The 3W Slot - What to do?

SkiBumGolfer

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Albatross 2024 Club
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The 3W slot has to be my most unsettled slot in the bag, because I'm just never sure of what I want to do there. I don't hit my 16* Mini badly at all - in fact I hit it quite well - but I find myself constantly wondering what value it provides because I often don't hit that much shorter than driver. And not a whole lot straighter either. I hit driver very well typically - it's one of the stronger clubs in my bag, so I don't have a driving need for an alternate tee option. The main thing for me is filling a distance or usage gap between driver and 5W.

Options that I cycle between:

1) Conventional 3-4w, 14-17*. I can typically shape these easier than drivers/mini drivers, and they give me more option to hit off the deck, but I rarely do that anyway as I find that the 5W typically goes just far and I can control it much better. It often ends up being more of a second tee option to hit a little shorter than driver, but in that case it makes more sense to have a little bigger clubhead for extra forgiveness. Which leads me to...
2) Mini driver, 14-16*. Essentially the same as the above, but with a bigger head for increased tee focus and forgiveness. However, I've found I don't really tend to hit it that much straighter - though it is much easier to shape right to left. Which led me to try...
3) Short full-size driver, higher loft. This I toyed with, but it doesn't really seem to help me much. Something about the giant head and very short shaft just doesn't look or feel right to me, and again, I don't hit it that much straighter. It just doesn't really feel like I'm gaining that much compared to my driver.
4) 2nd driver at normal length, that's either straighter and a little shorter, or perhaps is really suited to shot shaping. I have a Vapor Pro w/ UST Elements Chrome that doesn't carry quite as far as my Triton, but it launches lower and is a little easier to shape with control because of the stouter shaft. It can be a nice option on a windy day or if a particular shape is needed.

So now that I've outed myself as a complete head case :alien: - thoughts? What would/do you folks do in this slot and what are your reasons?
 
What is the yardage gap between your driver and 5w off the tee?
 
What are we looking at both driver to 16* gap wise now

and 16* to 19* as well as there to your 4H?
 
I personally got rid of it entirely. I can "bunt" my driver if I need to for that distance. Frees up another spot in the bag for something else. I'd just go Driver to 5W if I were you.
 
What is the yardage gap between your driver and 5w off the tee?

What are we looking at both driver to 16* gap wise now

and 16* to 19* as well as there to your 4H?

It's been a little while since I've been on a monitor - need to get on one again soon to have a better idea - but based on course and range lately, and what I remember from my last fitting, on solid strikes we're looking at approximately (carry):

Driver: 230-245 yds
Mini: 225-240 yds
5W: 210-220 yds
4H: 200-210 yds
 
If your hitting your 5w almost as far and your driver well, I think you could drop it entirely and add another wedge or something.
 
It's been a little while since I've been on a monitor - need to get on one again soon to have a better idea - but based on course and range lately, and what I remember from my last fitting, on solid strikes we're looking at approximately:

Driver: 230-245 yds
Mini: 225-240 yds
5W: 210-220 yds
4H: 200-210 yds

Wonder if some form of a 3+ would do the trick. One that u can do off the tee and also have a chance off of the deck. Would then flow into the 5W
 
If your hitting your 5w almost as far and your driver well, I think you could drop it entirely and add another wedge or something.

I agree with this. The OP gets real good distance from the 5W. My driver is around his same distance but my 5W was usually a 190-200y club
 
Based on your gapping, I'd drop the 3w entirely and add another wedge, hybrid, or something else to the bag. If you hit your 5w solidly off the tee and the deck, you're not gaining much by putting something in between that and the driver.
 
I personally got rid of it entirely. I can "bunt" my driver if I need to for that distance. Frees up another spot in the bag for something else. I'd just go Driver to 5W if I were you.

If your hitting your 5w almost as far and your driver well, I think you could drop it entirely and add another wedge or something.

It is definitely a consideration. I'm just not sure what I'd do with the extra spot! Would have to do some thinking on that. The other larger gap in my bag is between 4h and 5i, mostly because of the difference in forgiveness, but I just don't know if it's a large enough gap to justify another club to fill. Maybe a driving iron / GI long iron or something?

Wonder if some form of a 3+ would do the trick. One that u can do off the tee and also have a chance off of the deck. Would then flow into the 5W

I haven't tried it, but I'd be concerned about not enough loft with a 3+ cause they're usually 14*. I'm definitely someone who needs loft in my woods. I do wonder about a "long 4W" though - something that's 3W length or even a little longer but with a 16* or 17* loft and 4/5W size head.

I agree with this. The OP gets real good distance from the 5W. My driver is around his same distance but my 5W was usually a 190-200y club

It's actually a little ridiculous. The XR 5W is just filthy long, particularly when I hit a draw. I started hitting it off the tee with hazards at 220 or so, and ended up dunking it a couple times haha
 
I've gone in a sort of different direction and maybe you'll agree or think I'm an idiot.

My M2 goes far (for me) and only misses right. My 816 Alpha 4w is a beast and has a total distance that is closer to the driver than I would like.

But the reason I LOVE my current setup is that the driver misses right and the 4w has a left tendency and misses almost exclusively left. I find myself selecting clubs based on direction/trouble rather than on yardage in this regard. Am I nuts? If the yardages are close maybe put a left and a right bias clubs in those spots.
 
i like more wedges at the bottom than bunching at the top. i guess it depends on the courses you play, but i find myself inside 130y far more often than i find myself needing to hit a very specific distance over 200y. so i go driver for anything over 240 off the tee, and fw for anything between 220-240 off the tee and any par 5 where there's no trouble to worry about. i love my current fw because i find it easy to hit off the tee, and just as easy to hit off the deck as long as i don't have a brain fart.
 
I've gone in a sort of different direction and maybe you'll agree or think I'm an idiot.

My M2 goes far (for me) and only misses right. My 816 Alpha 4w is a beast and has a total distance that is closer to the driver than I would like.

But the reason I LOVE my current setup is that the driver misses right and the 4w has a left tendency and misses almost exclusively left. I find myself selecting clubs based on direction/trouble rather than on yardage in this regard. Am I nuts? If the yardages are close maybe put a left and a right bias clubs in those spots.

It makes complete sense. And I have a little of this going on as well - the Triton is more susceptible to missing right (though I can yank it left if I really try and rip a draw), and the Mini pretty much only misses left (slightly closed face). The problem is, sometimes the Mini has a BIG left miss in it because of that closed face and very light overall weight.

What I've toyed with is sticking a driver in that slot that I feel like I have a lot of control over - the Vapor - because while it flies a little shorter, I can usually hit it on an absolute rope with that stiffer, shorter shaft in it.

The other thought is get a club with a left tendency that doesn't have as much of a massive yank it. Maybe either 1) a more typical 3/4W or 2) slap some lead tape on that Mini to make it a little heavier and harder to slam shut.

It's certainly an interesting quandary.
 
i like more wedges at the bottom than bunching at the top. i guess it depends on the courses you play, but i find myself inside 130y far more often than i find myself needing to hit a very specific distance over 200y. so i go driver for anything over 240 off the tee, and fw for anything between 220-240 off the tee and any par 5 where there's no trouble to worry about. i love my current fw because i find it easy to hit off the tee, and just as easy to hit off the deck as long as i don't have a brain fart.

I definitely agree in principle. I struggle with what I'd do with the extra wedge though. I could add a "lobbier lob wedge" - like a 62*+ - but I have no idea when I'd ever use it.

I notice though that you have a very similar setup to me top of bag if I take out the Mini. I also notice that you have a set AW as well as a 50* wedge. What's the logic there? Is the second one bladed for specialty shots around the green?
 
I decided to drop my fairway wood for an extra hybrid. I can hit more shots with the hybrid than the fairway wood.
 
I definitely agree in principle. I struggle with what I'd do with the extra wedge though. I could add a "lobbier lob wedge" - like a 62*+ - but I have no idea when I'd ever use it.

I notice though that you have a very similar setup to me top of bag if I take out the Mini. I also notice that you have a set AW as well as a 50* wedge. What's the logic there? Is the second one bladed for specialty shots around the green?

i feel like you and i very similar golfers. i'll give you the plus and minus of my current setup.

if i nut my driver, it's in the 270-280 range. doesn't happen often, but the potential is there. if i nut my 5/6 fw (4w length shaft with loft set at 17.5*), i'm getting 240 off the tee and 225-230 off the deck. so the minus on the surface is that i have almost 40y gap at the top end. but i ask myself when i would ever need to be that precise when teeing off? if i'm trying to fit a window from 241-269 off the tee, i need to re-think my course management. so i'm fine with that big gap.

if i nut my fw off the deck, i'm 225-230. if i hit my 4h perfectly, i'm 210-215. to me, that feels a little bunched up, but it's acceptable enough and the two clubs are going to do different things, since the fw will roll out whereas the 4h typically won't. so again, i'm fine with it.

but at the bottom, i'm not a great "dial back" guy. i like to have one speed/length/effort swing for as many clubs as i can. my 50 aw is a part of my set, so it's designed to be a little longer than a normal wedge. while i don't love that aw, when i hit it well it's in the 125-130 range, where the pw is in the 135-140 range. i like that gapping.

unfortunately the most i can get out of my 54 is 110, and that's a really quality strike. so i'm left with a 15-20y gap, and from that close to the green i would rather have a stock swing i can apply. in walks the 50* non-set wedge. it slots in at 115-120.

hope that makes sense.
 
driver, mini driver, 5w sounds like the best setup for scoring and solid golf. I suspect that you will continue to switch out clubs but seeing how you probably play the same tracks, id have the set up that allowed me to play my best.

I can see swapping out a 3iron and hybo for a different look. But the swapping you have would make me very unsettled.
 
If your 5w off the deck is the same distance as your 3w & you are not hitting the mini that much straighter, I would go 3W.

I'm kind of in the similar boat as you. My HW is virtually automatic off the deck and gives me that distance I need on longer par4's or par 5's. Anything longer than 220 or so from the fairway I have no business trying for it.

My 3W is a secondary tee option that fills the gap between my Driver and HW well & i control it better off the tee on tighter driving holes.
 
The 3-4 wood is most often the toughest club in the bag to find and settle on. When you find one you can trust, never get rid of it. I found an RBZ a while back and it seems to have checked all my boxes. Its 16.5* but I play it turned down to 15*. That opens the face and helps me not to hook it too bad. I can turn it over and get extra distance when needed though. I cut it down to 42" and that really helps my fairway shots. I am a bit like Army in that I like to play the 3-4 wood to mitigate my misses. I very rarely hit it right so I play it when I have to hit it straight or left. IMO, you are trying too hard to fill gaps. Gaps at the top of your bag are not really that important. Most pros or even good amateurs aren't thinking gaps up there. Those clubs are used for directional purposes. You'll see them with 40-50 yard gaps between driver and 3 wood.
 
sounds like the new steelhead Xr might do the trick. The deeper face will help for off the tee and the 15* will be enough loft for off the deck.
 
driver, mini driver, 5w sounds like the best setup for scoring and solid golf. I suspect that you will continue to switch out clubs but seeing how you probably play the same tracks, id have the set up that allowed me to play my best.

I can see swapping out a 3iron and hybo for a different look. But the swapping you have would make me very unsettled.

It certainly works, and the big things the mini has going for it are the slightly shorter distance and the fact that it really doesn't want to go right.

Out of curiosity which swapping would make you very unsettled?

If your 5w off the deck is the same distance as your 3w & you are not hitting the mini that much straighter, I would go 3W.

I'm kind of in the similar boat as you. My HW is virtually automatic off the deck and gives me that distance I need on longer par4's or par 5's. Anything longer than 220 or so from the fairway I have no business trying for it.

My 3W is a secondary tee option that fills the gap between my Driver and HW well & i control it better off the tee on tighter driving holes.

It's going to sound silly but as I think about going back to a regular 3W, I become more and more invested in that extra head size I have in the mini haha. It really is reassuring.

sounds like the new steelhead Xr might do the trick. The deeper face will help for off the tee and the 15* will be enough loft for off the deck.

You, sir, are simultaneously a mind reader and a terrible influence lol. I was looking at that thing the other day and thinking "dang that looks good".
 
It certainly works, and the big things the mini has going for it are the slightly shorter distance and the fact that it really doesn't want to go right.

Out of curiosity which swapping would make you very unsettled?



It's going to sound silly but as I think about going back to a regular 3W, I become more and more invested in that extra head size I have in the mini haha. It really is reassuring.



You, sir, are simultaneously a mind reader and a terrible influence lol. I was looking at that thing the other day and thinking "dang that looks good".

Options 3&4
 
Options 3&4

Yeah. Those are options only a serious club ho with 3 extra drivers sitting around would be pondering...oh wait that's me lol

The conventional wisdom is certainly in favor of the 3/4W or mini driver.
 
Drop them all and just move to three hybrid as next long as club in the bag. You won't make as many questionable decisions and you have more room to get creative in the bottom of the bag.


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I swapped out my previous 3 wood for the Taylormade M1 3HL and I love it.
You might take a look at that.
 
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