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Looking for feedback on strong 3Ws

SuperStroke
tequila4kapp

tequila4kapp

Tom Watson called to say “Hi”
Albatross 2024 Club
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My tinkering / pondering ways are probably getting the better of me but the strong (13*) 3W has become my latest infatuation. If I do it this will be primarily a club used off the tee.

After looking a bit it appears the options are Titleist, Adams, RBZ (Tour and Tour TP, I think)...anything else?

I hit the Tour TP at 14.5 recently and wasn't in love with it. Maybe the Tour plays differently? Anyway, I was hoping to get some feedback on Tour vs. Tour TP as well as the other two offerings. Thanks in advance for the help.
 
tequila4kapp said:
My tinkering / pondering ways are probably getting the better of me but the strong (13*) 3W has become my latest infatuation. If I do it this will be primarily a club used off the tee.

After looking a bit it appears the options are Titleist, Adams, RBZ (Tour and Tour TP, I think)...anything else?

I hit the Tour TP at 14.5 recently and wasn't in love with it. Maybe the Tour plays differently? Anyway, I was hoping to get some feedback on Tour vs. Tour TP as well as the other two offerings. Thanks in advance for the help.
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The Tour TP is just the tour with a different shaft. I think just about every company has a strong version of their 3 woods. I know the Mashie TF3 has been very popular. The Adams XTD was very long for me, as was the TEE XCG5 3wood, the TEE is offered as strong as 11.5 I believe. The Amp and Amp Cell 3 woods have received alot of praise, and are offered in strong lofts.

I have been very happy with my older VR 13* 3 wood with a voodoo shaft.
 
Thanks, Wake. Some (Callaway) apparently don't offer strong while others (Ping, Cleveland) appear to offer them at 14*. I could well be off base but 1* doesn't seem significant enough to make the change. I really love my G20 but am getting greedy and want to see about squeezing a little more distance out of the 3W.
 
tequila4kapp said:
Thanks, Wake. Some (Callaway) apparently don't offer strong while others (Ping, Cleveland) appear to offer them at 14*. I could well be off base but 1* doesn't seem significant enough to make the change. I really love my G20 but am getting greedy and want to see about squeezing a little more distance out of the 3W.
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If you are satisfied with the ball fliglht but looking for more distance, you could possible add length to the shaft as well.
 
I'm liking my 14.5* so far. The XTD is also one that I hit very well.. Like scary well. My wallet is quivering.


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Why a strong 3w?

Why not something like the RBZ which goes miles and is still 15*?

Or an adjustable fw wood so you get the best of both worlds?


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If you get a chance, try out the Mashie 14* Fairway. It was an absolute game changer for me due to its versatility. I hit it further than any other FWs this year (which is normally about fitting a person) and comes with a fantastic shaft as standard.

For purely off the tee use, I also liked the Bridgestone J40. It sounded great and performed well.
 
Tequila have you considered the Bridgestone strong 3. I have a standard RBZ in the bag and I love it. I know exactly what to expect every time I swing it. Wasn't a big fan of the Adams or the Titleist strong 3w.

I have a question for you, how much more length are expecting from the 3+? Just curious.
 
I agree with the Mashie 14* TF3. Its been the most reliable long club in my bag the last few months. They are super cheap right now too.
 
Xt1ncT-NZ said:
Why a strong 3w? Why not something like the RBZ which goes miles and is still 15*? Or an adjustable fw wood so you get the best of both worlds?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Tadashi70 said:
I have a question for you, how much more length are expecting from the 3+? Just curious.
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I don't seem to hit the regular RBZ any further than the G20. If I am going get a little extra out of a 3W I'm thinking the lower loft is going to be necessary.

I don't really have a number in mind. I hit the G20 in the 230 range (driver SS @95).
 
BigCountryStein said:
I'm liking my 14.5* so far. The XTD is also one that I hit very well..
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JB said:
If you get a chance, try out the Mashie 14* Fairway. *** For purely off the tee use, I also liked the Bridgestone J40. It sounded great and performed well.
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Tadashi70 said:
Tequila have you considered the Bridgestone strong 3. I have a standard RBZ in the bag and I love it. I know exactly what to expect every time I swing it. Wasn't a big fan of the Adams or the Titleist strong 3w.
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ddxu said:
I agree with the Mashie 14* TF3.
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Thanks for the feedback and tips. I'll see if my pro shop has these and try to demo them.
 
tequila4kapp said:
I don't seem to hit the regular RBZ any further than the G20. If I am going get a little extra out of a 3W I'm thinking the lower loft is going to be necessary.

I don't really have a number in mind. I hit the G20 in the 230 range (driver SS @95).
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The lower loft could work against you with a lower ball flight abs less distance. You may want to try shafts instead of loft. Find a shaft that maximizes your club head speed abs trajectory. Loft isn't always the best solution.
 
Tadashi70 is correct about the lower loft possibly producing less distance if it doesn't fit you, however it has been my experience that if you are just using it from the tee that will help your launch angle. My suggestion would be to try the Tour Edge Exotics line any model but the XCG-5 is a very long club. The CB versions are very good but less forgiving than the XCG line. The Adams XTD is a very solid performer also. Some others are Mashie TF3, the RBZ, and Titleist would be my choices. The Titleist is adjustable and they make a fairway/driver. Just some options for you.

One other thought is if it is just for off the tee you might consider a cut down driver with some added weight or counterweighted if that works for you. Anything from 42.5 to 44.5 depending on your specs, I would suggest a fitting if you go this route.
 
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If it's for off the tee, you might want to check out the Long Tom 2W. A lot of people here seem to love it as an alternative to a regular driver off the tee.
 
My RBZ Tour 3 wood is my favorite clubin the bag. Confident with it off the tee or off the deck. When I hit it, people ask why I even bother carrying a driver
 
What JB and DDXU said. Mashie TF3 all the way. I've said it time and time again, it's been my favorite addition to the bag this year. It performs off the tee as Driver Light for me. I hit it better off the turf than any fairway I have ever used. I've hit it out of the rough, out of a sandy waste area, and each and every time, it performs. It's cheap right now, and as JB said, comes with a premium shaft. It's just a bad dude. Check it out.
 
If you want to go a really cheap route for testing purposes, check our Callaway Pre-Owned and look for a Great Big Bertha 3+ or a Steelhead 3, 3+. Both were (and still are) excellent clubs and can be had very cheap.
 
For use off the tee exclusively I'd look at the Titleist 910 FD.
 
I have gamed a strong three, HL drivers (13 degrees) and now the Long Tom 2W. I think people should consider their use cases before potentially purchasing this club. Do you want a club to hit off of the deck, or just a back up driver (fairway finder)? I think that determines what is best.

I personally found that I didn't have the clubhead speed to hit the strong three from the fairway. It was actually shorter than higher lofted fairways for me. That made the strong three a tee only club for me.

Given that, the HL driver or 2W are better for dedicated tee shots. I'm currently trying out the 2W and have had good luck. I think the slightly smaller head forces a more controlled, smoother swing than what I end up with at a HL driver. I've found that I can still leave the clubhead a bit open. The distance seems a little bit longer with the 2W than the HL driver.
 
I have an R9 TP 13* and a RAZR Hawk 13* and love them both.
 
I use the Titleist 910 FD (fairway driver). It is 13.5 degrees and you can strengthen it to 12.75 or or weaken it to 14.75. And you can open or close the face too. It is a little difficult to hit off the deck unless you have a really good lie. I have the lie set as wide open as the adjustment allows and that makes it easier to get airborne from the fairway while also letting me really roll my wrists through impact when hitting it off a tee and not worry about hooking it badly.
 
I'm with Tadashi here. Lower loft usually means less forgiving, and could actually cause less distance, so you may be better off looking for the right shaft combo for your swing. If you absolutely want to lower the loft, go hit everything you can. I'll readily recommend anything that says Mashie on it. Some of the guys here have had very good luck with the TF3. I hit the Adams Super XTD fairway yesterday (14.5) and it was a bomber. May want to check that out. Another option could be the RBZ tour spoon, though I'm pretty sure that it has a more open face then the regular, so keep that in mind. Good luck!
 
While I agree that less loft and smaller head make it less forgiving, I must say teeing the ball up does help launch angle and thus one can hit a lower loft and get more carry distance not to mention more roll out. I have hit two very good (for me) lower lofted 3-woods a Cleveland Ti Launcher 13* and Tour Edge Exotics XCG-5 11.5* as drivers at times. Whatever works for you is what you should do, but I have known some that get better results off the tee from 15*,16*, or 17* clubs. It all depends on your individual swing and impact position. Try them all and keep what works.
 
Another vote for RBZ. If you hit it with the stock shaft I understand not liking it. I couldn't hit it well with that shaft either. With my new shaft it's become one of my favorite clubs. I use it on most tee shots.
 
I agree, I need to go hit additional clubs and see how they compare to what I'm already gaming. Some items were pointed out that weren't on my radar so thanks for all the feedback and ideas.
 
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