3 wood or 5 wood?

[TTH83]

Question for you wise men and women. I bought a year-old set of Ping G15 clubs (driver, fw woods, and irons) on Craigslist. They're in good shape and I like them. Thing is, I can't hit the fw woods or the 4iron very well. I'm thinking of trading in one of the woods for store credit toward a 3H to give me a viable club for my 2nd shot on par 5's or long 4's. My instinct is to keep the 5w since it has more loft and I'll eventually be better at hitting it sooner than the 3w? Do I have the right of it or would I be better off keeping the 3w? Related question: the clubs were made for someone a little bit taller than me. Would it make sense to explore getting them refitted, or is that impossible/cost prohibitive?

[Tuflehundon]

Originally Posted by TTH83

Question for you wise men and women.

I bought a year-old set of Ping G15 clubs (driver, fw woods, and irons) on Craigslist. They're in good shape and I like them. Thing is, I can't hit the fw woods or the 4iron very well. I'm thinking of trading in one of the woods for store credit toward a 3H to give me a viable club for my 2nd shot on par 5's or long 4's.

My instinct is to keep the 5w since it has more loft and I'll eventually be better at hitting it sooner than the 3w? Do I have the right of it or would I be better off keeping the 3w?

Related question: the clubs were made for someone a little bit taller than me. Would it make sense to explore getting them refitted, or is that impossible/cost prohibitive?

If they have length added and you are "normal" size then you may want to get them cut down. Last time I had it done it was $4 plus the cost of the new grips. Not to bad at all.

[Laws of Woo]

I'd say, get the clubs adjusted to fit you first. Its a cheap experiment. If that works, then good. If not, then you can replace them. Personally I'd keep the 3 wood in play if your picking up a 3hybrid, it'll keep the gaps between the hybrid and driver better spaced out. But its all about what you feel more comfortable hitting, I just think the distance between the 5wood and 3hybrid won't be that much apart.

[stenvee]

I'm using a 3hybrid and a 5wood both the same loft but the 5 wood has a lightly longer shaft and i get subsequently get more distance from it than the 3 hybrid, but then again i hit the hybrid from the fairway far better, as others have said its more about what your comfortable with.

[eye21942]

My advice is not to sell either unless you are over 60, in which case you may wish to sell the 3-wood.  Keep them both as you will grow into them.  You'll probably be able to hit the 5w in 6 months and the 3w in a couple of years. Likewise, you'll be able to hit the 4-iron (unless you are a senior). A 5-wood is a replacement for a 2-iron, and a 7w and 3h are about the same in distance.  A hybrid is a very useful club for several reasons: its trajectory is lower than a comparable wood, and this can be handy.  It is very good out of the rough.  However, hybrids can also be difficult to hit, especially the lower ones.  I found a 4-hybrid much easier to hit than a 3h when I was just starting.  Persevere and ability to hit all these clubes will come.

[eye21942]

Forgot to add this: just because the clubs were for someone slightly taller than you doesn't necessarily mean they are longer than regular length.  The lie may be for a taller player but the club length standard.  Get the number of the Ping customer service rep closest to you, and call him to ask if the length is standard (you will provide the serial number).  Then check is the lie suits you.  The lie is coded by the colour of the dot on iron.  Black is standard and fits a variety of heights b/c it is the length of your arm from the ground which is critical.  Ping has a chart which you can download and then see what colour you should play.  Alternatively, a good golf shop may be able to fit you for ping irons so you will know if the ones you have will beed to have the lie changed (this can easily be done).

[Motown88]

I would look into getting the clubs refitted first, both the 3w and 5w.  Getting the clubs refitted should be much cheaper than a hybrid club.  If the clubs are the correct length for your swing you may hit them better and if so purchasing a hybrid may not be needed.  However, if you can trade in your 5w for the hybrid straight up then I would highly recommend this.

[sportsnut]

I would keep the clubs for now and work with them a while, a fitting check to verify length is good for you will help. Woods and hybrids can be hard to hit at first, at least that was my experience, I worked on them for quite a while. As far as 5w and 3 hybrid go ball flight is way different even though loft is similar, you will find the 5w has a higher flight than a hybrid and will land better with less rollout. I just experimented using my 5w on 2 par 3 water holes at about 160 - 170 and with a fade they fell very nicely on the green with a nice easy swing. Give them a try they may work for you after you invest some time with them..