Driving irons are low, lofted irons that allow golfers to reach long distances off the tee. Midhandicap golfers will appreciate the minimalist three settings for the loft. Nov 28, 2018 obviously, the typical choice for a golf club off the tee is the driver. Michael breed, host of the golf fix breaks a tee to show you how to hit a fairway wood off tee. Many golfers use a 3 wood when they have a long shot from the fairway, and some players also use the club on the tee box in place of a driver. Is a 3wood more accurate than a driver off the tee. If you try to hit a 3 wood like you hit the driver, its not going to go well. Sep 23, 2019 you could literally use a 3w off the tee whenever you want. We have discussed at length about driver vs 3 wood off the tee with the purpose of distance but when you are standing on a tee and your landing area for your driver narrows greatly or brings hazards into play.
Golf digest did a test and found out that golfers with average swing speed only loose about 14 yards when they switched from driver to 3 wood. Mar 24, 2015 so we designed a club that gives the control and accuracy of a 3wood, but also built it to play as close to a driver as possible. Can i replace my 3wood with a 5wood without losing distance. According to golf magazine, amateur golfers use their 3 wood. The driver also called the 1 wood has the lowest loft of any golf club.
My driver is a nice callaway 454 but i find that when i use it 10 or 12 times per round, i slice it about 50% of the time. Remember, if you come to a tight hole a three wood might be a better play. But considering the distance difference between driver and 3 wood see above there is not much advantage to hitting a 3 wood from the tee, unless there is a hazard in range with your driver. Sep 21, 2018 many players would be better off hitting their 3 wood off the tee anyway, but this club is more playerfriendly than a 3 wood. Jul 25, 2017 because your driver puts less backspin on the ball. The choice of loft, shaft flex, grip and design all come into play. The company truly hopes and expects you to hit its rocketballz 3 wood farther, as it may well cause a ripple effect on. May 26, 2015 below ive charted stensons tee shot strategy driver vs. This ball should be in the frontcenter of your stance, approximately one to two inches behind where you place your driver. It can step in if the driver is misfiring or give you a little bit more accuracy to a tight fairway. In general, when youre on a tee and need to hit around 492 yards 450 metres, youre better off using a driver.
Conversely, shallower faced, slightly elongated fairway woods can help with turf interaction, allowing you the best chance at solid contact off the fairway or out of the rough. For this test, we examined five myths relating to the distance, accuracy, and consistency of tee shots. When should i use a 3wood off the tee rather than a driver. Big pearshaped head covers the ball for added confidence. Is a 3 wood more accurate than a driver off the tee. Increasingly on tour, the fairway wood off the tee is the better part of valor, and the rush of products to meet that. Today, one of the types of woods is 1 wood or also referred to as the driver wood and is much more shorter compared to the other group of fairway woods. The new 3 wood is perfect for both fast and slow swing speeds as it is offered with several premium graphite shaft options. A channel along the clubface giving a greater distance from the tee or. If you have hesitation when you pull out the driver, you may want to put it back in the bag and opt for a fairway wood. But that doesnt mean you need to start copying henrik stenson and hit a lot more three woods off the tee, as it doesnt necessarily mean it is the right play. Im not a huge fan of hitting them off the deck because i feel much more confident with 17 titleist 909h. The driver and 3wood each hit tee shots that led to five gir, and three of those were the same holes, handicaps 3, 12 and 14, two short par4s and a par5. The club you select to hit off the tee can have a significant impact on your expected score on any given hole.
Like always though, if you have low launch conditions, the 3 wood gets closer to the driver. Yes, one you can use right off the tee or the fairway. The driver s face area and head inertia is huge compared to even a largerfaced rocketballz 3 wood. Should i play a fairway wood or driver off the tee. So i am now thinking greedily aside from learning how to hit the woods off the deck, looking for even more distance off the tee without sacrificing too much accuracy do you think i should look for a more lofted and shorter shafted driver. This video sees me explain possibly why your 3 wood goes as far as your driver off the tee. The mini is 100cc larger than a typical 3wood, making it more forgiving, he says. Just as 60 is the new 40, then 3 wood might be the new driver. For longer hitters especially those like player 2 who struggle with driver accuracy 3 wood can still be a prudent play. So lets talk about what you can do to end your struggles with fairway woods without a tee. Certainly we see this quite often on the professional tours. I started playing golf in november last year and im horrible with my driver and 3 wood. I find hitting 3 wood quite a bit easier off the tee than driver, and tend to go to it more often than not. Obviously, the typical choice for a golf club off the tee is the driver.
If you primarily use the fairway wood off the tee, a deeper face can help promote solid contact on the tee. The most common fairways include a 3 wood, a 5 wood. So if you come to a tight hole and you havent been driving the ball particularly straight a three wood might be a better play off the tee. Turn your 3 wood into a secret weapon the left rough. A driver is engineered to be hit more neutral, and the 3 wood is engineered to be hit with a more descending blow to reach the center of percussion on the face. Too often, golfers will take a 3wood off the tee for control, but then try to hit it as far as they hit the driver.
I think from these claims, im suspecting a lot of beginners are going about navigating the course the wrong way. Will a 3 wood or a driver help you play better golf and hit more fairways. Because todays 460cc drivers propel the ball so far in many cases generating excess yardage the better player might not actually need it is becoming increasingly common for professionals and top amateurs to hit their 3 wood off the tee. Jul 05, 2016 just as 60 is the new 40, then 3 wood might be the new driver. And the problem you have here is i think it is the hardest shot because youve got your second longest club, the only one thats long with a driver. Do you swing a slower driver, ball is teed up on a tee, more forgiving, etc or use t. Do any of you routinely use a 3wood rather than golf. The article suggested that recreational golfers were better off hitting driver instead of 3w off the tee.
In this weeks mailbag, gear guy tackles a common misconception about 3 woods and modern fairway woods in general. I generally get about 210ish carry distance and about another 10 yards roll. Is your 3 wood really more accurate than your driver off. You hit your irons pretty consistently, but that swing doesnt work with your driver or 3 wood. When you hit a 3 wood off the tee, do you swing normally or do i have to put on a driver swing. With those figures, what sort of distance gain could. How to hit fairway woods correctly golf tip 3 and 5 wood. The heads of the 3 woods are made from steel, titanium and composites. For a 3 wood, you need to swing slightly down on the ball. For many golfers, a 3 wood will give overall better results than a driver and can be used regularly off the tee and even replace the driver. If a player hits positive on the driver on a tee and hits positive on the 3 wood off the turf we see a good driver of the ball, but a poor 3 wood player as the 3 wood does not.
The 3 wood is sometimes as wild as the driver so i decided to pull the lob wedge and stick the 19 back in the bag. If a golf hole is 450 yards from tee to green, most golfers use a wood to hit off the tee. This may not be monumental, but it accounts for a noticeable percentage difference. I tee off with an old powerbilt grand slam 15 degree 180cc 3 wood. Why should a senior golfer choose a 4 wood instead of 3 wood when selecting what fairway woods to have in the bag a senior golfer has a multitude of options. A beginners guide to striking a fairway wood off the tee. So a 3 wood is a valuable club that can give you the needed distance off the tee and is more versatile than a driver. While this might not be a problem for you, the distance gapping issue probably is. A beginners guide to striking a fairway wood off the tee in.
Can a strategy that is too conservative cost you strokes. I think a reliable 3 wood is a essential club for any golfers bag. See how an online golf lesson with michael can help your golf gam. Play your best golf with simple and easy to follow golf tips from askgolfguru mark crossfield. I am considering using a 3 wood off the tee when there are hazards that can potentially add some penalty strokes.
When you swing that hard, you give up the 3 woods control advantage. About 3 years ago i had a series of bad off the tee days using the driver, so for a month i left the driver out of the bag and used only a 3 wood off the tee on par 4s and 5s. If a 3 wood is going to earn a spot in a middle handicappers bag, it needs to be a reliable option both off the tee and from the short grass as well. The opposite happens if we are minus with the driver and minus with a 3 wood. On three of the 10 par4s, the approach shots for the driver titleist were wedge distance, three times they were 7. The average player is no more accurate with a 3 wood than with a driver. While amateur golfers prefer the former, the more experienced once swear by the latter. Every club in your set must have a purpose, and to that end, fit your playing style.
How to hit 3 wood off the tee golf with aimee youtube. May 20, 2017 hi all, i am a fiftysomething bogey golfer who doesnt own a driver. According to golf magazine, amateur golfers use their 3 wood as many as eight to 10 times per round. Using a driving iron on the golf course advantages and. As you can read about here in golfwrx popular golf forum, many other people would agree. The fairway wood is categorized as wood club and originally made out of wood, but to be able to minimize damage, metal is now incorporated. But that doesnt mean you need to start copying henrik stenson and hit a lot more three woods off the tee. Its customary to use your woods when you are 175 yards or more away from the green. It discusses the advantages of using a driver compared to 3 wood. As golfers, we are continually challenged by the course and our own abilities to make the optimal selection. But is there a certain type of golfer who would benefit for hitting a fairway wood off the tee instead of a driver, such as. I started getting lessons this year and my coach made me hit 7 iron off the tee until i broke 100 which happened pretty quickly after i made the switch.
Technology has advanced so much that some 3 woods can be as long as drivers. To my surprise, i hit my 3 wood very well that day. For shots off the tee, a driver is much better than a fairway wood, though, given that its fitted properly to your swing. Are you a golfer that utilizes a fairway wood most often off the tee, or in the fairway. Ok i would like the perfect answer to this riddle for myself played with just my 3 wood off the tee box today and hit just about as far if not farther with roll out into a stiff wind on some holes than my normal average driver swing. How high should you tee up the ball for your fairway woods, hybrid clubs and irons.
Best fairway woods 2018 golf equipment national club golfer. Do you ever wonder how high you should tee the ball with your 3 wood, 5 wood or any other fairway woods. For most of us, the ideal fairway wood is one that can be hit off the tee when it makes sense and hit into greens on long par4s and short par5s. How to hit a fairway wood off a tee golf fix golf channel. A lot of people prefer using a 3 wood as opposed to a driver. Henrik stenson loves his 3 wood too much golf analytics. Its really hard to slice a wedge because it puts a lot of backspin on the ball. Tight fairways require the control of a fairway wood off the tee. A good swing with a 3 wood can create greater accuracy off the tee than a driver.
Just as 60 is the new 40, then 3wood might be the new driver. Strong 3 wood and mini driver have their unique places at a golf course. Are you looking for a new 3 wood to mix it up off the tee or to reach those par5s in two. Leave the driver at home for a couple of rounds and you will become confident swinging the 3 wood off tee boxes.
Lots of clubs have claimed a lot of things, but we havent found one that actually did. Mar 06, 2012 for shots off the tee, a driver is much better than a fairway wood, though, given that its fitted properly to your swing. Correct tee height for fairway woods, hybrids, irons. You hit your irons pretty consistently, but that swing doesnt work with your driver or 3wood. But 3 wood or 5 wood off the deck is a very different proposition. When should i use a 3wood off the tee rather than a.
Bottom line is that the teeless driver is simply easy to hit if you have any sort of reasonable swing. Im hitting my driver just as far as my 3 wood golf. If hitting 3 wood means the difference between being in the fairway or the rough than those 14 yards arent very useful. Why should a senior golfer choose a 4 wood instead of 3 wood. The most common fairways include a 3 wood, a 5 wood, and a 7 wood with increasing levels of loft or height when striking the ball. Performs well from any lie condition but especially off the tee.
Im hitting my driver just as far as my 3 wood golf clubs. So how about finding a driver that works with your iron swing. You could literally use a 3w off the tee whenever you want. The ideal 3 wood ball position is to have it directly below the logo of your shirt. Woods won his the british open in 2006 hitting the driver only once and he punctuated last years win at the players with a fairwaysplitting 5 wood off the tee on the final hole. Why does my driver slice so much more than my 3 wood. The difference between the 3wood swing and the driver swing off the tee is that you want your weight shift to bring the club through the ball with your body leading first.
If a player hits positive on the driver on a tee and hits positive on the 3 wood off the turf we see a good driver of the ball, but a poor 3 wood player as the 3 wood does not function well this way. In our biggest questions answered series, we decided to ask the experts. What is a strong 3 wood and why its better than a driver. My 3 wood is 15 degrees, i cant hit it for toffee of the grass but off the tee it is doing me proud. According to the author, to determine whether average golfers should hit more 3 woods off the tee, they conducted a test to know how much distance highspeed swingers and average swingers lose going from driver to 3 wood. Youre sure to hit more fairways with the three wood than you will with a driver. Fans cite the great feel and the new larger forgiveness factor for this club as musthaves. This tells us that a typical amateur golfer should be pulling out driver more frequently than 3 wood when standing on the tee. The golf ball trajectory using a driving iron is lower to the ground as compared to a fairway wood or driver. Driver vs 3 wood of the tee instruction and playing tips.
Best fairway woods 2018 golf equipment national club. I couldnt believe how well i hit it off the tee and off the deck on par 5s. Tight treelined fairways can cause second thoughts in even the most skilled of golfers. Ive found that callaway 3 woods are the easiest for me to hit solid shots off the deck with a three wood or any other fairway wood. Lets face it, somedays, your driver swing just isnt there. Many players would be better off hitting their 3 wood off the tee anyway, but this club is more playerfriendly than a 3 wood.
The mini driver has a larger head and less loft compared to a strong 3 wood. After all, even the best professional golfers dont always use the big. Jan 11, 2018 in our biggest questions answered series, we decided to ask the experts. Jun, 2011 dont get me wrong, thats a nice advantage. As crazy as it may sound, if you can control your swing enough that you can hit your 3w say, 150 yards, it could be used on many par 3 s. It flies slightly higher than the 3 wood but i dont seem to lose distance and it is usually straighter. Beginners tip drop the driver3 wood this is a reaction to a lot of negative reaction to the larger putting hole claiming that most beginner issues are from the fairway and not the green. Graphics on the face might be offputting but sub xzero version has only lines on the face.