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3 Wood Use: Tee vs. Fairway

SuperStroke
arydolphin

arydolphin

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I saw this tweet last night and it was interesting to me:



Now, obviously the guys on Tour play a different game than most of us average joes. But I started thinking about my rounds, and realized that I'm probably taking 3 wood off of the tee at least 2-3 times per round, but I'm almost never hitting it off of the fairway. I'd have to be 230 out or so on a hole for an approach shot, and that usually only happens on a par 5. I don't hit fairway woods off of the deck all that well, so I'm usually either laying up with an iron from that distance or taking my 2 hybrid and trying to get just short of the green. So in a perfect world, all of us would have a fairway wood in the bag that would work great off of the tee and from the fairway, but is that realistic? Shouldn't the fairway wood slot be based on where we predominantly use that club from?

With those stats on Tour, I can see why a bunch of guys are going to the "mini driver" approach, ex. 3Deep from Callaway. It's something that I'm considering going to as well because one of the main courses that I play has a lot of doglegs or ends of fairways in the 250 yard range, so I don't want to hit driver there. FWIW, my driver swing speed is 101-104 mph, a really good drive for me is 260 or so but I'm typically more in the 240-250 yard range with my driver. But for a player that plays courses where they can hit driver off of every tee and relies on their fairway woods for approach shots from the fairway, they might want to focus on getting a fairway wood that's really easy to hit off of the turf. I just wanted to get other thoughts on it, because for my game, I'm considering just focusing on my fairway wood being another tee club for me and giving up on hitting it off of the turf.
 
Tend to agree.

My driver, 3W and 5W are reserved for the tee box. 3W/5W never see use on the fairways unless it's a super windy day and the hole is playing into it. On Par 5 I'm usually laying up with a mid to long iron.
 
Good topic Ary.

I tend to think that if I need a fairway wood from the turf, I probably shouldn't be taking the shot the vast majority of the time. Maybe the occasional long approach to a wide open target, but for the most part in the past I noticed I was pulling it in situations that occured due to an earlier mistake and the fairway wood shot more often than not made the situation worse.

That being said, I tend to hit the driver straight enough that I don't really grab a different club unless the hole is short or hazards deem it necessary. In addition, I've always felt that as my driver swing goes, my fairway wood swing goes. In other words, moving to the wood for more control on an off day with the driver didn't necessarily do me much good.

I tinkered with the idea of dumping it altogether and just using a 3h for those short holes, but ended up going with a 4w instead. For now at least.
 
I probably fall pretty close to the 9/1 ratio. I very rarely go after a green with a fairway, I only will if there is not much trouble laterally and I can toll the ball to the green. Most the time if I'm hitting FW would it is on a very long par 4 or par 5, where I hit an awful tee shot and am just hoping to get it far enough down the fw where I will have a wedge on my 3rd shot, this is still a very rare use of the FW.

If I found a FW wood that was excellent off the tee, I'd buy it regardless of its performance off the deck.
 
Hawk said:
I tend to think that if I need a fairway wood from the turf, I probably shouldn't be taking the shot the vast majority of the time.
Click to expand...

This. If I am 250 or so out I find any reason to talk myself into not going at it. When I do, the majority of the time I remind myself why I don't normally do it.


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I am also in that 9/1 ratio. My home course is short and tight with most of the par 5's being doglegs.
 
Hawk said:
I tend to think that if I need a fairway wood from the turf, I probably shouldn't be taking the shot the vast majority of the time.
Click to expand...

I hadn't thought of it this way but very well put!

For me, my 3 works well from tee and fairway (is my primary tee club) but I'm a short hitter and play a lot of 3s off the fairway but from that distance (200+), I'm never "going" for anything, only trying to get it closer than it's current position and my three gives the best chance as it tends to run a bit as well.
If I had another 40yds off the tee, it would be a different situation but as it stands, anything 400+ is getting 2 x 3w.
 
As a high-handicapper who isn't "long," I use my three-wood off the tee a lot, but also use it for a second shot on par 5's if the fairway is wide-open. I like my approach to be right about a hundred yards, so if I need 220-230, I hit the 3-wood. As long as I don't have a carry at the end of the distance I need, it is good. My miss usually scares the heck out of the worms in the fairway, but goes straight.
 
The last time I went to purchase a 3 wood the fitter actually recommended that I not carry the 3 wood and only bag a 5 wood. His reason being that as a senior golfer I have lost too much swing speed to get the proper launch. I actually was hitting the 5 wood farther both in carry and over all distance both off the deck and off the tee. I would recommend that someone looking at a 3 wood to get on a LM and compare the numbers with a 4W and 5W, they may just get a club that is more versatile for them. I know many here have the SS to game the 3 wood and I would too if I were able to swing the club faster.
 
It's funny how my game has progressed over the past couple years. I used to hit a FW much better than a 3H. Now I find myself loving the 3H and rarely hitting a FW except off the tee. At the moment, all I have in my bag is a 17* FW and a ton of hybrids (3,4,5,6).
 
I only hit mine off the tee at the moment.

Until I become more consistent off the deck, Im better off just hitting a 5 Iron
 
I also hit my 3W and 5W off the tee more than the fairway. The 5W definitely gets used more in the fairway than the 3W, which really only gets used on second shots on par 5s. I can hit the 5W out of the rough fairly well too. I do love when I get a chance to hit the 3W from the fairway though. Getting a chance to hit a shot from the fairway 230-240 just feels awesome.
 
My three metal gets equal part double duty.

I didn't pay $46 to play 18 holes to attempt to make pars.

And .... "These people didn't pay good money to see a tour pro lay up on a short par 5."

Unless I'm just totally out of range or the green is uber guarded I'm hitting 3 wood.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
Great topic Ary, I recently traded in my 3W because I couldn't effectively hit it from anywhere! I ended up getting a 19* 5W for some of the exact reasons you spoke of; Shorter tee-ball needed on a short par 4, dogleg, or approach to a par 5. I found the 3W performance off the tee was to similar to a driver and left too big of a gap below it. Good luck with your bag set-up
 
I like the 90/10 rule. It's about where I stand too.

I play more conservatively than most, and if that means laying up when I am 230+ out on a par 5, so be it. Just means I'll have a great chance to drop a wedge in tight from 90 yards and roll a birdie putt.
 
I use my 3W off most tees and will also use it off the deck on most par 5's.
 
I very rarely ever hit a 3 banger off of the tee. I can hit my driver just as straight (or crooked). The only caveat is if the fairway runs out within driver distance. And then, I would prefer to hit a 3 iron (I just trust it more off of the tee for some reason), unless the hole is upwards of 400 yards. On par 5's, I will generally at least try the 3 wood from the fairway. If I hit it solid I can carry 240 with 260 being about the max distance with roll. If I miss it, it's usually thin and will roll 80-100yds towards the green leaving me a mid to short iron. So if I am in the 250ish range, I'll generally go for it.
 
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One of the reasons that I chose my current FWs is how easy they are to hit off of the deck. I will draw my 3W or 5W from the fairway at anytime, and I will use my 5W out of rough quite often as well. My 5W has probably become my most comfortable club in the bag.

I hit them both well off of the tee, too. My usual rule of thumb is that I will pull 3W instead of driver if the hole is 400 or less. Of course, every situation is different.

Depending on the course, I may only pull driver 2-3 times a round. I try to play longer courses wen I can, though, so I can hit driver a little more often. My driver tends to be pretty accurate, so I am not that concerned about the extra accuracy from the 3W.
 
Good topic, for me it depends where I play, one course I play is long and straight and I never hit the 3 wood from the tee ever its only used when the ball is in the fairway or rough and only if it is sitting up a bit, never off a tight lie. If that is the case then its a hybrid to a good layup distance.

Played yesterday at one other course I play and used it twice, once from the tee and once from the rough on a ball the was sitting up, happy enough that I made par on each, one a par 4 the other a par 5.

Also a course we found to play on Long Island I use the 3 wood on the 3 of the first 4 holes and all from the tee. Its also used again (for me) on the 7, 8, 10, 13 and 16.

It all makes for a good group of places I can test my self with all parts of the game.
 
I got a new 3 wood (Adams F11) this year and I am only about 20-30 yards shorter than most of my shots with my driver. It's easy to hit off the deck too, but like the OP I, I usually only do that on par 5s. Otherwise it's off the tee for short and/or narrow par 4s.
 
I could see that being the case on tour. Most amateur golfers probably take a Driver off the tee in most cases, because that's how we were ingrained to do. Hit the big stick as hard as you can, then go find it. One of my last rounds I found myself hitting my 3W and 2hybrid off the tee, just to set myself up for something with a full swing to the green. Short courses like we have around here are that way for me, too. Usually only take a driver on the par 5's or the two par 4's (on the course I'm thinking of). It makes sense to me. I don't enjoy hitting my 3W off the deck much, but I blame that on the stock shaft...lol...I really need a new 3W.
 
53 years old with a swing speed that's even older! hehehe. I also a hit the three wood a lot for my second shot. 175 is about it's max range and usually more than half of the par 4's I am farther than that out. That said, I'm pretty reliable with the club.
 
This topic also reminds me of one of the funnier moments of playing with Amol a couple weeks ago.

We we teed off on a Par 4 that was about 400 yards and a little downhill. I teed off first (before Amol and Dean walked to the tee) and hit a well-struck 3W that ended up on the left side of the fairway. Amol went last and hit a bomb with his driver that took a very similar line to my tee shot - left side of fairway.

When we we pull up to our tee shots, Amol stops at my ball and starts staring at it. (His ball is 15-20 yards ahead.) He gets out of the cart, bends way over and peers over the ball. After straining for a little bit, he turns to me, with a huge smile, and says, "Are you playing a Bridgestone?"

I reply and say, "Yes, did you hit 3W, too?"
 
I love my fairway metals. That said, there are places that even with my not so long game a 3 wood off the tee makes sense. But it is course dependent. If I can lay up to a good comfortable "I know I can hit that" shot then hit 3 wood. On a really long par 5 say 540 yards I would rather hit 3 wood, 3 wood, wedge and have a make-able birdie than try to blast a driver, hit it to an awkward distance or into trouble and leave a low percentage shot to the green, or out of the woods. A course i used to play it was the smart play off the tee on one of the par 5's. A three wood got up and over the trees on the corner where a driver wouldn't.

I know there is a par 5 on my usual muni where fairway metal may not be the best choice. It has started yielding birdies since I started leaving the 3 wood in the bag and laying up.

I think this year i have used my 3 wood more than in the last couple and my handicap is coming down. Its all down to the percentage chance you have of pulling off a great shot vs. the risk of not pulling it off. Just think "no big numbers".

That said I am probably close at about 80/20.
 
Was thinking about this yesterday as I contemplated changing to a 50-54-58 wedge setup and mixing up the top end a bit. You're right, I very rarely hit mine off the ground, it tends to be my "mini driver" as well. That being said, since I'm using the Mashie F3, it's pretty darn easy to hit off the turf, so it's comforting to know I can hit it at that distance if I need to. I hit around the same distance you do (a little shorter, high 90's - low 100's driver SS), so I've thought about replacing for a tee exclusive 3W, but at the same time I like to know that if I need to lash one up there off the turf, I can. Sure, I could get a little extra distance if I went to something like the 3Deep, but I also probably wouldn't hit it as straight off the tee, and it would be noticeably more difficult off the deck.
 
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