3W Off the Deck?

[lastings]

The title here doesn't necessarily encapsle my entire question...   but, anyways..  

Currently I play a Driver and my next longest club is my 19 degree hybrid.  

This has typically worked well for me, as I only Drove the Ball about 245, so there was very rarely a reason for me to club down off the tee.  
Over the last couple years, I've made some very significant improvements in swing speed and now rolling out to 265-275.   This can find me a bit more trouble, occasionally.  

I typically hit my hybrid about 255.  but.. very occasionally I'll smoke it and it will touch 245.  (I can't really explain why or how when it happens..  )

 

My question is, would y'all recommend me adding a 3W to my bag?  

pros/cons/questions

-This would involve me removing a club from my bag.   wouldn't be too hard though as I have a taylor made GAPR driving iron and my 3H which I hit a similar distance.   I just hit the Iron much better off the tee and the hybrid much better off the ground.  

-To those of you that play both a hybrid and a 3W, is your consistency similar when hitting off the deck?   This is a very important question to me, as I'm not too interested in adding a 3W just for the couple occasions per month that my driver goes to far and my hybrid/DI goes too short.   

-if the answer to the above question is yes, do you find yourself opting to use 3W to try to get home in two on par 5's and whatnot?  or is your Hybrid still preferred in that situation?

-Anything else I may not be considering or thinking about?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cooke119]

If you drive the ball 265 -275, then hit your hybrid 255, (or 245), why would you change anything, what is the 3W going to do for you, the distance gap appears to be just fine? With your HC I wouldn't change anything but maybe work on your short game, IMHO.

Others with lower HCs then mine can probably provide much more insight. 

[lastings]

14 minutes ago, cooke119 said:

If you drive the ball 265 -275, then hit your hybrid 255, (or 245), why would you change anything, what is the 3W going to do for you, the distance gap appears to be just fine? With your HC I wouldn't change anything but maybe work on your short game, IMHO.

Others with lower HCs then mine can probably provide much more insight. 

apologies, I meant I typically hit the hybrid 225 but occasion bomb one 245.  My mistake on the typo.

[criley4way]

Have you tried a 2h?

I often hear the 3w is the most difficult club to find the right fit for and often the most difficult to hit.

Look at your stats and the courses you play to see if there is a real need, try a variety of 3w , and see if there is a good choice.

[David in FL]

I carry a 3-hybrid and a 3-wood.  But I’m a shorter hitter than you and get a good 15-20 yards more from the 3-wood, both off a tee and off the deck.

Given what you’ve told us, I wouldn’t feel the need to change.

[pganapathy]

My suggestion would be to see if you can find a 3W that you consistently hit 250.  Experiment with a few and see what happens.  If you don't find a club to go that distance, it doesn't make much sense cos your hybrid goes 225 and your driver 275.

As to why you occasionally get 250 with your hybrid, the answer is a perfect storm.  A smooth swing generating better power, a perfect strike and sometimes perfect conditions for the shot.

[dagolfer18]

I would definitely suggest a 3W, since you have that huge distance gap between the driver and hybrid. About two, three years ago I had a 50-yard gap between my driver and hybrid as well. Now that I have a 3W, that gap is probably 15-20 yards. Assuming solid contact, I’ll hit my driver about 240, and the 3W about 220-225.

[rehmwa]

4 minutes ago, pganapathy said:

My suggestion would be to see if you can find a 3W that you consistently hit 250.  Experiment with a few and see what happens.  If you don't find a club to go that distance, it doesn't make much sense cos your hybrid goes 225 and your driver 275.

I can't really add to this.  (These are my distances - driver, 3w, 3h).  I find my 3w to be one that I'm happy to pull for off the tee or off the deck.  I like hitting that club a LOT.  I also have another hybrid for 210 or so.  Those gaps work nice and still leaves room for a tight spread on my irons and especially the wedges

 

[lastings]

24 minutes ago, dagolfer18 said:

I would definitely suggest a 3W, since you have that huge distance gap between the driver and hybrid. About two, three years ago I had a 50-yard gap between my driver and hybrid as well. Now that I have a 3W, that gap is probably 15-20 yards. Assuming solid contact, I’ll hit my driver about 240, and the 3W about 220-225.

While I most certainly understand that there is a huge gap here, I'm really trying to identify how much of a gapping *problem* this is.    I have a very good idea of how often I'll be trying to fill that gap off the tee.   but, at what cost?   just trying to get peoples thoughts on how useful 3W is out of the fairway and how whether golfers around my handicap level are less comfortable hitting a 3W off the deck vs. a Hybrid.   because, in all likelihood,   adding the 3W is going to force my 3H out of my bag.   Just can't really get my thumb on whether the positives outweigh the negatives there..   

[dagolfer18]

2 minutes ago, lastings said:

While I most certainly understand that there is a huge gap here, I'm really trying to identify how much of a gapping *problem* this is.    I have a very good idea of how often I'll be trying to fill that gap off the tee.   but, at what cost?   just trying to get peoples thoughts on how useful 3W is out of the fairway and how whether golfers around my handicap level are less comfortable hitting a 3W off the deck vs. a Hybrid.   because, in all likelihood,   adding the 3W is going to force my 3H out of my bag.   Just can't really get my thumb on whether the positives outweigh the negatives there..   

Hmm...that is a tough situation. Do you have another club in your bag that you could possibly take out?

[lastings]

3 minutes ago, dagolfer18 said:

Hmm...that is a tough situation. Do you have another club in your bag that you could possibly take out?

other club would be the Driving Iron.  but, given the fact that I'm much more accurate off the tee with the driving Iron, the Hybrid would go.   Assuming that I can hit a 3W out of the fairway, of course.  

[David in FL]

16 minutes ago, lastings said:

other club would be the Driving Iron.  but, given the fact that I'm much more accurate off the tee with the driving Iron, the Hybrid would go.   Assuming that I can hit a 3W out of the fairway, of course.  

FWIW, most people, me included, find a hybrid easier to hit off tight lies than a 3-wood.  It’s also more versatile out of the rough, or even a bunker.  I love my 3-wood, but if I were forced to give one or the other up, it would be the 3-wood.  I’ll sacrifice a few yards on rare occasion for the easier hitting, higher flying, more versatile hybrid.

[lastings]

4 minutes ago, David in FL said:

FWIW, most people, me included, find a hybrid easier to hit off tight lies than a 3-wood.  It’s also more versatile out of the rough, or even a bunker.  I love my 3-wood, but if I were forced to give one or the other up, it would be the 3-wood.  I’ll sacrifice a few yards on rare occasion for the easier hitting, higher flying, more versatile hybrid.

informative and noted.   thanks. 

[boogielicious]

2 hours ago, lastings said:

The title here doesn't necessarily encapsle my entire question...   but, anyways..  

Currently I play a Driver and my next longest club is my 19 degree hybrid.  

This has typically worked well for me, as I only Drove the Ball about 245, so there was very rarely a reason for me to club down off the tee.  
Over the last couple years, I've made some very significant improvements in swing speed and now rolling out to 265-275.   This can find me a bit more trouble, occasionally.  

I typically hit my hybrid about 255.  but.. very occasionally I'll smoke it and it will touch 245.  (I can't really explain why or how when it happens..  )

 

My question is, would y'all recommend me adding a 3W to my bag?  

pros/cons/questions

-This would involve me removing a club from my bag.   wouldn't be too hard though as I have a taylor made GAPR driving iron and my 3H which I hit a similar distance.   I just hit the Iron much better off the tee and the hybrid much better off the ground.  

-To those of you that play both a hybrid and a 3W, is your consistency similar when hitting off the deck?   This is a very important question to me, as I'm not too interested in adding a 3W just for the couple occasions per month that my driver goes to far and my hybrid/DI goes too short.   

-if the answer to the above question is yes, do you find yourself opting to use 3W to try to get home in two on par 5's and whatnot?  or is your Hybrid still preferred in that situation?

-Anything else I may not be considering or thinking about?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I use essentially a 4w. It is easier to hit off the deck IMO and almost a long off the tee than a 3W. I get about 20 yards more on average than my 3H too. 

[leftybutnotPM]

4 hours ago, lastings said:

 

-To those of you that play both a hybrid and a 3W, is your consistency similar when hitting off the deck?   

-if the answer to the above question is yes, do you find yourself opting to use 3W to try to get home in two on par 5's and whatnot? 

 

What bearing would this have on your game?

If I hit my 3 wood as consistently as my hybrid, what would that mean? That you would too? No.

The only way you'll find out is to hit the shots yourself. Get out there with a 3 wood and see how you go. You might love it. Or you might hate it.

 

Edited January 13, 2020 by leftybutnotPM

[lastings]

1 hour ago, leftybutnotPM said:

What bearing would this have on your game?

If I hit my 3 wood as consistently as my hybrid, what would that mean? That you would too? No.

The only way you'll find out is to hit the shots yourself. Get out there with a 3 wood and see how you go. You might love it. Or you might hate it.

 

don't know.   But, it's the middle of winter here and I can't go out and play, so I thought I'd just fire up some conversation.   Do a little crowd sourcing.  

[TN94z]

How far do you hit your driving iron?  I have a driving iron and I used it off the deck occasionally. I have a 3w as well that I love to hit. For me, I'm no less comfortable with either club. I feel I can make just as good of contact with my 3w as I can my hybrid. If anything, I feel that I might turn the ball over too much with my hybrid more than anything. Like already mentioned, I would just take into consideration where you play and whether you really "need" to feel that gap.

[CharlieB]

Titleist makes two versions of the three wood. They have the 917F2 which has a higher face and is supposed to be easier to hit. It comes in a 13.5-15-16.5 and 18 degree loft. Then they have the 917F3 version that has a lower face that comes in 13.5-15 degree loft. The later is targeted for better players like you.

I just picked up a 917F2 that I am hoping to be able to get 150 straight yards with. It’s winter here too, so in a couple of months I’ll have a chance to try it out.