Modern 3 Wood Club Face vs Older Clubs

[RWold]

Thinking that newer meant current tech and some here and elsewhere commented on my “antiques”, I fooled around with newer/better (?) stuff until I ended up with the Paradym 3HL pictured below. And it kind of scares me. The club face is so small (short) it looks like a hybrid and with my marginal abilities, it seems like more is better when it comes to club face height. I know it’s a fairway wood and it is at least the size of a 3 iron club face, but to me it seems less handy than my older (but still newer than my antique) 3 wood (also pictured). 
 

So the big question is, all else being equal (loft, shaft specs, etc), which makes more sense. My feeling is that I should put the lovely new Paradym club away (or display it on the wall) until such time as I can take it out and use it properly without beating it up, and keep using the older ERC for now. Comments?

Here’s another view of the clubs in question:

[pganapathy]

Hit both clubs side by side and take a call.  Look at distance and dispersion and pick the better club.  There are two more clubs you need to hit to take an informed call.  Your driver and then the next longest club after 3 wood,  You want the 3 wood to have the correct length in between those two clubs.  Not too close to either since you might then need to drop the club it is very close to or the 3 wood.  No point in two clubs going the same distance.  Don't base your decision on how the club looks

[jrobbins22]

I think if you are stressed about beating up your new Paradym club, then put it away. You're going to make worse swings in general if you're all stressed out

[GolfLug]

Shallow club face = lower CG = better chances of striking with CG below equator = ball up in the air.

Taller face = opposite.

This matter especially more with longer clubs. Of course, if you simply fear a smaller head then I don't know what to say. Familiarity breeds comfort, i.e. hit it enough to get over it.

[Huffy]

2 hours ago, GolfLug said:

Shallow club face = lower CG = better chances of striking with CG below equator = ball up in the air.

Taller face = opposite.

This, I love a shallow wood face, because to me to looks like it's easier to hit. Theres a reason 3w heads have gotten smaller and drivers bigger. The hard part of a fairway wood is getting it in the air not necessarily accuracy, and the shallower body allows the CG to be dropped significantly lower.

My input on hitting it is just hit down on it like a hybrid. You won't pop it up off a tight lie like you would with a driver off a tee, I would bet you the Paradym will be significantly more forgiving and longer, both due to the hotter and thinner faces we have now but also because you are hitting the ball behind the CG.

[billchao]

3 hours ago, GolfLug said:

Shallow club face = lower CG = better chances of striking with CG below equator = ball up in the air.

Taller face = opposite.

Just to add to this, bulge and roll is a factor, too. A shallower face will have more effective loft at the sole than a taller one. It’s just easier to hit off the deck in general.

[RWold]

Ok thanks for all the replies. Not having been involved in golf for 30+ years, I’m running into a lot of tech changes that I didn’t know about and usually don’t understand. But I’m getting there and this helps. 

[RWold]

Well I hit some balls on my home range (200yds) and the Paradym really does launch nicely and I was able to hit straight with it off my practice mat out to around 170 or so. It still seems to have less leeway with the lower face, but that forces me to be more precise and it certainly works. So it will go on my bag and I’ll see what happens. Thanks again all for the comments and insight.