Deep vs shallow 3 wood

[karlO]

Have a shallow profile 3 wood at the moment - but would like a taller one with low spin. 

What would people recommend. What would you say is deep and which ones are shallow.

 

Thanks

[dchoye]

I have an older TM superfast 3wood with a deeper face that I sometimes use. It's great off the tee and I swing it like a driver.  I find that the deeper the face the more I want to try to hit slightly up with it on the ball. 

The modern 3woods and fairway woods seem to all shallow face and I don't need to tee the ball . I find more confident hitting more down like my irons with the newer FWs

[dchoye]

I'll even go as far as saying I rather use the shallow face woods off the turf and almost never tee the ball up with shallow face wood

[dkolo]

9 hours ago, karlO said:

Have a shallow profile 3 wood at the moment - but would like a taller one with low spin. 

What would people recommend. What would you say is deep and which ones are shallow.

 

Thanks

This is very much general rule of thumb stuff because the real answer is "go get fit," but generally speaking shallower woods are easier to hit off of the deck while deeper ones are better suited for off the tee as driver alternatives. If you struggle with woods off of the ground, consider a hybrid or an adjustable wood that you can add some loft to to aid launch. 

The tall wood with low spin sounds like you want a driver replacement, in which case look at Taylormade's Mini Driver or Callaway's 1.5 Mini. 

But if you're really a newbie like your profile says, it's possible yore just finding  what people find through experience: 3W off the ground is one of the hardest shots to hit well. In which case, consider lessons over equipment upgrades. It's taken me 4 years before I felt comfortable putting a 3 wood in my bag. 

[b101]

Different to many others, I guess, but I've found 3 wood off the ground fine with the deep-faced club. I first got an X2 Hot 3Deep which was great until the face caved in. Since then, the Titleist 915 has done the job really well. Go to a local golf store and see what you like the feel of. 

[WUTiger]

On 4/14/2016 at 3:16 PM, dchoye said:

I'll even go as far as saying I rather use the shallow face woods off the turf and almost never tee the ball up with shallow face wood

A shallow-face 3W with its low and rearward Vertical Center of Gravity (VCOG) helps players with average swing speed get the ball up higher. {Average SS + Too Low Spin } = lost distance from insufficient launch height - spin helps get the ball airborne.

A deeper-faced 3W will give a flatter trajectory and lower spin for players with higher clubhead speed. Often the deeps have a more forward and slightly higher VCOG.

But, you won't know for sure until you find a couple of 3Ws you like, and test them on a launch monitor. The data output will help your determine which will work best for you.

Another consideration: @dkolo notes how hard 3Ws are to hit off the deck. You might try out a 4W to see if it is easier to hit; and... it ever goes farther than a 3W for many golfers.

[Buckeyebowman]

On 4/14/2016 at 4:16 PM, dchoye said:

I'll even go as far as saying I rather use the shallow face woods off the turf and almost never tee the ball up with shallow face wood

Or try to hit it out of the rough. I had an Orlimar 3 wood with a face that seemed like it was 1/2 inch tall. I exaggerate. It was maybe 3/4 of an inch tall. Even when hitting it off the short grass I could only get it to fly about as high as the gutters on a one story house! One day while golfing with a friend, he let me try his TaylorMade RBZ 3 wood that he wasn't completely happy with. I could murder that thing, and get it up off the ground whether I hit from the fairway or rough. I bought it from him and it's been in my bag ever since.