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Why do Some Folks Prefer 3w off the Tee over Driver?

Space Bandito

Space Bandito

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I play with a lot of guys who rarely pull their driver, as they feel the hit their 3w better (even if it's a little shorter.) I see a lot of people here on THP say things like this as well. I see ads for game improvement clubs claiming that "this fairway wood like club can replace your driver."

My question is why? This is a genuine question.

Is hitting driver a form of mental block? This appears to happen with all drivers (i.e. the guy who gets a new big stick every 6 months is still faced with this ordeal.) Otherwise, it would make more sense to find the right driver.

I know, in my experience, a club with a 3x smaller head and, presumably, 3x smaller sweet spot is definitely not easier to hit, so I rarely play it off the tee.


Not bashing anyone's preference here, just wondering.
 
Driver is hardest club to hit for an amateur.
 
Part of the reason might be that people feel they have a better chance to keep the ball in the fairway with their 3w.
 
I utilize a 3w off the tee because it’s more precise for me. If the hole is tight and not overly long, I’m hitting 3w.
 
I tee off 6 of the 9 holes at my course with my 2 hybrid (replaced my 3 wood). The shorter shaft makes it much more reliable and the course is short enough I don't feel punished giving up any distance. I've done same at other courses that were longer too so I'm either playing correct tees for me or too short but definitely not too long.
 
I've completely flipped. I used to be an "only driver" guy, because, as you mentioned, due to the smaller face, I struggled with 3W's off the tee. And the driver size was confidence inspiring.

But that all changed probably 3 seasons ago. Early in the year, I was striping my irons, but I couldn't break 100, because I kept losing balls thanks to my driver. So one day I just left my driver at home, and I proceeded to shoot 91 with 13 clubs in the bag, teeing off with 3W, 4H, and 5i. For whatever reason, I can just square up a 3W better than driver, which helps me find more fairways. I also, oddly, find the sweet spot on the 3W more often than I do with a driver.
 
When I do it has to do with wanting to hit one strait. A 3 wood puts so much more backspin on the ball that it just doesn't bend very much. If the landing area is narrow that's the way to go. You do have to hit down on it pretty good to get that shot though. If you're teeing it up a bit and swinging at it like you swing your driver you're not going to get that super spinny high-flying strait shot.
 
For me up till now I wasn't worried where my 3w was going but really stuggled with the driver.
I was happy with 200-240 off the tee with my 3w rather than be 150 and OB with the Driver.

I will say my new EXS220 might just change things. I hit driver 11 times yesterday and I don't think I hit it 10 times all of last year,
 
Jman said:
I utilize a 3w off the tee because it’s more precise for me. If the hole is tight and not overly long, I’m hitting 3w.
Click to expand...
Man I wish this was true for me. So far it hasn't been. But very high on my 2020 "TO DO" list is find that accurate, reliable driving club for tight holes. Mostly I think I need technique work (and some mental toughness training too :ROFLMAO:)

So far I haven't found anything I hit better than driver off a tee on longer holes. But that's not saying much.
 
I find that I struggle equally with both my driver and 3w. Like @Jman, if it's not a long hole, and I am trying to hit a landing area I'll pull the 3w to try to mitigate the risk of a big miss, but when it comes down to it, I will still hook (or other form of miss) with my 3w as often as I will with my driver (adjusted for percentage of use)
 
I find a 3 wood is little tighter for a accuracy as well can usually flight it down (sometimes) aka stinger which on certain holes will run forever in the middle of summer.
 
While a driver has the biggest face, it also has the least loft which means it controls the starting direction more than any other club. That means it’s not as forgiving on mis-hits as a 3 wood is. Combine that with the fact that the driver should carry further than a 3 wood and a mis-hit can be even more penalizing because it travels further offline.

Also, as already mentioned the loft of the 3 wood increases launch and spin over the driver which, when not overdone, causes a stabilizing effect. The shorter shaft, as also previously mentioned, can make controlling the club face easier.

Finally, in an era where amateurs are trying to hit up on their driver to squeeze out extra distance, hitting a 3 wood with a negative attack angle can be easier as it’s still similar to hitting any other club in the bag (minus any setup changes).

All that being said, according to Shot Scope data, amateurs only gain a small increase in fairways in regulation when opting for 3 wood off the tee. That small percentage may not be worth it to lose too much distance off the tee. So opting for the 3 wood may be a better play for slightly longer hitters or better players. The data from Shot Scope Ultimate Golfers Guide is attached.
 

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Space Bandito said:
I play with a lot of guys who rarely pull their driver, as they feel the hit their 3w better (even if it's a little shorter.) I see a lot of people here on THP say things like this as well. I see ads for game improvement clubs claiming that "this fairway wood like club can replace your driver."

My question is why? This is a genuine question.

Is hitting driver a form of mental block? This appears to happen with all drivers (i.e. the guy who gets a new big stick every 6 months is still faced with this ordeal.) Otherwise, it would make more sense to find the right driver.

I know, in my experience, a club with a 3x smaller head and, presumably, 3x smaller sweet spot is definitely not easier to hit, so I rarely play it off the tee.


Not bashing anyone's preference here, just wondering.
Click to expand...

It is a matter of physics.
Just as an 8-iron is easier to strike consistently straight shots with than a 6-iron. A 3-wood is easier to strike consistently straight shots with than a driver. Shorter shaft length, head size easier to square at impact, 15* loft vs 10* loft etc..... Physics.
 
Space Bandito said:
I play with a lot of guys who rarely pull their driver, as they feel the hit their 3w better (even if it's a little shorter.) I see a lot of people here on THP say things like this as well. I see ads for game improvement clubs claiming that "this fairway wood like club can replace your driver."

My question is why? This is a genuine question.

Is hitting driver a form of mental block? This appears to happen with all drivers (i.e. the guy who gets a new big stick every 6 months is still faced with this ordeal.) Otherwise, it would make more sense to find the right driver.

I know, in my experience, a club with a 3x smaller head and, presumably, 3x smaller sweet spot is definitely not easier to hit, so I rarely play it off the tee.


Not bashing anyone's preference here, just wondering.
Click to expand...
Could be a lot of things, length is likely the most common culprit. The shorter length of a three wood makes it easier to hit, and often 3 wood design make them easier to draw.
 
Space Bandito said:
I play with a lot of guys who rarely pull their driver, as they feel the hit their 3w better (even if it's a little shorter.) I see a lot of people here on THP say things like this as well. I see ads for game improvement clubs claiming that "this fairway wood like club can replace your driver."

My question is why? This is a genuine question.

Is hitting driver a form of mental block? This appears to happen with all drivers (i.e. the guy who gets a new big stick every 6 months is still faced with this ordeal.) Otherwise, it would make more sense to find the right driver.

I know, in my experience, a club with a 3x smaller head and, presumably, 3x smaller sweet spot is definitely not easier to hit, so I rarely play it off the tee.


Not bashing anyone's preference here, just wondering.
Click to expand...

Personally, I hit a lot of different clubs off the tee. My course requires you to think around it and my biggest misses tend to come with the driver.

Sometimes I hit 3W or less depending on the length of the hole. Sometimes I hit 3W because my miss isn’t a big as with the driver.

That said, sometimes I just it play it safe to give myself a better chance of keeping it in play. Keeping it in play = better score.

I also think it makes me a better player having the ability to hit more than a driver off the tee. I see so often guys go to hit 3W or less off the tee and they can’t because they just try and bomb driver every hole.
 
I need driver for distance now...and candidly hit it as well as my 3wood....For a long time I use to hit long iron and 3w off tee. I hit them further than I hit my driver now...Ha
 
Jman said:
I utilize a 3w off the tee because it’s more precise for me. If the hole is tight and not overly long, I’m hitting 3w.
Click to expand...

Same here when I can. I feel like my misses are smaller with it.
 
Space Bandito said:
I play with a lot of guys who rarely pull their driver, as they feel the hit their 3w better (even if it's a little shorter.) I see a lot of people here on THP say things like this as well. I see ads for game improvement clubs claiming that "this fairway wood like club can replace your driver."

My question is why? This is a genuine question.

Is hitting driver a form of mental block? This appears to happen with all drivers (i.e. the guy who gets a new big stick every 6 months is still faced with this ordeal.) Otherwise, it would make more sense to find the right driver.

I know, in my experience, a club with a 3x smaller head and, presumably, 3x smaller sweet spot is definitely not easier to hit, so I rarely play it off the tee.


Not bashing anyone's preference here, just wondering.
Click to expand...
You've seen me... 3w or 5w as often as I can. :D
 
I'm convinced it's just length. The 3W itself is shorter and hits less far so at that distance the same degree of dispersion will be less far from a center line and less likely to be in trouble. It's inherently more precise, because it's shorter. The 3W is also less forgiving, so again, shorter on mishits, usually* less potential trouble. The hero mentality with it and fear of it as a low loft club could also play a role.

I encourage people to cut down a driver rather than abandon it for a 3 wood if they have trouble finding the center of the face, and I hit approximately zero more fairways with a 3W than I do a driver, so I only use it off the tee if there are distance concerns. I've never found it to be 'fairway finder' in any actually beneficial way over being further down the hole on the same line in the long run. Even when I was a kid.
 
-CRW- said:
While a driver has the biggest face, it also has the least loft which means it controls the starting direction more than any other club. That means it’s not as forgiving on mis-hits as a 3 wood is. Combine that with the fact that the driver should carry further than a 3 wood and a mis-hit can be even more penalizing because it travels further offline.

Also, as already mentioned the loft of the 3 wood increases launch and spin over the driver which, when not overdone, causes a stabilizing effect. The shorter shaft, as also previously mentioned, can make controlling the club face easier.

Finally, in an era where amateurs are trying to hit up on their driver to squeeze out extra distance, hitting a 3 wood with a negative attack angle can be easier as it’s still similar to hitting any other club in the bag (minus any setup changes).

All that being said, according to Shot Scope data, amateurs only gain a small increase in fairways in regulation when opting for 3 wood off the tee. That small percentage may not be worth it to lose too much distance off the tee. So opting for the 3 wood may be a better play for slightly longer hitters or better players. The data from Shot Scope Ultimate Golfers Guide is attached.
Click to expand...
This is an excellent response. Thank you. It does, in a way, support my theory of the mentality behind the thought, despite the fact that not a single person I know who does this would ever consider this much information in making a decision.
 
Space Bandito said:
I play with a lot of guys who rarely pull their driver, as they feel the hit their 3w better (even if it's a little shorter.) I see a lot of people here on THP say things like this as well. I see ads for game improvement clubs claiming that "this fairway wood like club can replace your driver."

My question is why? This is a genuine question.

Is hitting driver a form of mental block? This appears to happen with all drivers (i.e. the guy who gets a new big stick every 6 months is still faced with this ordeal.) Otherwise, it would make more sense to find the right driver.

I know, in my experience, a club with a 3x smaller head and, presumably, 3x smaller sweet spot is definitely not easier to hit, so I rarely play it off the tee.


Not bashing anyone's preference here, just wondering.
Click to expand...

This used to be me. I highly doubt anyone's playing a 3ed that's 1/3 the size of their driver nowadays. That'd put it at ~155ish cc and that's pretty small.

I know my EF SZ is 169cc so that's quite a bit over 1/3 the size of my M5.

Once I got a driver combo I was comfortable with, I started to hit it more and 3wd less.

I think it was definitely length that factored in to my confidence more than volume.
 
Space Bandito said:
I've seen you smash the living daylights out of your driver as well..... I don't know why you don't have the big dog out on every hole.
Click to expand...
Because I'll hit a 3w or 5w straight 9/10 times, and still hit the 3w 280ish off the tee. Driver for me goes straight maybe 3/10. Better odds of having a clean shot in.

Unless I'm just messing around, I'll usually only pull driver on holes longer than about 420yds, or the fairway is nice and wide.
 
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