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Interesting Club & Bag Setup Thought - Second Driver

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JB

JB

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With the addition of the new Callaway Great Big Bertha Heavenwood, I am finding less and less use for a 3 wood. In fact my last 2 rounds, I have not hit it a single time. I was able to go for a par 5 in 2 on two occasions and both times it was the heavenwood for the play.

So that leaves me with a spot open in the bag and I think I am going to add a second driver. As some might remember, I was not a big fan of the smaller "drivers" that came out over the last couple of years from a personal stand point, because I feel as though a full size head offers more benefits.

So I am going to take the plunge. Im going to take a higher lofted driver head, take a shortened shaft (3 wood length) and drop it in the bag. Maximum surface area, center of gravity playing back to offer higher ball flight, spin and forgiveness. The driver currently in my bag, I hit further, better and with less issues than any I have ever had, so this will be a unique spot when I feel the need for it.

For the club, I think I am going to go with a XXIO driver, most likely in 11.5 degrees and paired with it will be a Project X HandCrafted cut to 3 wood length.
 
I like it, I would consider doing the same. I agree that a bigger head and shorter shaft is more advantageous.

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Not saying this won't work, but I've heard that people that have tried something like this in the past have had issues with weighting of the club by cutting 2 inches off of a driver shaft to play it at 3 wood length. That might not be a big deal for some, but it is something to consider.
 
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Interesting Club & Bag Setup Thought

Interesting Club & Bag Setup Thought

arydolphin said:
Not saying this won't work, but I've heard that people that have tried something like this in the past have had issues with weighting of the club by cutting 2 inches off of a driver shaft to play it at 3 wood length. That might not be a big deal for some, but it is something to consider.
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I would never just hack off 3 inches without he club being weighted properly. If that were the case, I would just choke down.

I too hear nightmares about people doing things like this and not understanding why it doesn't work for them.
 
I really like the idea. Basically have two drivers with different launch and spin characteristics to give multiple options off the tee. Looking forward to the long term results.
 
I like the idea and think it makes a lot of sense. I will be interested to see the results you have with it


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I think this is a fantastic idea. I also wouldn't hesitate to hit a 12 degree or so off the deck for me personally as I already hit driver off the deck a good bit.

I am curious to see how this works out for you

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Might as well, options are good
 
I'm a fan of high lofted drivers with shorter shafts.

If my mini driver wasn't a solid option off tee for me, I would probably consider doing the same.

Would this be something you would use on the tee only? Any chance of hitting it off the deck?
 
War Eagle said:
I'm a fan of high lofted drivers with shorter shafts.

If my mini driver wasn't a solid option off tee for me, I would probably consider doing the same.

Would this be something you would use on the tee only? Any chance of hitting it off the deck?
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Nope. Too much risk and not enough reward. If I was looking for something off the deck I would just keep my 3 wood. Because as a few THPers can attest to, I'm hitting my current driver better and longer than any other I have ever had.
 
JB said:
Nope. Too much risk and not enough reward. If I was looking for something off the deck I would just keep my 3 wood. Because as a few THPers can attest to, I'm hitting my current driver better and longer than any other I have ever had.
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I hear ya.

My 3w is an off the tee club only as well, as I don't like the risk it brings me when I hit it off the deck, same as a driver.

Putting that XXIO with a shorter shaft should be a great option for your tee game when it calls for it.
 
I don't get it wouldn't that just be a more difficult 3 wood to hit off the deck.
 
JB said:
Nope. Too much risk and not enough reward. If I was looking for something off the deck I would just keep my 3 wood. Because as a few THPers can attest to, I'm hitting my current driver better and longer than any other I have ever had.
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Hox30 said:
I don't get it wouldn't that just be a more difficult 3 wood to hit off the deck.
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See above.
 
Hox30 said:
Ok to each his own. Different strokes for different folks. Got to love golf
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You carry only a single fairway wood. I have been carrying two and they both go a similar distance and one is easier to hit.
Hence the reason I have a spot open in my bag to add something that can be a fun club to hit off the tee that offers more spin, higher ball flight and tons of forgiveness.

It would be like me saying, why have the fairway wood and the hybrid when they both are going to offer similar performance with a loft that is fairly close. Of course the answer should be that you hit them different distances and different times. No different than this.
 
This sounds fairly similar to what I did with the Mini.

I have the 12* head set to 11* with a 3w shaft in it. Fantastic fairway finder for me and I think it's a solid idea as I just drop to the 3 hybrid after it.

I can hit it off the deck but will only attempt with no forced carry and limited danger around green.
 
JB said:
You carry only a single fairway wood. I have been carrying two and they both go a similar distance and one is easier to hit.
Hence the reason I have a spot open in my bag to add something that can be a fun club to hit off the tee that offers more spin, higher ball flight and tons of forgiveness.

It would be like me saying, why have the fairway wood and the hybrid when they both are going to offer similar performance with a loft that is fairly close. Of course the answer should be that you hit them different distances and different times. No different than this.
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Makes sense. A more forgiving club off the tee.
 
It's funny you mention it JB because lately I'm finding an opening in my bag too. Since my driver is already 15* loft and 44" long I was contemplating adding another driver with a 46" or 47" shaft.
 
Interesting! Replace 3w with lower lofted, shorter shaft, forgiving head.... I want to hear how this works out.


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Sounds interesting. Look forward to hearing how it goes for you. Ive been thinking about the top of my bag lately.
 
Definitely an interesting setup but one that seems to make some good sense
 
I hit the GBB 3W and V series HW different distance and see tons of forgiveness with both off the tee and deck. The 3w works as a nice forgiving alternative off the tee for me yet I could see how another driver option could be helpful off the tee if the HW is doing everything the 3W is.
 
whats the loft difference between your 3 wood & the driver you will add to the bag?
 
Interesting Club & Bag Setup Thought

Interesting Club & Bag Setup Thought

jhstew1 said:
whats the loft difference between your 3 wood & the driver you will add to the bag?
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3 or so degrees, but there is a lot more to the distance than loft. For me it is all about the gap. The heaven wood is 4-5 degrees different than the 3 wood but because of launch and carry distance being what I am looking for, there is only about a 10 yard difference at the very most.

And frankly at the courses I am playing, if I am 220+ out, I need to look at other options.
 
Makes sense, I think this is a good move since the Heavenwood has you covered. Looking forward to seeing how it works for you.

My bag is gapped pretty well right now, just experimenting with the heave wood or tour exotics as my 4I replacement.


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