How far is too far for a 3w??

[JeepXJ98]

So in the past year I've come back to playing golf, and have slowly been replacing my clubs. A good friend gave me a ping g10 driver, and I recently picked up a set of Titleist DCI 990's, and had them adjusted for me. I'm still rocking my old (and I mean old and cheap) fairway woods (some Wilsons we got at Service Merchandise back in the early 90's). Next up to replace is my 3 wood. Now I've had a love affair with my 3w since I first started playing golf. I never hit driver until I got this g10, so I always hit my 3w from the tee.

Yesterday I visited the Golfsmith, and they had a Callaway x2hot Pro 3wood in awesome shape, and for a great price. I hit it and some others, but I really loved the x2hot.

Now my question: this particular club is the 13.5 degree....and my swing speed with that 3w was running from 98-104. This resulted in around 235 yards of carry, and about 260-270 yards after roll. Is that too far for a 3w?? I typically hit my driver around 270 (it's a 9.5 degree, but it actually goes higher than every shot I hit with the 3w). So it seems to me, it wouldn't make much sense to have a 3w that ends up within 5 yards of my driver, right? I mean I should be looking for some sort of gap between the two, right?

Am I overthinking this? Should I just go buy it because I hit it so great and it's a killer deal and be done.....or should I look for a more standard 15 degree version that is gonna end up playing a little shorter? How far is too far to hit a 3w, or does that depend on how far you hit your driver? I guess if I was hitting my driver out to 280+, then I wouldn't question it so much.....but typically I don't.

[Ernest Jones]

If you can still find it, it's not too long.

[dkolo]

So in the past year I've come back to playing golf, and have slowly been replacing my clubs. A good friend gave me a ping g10 driver, and I recently picked up a set of Titleist DCI 990's, and had them adjusted for me. I'm still rocking my old (and I mean old and cheap) fairway woods (some Wilsons we got at Service Merchandise back in the early 90's). Next up to replace is my 3 wood. Now I've had a love affair with my 3w since I first started playing golf. I never hit driver until I got this g10, so I always hit my 3w from the tee.

Yesterday I visited the Golfsmith, and they had a Callaway x2hot Pro 3wood in awesome shape, and for a great price. I hit it and some others, but I really loved the x2hot.

Now my question: this particular club is the 13.5 degree....and my swing speed with that 3w was running from 98-104. This resulted in around 235 yards of carry, and about 260-270 yards after roll. Is that too far for a 3w?? I typically hit my driver around 270 (it's a 9.5 degree, but it actually goes higher than every shot I hit with the 3w). So it seems to me, it wouldn't make much sense to have a 3w that ends up within 5 yards of my driver, right? I mean I should be looking for some sort of gap between the two, right?

Am I overthinking this? Should I just go buy it because I hit it so great and it's a killer deal and be done.....or should I look for a more standard 15 degree version that is gonna end up playing a little shorter? How far is too far to hit a 3w, or does that depend on how far you hit your driver? I guess if I was hitting my driver out to 280+, then I wouldn't question it so much.....but typically I don't.

Couple things:

1) For most people outside of low handicap golfers, the correct distance for 3W is "as far as you can get it." Better players may need to fill a gap, but for higher handicap players, i suspect most hit driver on most holes and hit 3w for tighter drives. Off the deck trying to get to par 5s in 2, you either need a maxed out 3 wood or if you have a 3w that can overshoot the green, you probably have another club that is appropriate. Again, generalities, but I don't worry about 3w going too far.

2) You can basically ignore roll numbers on Golfsmith simulators. Carry is generally pretty accurate subject to how well calibrated the simulator is, but their roll numbers are pretty much fantasy. They can set the fairways to rock hard, sloping away from you, etc. Worry about where the ball will land and use your judgment about how far it'll roll. Rollout varies so much on the course, you can't really expect to get it consistently. And it'll be different hitting into greens than hitting fairways.

3) If your carry numbers are similar, yeah, you might ask why you're getting that club. For me, I have a 13° 3W that I hit about 20 yards shorter than my driver. I use it for dogleg holes and for (in theory) when I want to keep it straight. It's a great driving club. It's also nearly useless from the ground and I never bother hitting it off the deck. I need more loft to get the ball off the ground. Were you hitting it off of the peg at golfsmith? Lots of players have trouble with 3Ws that are stronger than 15°. Personally, the Taylormade Aeroburner HL (16.5°) that I tried was the easiest to hit off the ground I've ever tried. Got better yardage on it from the ground. But wasn't as far off the tee. So something to consider: will you use it off the deck / hitting into greens?

[JeepXJ98]

Good to know about the roll numbers! Now I can go back and hit a few more and just focus on carry. I did hit my PW for a few warm up shots and the carry numbers on it were similar to my typical wedge distance.

I hit the 3w off a tee and off the deck. Deck shots were carrying on average just south of 220. I had no problems hitting it solid, and out of the 50 or so balls I hit, only had 2 that were not good (both hooks, which is my typical "miss", one coming off the tee and one off the ground). I think the miss shots were due to me seeing the swing speeds and wanting to see if I could hit 110....lol..I really cranked on them and hit a 150yrd hook about 35yds offline.

I have never struggled with getting the ball off the ground. Normally I'm a high ball hitter. I once had an 8 degree War Bird driver in my bag, and I could even hit it off the ground with a good fluffy lie.....although where it went once it got airborne was another matter...hah.

I'm gonna go back today, hit it some more and cycle through a couple of other clubs. I'll concentrate on hitting them all off the deck and go from there. I guess for my ability level I am overthinking this and should just pick the one I hit the straightest and longest!

[saevel25]

Am I overthinking this? Should I just go buy it because I hit it so great and it's a killer deal and be done.....or should I look for a more standard 15 degree version that is gonna end up playing a little shorter? How far is too far to hit a 3w, or does that depend on how far you hit your driver? I guess if I was hitting my driver out to 280+, then I wouldn't question it so much.....but typically I don't.

100 MPH 3-wood would probably mean about 105 driver for you. Usually you see 4-5 mph difference between the two clubs.

105 mph driver would produce on a good strike, 155-160 ball speed. At optimal numbers you are looking at 265 yards carry, roll depending on course conditions.

With a 100 mph 3-wood, I would say 235-240 carry on a good strike.

Yea, do not look at roll on the simulators. If you hit your driver on that simulator you'd see a good gap because your driver would roll out further than 270 yards.

If you have a driver that is pretty recent then the 3-wood should have a proper gap in yardage because they are shorter, less MOI, higher loft and heavier. That is if you are striking the ball well and getting close to optimal launch conditions. If you have poor striking, or hit down on the ball a lot then a 3-wood can get closer to a driver because the driver looses much more distance when hitting down on the ball with it.

[Golfingdad]

There is certainly no reason to have a 3W and a driver going the same distance, but I don't think that the fix for that is to dial back the 3w ... but rather to tinker with or find a new driver.

That said ...

Be careful that you're not comparing apples and oranges.  If I hit a 3W on the screws, it definitely goes further than most of my drives.  Heck, when I hit my 19* hybrid on the screws it goes nearly as far as most of my drives.

But neither of those come close to going as far as a driver struck on the screws, and my average 3W and average hybrid don't go nearly as far as my average driver.

Also, it's probably not fair to your driver to compare its real world stats to the stats of the 3w on the simulator at golfsmith.  Who knows how that's calibrated.  (Unless you hit both side by side on the same simulator)

[saevel25]

Also, it's probably not fair to your driver to compare its real world stats to the stats of the 3w on the simulator at golfsmith.  Who knows how that's calibrated.  (Unless you hit both side by side on the same simulator)

That might translate into good advice. Always bring in your current club, or your current driver and hit it on the simulator to see how far it goes so you can compare. Never blindly assume the distance on the simulator is right.

[JeepXJ98]

That might translate into good advice. Always bring in your current club, or your current driver and hit it on the simulator to see how far it goes so you can compare. Never blindly assume the distance on the simulator is right.

I took a wedge in, and hit it on the sim to warm up, and to ensure the distances were comparable. It charted bang on with my typical wedge shot, so there's that. Still, this is good advice - I guess with higher swing speeds and longer clubs, any small difference in a shorter club would show up bigger in the longer, faster ones. Today I will take in my driver to go alongside.....although it hasn't been the most accurate club for me lately (part of the reason the 3w is next on the upgrade list, so I have a backup).

I may also hit a few demo drivers. Mine was given to me by a friend and is several years old (ping g10). It also has a regular flex shaft, and with my swing speed I would guess I am right on the bubble for stiff....which could be contributing to the driver being inconsistent (though the majority of that is probably me).

[Golfingdad]

I took a wedge in, and hit it on the sim to warm up, and to ensure the distances were comparable. It charted bang on with my typical wedge shot, so there's that. Still, this is good advice - I guess with higher swing speeds and longer clubs, any small difference in a shorter club would show up bigger in the longer, faster ones. Today I will take in my driver to go alongside.....although it hasn't been the most accurate club for me lately (part of the reason the 3w is next on the upgrade list, so I have a backup).

I may also hit a few demo drivers. Mine was given to me by a friend and is several years old (ping g10). It also has a regular flex shaft, and with my swing speed I would guess I am right on the bubble for stiff....which could be contributing to the driver being inconsistent (though the majority of that is probably me).

As @saevel25 said, if you swing a 3W at 100mph, then you likely swing a driver at 105mph or something.  I would not consider that "on the bubble" for stiff.  Especially if you are spraying it a lot.  I would consider that definitely in the stiff category.  (FWIW, I am somewhere in the 107-108 range and I have an X-stiff that's right for me.)

[Rip62]

I wouldn't consider it a problem. When I use a 3w of the tee it's usually on a tight fairway where I want more control so if I was a little shorter off the tee that would be a good thing. When I'm hitting a 3w off the deck trying to reach a par 5 i want it to go as far as possible. Let it fly!

[danL]

I have the same type problem. 3w carry is about 220 on good strikes and driver is about 230. But, my driver always fades and my 3w stays straight so the driver doesn't see much action these days.

[dbuck]

There is no such thing as a 3 wood that goes too far. It is great off the tee, but also for hitting off the deck. Many folks would love to have a 3W they hit off the deck as far as their driver.

You can always choke down an inch and still make a full swing. Should take off a few yards. Many pros hit their 3 wood almost as far as their driver; it is not just distance but also control and types of shots. A 3W is also easier to draw for most folks.

The other side of the 3W is where you are more concerned with gaps. You may need a 5 wood or hybrid to bridge between the 3W and your longest iron. As you progress, you may pick up another weaker fairway that suits other courses.

[Mr. Desmond]

How far is too far?

Farther than your driver.

We need a thread titled "How short is too short for a 3 wd?"

[JeepXJ98]

I appreciate the input, and as usual it looks like I was just overthinking it. I definitely need to pick up some new FW woods.....these cheap, 1993 models are killing my par 5's. Tired of just having to hit a 6 iron and get on in 3 cause I can't hit them off the deck for squat.

Then I will need to hit some hybrids and find one or two to fill in the gaps. I'm about done with my 3 and 4 iron.

[Jackal66]

You need to buy that 3 wood. Also check out some drivers, same model , same shaft. You might find a driver that hits and feels the same, with 25+ yards distance. jack

[David L Yskes]

honestly, i dont think you can ever hit any club too far.....

I am personally working on not using my driver on the course... Since i hit my 3 wood a lot straighter and just as far...

[Golfingdad]

honestly, i dont think you can ever hit any club too far.....    I am personally working on not using my driver on the course... Since i hit my 3 wood a lot straighter and just as far...

I disagree. IMO, all clubs except the driver and the shortest wedge should fall into the gap between the club above and below it.

[DrvFrShow]

honestly, i dont think you can ever hit any club too far.....

I did once.