So I hate doing the "what should I get thread" but after updating my bag this year I realize a 3 wood is something that I desperately need something that is a reliable club to pull off the tee.  Lately I have had to resort to a 4 iron off the tee when I need that shot down the fairway and it is reliable but on the longer par 4's it can be a hassle to have my tee shot leave me with a 5 iron into the green.

A little about my game:

swing speed is about 110 MPH with a driver

Naturally hit a draw

Not looking for huge distance just something that is reliable

Currently playing an old jazz bearcat (love the simple look at address)

Do not hit it from the fairway at all but looking to try to learn how to

not looking to spend huge $$$ trying to keep it around $200 (In canada that leaves choices like Razr fit, cobra amp, JPX 800 ect)

How do you spot forgiveness in a 3W you ask? ................. When it has a 4 or a 5, or 16-18 degrees loft marked on it.  Easier to hit consistantly, and launches higher for more carry, and ultimately more distance.

That's my opinion, and I'm stickin' to it.

Bobber

Oops! I didn't  read your whole post. I thought you were talkin' off the deck. I carry a thriver when I travel to unknown courses.

14 degree, 44 inch, 210g, 460 cc, fairway finding powerhouse. Fantastic off the tee!

Built out in my Cave .

Good luck!

I wood really suggest a 4 wood with about 17* of loft. The loft will make it forgiving off the tee and easy to hit off the fairway.  I personally play a Wishon MC949 4 wood with 16.5* of loft. Super easy to hit off the tee and has a really hot face.

Not sure what your club preferences are but you can get a Taylormade R11 4 Wood for about $130 Canadian on ebay.ca

as far as a 3 wood goes the RBZ 3 wood was the best investment in my bag. pricey but worth every dollar. i recently picked up a TM burner 4 wood and its easy to hit off the tee and ground and guess what i got it for only $90 brand new at dicks. had to get a 4 wood cuz there was way too much of a gap between my RBZ 3 wood and my burner 2.0 3 hybrid.

I love my R11 fairway woods, just ordered another one yesterday. I was very surprised at how well I hit it. once I got it dialed in, it was amazing. It goes lazer straight.

How big are 4 woods? I have trouble hitting a 3 wood from the deck because they are too "tall" and I usually end up topping it, but at the same time I can't hit 5 wood from the tee because it is too small.  4 wood is definately something I would consider as I am thinking about getting a 3 iron or 3 hybrid in the near future to close the gap between a 4 wood and my 4 iron.

It really varies. Some are "tall" and some are "short".  My 4 wood is "short" but I have no trouble hitting it from the tee - the key is to tee it very low like you would for an iron.

A 3-wood with a stretched back design is typically forgiving because it moves the weight back and launches the ball better.  Most people struggle with getting the ball up in the air with a 3-wood because of the lack of loft and that design feature helps them get the ball up.

or in other words an "offset". see that i did there? i made myself look like i know something about golf.

I now carry an RBZ 17* 3W HL (high launch.... hey it's a 4W!). An OK hit with my new 4W goes about 10 yards farther than a great hit with my old 3W.

I was having trouble getting my 15* 3W up in the air unless I was really swinging well. Part of the problem was that the practice range for my home course goes down hill, and my favorite off-course range has the tee boxes on a 5-foot-high berm. So, I thought I was getting more 3W loft than I actually was.

A couple of the tour pros with a really flat impact angle on their drivers are going to 4Ws for a little extra loft so they can hit a FW off the deck.

I play a G15 4 wood, and it does not have a tall face. Just great off the tee and much easier to use off the fairway than a 3 wood. Does the job of both a 3 and 5 wood. 20 or 21 degree hybrid would fit nicely between a 4 wood and your 4 iron. Good luck.

I prefer low profile fairway woods.  Much easier to hit off the ground, and still no problem off the tee.  Just tee it a bit lower!

look in the fairway after you swing.  The 3 wood that hits the most balls there is the most forgiving.

Ping i3 12* is what I like... I play a lot of afternoons and the wind picks up around the lake. The low loft makes it nice off the box or even ground on the few shots I need it. I carry a 19* hybrid to gap the distance of my 4i. I also have a 3i for some knockdown shots occasionally (I could probably drop it but than I'd have an extra spot with nothing to put back in...)