Versatile 3-wood Shots

[hoselpalooza]

could you please share your favorite/most useful 3-wood shots and how you like to execute them?

i just got my first 3-wood and am having a lot of fun with this club after struggling a bit to get the feel for it. now i'm ready to get creative and add some new shots to my repertoire. would love to know more about how others are using this club effectively on the course.

thank you!

[Patch]

My favorite 3W shot is a long approach shot from the fairway. Maybe just off the fairway too. I have a lot of confidence in these shots. 

Truth be known, I even use my 3W off the tee, more than my driver. 

[hoselpalooza]

@Patch, thanks for your comments. i haven't hit 3-wood much off the deck. do you do anything different for this shot vs. tee shot?

[Shindig]

4 minutes ago, hoselpalooza said:

@Patch, thanks for your comments. i haven't hit 3-wood much off the deck. do you do anything different for this shot vs. tee shot?

When I hit my fairway wood (mine is a 4-wood, but I think the same idea applies) off the deck, it's in the middle of my stance;  off the tee, it's a bit more forward.  

[Cantankerish]

I may be perfectly daft here, but my view of the 3 wood is that it pretty much only has these jobs.  Fairway wood and off the tee if you do not trust your driver.

I pretty well use this club if I messed up my drive (and have an unexpectedly long distance to cover) or if I am on a particularly long par 5 for my second stroke.  I had been using it for approach shots further than about 220 yards, but a few things have happened recently to make me question what this club is even for.

1. I have begun to appreciate that the architecture of the typical par 5 seeks to punish fools like myself who fancy themselves able to make the green in 2 with creative bunker placement, small greens and encroaching hazards.

2. I have begun to hit the 3 wood with a swing more like my driver.  I am striking it lower and further.  I took the 5 wood out of my bag, but now I really do not have a club that hits between 210 and 250.

 

Freakin' golf.  So many mysteries.  I love it.

[hoselpalooza]

3 minutes ago, Cantankerish said:

I may be perfectly daft here, but my view of the 3 wood is that it pretty much only has these jobs.  Fairway wood and off the tee if you do not trust your driver.

@Cantankerish, thanks for your feedback. i wouldn't say daft; plenty of people don't bag a 3-wood and i know many who only use it for those same two things with a basic stock shot.

however, i've been inspired by seeing the occasional 3-wood stinger off the tee or turf as well as other creative shots from around the course. and before i "graduate" to driver i'd like to have a swiss army knife-like 3-wood i'm comfortable hitting from anywhere in any conditions, if that makes sense. 

[klineka]

One additional shot that I use my 3 wood for is when my ball is on the fringe around the green and it is up against the rough where I wouldn't be able to make great contact with a putter. 

I take my stance like putting, hold the 3 wood really upright, and grip basically at the bottom of my grip, and make a putting like motion at the ball.

I'd suggest practicing it a few times before use in a round, the ball definitely seems to "spring" or jump off the face a little.

I dont need the shot very often, maybe 1-2x a year, but it's a handy one to have when I do need it.

[hoselpalooza]

37 minutes ago, klineka said:

One additional shot that I use my 3 wood for is when my ball is on the fringe around the green and it is up against the rough where I wouldn't be able to make great contact with a putter. 

I take my stance like putting, hold the 3 wood really upright, and grip basically at the bottom of my grip, and make a putting like motion at the ball.

I'd suggest practicing it a few times before use in a round, the ball definitely seems to "spring" or jump off the face a little.

I dont need the shot very often, maybe 1-2x a year, but it's a handy one to have when I do need it.

@klineka, thanks, this is a neat idea. i've been practicing this shot with (e.g.) 9-iron but 3-wood makes a lot of sense. plus, it reminds me of bubba watson's 1-club challenge which i'm starting to think would be a great way to develop better feel and more versatility with this club. it's probably the best putter besides putter in the bag right now! 😂

on a related note: @Cantankerish, what about gripping down on your 3-wood a couple of inches and taking a partial swing to fill that 210y-250y gap?

[billchao]

I can hit a number of 3w shots: The high cut. High draw. Stinger. Low hook. Drop kick. Chunk. Top.

Just put a 3w in my hands and I can hit any one of these at a given time. Just watch the wheel spin around, who knows where it's going to land?

[hoselpalooza]

29 minutes ago, billchao said:

I can hit a number of 3w shots: The high cut. High draw. Stinger. Low hook. Drop kick. Chunk. Top.

Just put a 3w in my hands and I can hit any one of these at a given time. Just watch the wheel spin around, who knows where it's going to land?

that's one way to spice up your round. here's another that won't affect your score 😂

[billchao]

4 minutes ago, hoselpalooza said:

that's one way to spice up your round. here's another that won't affect your score 😂

You've never played golf with me. I bring my own spice. My rounds are interesting enough without having to climb extra hills and get grass stains on my pants for no apparent reason.

[hoselpalooza]

3 minutes ago, billchao said:

You've never played golf with me. I bring my own spice. My rounds are interesting enough without having to climb extra hills and get grass stains on my pants for no apparent reason.

ok.

[billchao]

10 minutes ago, hoselpalooza said:

ok.

I'm saying I hit a lot of shitty shots.

[hoselpalooza]

Just now, billchao said:

I'm saying I hit a lot of shitty shots.

ha! genuinely hope that "a lot" turns into "barely any". and i appreciate your self-deprecating humor but clearly i'm not very good at it. 😉

[Piz]

The best 3 wood shot would have to include wood, or the metal equivalent, something grassy or green, and one of those little umbrellas (to simulate the flag stick).  I'm think Woodford bourbon, a tiny splash of Jameson's (for the grassy effect) and a wedge of citrus fruit.  Add a swizzle stick and you are there.  It may taste awful but so does a poor round.  On the plus side...repeating a poor round doesn't make you feel any better.  Whereas multiple shots have the opposite effect.

[boogielicious]

11 hours ago, billchao said:

You've never played golf with me. I bring my own spice. My rounds are interesting enough without having to climb extra hills and get grass stains on my pants for no apparent reason.

You sir are a bottle of Sriracha with golf clubs! 

@hoselpalooza

For me, the 3 wood is a club for the tee on shorter holes where driver can get me in trouble and for long fairway shots that is can mess up with even more flair than @billchao. 

But in general, it is a club for long shots and I am getting more comfortable with it. Even if I mess it up, it still will go a long way. The miss still usually goes straight as opposed to the 3H which can launch higher and go further of line.

You can't be afraid to use it. The versatile part for me is being able to hit it low or high depending on how much I open up the face. I have a pretty in-to-out swing, so closing the face can do a sharp low draw that can be a good trouble shot. With it open, I get a higher push draw or straight push with the occasional fade.

Play with the club at the range and try different shots with it.

[David in FL]

I don’t consider my 3-wood to be particularly versatile. I’ll use it off the tee if it’s called for, or from the fairway when I’ll benefit from something just a bit longer than my three hybrid. But that’s about it.

[hoselpalooza]

6 hours ago, boogielicious said:

The versatile part for me is being able to hit it low or high depending on how much I open up the face. I have a pretty in-to-out swing, so closing the face can do a sharp low draw that can be a good trouble shot. With it open, I get a higher push draw or straight push with the occasional fade.

@boogielicious, thanks for your feedback, this is useful. haven't played around with opening/closing face much and look forward to trying this at the next range session. 👍