Don't give up!

[Fat Slice]

I have always been and still remain somewhat a believer in the "It's 90% you and 10% your equipment" school of thought.

However...

I could never hit a 3-wood. I tried different brands, lofts, shafts, etc. I tried different swings, grips, choking up, etc. No matter what I tried, I could not hit the 3-wood, so I never put one in my bag. I decided to try, after about 3 years, to hit one again. Again, no dice.

Then, when browsing Craigslist, I saw a 3-wood that I thought my buddy would like (he is always offering/giving me clubs - good ones, too). I bought a Ping Rapture 3W with a stiff shaft (the VS Proto ByYou).

While I am no Tiger with it (uh, hardly), at least I can hit the thing and (most importantly) I am getting *better* with it. A clean, somewhat repeatable swing -- which is about 15% of the time now) gets me about 245 down the road. That is going to help if I can dial the club some more. The mishits aren't offline much, just short.

So my suggestion, coming from years of frustration, is to not give up on a club but to try a different piece of gear every now and then. You never know, something might actually work!

[Golf_Gal]

Its must be a 3 wood thing. I can't seem to hit with mine either, not off the tee and def. not off the grass. So when I have those long shots when a longer club is needed, I'll bump all the way up to my 5 iron. I have a 4 and 5 hybrid, I can't seem to hit with those either, UNLESS my lie is in tall grass. Other than that....can't hit with them :(

[Travtex]

I can hit my 3w pretty well off the grass.

Put it on a tee... not so much.

[user9800]

I can hit my 3W, but I have the same problem with my hybrids. I can't seem to dial in a decent swing for them. I hit a wicked hook with just my 2 hybrids.
I am not giving up on them, I just need to try and be patient with my progress

[WUTiger]

  Golf_Gal said:

Its must be a 3 wood thing. ...

Golf Digest has an article a couple of years ago which said the 4-wood was the easiest fairway wood for most to hit. An extra couple degrees of loft makes all the difference for some players.

[tm22721]

This happens when I get a new club or putter I seem to do better for a while. Then...relapse. For me it must be psychological.

[flopdarock]

  WUTiger said:

Golf Digest

i loved my 3w and it would get me outta trouble due to bad driver play... once i got a handle on my driver i retired my 3w and decided to game a 4w... wow... ive never even hit a 4w before i got this one... and its the only wood i have the most confidence in... i love the thing

[Sherpat]

  Fat Slice said:

I saw a 3-wood that I thought my buddy would like (he is always offering/giving me clubs - good ones, too).

So, uh, you're stiffing your generous buddy over a 3-wood then, I take it...?

[Fat Slice]

  Sherpat said:

So, uh, you're stiffing your generous buddy over a 3-wood then, I take it...?

Muah ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nah. I let him hit it to see if he wanted it - he didn't like it ("too heavy"). He'll get a round at Pasatiempo for Christmas instead. That or a bunch of Pro V1s.

[Sherpat]

Well, ok. You can put the halo back on.

[groovezilla79]

  Fat Slice said:

Muah ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I had a friend to exchange golf based Christmas gifts with *sad face*

[pingman]

no problems with my three wood for me!

[doof_dizzler]

  groovezilla79 said:

I wish I had a friend to exchange golf based Christmas gifts with *sad face*

Me too

[GamerJG]

  user9800 said:

I can hit my 3W, but I have the same problem with my hybrids. I can't seem to dial in a decent swing for them. I hit a wicked hook with just my 2 hybrids.

it could be you try to hit them like a fairway wood but they are different. you need to hit them like a mid-iron. more back in stance and hit down on it like an iron. you may already do that but if not, try it.

[GamerJG]

  WUTiger said:

Golf Digest

never hit a 4 wood before, but i love hitting the 7 wood. man, what a go to club for me.

[user9800]

  user9800 said:

I can hit my 3W, but I have the same problem with my hybrids. I can't seem to dial in a decent swing for them. I hit a wicked hook with just my 2 hybrids.

  GamerJG said:

it could be you try to hit them like a fairway wood but they are different. you need to hit them like a mid-iron. more back in stance and hit down on it like an iron. you may already do that but if not, try it.

Your suggestion is what I ended up doing. I moved my ball back about 1ball from center and can nail it. I was doing that yesterday. It feels great to hit to withing 6ft on a 196yd par 3 over water

[plugged]

I have never owned a 3W. My current 5W goes 230 every time and that is all I need.

[itzzzberny]

rather than purchasing a 4w (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). you should learn to properly hit a 3w. its the same type of swing as your driver (more of a sweeping motion) rather than a swing from your irons ( steep downward strike). if you work on it, i really think you will improve not just 3w but would make hitting the 4w a breeze.

i bought my set 4-sw and got the 3 hyrid in its place. i love the 3 hybrid but i wasn't too accurate w/ my 200-230 yard ranges. i would end up past or short. but once i picked up the 3-iron (took like 3 range sessions before i was consistent) i had all my ranges set. ( all my irons are about 10 yards difference between clubs)


so its good to have those extra clubs but make sure that its something you'll need. you should never try and shortcut, it won't help you improve your game. just practice or take lessons. don't be afraid to ask your club pro/ range pro for tips. We all have a good days but we also have those bad streaks. you just gotta be persistent and work through it. you gotta build up that self confidence and then you'll see all your hard work pay off.