driver and 15° matching 3-wood, then 20° hybrid. All Cobra. Fairly simple.

 

[garyinderry]

Ping 3 wood - jobs a goodun.. The profile Ping make their woods at just makes them all look good on the eye behind the ball.

Might not see much difference in carry distance to the 5W but in the right conditions you'll certainly get more roll out.

The newer ping 3woods are ridiculously easy to hit. Nice shallow face so easy to hit and elevate off the ground.

 

[Crow]

What's a 3HL?

 

[Orikoru]

The newer ping 3woods are ridiculously easy to hit. Nice shallow face so easy to hit and elevate off the ground.

I was 99% in favour of trying the G430 Max 5 wood, and then you put this into my head.

 

[Orikoru]

What's a 3HL?

HL is high launch I think, or maybe high loft, I was never 100% sure. It's basically just a 3 wood head but with more loft than the standard 3 wood head. As others have said it's effectively a 4 wood, but they just don't really make 4 wood heads anymore.

 

[Bdill93]

I was 99% in favour of trying the G430 Max 5 wood, and then you put this into my head.

The profile of Ping woods is different to any other, well worth considering, they genuinely do give you a bit more confidence you'll hit it well!

 

[nickjdavis]

I do some stat recording, but my problems seem to be different every week. Most often though lately it has been tee shots - new driver should help but it's also why I want a reliable fairway finder that isn't too short to be useful, if that makes sense. Just over 200 yards would be ideal.

I'm afraid that most modern fairway woods from the likes of Ping, Callaway and TM should be forgiving enough (relatively speaking - assuming a sound enough technique) in order to achieve that you want....perhaps Ping might be a little bit extra forgiving, but not to the extent that it will naturally cure and ingrained slice.

If the Paradym X 16.5* wood isn't doing it for you, then my suspicion is that none of the other manufacturers will provide a solution either. I've got the AiSmoke Max version of the same club but the AiSmoke IS adjustable (down 1 degree, up 2 degrees) unlike the Paradym X.

 

[Orikoru]

I'm afraid that most modern fairway woods from the likes of Ping, Callaway and TM should be forgiving enough (relatively speaking - assuming a sound enough technique) in order to achieve that you want....perhaps Ping might be a little bit extra forgiving, but not to the extent that it will naturally cure and ingrained slice.

If the Paradym X 16.5* wood isn't doing it for you, then my suspicion is that none of the other manufacturers will provide a solution either. I've got the AiSmoke Max version of the same club but the AiSmoke IS adjustable (down 1 degree, up 2 degrees) unlike the Paradym X.

I hear you, they're all going to be pretty sound. But when I tried the drivers for example, the Callaway was nice but a little more head-heavy than the Ping which made it a touch harder to control for me personally, so there's always subtle differences. Might be the same case with their woods, you never know.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I hear you, they're all going to be pretty sound. But when I tried the drivers for example, the Callaway was nice but a little more head-heavy than the Ping which made it a touch harder to control for me personally, so there's always subtle differences. Might be the same case with their woods, you never know.

I agree with you about the heavy head thing. I bought a 26° Callaway hybrid off a forumer this season and I am now thinking about getting the 21°, or similar, to replace my Ping Hybrid. I like the heavier head, I feel more confident that I will bring it down and through the ball whereas I can sometimes be a bit wafty with the Ping. Basically, I like about it what you don't like about it . There are definite differences between brands, which is good when you think about it.