Beginner looking for 3-wood. Recommendation?

[marvin]

I was thinking about getting a used 3-wood, maybe 1-5 years old, in very good condition, online from eBay/Gumtree/GolfBidder. I find it easier to find a deal online rather than at local golf shop. I'm looking for a 3-wood that:

- can hit either out of the fairway or off the tee with confidence
- I'm willing to sacrifice distance to gain a bit forgiveness
- plenty of stock shaft (if I'm improving, I can easily change the shaft)
- I'd prefer shorter shaft and smaller club head (preferably not white/red)

The ones I've been looking at including:
- Titleist 904F, 906F, or 910F
- Taylormade V-Steel or Burner
- Adams Speedline
- Ping G10
- Nike SQ

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

PS: I don't have an official handicap yet, since I only play in the driving range (I posted my swings here though).

[cooke119]

Find yourself a Cobra S3 Max, very forgiving, easy to hit and it is offset to help you keep your shots straight. I use one and love it off the fairway and I do hit it off the tee and certain drives.

[TheBobGuy]

A beginner you say? A 4W with 16.5 or 17 degrees of loft will serve you much better. IMHO

Bobber

[leonard sly]

How about a 913f 15 degree? It can be adjusted to 16.5 and back down to 13.5.

[WUTiger]

Originally Posted by TheBobGuy

A beginner you say? A 4W with 16.5 or 17 degrees of loft will serve you much better. IMHO

This matches a Golf Digest report which says the average golfer can hit a 4W better - and sometimes farther - than a 3W. A couple of extra degrees of loft can really help. In early going, just get a 4W with one shaft. You can get fancy once you break 90.

If you're a beginner, consider going to a golf shop where you can test-hit the club before you buy it. An online club isn't a "deal" if it doesn't fit your swing once it arrives. (Hint: pay a few $$ extra for fitter expertise, at least in early going.)

[jamo]

You're aware that those are all old models, some up to 5 years old, correct? You can find them in good shape? I won't speak much to the 3-wood/4-wood thing, but a 4-wood generally has a smaller head, and will likely be easier to hit off the deck. The current trend is to larger heads, so that is getting tougher. Those are all solid clubs. I'm partial to the Nike, the TM, and the Adams, but you really just have to try them out.

[shooter]

I say get the older TM Burner only because i liked that club alot. Nowadays the 3 wood is my fave non-scoring club in my bag, but it took a few seasons of countless range sessions to solidify the swing. I understand most 3 woods are not the easiest to hit and any newer club will do the trick, but i would stay clear of any titleist 910-913 woods or the callaway razr fit and extreme line, and only because they both have a very compact head shape that can be really intimidating for a newer player....but get what you want, just stay committed and it will come!

Also, if you really want to accelerate the processes of  hitting 3 wood of the deck, start hitting your driver of the deck!! That's right, it sounds crazy, but works. That's what i did. Even though i didn't really make solid contact doing that or did i hit it any further than my hybrid. What i did do, is make hitting a small 3 wood of the deck a breeze, and if your struggling hitting 5i-6i, grab a 3 irons and hit a few buckets with it, and i bet you'll find the 5i-6i become more consistent..

Keep on, keep'n on!

[superfly7777]

I just got the Callaway Octane Diablo 3 Wood (15 degrees) which I think is amazing. Really Forgiving, great power and distance, easy to hit off the tee and as far as 3 woods go I find it easy to hit off the fairway. I've got good distance though so can easily get it up in the air. If your swing speed is more moderate you might benefit from a 15.5 or 16 degree.

Club head size is probably bigger than some but I'd definitely recommend it based on your other requirements.

[Artimas]

Originally Posted by cooke119

Find yourself a Cobra S3 Max, very forgiving, easy to hit and it is offset to help you keep your shots straight. I use one and love it off the fairway and I do hit it off the tee and certain drives.

I have the 5 wood and like it a lot. Super easy to hit.

[jonmc]

Got to be a Taylormade Rocketballz fairway 3 wood (2012 model). Really easy to hit and great off the tee for safety. Has a massive 197cc head as well so oozes confidence when you put it behind the ball.

[SCfanatic35]

I just bought about a month ago the Taylormade RBZ 3 Wood.  I love it.  It is very easy to hit and it seems like I am taking a half swing and hitting it 220 yards.

[WUTiger]

Caution on the 2012 RBZ fairway woods. The standard RBZ shaft (non-Tour) only weighs 45 grams. If you have even moderate swing speed, you may have trouble hooking it. If you're thinking RBZ, see if a friend will let you hit one to make sure you won't hook it all over the place. Besides light shaft, it also has a draw-bias head.

[simonmax]

My experience (only being playing a year) is a 5 wood is the way to go, much easier to hit.  Ping G20 or Mizuno JPX800 or 825 being the easiest to hit for me.  JPX 800 is a complete bargain price wise at the moment.

[Ed Rooney]

My experience (only being playing a year) is a 5 wood is the way to go, much easier to hit.  Ping G20 or Mizuno JPX800 or 825 being the easiest to hit for me.  JPX 800 is a complete bargain price wise at the moment.

This. When I was a beginner, I would occasionally tag one with my driver, but more often than not it got me in trouble. I couldn't really hit the 3 much better, but I could stripe a 5-wood 220 yards and in play nearly every time. Until you can hit the driver and 3-wood consistently, I would recommend not carrying any club with a number lower than 5, whether irons or woods. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[marvin]

Thanks for your recommendations and suggestions, guys. I think I'll go with 4-wood instead of 3-wood and 5-wood, since I'm just a newbie. I borrowed my friend's 3-wood the other days and couldn't hit it consistently.

[Mr. Desmond]

Avoid the Titleist and TM - good clubs but not for a beginner.

Generally, look for a more shallow faced head, longer heel to toe, and wider from face to back. A triangular shaped clubhead will be more stable. Look at nothing longer than 43 inches or that you can cut to 43 inches - you might add the TM Superfast 1.0 or 2.0 - since the head is triangular/forgiving and the stock shafts on those are soft - doing  a little cutting from the butt - .5 inches - should not hurt.

I would not spend too much money. Even when I had 3 wood swing speed, it was an unreliable club off the deck ... for me.

Like others have said, a 4 wood with 16.5 to 17 degrees may get you more distance than a 3 wood.

At the same time, with a handicap of 30, if you want to score better, I would probably forego the 3 wood for now and except for driver, play with nothing longer than a 7 wood, and nothing longer than a 7 iron. I would fill the gap with a 5 and 6 hybrid. I would also grip down slightly on the driver for more control.

I did this a lot when recovering from surgery. Hit driver, and then pulled out a 30 degree hybrid until I was within a 7 iron.

[marvin]

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Avoid the Titleist and TM - good clubs but not for a beginner.

Generally, look for a more shallow faced head, longer heel to toe, and wider from face to back. A triangular shaped clubhead will be more stable. Look at nothing longer than 43 inches or that you can cut to 43 inches - you might add the TM Superfast 1.0 or 2.0 - since the head is triangular/forgiving and the stock shafts on those are soft - doing  a little cutting from the butt - .5 inches - should not hurt.

I would not spend too much money. Even when I had 3 wood swing speed, it was an unreliable club off the deck ... for me.

Like others have said, a 4 wood with 16.5 to 17 degrees may get you more distance than a 3 wood.

At the same time, with a handicap of 30, if you want to score better, I would probably forego the 3 wood for now and except for driver, play with nothing longer than a 7 wood, and nothing longer than a 7 iron. I would fill the gap with a 5 and 6 hybrid. I would also grip down slightly on the driver for more control.

I did this a lot when recovering from surgery. Hit driver, and then pulled out a 30 degree hybrid until I was within a 7 iron.

Can you tell me, why not Titleist and Taylormade? Most of my friends have either R11, RBZ, 910, or 913.

Anyway, what about Mizuno F60 4wood 16.4* regular shaft? I found a couple of them on eBay, used but still in very good condition, for less than $50. I also particularly interested in Ping G10/G15/G20 and Nike SQ as well.

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by marvin

Can you tell me, why not Titleist and Taylormade? Most of my friends have either R11, RBZ, 910, or 913.

Anyway, what about Mizuno F60 4wood 16.4* regular shaft? I found a couple of them on eBay, used but still in very good condition, for less than $50. I also particularly interested in Ping G10/G15/G20 and Nike SQ as well.

Because you are a 30 handicap.

R11 is for better players, with the RBZ, you'll get one decent shot out of 10, the 910 and 913 have higher center of gravities and are small headed.

I mean, do you want better scores, or do you want to discuss equipment you can't hit with your friends?

You've got to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run.