COMMUNITY

What ever puts me inside 150 is what i'll use. Anything from a 4 iron to 3 wood. Me and my driver are not on speaking terms right now anyways.

From my undertanding the USGA has not capped the Coefficent of Restitution on 3 woods...meaning that you can buy a 3 wood which has a springier face and in some cases may travel longer than your driver. This is the case for the new Taylormade 3 woods.

I personally don't hit 3 woods because I hate the set-up on the grass. I am a strong iron player and hybrids suit my eye more than a 3 wood...so I play a 17 degree hybrid.

I would can the driver if you are straighter with a 3 wood.

It's either Driver, 3-hybrid, or 5-iron for me..............3-wood is usually a pop-up on a tee.

How much trouble is down there and what will be my yards in if I hit 3 wood? I have used less then Driver more this year then any other year, more 3 wood and even irons if they will get me inside the 150. My FIR are way up and GIR are getting better my score is also down per round. Do I always hit fairway with less then driver NO but when I miss it's not always so bad. My new thing I'm looking for this year is to stop the give aways shots. Like OB and water, going side ways just getting back to the fairway. Even if I can not hit the green with my 2nd shot I still can chip and putt for my par.

I try to use the correct club for every shot...the one that will get the job done. Look at where and how far away the hazards are, think about what club would be best to hit into the green, and then choose the club that's going to put you in the best position to get to the green with a good shot.

The 2nd hole at my club is a good example. It's about a 380-yard par 4, hard dogleg to the right with heavy trees close in on the right. Trees are also on the left side, but they are more sparse. The dogleg occurs right at the 150 pole. The green has several swales in front which stop running approaches, and it is a large 2-tiered green. There is also a bunker at front right. So what do you do?

Well...for most people, a driver means having to shave off the corner of the dogleg in order to avoid running through the fairway on the left side. This means any leak to the right is in the trees with no shot. A PERFECT shot with driver would be fine, but there's little room for error. If you decide to take the dogleg out of play entirely and hit something like a 3 iron off the tee, you're likely left with another long iron into the green. As I've stated before, the swales in front preclude any type of running approach, so you've got to hit a good high shot with a long iron that would carry to the green...something that many people can't do. So the best option for most players is to hit something at that 150 stake, right to the break of the dogleg. That's about 230 yards from the back tees, and for most able-bodied folks that's a 3 wood. That leaves about a 7, 8 or 9 iron into the green, depending on pin position.

And keep in mind, a shorter club into the green isn't always the best club to have! Sometimes it is, but on larger greens, especially when the pin is back or the green slopes back to front, a longer club is often a better option--reason being that longer clubs, even when hit a little poorly, will "chase" a little more and get back to the pin--meaning you don't always have to hit it a perfect distance in the air. A shorter club, if not hit solidly, will stay short. On a back-to-front sloping green, you may also run the risk of a shorter club spinning the ball back away from the hole. However, on a small green, or a green with multiple tiers and/or undulations, a shorter iron is very obviously the better club to hit.

But honestly, on MOST golf holes, there is very little advantage to hit a 9 iron versus a 7 iron into the green. I'd rather be hitting 7 iron from the fairway than hacking a 9 out from the rough ANY DAY.

Depends entirely on the shot off the tee box for me. We play a different course every week so I have to judge each hole seperately and sometimes don't always know where the trouble lies even with gps. I hit the ball straight or with a draw with the 3 wood but I hit it straight or cut with driver. I have more control with 3 wood so if the fairway is tight or I need a right to left shot I'll choose 3 wood but if it's wide open or calls for a left to right shot I have confidence ripping the driver. I actually hit my 3 wood on a lower tragectory than my driver (probably because I'm worried about popping up the 3 wood so I tee it low) so I will also use it in high winds. Just be honest with your shots. If you're losing too many shots recovering from a wayward tee shot forget the extra 15-20 yds and practice more 7 irons instead of 8 irons.

It's all about getting the ball in the hole in the fewest strokes.

For me, if it's off the tee, I'll pick driver over 3-metal almost every time. Why? I've got a 460cc driver and a low profile 3-metal. Which club do you think represents a larger margin for error? More control with a 3-metal or choke down and easy swing with a driver? The driver gives me a better chance to put the ball on the green or get it in position.

Now on the fairway.

Which club gives you more margin for error? The 3-metal. Deep profile, 460cc drivers are nearly impossible to get in the air off the short grass.

I only carry the RBZ 3HL, it is 17 degrees, in reality it is a 4 wood....it pisses alotof people off that I hit that as far as a lotod guys hit their driver...so to answer your question I prefer the accuracy over distance theory, but hey isn't that what golf is about!

If there's room for a driver, I'll often hit driver because I tend to hit it straighter.

Generally I only hit 3-wood if I need to lay back of trouble.

Hit driver.... PW, SW or lob in every day and twice on Sunday. 3-metal on shorter holes 360 and under not for the control, but for the setup to the next shot. Does the15yds make a difference sure does. That's why we have day jobs! Now is if BIG DOG isn't eating, I'll leave him in the cage. Who wouldn't. Otherwise 4s become 5s and 5s cost money.