Purpose of a 3 wood?

[revkev]

I'd applaud any course that only had two sets of tees but not if they were the lengths that you mentioned Sparnar - that's nuts - no wonder you're having such a struggle - I can't even begin to imagine how long rounds must take once the course gets crowded.

 

I live in Florida, a place chock full of very, very good golfers and our top amateur tournaments are not played at the distances that you just describes -

 

That's ashame.

 

In my opinion courses should only have two sets of tees out for each day - back and front - the back should play between 6,200 and 6,400 and the back about 1,000 yards shorter - No one is allowed to play from the tips (the true back of the course) unless he or she has a written letter of recommendation from their pro.

 

That would be a great way to reduce the time of a round of golf and to increase enjoyment.

 

I guess we've succesfully hijacked this thread - sorry Tuna - I like the original intent of the thread and will like it more once my new 3 wood gets here.

[Shambles]

I carry a 3 wood for it's original purpose. Off the tee, only a little bit less than the driver and a little bit more reliable for direction and carry. Off the fairway, needing a good lie to truly perform for distance and/or flight height, otherwise I go with a shorter fairway or long iron.

 

 

Shambles

[BK in TEXAS]

Guys, unless you lift the tee markers up and they actually have different sex organs on them, there is really no such thing as men's womens"s, Senior's and Any other tees.

I'm going to paint boobs, balls, and bigger balls on the markers on my course...then they will have organs

 

Seriously though. If a course only has red/white/blue then there is no escaping the fact they are de facto womens, mens, and pro tee boxes.

[RoverRick]

I'm going to paint boobs, balls, and bigger balls on the markers on my course...then they will have organs

 

Seriously though. If a course only has red/white/blue then there is no escaping the fact they are de facto womens, mens, and pro tee boxes.

Spanar's course probably does not use red, white, and blue maybe green, gold, and black.

 

With just three tees, why are these not labeled less than 200 yard drivers, 200-250 yard driver, and 250+ yard drivers. The purpose of different tees is not so that we can separate men, women and seniors, but so that all players can hit approximately the same irons into the green and can compete on a level playing field. Golf is the only game, in which provisions are made so that people of all ages, sexes, and physical abilities can compete against each other and have any sense of a fair game.

 

I can play in a foursome with Tiger, Rory and my lawyer, and because of different tees, and different handicaps whomever plays better than their average can still win. (I am not betting on me or Willie.) How long would you last on a tennis court with Boris Becker, or a basketball court with Micheal Jordan?

[BK in TEXAS]

The purpose of different tees is not so that we can separate men, women and seniors, but so that all players can hit approximately the same irons into the green and can compete on a level playing field.

Ya I agree with that completely. My point was simply that if a course wants to ditch the paradigms they need to use colors other than red/wht/blue........because........as long as they use those colors......they will be womens/mens/pro tee.

[MikeG]

Hireko has a component that's 3 wood loft but 5 wood weight. the shaft gets tipped like a 5 wood, and playing length is the same as a 5 wood. There's negligable loss of distance because contact is always good with the shorter club.

 

Don't forget, you can build or have them build with the shaft you want.

 

Would you try one of these?

[GolfSpy Dave]

I am fairly certain that my 3w is in the bag to provide a place for its headcover. I think that my bag looks better with the matching driver and 3w covers.

 

Seriously thinking about going 2H and never looking at the fairways again. If the Cally Razr X came in a 2h it would be done already.

Maybe 2013 will be the year I find a solid fairway wood and swing.

And maybe too it will be the year I roll only one putter.

And the year that I play at Augusta with Tiger, Phil, Jack, Santa Claus, Wolverine, Rorschach, & ...

[RookieBlue7]

I carry a 3 wood because of distance gapping, and for a set distance. It's used when a driver is too much club and I can hit it through the fairway on a dogleg hole (there are several on my home course). I also use it for positional play where hitting driver leaves me a half club or a delicate shot, and instead, back myself up with a 3 wood where I'm hitting a full club. It's easier to hit a full club, IMO, than try to dial in a short yardage half swing with a wedge. I don't carry it because "I can hit it straighter than a driver" as is the common excuse. Maybe if we're talking 15 years ago, you might have a point. But we're not, and today's drivers are every bit as forgiving as a fairway wood. That logic doesn't fly with me. I also don't buy the excuse that it's easier to hit than a driver, no, it's not. The face of the modern driver is much larger, has a wider margin of error/forgiveness across the face, etc. It's pointless to pull a fairway, IMO, if you're hitting your driver a little crooked because you think it's easier to hit straight. It's smart to pull a fairway if it's a positional play, though.

[RoverRick]

On cold mornings, the air shock thingies that hold up the back of the tailgate on my Range Rover do not work as well as they should, so I could use the 3 wood to hold it up, it is the perfect length.

 

 

Seriously, I parked yesterday morning beside a guy with a Tahoe who pulled a shower rod out and used it to hold up his tailgate. He asked me if I had that problem ever, and I said, that is the reason I carry a 3 wood, because I damn sure did not use it the rest of the time. And he nearly fell over.

 

As I stated earlier, I use mine on several holes and have actually been using it more and more lately now that I seem to remember occasionally that I need to swing at the same speed as a 9 iron and it will work great. If I try to kill it, well, I do. I kill it, it being a good score.

[sparnar]

Guys, unless you lift the tee markers up and they actually have different sex organs on them, there is really no such thing as men's womens"s, Senior's and Any other tees. Tees should be based on the length you can hit the ball with a reasonable amount of accuracy. Those distances in yards are 376, 515, 453, 369, 331, 438, 428, 471, 342, 361. In my opinion a high handicapper only have a reason expectation of hitting the green in two if the hole is 350 yards or less or 320m. Of course this depends on the green size and hole layout, but that is the world according to RR. You should be close on those less than 400 yards or 360 meters, but anything more than that is pretty unrealistic.

 

Most people average accurately hitting a driver 210 and a 7 iron 150 and PW 100. I played with a guy Saturday who could hit the ball a long way but had no control. Who cares if I hit driver/7i and he hit D/W, I found the green in two and he found the pasture next to the golf course.

 

(As an aside, earlier Saturday, one of the really good high school boys came up to me on the seventh tee box and asked if I had made that putt on 6, and I had. He said he watched my approach shot and was very impressed with the way I played it and asked what I hit. I told him I hit an 8 iron from 100 yards and the reason I did was because I was under a lot of pressure to win the hole because of the bet, the wind was behind me. I felt that a gap wedge would carry too far, and hitting a sand wedge that hard would give up some control. My other option was a chip with the 8 iron, waist high, that I knew from experience would travel that distance. It was a shorter swing and more controllable. And less susceptible to wind and nerves. I did make the short putt but it was for par not birdie. I had hit a tree with my drive and bounced behind the tee box and was already a stroke down on the hole. He said that it was a clutch hit and he would work on that. He said that every one always hits the high shot and he watched everyone in his group that day miss the green because of the wind.)

 

Most guys will not move up to the proper tees because of ego and the fact that people, and even some clubs, erroneously mislabel the tees. At my club they are labeled red, gold, white and blue. This is the proper label and like I said, unless they have some identifiable sex organs on them all tee markers are neutered. However, when I tried to have one of the guys in my group move up a set of tees because he could not hit driver, he took lessons and learned to hit the driver.

 

 

I'd applaud any course that only had two sets of tees but not if they were the lengths that you mentioned Sparnar - that's nuts - no wonder you're having such a struggle - I can't even begin to imagine how long rounds must take once the course gets crowded.

 

I live in Florida, a place chock full of very, very good golfers and our top amateur tournaments are not played at the distances that you just describes -

 

That's ashame.

 

In my opinion courses should only have two sets of tees out for each day - back and front - the back should play between 6,200 and 6,400 and the back about 1,000 yards shorter - No one is allowed to play from the tips (the true back of the course) unless he or she has a written letter of recommendation from their pro.

 

That would be a great way to reduce the time of a round of golf and to increase enjoyment.

 

I guess we've succesfully hijacked this thread - sorry Tuna - I like the original intent of the thread and will like it more once my new 3 wood gets here.

 

 

Spanar's course probably does not use red, white, and blue maybe green, gold, and black.

 

With just three tees, why are these not labeled less than 200 yard drivers, 200-250 yard driver, and 250+ yard drivers. The purpose of different tees is not so that we can separate men, women and seniors, but so that all players can hit approximately the same irons into the green and can compete on a level playing field. Golf is the only game, in which provisions are made so that people of all ages, sexes, and physical abilities can compete against each other and have any sense of a fair game.

 

I can play in a foursome with Tiger, Rory and my lawyer, and because of different tees, and different handicaps whomever plays better than their average can still win. (I am not betting on me or Willie.) How long would you last on a tennis court with Boris Becker, or a basketball court with Micheal Jordan?

 

Thanks for all the advice, guys. Unfortunately I am stuck in this boat, and can't really do much about it.

 

There is no way that I can convince friends of mine to play from the so-called 'senior' tees. And I am pretty sure I wouldn't last 5 holes with all the heckling, and this would definitely lead to less enjoyment, not more.

 

Don't take this the wrong way, I really appreciate the advice. I just can't implement it. Right now my aim is to play bogey golf, which means I have to reach the green in 3 shots on par 4s, which I am comfortable with. That one hole of 470m is an exception, and not the rule. With holes around 350m, I am semi-confident that I can reach the green if I had a shot. Perhaps I should rather say, that I am semi-confident that it will be in the bigger green area.

 

I understand your concern with this, and I fully understand the logic behind this. But there have been times where I have reached par 4s in regulation, and also some par 5s. I know I can do it, and while it might be the exception, rather than the rule at this moment, once I become more consistent, it will happen more often.

 

Thanks again. I'll try to stay on topic now :-)

[BK in TEXAS]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. Unfortunately I am stuck in this boat, and can't really do much about it.

It's all good. Just keep positive and remember at those distances it's costing you a few strokes a round. When you go play another course that is more in line with distances you'll be well under 100.

 

Another way to judge yourself is using the handicap system. After every round you can look at your differential to see how you played vs yourself. I use it because when I play different tee boxes it adjusts for that.

[MattF]

Hireko has a component that's 3 wood loft but 5 wood weight. the shaft gets tipped like a 5 wood, and playing length is the same as a 5 wood. There's negligable loss of distance because contact is always good with the shorter club.

 

Don't forget, you can build or have them build with the shaft you want.

 

Would you try one of these?

 

Which one is it Mike?

[revkev]

Nice to see a couple of new guys here and I like the suggestion about the "hybird" 3/5 wood Mike.

 

I get where you are at Sparnar - your answer to my question was all I really needed to see that this isn't your choice it's what you're stuck with. Sorry man - even 350 m is a stretch - that's 375 yards - we're used to thinking that this is a "short" par 4 - heck we wacth golf on TV and they call 420 yard holes shortish and they are when you drive the ball 300 75 percent of the time but very few of us who don't play on TV do - we average 210 - that means 165 or if we are being honest with ourselves 5 iron into the green at 375 yards or 350 meters. We need to learn to think in regards to reality and not what we see/hear on TV so often. When we do that we learn that a 3 wood is either a necessity or an uneeded club to carry - Can you hit the thing well enough 90 percent of the time off the turf to make it useful? If so you probably need one - if not - look at something else like another wedge or longer hybrid or more lofted fairway wood that you can hit.

 

No shame in that - I play with lots of very good golfers who don't carry a 3 wood. They'll rationalize it away in the clubhouse by saying they're long enough that they don't need one or they hit their choked down driver well enough to cover the distance gap off the tee but when you get them to be honest it's because they can't hit it well enough of the time to justify carrying it. They're good golfers because they play to their strengths, not their weaknesses.

 

 

Rookie's advice is dead on solid - I think that very few golfers, pros included, hit their 3 wood more accurately than their driver - I didn't check it but we have tests here that would probably illustrate the point nicely - modern drivers are very, very forgiving - if you are having trouble hitting yours its probably the wrong shaft/loft/lenght combo for your swing - that or take some lessons.

[MikeG]

It's called the Power Play Raw Power 3 wood. They also make a standard 3 wood, which in the catalogue is with the hybrids.

 

They also, under the Acer brand, have what they call the Thriver. It's has 3 wood loft (15 deg.) and weight, but is sized like a driver. Once again, I guess the idea is shortening up clublength for control and driver-type forgiveness without swingweight issues. I could see this club helping slower swing speed and higher handicap players. Probably develop a little too much spin for most of you though!

 

I am considering trying one of the 3 woods next year, though. The head is only 30 bucks, and I'd like to try the Xcaliber FW shaft. It'd be about a $75 experiment.

[RoverRick]

Sorry, we have gotten two threads mixed up into one. Spanar trying to break 100 and the purpose of a 3 wood. But the two are similar.

 

When I got my R11 3 Wood, I originally put in a shaft that was 43.5 inches which is the standard length from TMag. I also had a shaft that I had in a 17* that was 42". My driver shaft at the time was 46". I put the 3 wood shaft in the driver one day to test that and while I gave up a bit of distance on my max hit, I gained consistency and yardage on the average. So I put and adapter on my 42"er and put that in the three wood. I also cut my original driver shaft to play 44.75 inches. And my Talamonti in the 3 FM is the 42"er.

 

I may or may not have lost some yardage off the tee with the 3 wood. But this club is infinitely easier to hit off the deck and I gained distance off the deck simply because I make better contact. I no longer fear the 3 wood because I can hit it straight. I gained 18 yards average with my 3 wood. That is an amazing statistic and all I did was make it short enough to control better.

[MattF]

In case anyone is interested, here are the links.

 

The Power Play 3 wood (fully assembled): Power Play Caiman X2 Rawpower

 

The Thriver: Thriver

[sparnar]

It's all good. Just keep positive and remember at those distances it's costing you a few strokes a round. When you go play another course that is more in line with distances you'll be well under 100.

 

Another way to judge yourself is using the handicap system. After every round you can look at your differential to see how you played vs yourself. I use it because when I play different tee boxes it adjusts for that.

 

 

I get where you are at Sparnar - your answer to my question was all I really needed to see that this isn't your choice it's what you're stuck with. Sorry man - even 350 m is a stretch - that's 375 yards - we're used to thinking that this is a "short" par 4 - heck we wacth golf on TV and they call 420 yard holes shortish and they are when you drive the ball 300 75 percent of the time but very few of us who don't play on TV do - we average 210 - that means 165 or if we are being honest with ourselves 5 iron into the green at 375 yards or 350 meters. We need to learn to think in regards to reality and not what we see/hear on TV so often. When we do that we learn that a 3 wood is either a necessity or an uneeded club to carry - Can you hit the thing well enough 90 percent of the time off the turf to make it useful? If so you probably need one - if not - look at something else like another wedge or longer hybrid or more lofted fairway wood that you can hit.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Most of the courses I play are a similar distance, so I am used to playing holes of that length. While I am sure it would be easier playing shorter holes, this is what I have always known. I just need to get some confidence with the driver. It is definitely on my list of things-to-work-on with my pro.

[Super Tuna]

I guess we've succesfully hijacked this thread - sorry Tuna - I like the original intent of the thread and will like it more once my new 3 wood gets here.

 

Organic threads are always the best.

 

Honestly, I was just looking for anecdotal comments on why or why not 3 woods are working with people. I'e been paired up with probably 50 odd random golfers this year that I've never played with before. Every single one of them had a 3 wood in the bag and every one of them hit them. Out of 50 odd people, there were 6 who hit it even half decently.

 

Two were ladies. Not long, but decent length with lots of roll out. Super accurate

Two were older gentlemen. Decent length (around 200 give or take) for both of them but could land the ball on a dime in the fairway

The last two were UBC players with length like Rookie or Jbones. They had to use the 3 wood just to dial back their distance, especially on dog legs where they couldn't really cut the corner.

 

To me, at least locally, that says that people are either

A: Not practicing with it to gain the skill level they think/want to have

B: That slot in the bag could probably be taken by a different club on either end of the bag and they'd never notice.

 

Though when I really think about it, what I'm really driving to is that I don't think people really put thought into their set makeup and some clubs just end of there by rote then anything else. After the driver and putter, all 12 spots are fair game for whatever works. I don't think that's really an accepted idea yet.

[sparnar]

Organic threads are always the best.

 

Honestly, I was just looking for anecdotal comments on why or why not 3 woods are working with people. I'e been paired up with probably 50 odd random golfers this year that I've never played with before. Every single one of them had a 3 wood in the bag and every one of them hit them. Out of 50 odd people, there were 6 who hit it even half decently.

 

Two were ladies. Not long, but decent length with lots of roll out. Super accurate

Two were older gentlemen. Decent length (around 200 give or take) for both of them but could land the ball on a dime in the fairway

The last two were UBC players with length like Rookie or Jbones. They had to use the 3 wood just to dial back their distance, especially on dog legs where they couldn't really cut the corner.

 

To me, at least locally, that says that people are either

A: Not practicing with it to gain the skill level they think/want to have

B: That slot in the bag could probably be taken by a different club on either end of the bag and they'd never notice.

 

Though when I really think about it, what I'm really driving to is that I don't think people really put thought into their set makeup and some clubs just end of there by rote then anything else. After the driver and putter, all 12 spots are fair game for whatever works. I don't think that's really an accepted idea yet.

 

I think you are spot on with your assessment. "Common wisdom" (and more often than not it really isn't wisdom) dictates that a set of clubs consists of a driver, a wood, irons, wedges and a putter. I have a 4W as mentioned earlier in the thread, that I got on the advice of my pro, but I haven't put it in play yet, and am still a way off from playing it.

[jayhawker]

Although I do not carry one now(no money)when I did it was for several reasons. One, of course was that I can hit it more consistently that the driver. The most important though was a yardage gap. My driver goes about 270-280 give or take a few yards. That said, my 20 degree hybrid goes 210-225. More for off the tee I carry it/ plan to carry one for shots that I can only hit a certain distance. Also with the accuracy, It is easier to hit tighter areas as the less club you use, the less you are punished for bad contact.

Next spring I do plan on filling that gap with a 4wood. I was considering having a 14 degree wood and a 17 degree hybrid,but this is too many long clubs for me, and adding two clubs between driver and 3 iron would only allow for 2 wedges. That one wedge would be used much more than an additional long club, so I will settle on something between my driver and 3 hybrid that doesn't have too much loft.

[revkev]

Organic threads are always the best.

 

Honestly, I was just looking for anecdotal comments on why or why not 3 woods are working with people. I'e been paired up with probably 50 odd random golfers this year that I've never played with before. Every single one of them had a 3 wood in the bag and every one of them hit them. Out of 50 odd people, there were 6 who hit it even half decently.

 

Two were ladies. Not long, but decent length with lots of roll out. Super accurate

Two were older gentlemen. Decent length (around 200 give or take) for both of them but could land the ball on a dime in the fairway

The last two were UBC players with length like Rookie or Jbones. They had to use the 3 wood just to dial back their distance, especially on dog legs where they couldn't really cut the corner.

 

To me, at least locally, that says that people are either

A: Not practicing with it to gain the skill level they think/want to have

B: That slot in the bag could probably be taken by a different club on either end of the bag and they'd never notice.

 

Though when I really think about it, what I'm really driving to is that I don't think people really put thought into their set makeup and some clubs just end of there by rote then anything else. After the driver and putter, all 12 spots are fair game for whatever works. I don't think that's really an accepted idea yet.

 

Totally agree with the last part of that statement - I'd give it a plus 1 but I don't quite understand the reference yet other than it goes to a good comment - that's a great comment. I'll never forget seeing a Dave Pelz clip on the golf channel a number of years back where he had 140 to a tight pin and took out his 4 iron and hit 10 shots to try and put it on the green - he got one, exactly one on the green and the guy was a DI college golfer. He then hit one 8 iron to around 20 feet - point being why would you use the wrong tool for the shot as in why in the world are you only carrying 2 wedges and then trying to hit all kinds of part shots with them and expecting to get the ball up and down?

 

Big shock here - I carry 4 wedges, every club in my line up is there to fill a gap and/or serve a specific purpose - down to ordering a 4 hybrid rather than a 4 iron for my new set from Mizuno because I wouldn't hit that club often and the hybrid was the secondary purpose of being used for chipping. A longer player might use 4 iron off the tee - I would never find myself in that position or on the once or twice a year occasion when I the 4 hybrid suffices.

 

I think the lower the handicap the more thought there is going into the bag and the greater willingness there is to forgo conventional wisdom for the sake of shooting a good score. Obviously that's not true 100 percent of the time but it's true way more often than not. The few people whom I know who don't carry three woods are lower handicappers. I have had time in my golfing career where I didn't - I've had to over the past few years as I've lost distance. I make sure that I can hit it though.

[RoverRick]

I probably have said this before, maybe even in this thread, butI have been playing a 3 wood, TMag R11 14* with a Talamonti PD80 42" X Stiff Tour shaft, since shortly before this thread started. There are two things about this club that have made this a really beneficial club in my bag. First, the sole of this club works great off the tee or off the deck. Second, and perhaps more importantly, when I remove the headcover, I think, "7 iron swing".

 

It is so important to not overswing with the fairway wood. Today, I hit the 3 wood from the center of the fairway about 220 yards from the green and took a nice easy swing and ended up having a 25'er for eagle which turned into a tap in birdie.

[revkev]

I wish I could play - at least I got to the range today - hit the 3 wood a few times but right now am mainly concerned about the driver while waiting for the reshafted irons to arrive.

 

Hit the driver great - better than great - the best I've hit a driver in a number of years.

[Super Tuna]

I probably have said this before, maybe even in this thread, butI have been playing a 3 wood, TMag R11 14* with a Talamonti PD80 42" X Stiff Tour shaft, since shortly before this thread started. There are two things about this club that have made this a really beneficial club in my bag. First, the sole of this club works great off the tee or off the deck.

 

And this is why club stuff is so fascinating. I also have a R11 3 wood kicking around and for me, I've never hit a worse 3 wood from the deck. Between the sole and the face size, this thing is a tee only club for me when I bring it out.

[revkev]

I just read that - I'm hitting the crap out of my R11 3 wood. Interestingly I was supposed to get the R11 shaft with the RBZ head. When the club arrived I contacted the equipment fairy who shall remain nameless but is a member of this forum and he said I'd be happier with the R11 - I really didn't want to bother T again and honestly liked the look of the club. Very happy with it. I've only played with it once though and have yet to hit it into a green. I'll be playing friday but doubt I'll get that opportunity then - I'll get to hit it several times but not likely into a green unless the wind shifts to the east or southeast.

[lmh3]

I usually hit my 3 wood four or five times a round. We have two holes where there are hazard that come in to play at the 260 mark from the tee and you would need a 300+ carry to clear them. I would rather take an aggressive swing (not out of my shoes) with the 3 wood than to try and hit a softer shot with driver. Typically I will have about 160-165 in from there and I would rather hit the shortest club possible into the green so my hybrid would leave me 175-180.

 

As far as off the deck, there are two par 5's that I can reach in two and if I do miss it is usually just short with a nice chip from the neck of the fairway. One of the other par 5's I can reach if it is downwind so I rarely go for that one. The last is just a dumb hole with a double dog leg so it usually ends up being driver, 7 iron, 9 iron for the best angle in.

 

In general, I don't find myself to be all that much more accurate off the tee with the 3 wood, but it is a little easier to control the flight and shape of the shot with it versus a driver.

[red golfer]

Its a club to use after you throw your driver in the lake.

[Super Tuna]

Its a club to use after you throw your driver in the lake.

 

Hah. Zing!