The Quest for the Perfect 3 Wood

[Lemonde]

It's been called the unicorn. The 3 wood that maximizes distance and accuracy on both tee shots and off the deck. I couldn't have cared less about a three wood until only a short time ago. I was perfectly fine hitting my Ben Hogan ti hybrids 2 and 3 respectfully and both with steel shafts.

 

Fairway woods were supposed to be dead. A relic of the past with little in the way of technological advancements. Many golf websites had written them off.

 

Until this happened. A slot made of titanium was released. And the rest is history.

 

The Adams XTD fairway.

 

The promise of sunshine and rainbows was everywhere. The face was hot. It went as long as your driver. It was pretty and shiny. And so I bought one. And it's been downhill ever since.

 

The xtd's shaft wasn't stiff or heavy enough. Snap hooks were plenty and it wasn't very forgiving.

 

I traded it in for something else. Skipped the rbz line because it was copycat to Adams.

 

Bought a cobra bio cell and hit it well but didn't like how blue it was. Went for a covert and it was easy to hit but was short on distance. Had a tour edge ex something. Not very forgiving. Never should have sold the older ping g15 4 wood I hit dead straight.

Cally xhot pro 4 wood - see the xtd for stock shaft issues. Tm mini 12- great club but spun too much off the deck. Had an old rapture in there somewhere but hard to get airborne. R15 - the tour spec shaft was too much to handle.

 

Recently got the cobra ltd. monster off the tee but off the deck was terrible. Xr 4 wood - easy to hit but with the shaft it balloons. Have a g30 coming with the tour 80 shaft. Could this be the unicorn once and for all?

 

I know I'm missing a few models in here somewhere. Question is why have I become obsessed with this spot in the bag? Am I alone in this dilemma?

 

Thinking of getting the ltd 4/5 wood and cranking it down to 16 degrees. Could this be the answer? Nike vapour fly pro with an 80 gram shaft cut 3/4 to 43 inches is the other pondering option.

 

I have a 3 wood obsession and the quest seems elusive.

[martinbns]

I've bought and sold probably 20 3woods over the past 15 years and 4 have stayed in my bag for any length of time.

Cobra Comp, Callaway Diablo Edge, an XHot and most recently an 815 Alpha.

 

I have tried out 3 Cobra, 2 Titliest, 2 Tour Edge, a couple of Pings, a Nike and at least on Tmag.

The perfect 3W is like the perfect wife, hard to find and worth keeping.

[erock9174]

You got nothing on Duffners Waggle.

[Warrick]

The perfect 3 wood, and perfect compliment to your SZ is the Cally 816 Alpha.

 

Nothing better IMO.

[Oz Max]

Agree, I have an obsession with 3 woods too, I have a few on rotation but the Bio Cell+ which I got for free, with a shaft that shouldn't work for me (XS Diamana) is just working perfectly. I've tried many others that I thought/hoped would be better, but the consistency and length of the Cobra just can't be ignored. Sometime wanting better just doesn't work...

[jonn443]

AB TP 3HL paired with a 757....best 3 Wood I've EVER hit. Benched my CB4 Tour in a week, and that itself, is a fantastic 3 Wood (cult following worthy).

[Lemonde]

You got nothing on Duffners Waggle.

 

Lol. Totally agree.

[katbird]

Taylormade 08 burner fairways....3/5 still in the bag after all these years...

[Titleist_242]

Try the 915F, you'll thank me later

[LudaCliff]

Of the many 3 woods you tried there were a few that you really liked, but ended up moving it on because the stock shaft did not fit well (ballooning, too stiff/soft, etc.). Have you ever tried reshafting one of those heads that you like with a shaft that would help make it perform the way you would like it to? A session with a good fitter would help you find the right shaft (profile, flex, weight, etc.) for your preferred head. That would be a truer way to finding a 3 wood setup that fits you, rather than buying off-the-rack clubs. You might save a bunch of $$$ too.

[Homerun2Birdie]

It's been called the unicorn. The 3 wood that maximizes distance and accuracy on both tee shots and off the deck. I couldn't have cared less about a three wood until only a short time ago. I was perfectly fine hitting my Ben Hogan ti hybrids 2 and 3 respectfully and both with steel shafts.

 

Fairway woods were supposed to be dead. A relic of the past with little in the way of technological advancements. Many golf websites had written them off.

 

Until this happened. A slot made of titanium was released. And the rest is history.

 

The Adams XTD fairway.

 

The promise of sunshine and rainbows was everywhere. The face was hot. It went as long as your driver. It was pretty and shiny. And so I bought one. And it's been downhill ever since.

 

The xtd's shaft wasn't stiff or heavy enough. Snap hooks were plenty and it wasn't very forgiving.

 

I traded it in for something else. Skipped the rbz line because it was copycat to Adams.

 

Bought a cobra bio cell and hit it well but didn't like how blue it was. Went for a covert and it was easy to hit but was short on distance. Had a tour edge ex something. Not very forgiving. Never should have sold the older ping g15 4 wood I hit dead straight.

Cally xhot pro 4 wood - see the xtd for stock shaft issues. Tm mini 12- great club but spun too much off the deck. Had an old rapture in there somewhere but hard to get airborne. R15 - the tour spec shaft was too much to handle.

 

Recently got the cobra ltd. monster off the tee but off the deck was terrible. Xr 4 wood - easy to hit but with the shaft it balloons. Have a g30 coming with the tour 80 shaft. Could this be the unicorn once and for all?

 

I know I'm missing a few models in here somewhere. Question is why have I become obsessed with this spot in the bag? Am I alone in this dilemma?

 

Thinking of getting the ltd 4/5 wood and cranking it down to 16 degrees. Could this be the answer? Nike vapour fly pro with an 80 gram shaft cut 3/4 to 43 inches is the other pondering option.

 

I have a 3 wood obsession and the quest seems elusive.

 

Like many of the posters here I have been there as. Went through an array of fairways in a multitude of lofts. In the last year or so I have found my unicorn. TEE CB Pro 14.5 - I removed the stock speeder 757 shaft and put the ACCRA FX-200F in there. It is an absolute magical combination. The club has plenty of distance off the tee so I wasn't looking for a shaft that was going to shoot boring low rockets off the tee. I can still put it out there 275-280 off the tee no big deal, which is all you're really looking for in a fairway off the tee.

 

But the huge game changer for me is the fancy little metal grate on the bottom, which creates the most fantastic turf interaction when you're playing shots off the deck in the fairways. The ACCRA FX-200F shaft is perfect for shots into greens. It launches the way you intend for it to do, yet it doesn't spin to the point where you're losing control of your ball. Keeping balls on the greens from 260 out is a total game changer for me.

 

I never ever used to pull my wood out for a reach in two scenario b/c I had zero confidence in it. I genuinely get excited to pull this club out of the bag on par 5s now. It's turned my round around a number of times. Keep searching b/c the perfect fairway wood is worth the effort!

[KemperPro]

M2 with Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Blue 80. Solid thwack sound along with massive distance and easy height. Amazing.

[Ri_Redneck]

I have played (and preferred over hybrids) FWs since day one 40+ years ago. However, they have to have a proper shaft. Most stock FWs these days are too light for me. I need a shaft in the 75 to 90 GM range with at least a D4 SW. Being able to really feel the clubhead is paramount to successful FW play. I urge anyone trying a FW to not give up until they have tried a few heavier shafts with the head.

 

BT

[driveandputtmachine]

I got really bad with 3 woods for quite some time. I searched and searched for a 3 wood that could do everything after my trusty NIckent 4dx caved in. I purchased easily 15 over the last three years. I have started at least 4 threads on three wood issues over these three years as well. Here just one example..... http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1344676-wow-that-escalated-quickly/

 

I'm not sure why I wanted a 3 wood that did both but I did. I would find one good off of the tee, but bad from the fairway, or OK from both, or vice versus. My issue was I was searching for something I did not need. I rarely hit a 3 wood off of the deck. I bet it has happened 5 times in the past 10 years. Even those none of them really were necessary.

 

Finally I settled on the Cobra LTD. I was hitting it farther than I wanted to though, it was ridiculous off the tee. I mean I am dumbfounded with some of the distances I get from this club. It WAS set at 14.5. I played yesterday and only hit 3 wood three times off of the tee, the first hole I had forgotten to change from 14.5 to 16 and it happened again, it went WAY too long and into the edge of a hazard, luckily I was able to punch out near the front of the green and save par. I changed it to 16 and while it was still stupid long it was more in line with what I wanted. I am still thinking of swapping out to the 4-5 fairway in it because I am still hitting it farther than I need many times. It is a great 3 wood, and in general most amateurs shouldn't try to hit a 3 wood off the deck anyway.

[cane700]

Nike Vapor Flex. It has been a beast off the tee and off the deck. You can find one cheap these days. Very under-rated club.

[Nudga]

Better find that g15 4 wood again

[Roadking_6]

M2 HL...Enough said

 

Same as the LTD off the tee if not longer and easy to launch from the turf. I have been on the same journey trying to find the "unicorn". It has arrived.

[ludeatude]

I just got an M2 HL with a Tensei CK Blue 70. So far this thing has been great. I like an open face off the deck. Gives me the confidence that I can get it air born. Something about a closed face off a tight lie makes me think I cant get it air born. It has a great sound, feel, and performance. Hopefully it will stand the test of time.

[makr7]

Gotta try the XR.....I've never used a 3-wood as much as I have since picking this up last year.

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/292563/2015-gear-trials-best-fairway-woods/

[AThompson_3]

There is no such thing as the perfect 3 wood. But the RBZ Stage 2 Tour was pretty darn close.

[clarkjt21]

Nike VR Pro Ltd sits square and feels like a 510 TP.

[crazyray]

XCG-V ...old school Tour Edge luvin...

[Bruin Bear]

Ping Anser 14.5* TFC 800f stiff. Just fits the way I swing I guess. Not getting rid of it till it breaks.

[Bomber_11]

Taylormade M2

 

There, the "Quest" is over. :)

 

All I can say is please hit one....they're absolute monsters. If you can - try it w/ different shafts. Tons and Tons of upgrade options free of charge. I love my Speeder 757 shaft. You can get shafts from Aldila, True Temper, Graphite Design, Oban, Fujikura, Matrix, etc.

 

I've also heard the King Ltd, XR, and 915F are solid performers. Perhaps hit them all against eachother.

 

Or just buy a Taylormade V-Steel :D

[Dan Drake]

Lemonde,

 

What is your purpose for the "3 wood?" Determining that will go a long way to finding the right one for you.

 

Dan

[jedc]

My vote is for a different shaft in the XR 4 wood. I've been down this path and it led me right back to my trusty 4 wood.

[ASF72]

Now this is a bomber, never hit a 3 wood so straight and far ever.... it's not going anywhere soon.

[Kalicardplayer28]

Tee CB Pro F2 with Veylix Arcane 740t X. High long and accurate off tee and deck.

[Centauri]

Found my unicorn a year ago-Callaway XR Deep 14.5 with tour AD DJ shaft. Long and consistent off tee and fairway. Loved it so much I built a second one for backup. Truly the only safe club in my bag.

[danielryanw]

Cobra LTD ftw

Just got mine in and took it out to the range today. I never knew 3woods were supposed to be difficult to hit off the deck until I joined this site; I suppose the naivety served me well in this case. I've always done well with them from tee and deck. First two swings off the deck with it and I couldn't be happier.