Suggestions for setting up my golf bag in 2013.....

If you have a 3H at 18* loft and you buy a 2H at 16.5*, that is only 1.5* difference. Can anyone really tell the difference of 1.5*, I know I can't. I would forget getting a 2H and just use the 3H that you already have.

Personally i've found I like using a 2H more than the 3W... much much better from the rough. 

But in all actually, you're best off playing the clubs that best suit the course. really short course.. no three wood probably, hybrids plus the four iron and all the wedges. Longer course, take out the SW and use the 3w. It should depend on the course. 

Driver, 13.5* 3W, 16.5* 2H and 18* 3H. I think you'd have to have quite a bit of clubhead speed to get the most out of that set up. Off the deck, lots of players would probably get the most distance (consistently) from the 3H.

 

Have you measured your yardage gaps between these 4 clubs?

I'd have to agree with Shirley here. It might be a case of the hybrids and fairway woods might be the things to go first. So the only time you're really going to use a 3 wood is on a par 5 when you're trying to get close and get a cheap birdie, and if you're driver distance is 250 yards the 3 wood might be a bit of a waste. 

 

I'm a big fan of 2 drivers. one designed for your max distance(mess about with club length to see what you can handle) and the other driver a short shaft high loft(14/15 degrees) fairway finder.

 

Chipper

 

So it'd be driver/driver, 3 hybrid, 4-lob, chipper.( no sand wedge)

 

My 2 bobs

Just on shaft flex. Are you sure that stiff flex is helping you?

 

Isn't that second driver (the one with a shorter shaft and 14-15° of loft) a 3 wood? Sounds like one to me...

No, 3 woods are designed as fairway woods, low face heights 300 cc's or similar. I'm saying 15 degrees, 460 cc, titanium, high face height, short shaft......Thriver type. 

 

They're huge confidence builders as well. And from what BJ Westner says he might not lose an awful lot of distance either. The other great thing about the 2 driver setup is that it allows you to build a driver that is dedicated to distance as well as having a fairway finder. So you can have a bomber in the bag for when you think you can sneak another 20 meters on a par 5 or reach a short par 4 and still have a "safety driver" for the majority of tee shots.

Most people use a 3w as a safety driver... it shouldn't be much shorter than the driver, unless you have bad 3w. Strong lofted three wood is a safety driver and can be used off the deck

Yes, most people use a 3 wood as a safety driver.......because they're so wrapped up in tradition and thinking they have to have a spread of distances to they're clubs. So how often do you use a 3 wood? probably twice per round, and only if you're going for the green on a par 5. Whereas, if you go for 2 drivers you have the security and confidence hitting a 460cc head on the end of a 43 inch stick.......that for me equals fairways.....AND, the long bomber in the bag still gives you the option of really going for it on holes that suit your shape or run into a headwind or when you just wanna fang it. 

The reason a 3w is a tradition is because its very effective. How is a second driver bring more security and confidence? It be used as a "safety" driver just as often as a 3w but can't be used off the deck if needed. Off the tee they serve the same purpose, so why limit yourself?

If clubface bulge does its job, then a  15* 460cc driver head won't hit any more fairways than a 15* 3W. The larger head will have a greater MOI which should retain more ball speed on off centre hits, but it won't be any straighter than the smaller head.

It just seems odd to me to carry two clubs that you can only use off the tee... I can hit my 3w just fine off the tee but I still have the ability to use it from the fairway should I want. Also, as you said you probably won't lose a ton of distance either with the "thriver" so why not just use that full time... 250 in the middle is better than 280 ob...

 

But here's the catch... you say why carry a 3 wood because you only use it maybe twice a round... wouldn't that be the same for the long bomber driver. And the thing is, if you are only using the "long bomber" on holes that you really want to go at, say a par 5 you want to reach in 2, you might not have the club you need for the second shot because you took the 3 wood out of the bag.

The 2 driver thing gives you the ability to have a more complete coverage of tee shots. So you've got the long bomber, and that's an attacking weapon, a stick to get a birdie, a stick to get you into iron range on par fives and a stick to give you a chip instead of a 9 iron on a short par 4.

 

The thriver is a defensive weapon it gives you position, it gives you confidence(short shaft, high loft, high moi). Hitting the thriver off the tee is WAY easier than hitting a fairway wood off the tee. The moi and deep face give you high launch low spin compared to a F/W. 460cc's is just easier to hit......how many guys here are still hitting 300 or 350 cc driver heads?

 

I reckon the tee shot is the most important shot on the hole ......for me, and having a club that you use maybe 10,11,or 12 times a round and it's a compromise club, ie. it's probably not the longest stick you can hit or the most accurate, it's a compromise or requirements

I don't see why you'd ever use the longer driver. If you have a club in your bag you can't hit, it's a waste of space. Maybe some people would hit a thriver farther, that's great if it does a better job than a traditional driver. But if so, why have the long driver at all? Seems like if you know you'll probably spray it, you'll have a negative mindset pulling it out. Good way to start a hole...

 

I think many people, including myself, use a 3 wood instead of a thriver because of the shot off the deck as well as the fact we can actually hit lower lofts farther due to high swing speeds or decent striking. People who use a thriver need it because they can't hit the traditional driver. It takes its place, but doesn't complement it.

 

Think about the relationship between ball speed and spin. Take something that gives you the highest ball speed like a titanium driver, launched at, say, 14+ degrees, with the extra spin of a 3 wood, and you'll be in the clouds unless you're generating a low swing speed like a senior. Take the same launch conditions with over 100mph or so of swing speed, that can launch a 9 degree driver nicely, and you're screwed. But if you're hitting the club off the deck, the extra loft and spin are ideal. The extra ball speed the thriver gives you over the 3w actually raises your trajectory even more off the tee. But the 3w off the tee is pretty manageable.

 

Then there are the people who play in wind and on links courses, where you need a long shot from the fairway often and a high drive gets you killed by the wind. Also the fact that driver heads are 100$ more expensive than other clubs just because, and that this setup gives you 2 useless clubs after the tee shot. Bad golfers are the ones that have the most shots after the tee shot. The 3 wood is cheaper, more versatile, and there are a lot more high quality options out there to choose from.

 

All good points I reckon. I play in the wind often and my long driver(9 degree) is great to choke right down and hit into the wind....off the tee. Also the high lofted driver is great when you're hitting with the wind. 

 

Your point about bad golfers having the most shots after the tee shot is right, I guess but is that because they hit they're tee shot into the scrub then have to recover.

For me, most high to mid handicappers would benefit with they're bags stacked with clubs at either end of the range. So stacks of wedges, chippers, irons up to 6 then a general purpose hybrid type club to replace 5iron through to 4 wood, then 2 drivers. But that's just me