help hitting 3 wood off the deck

[Golfhacker]

Hitting 3-wood to par-5s can be fun ... until you wait for the group ahead to clear the green then you proceed to duff your shot.  Who's ever done that?

My Keys:

1) Relax and slow down - going for the green in two on a par-5 can get you too amped up and cause you to overswing (this is usually my mistake).  Purposefully slow your pre-shot routine down to compensate.

2) Move the ball back in your stance a little and swing like it is a 3-iron.  On a tee you'll play the 3-wood off your left heel to get that slightly ascending angle into the ball, but slightly ascending on the grass = topped.  Hitting with a slightly descending angle, like an iron, should get the job done.

[Kujan]

I've put the 3-wood back in the bag!  I think the "Fix Your Slice" article by Michael Breed in the February issue of Golf (page 58) is what I needed to see.

"Get your upper body over your right foot, with your head behind the ball and your spine tilting away from the target ."

Bottom line, with this setup adjustment I feel more confident I will square the club face.

[sambino24]

put the ball forward in your stance,  put in directly in front of your left foot

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by sambino24

put the ball forward in your stance,  put in directly in front of your left foot

Don't do this.

[596]

I'll have to agree with the "don't do this"!  This would spell disaster, I'd be topping that thing all day long.  I couldn't hit a 3 wood off the fairway to save my life.  I recently purchased a custom 3 wood, 1" long.  WOW.....I can hit this thing ALL DAY LONG.

After 3 range days I can hit this 3 wood 225 off the fairway, high, low, left to right, straight......its so much fun hitting this thing that all I could do was laugh.  Its by far the best club I've ever purchased.  When my new 5 wood head comes in this week, to match the 3 wood, I'm sending it off to get the same shaft put into it.

[delav]

Originally Posted by Harmonious

Quote:

Originally Posted by sambino24

put the ball forward in your stance,  put in directly in front of your left foot

Don't do this.

Agreed as well.

Remember that with with a fairway wood (unlike a hybrid and an iron) you want to take a shallower path through the ball.  Think about a sweeping motion, and implement this thought into your takeaway.

[cutigersgolf]

i have had trouble before hitting my 3 wood of the deck a while back, and what i did was choke up on the grip and it help me hit it much better.

[cutigersgolf]

i have had trouble before hitting my 3 wood of the deck a while back, and what i did was choke up on the grip and it help me hit it much better.

[xxsoultonesxx]

I love hitting 3w off the fairway, and sometimes I'll hit it from light rough. I really struggled with the fairways off the turf when I was using my Nike Dymo, those "quad keel" soles are absolute garbage when you aren't on a tee. After that I played a couple different Cobra fairways, which have a pretty flat sole, and I was able to  hit those pretty good from the turf. Now I'm playing a TM burner superfast 3w which has a little more of a cambered sole which helps with the thinner shots off the deck.

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by aca247

i am looking for tips on hitting your 3 wood off the deck

Have great swing mechanics

(especially less sway and no OTT move)

Tough club to hit consistently.

One option -- cut shaft length to 42.5 inches -- makes the club easier to handle (watch the decreasing swingweight)

Second Option -- go to a higher lofted 3 wood/4 wood at 16-17 degrees and a 42.5 inch shaft -- less sidespin and more control - it may go farther than your 3 wood because you actually hit the ball in the sweet spot of the club.

I chose the 17 degree, 42.5 length shaft option

[inthehole]

I like the cutting down option ... I've put alot of time at the driving range the last month or so working on my 5 wood - getting confidence with it & really enjoying the extra height & length compared to the hybrids.

[Radford Wooly]

I use a 3 wood off the fairway a lot. I'm not very long off the tee, so it's my best option.

[hacker23]

I might be one of the few that ENJOYS hitting the 3 wood off the deck/fairway... I hit it consistently 210-225 yards (240 once but all the stars were aligned). this is what i do:

- Setup: ball position about 1.5-2 balls left of center (right handed)

- Swing: very RELAXED, don't try to kill it. I don't swing any different than any other club.

- Impact: think of the clubhead "skipping" the fairway instead of "taking a divot" as this implies a steeper swing.

Don't take my word for it. Try it the next time you head out to the range. VERY important to hit off the grass instead of matts. GL!

[xxsoultonesxx]

Originally Posted by hacker23

I might be one of the few that ENJOYS hitting the 3 wood off the deck/fairway... I hit it consistently 210-225 yards (240 once but all the stars were aligned). this is what i do:

- Setup: ball position about 1.5-2 balls left of center (right handed)

- Swing: very RELAXED, don't try to kill it. I don't swing any different than any other club.

- Impact: think of the clubhead "skipping" the fairway instead of "taking a divot" as this implies a steeper swing.

Don't take my word for it. Try it the next time you head out to the range. VERY important to hit off the grass instead of matts. GL!

Definitely find a grass range to practice this. I agree, and I also never really got any skill at this shot until I spent a few days at a grass range hitting 5 wood out of grass that was about the equivalent of a first cut. Not super tight fairway, but not the shaggy rough, either. Just make sure you hit it solid, topping the ball with a fairway is never gonna get your ball anywhere.

[596]

I couldn't hit a 3 wood off the fairway to save my life.....until.....I had a custom 17* 3 wood with a low kick fairway shaft, +1" stiff flex made.  I now have the 19* 5 wood to match.

Wow.......I've never hit a 15* 3 wood as far as this thing.  The 3 wood is so easy to hit off the fairway and goes about 225.  The 5 wood goes about 210.  Totally great clubs.

[anotherday]

I was told that 3 woods don't like to bit swung hard. Joke was on me because NONE of the clubs like to be swung hard. I had a habit of picking up a longer club and thinking I needed to smash it for it to work.

Just use your natural swing at a steady pace. Nice and easy and the ball should fly for you.

On another note that was brought up -- Now that I think about it, my 3W has just sat in the bag the last 10+ rounds.. Long drives bring course management into play - do I want a 50% lob wedge or a 100% sand or gap wedge.. that is usually the difference between a 3W and an iron/hybrid.

Good luck either way you go.

[ND Fan]

go tot he range and learn to hit the darn thing.  There is no substitute for work.  I promise if you hit a few hundred balls with it you'll learn to get it air born.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by 596

I couldn't hit a 3 wood off the fairway to save my life.....until.....I had a custom 17* 3 wood with a low kick fairway shaft, +1" stiff flex made.  I now have the 19* 5 wood to match.

Wow.......I've never hit a 15* 3 wood as far as this thing.  The 3 wood is so easy to hit off the fairway and goes about 225.  The 5 wood goes about 210.  Totally great clubs.

I'm impressed you got down to a sub-6 index with those yardages. You must hit the ball very straight and be a good putter.Now that you have a money 225 club, can scratch be far away?