Yet another low spinning 3-wood / bag setup thread

[cmatthews77]

So I recently swapped 3woods from the original Epic to the Sub Zero Epic Flash. Nothing wrong with Epic but once I lose confidence with a 3-wood they’re out like putters. Anyway my miss tendency when using a 3-wood off the tee is to stand up a little lose posture and leave the face open to path hitting high spinning fades.

Put the Flash Sub Zero in the bag so far and LOVING it off the tee. It’s longer, flight is more penetrating for me so far. I guess just keeping the spin down I’ve just had less of my typical miss.

However I’m having trouble launching it high enough off the deck even at 16 degrees. I use the club for about 3 or 4 tee shots per round and only 1 or 2 times per round off the deck (two par 5s). One is downhill so not really a big issue and the other par 5 second shot is uphill and is a problem. Obviously this one shot doesn’t override my liking the club but has me thinking bag setup and putting a 5 wood back in (likely resulting in going back to 52/58 wedge setup over 50/54/58 but don’t really love that idea.

Hmmm. Anyone change their bag setup over one particular shot on their home course? I suppose I could just hit 3hybrid in that one occasion and likely only give up 10-15 yards. Or keep working on delivery to get that 3-wood airborne. Or go back to the more versatile standard head model.

decisions decisions...

[NoTalentLefty]

Epic Flash easier to launch than Subzero.

[MelloYello]

Haha, I know the feeling! All it takes is 1 shot to start the wheels spinning in your head, ain't that right?!

I'm in the same boat. I've been a 1-fairway guy for a few years now but I'm thinking of going back to the 3w / 5w setup so that I have more options. I wouldn't drop a wedge though. Those clubs are far too important. I'd recommend dropping a 2-, 3- or 4-iron in order to put the 5w in.

Thing is, you don't want that 3w getting too strong because (#1) it needs to be accurate off the tee and (#2) it needs to be usable off the turf. Or maybe #2 doesn't really apply if you have the perfect pair? Maybe the 3w becomes a tee club and the 5w is the fairway club? Then again, when is golf ever that simple, LOL? It's more likely the case that you just need every club to be versatile and that you're noticing the simple fact it's hard to launch a 3w of any kind unless you have a near-perfect lie.

That's the kind of stuff you need to figure out. I mean, just how badly do you really need to optimize those 1 or 2 approach shots on Par-5 holes? Are you ever going to get closer to the hole--even with the perfect club?! Likely not, unless you're just an incredible fairway player and what you have is really holding you back.

Maybe you just need a different shaft in that 3w that's a little softer so that it doesn't hit low bullets all the time? Whatever you decide, keep in mind that inevitably we all have to accept that there is a shot out there that we don't totally have. It's perfectly fine to prioritize what you need (power & accuracy off the tee) and accept a little less on the occasional approach.

I hit my 3w off the tee a minimum of 6 times at my course. Sometimes driver is too much for the hole. Sometimes 3w avoids trouble. Sometimes I just need a club that's easier to draw. But like you, I might hit the 3w once or twice if I find myself in just the right position on a Par-5. For me, that's not enough to get all worried about it. Those tee shots are WAY more important because they really dictate those holes! Keep that in mind. Besides, on those occasional approach shots, I'm way more concerned with whether I can effectively hook/slice the 3w. If the curvature is correct, I can deal with a ball-flight that's a little low.

 

[ThomasM]

I had a similar issue with the Ping G410 LST 3 wood so I adjusted it to 16* to provide a little more launch off the deck. I really enjoy it off the tee, considering we have numerous holes on the back 9 you can’t hit driver based on the risk/reward.

What shaft are you using in the 3 SZ? You may look to experiment there to see if you can find a compromise and a bit higher launch.

[radiman]

I am on the verge of doing a bag shake up to accommodate 2-3 tee shots on some force layup par 4's. I converted to a UT a couple years ago because we get a lot of wind and I prefer the lower ball flight. But, joined a new club this year and there are 2 holes that absolutely kill my scores. They both are short par 4's that dog leg left with a giant tree at the corner taking a driver out of your hands essentially. I can get my 5 iron over the trees, but they're not long enough to get me safely to the fairway. So, I am trying to decide if I want a 2, 3, or 4H in place of my UT. I am trying to balance the decision to allow for some lower shots off the deck but giving me the option to blast a high towering shot over these trees and leave me a 50 yard pitch to the green. The other option is to forget it and continue to layup and have it work out some times and over draw the iron just over the big tree and in jail.

I demoed the 2H this past weekend. It was long AF, but didn't launch high enough off the tee. So, if you are thinking about getting something easier to launch than your 3 wood while not sacrificing a lot, I recommend giving the Mavrik Pro 2H a try. It's a piercing flight off the tee. I wouldn't be surprised if it was almost as long as my Mavrik SZ 3 wood off the tee. It was ridiculous.

[Mookieb10]

Oh for sure. I had pretty much given up on fairway metals until this year. I ordered a Sim 5w from the Peoples Club. I usually wiped across my 3w and hit a spinney turdmuffin. I figured that if I took some extra loft and hit it solid, I'd hit it further than my turdmuffin 3w, so I ordered this 5w 3/4" short and had them jam a gallon of hot melt into the heel. I order this because I have back to back tee shots, 3rd and 4th holes at my course that if you hit it 240 and avoid the right, you'll have 120 yards or less into the green. I've loved the club so much. It feels like hitting a baseball right on the screws. It flies either straight or a nice draw. Now I feel confident hitting it on other holes too. I'm thinking of ordering a 3w and doing the same, I'm getting greedy now, ya know?

[BiggiE427]

I hear ya. I have been experimenting with switching out of my f9 3 wood into a pxg 0341 x 5 wood. Pretty similar off the tee but much better off the deck.