In our forums, our members have been discussing the merit of dropping their driver in favor of a strong 3-wood. Struggling with consistency with the big stick, WRXer ‘grisham’ says his accuracy off the tee has improved dramatically by using a strong 3-wood and asks have any fellow members taken the same approach.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• Myherobobhope: “I’ve tinkered with ideas like this… but I think having a driver in the bag and confidence with it on the course is important to shooting your best possible score. It might be a 44-inch 13-degree driver… but I think you need to find a way to maximize length while minimizing risk. Step one is getting the ball in play, and step 2 is hitting the ball as far as possible while managing step 1…”
• BMC: “Swing speed plays a big role. Sub 95 mph, go with 44 inch/ 14*. Could be labeled a 3 wood or driver. Swing shape plays a role too. I use an OG Rapture 3 wood and can hit a high draw with it for max distance.”
• Newgs: “I go back and forth between my 3w and my driver as my top club. One thing I have noticed is I get in a lot less trouble with my 3w than with my driver, and that makes my round a lot more fun. What distance I lose, which isn’t much, is made up easily with more fairways instead of rough or worse. My thing is I tend to over swing with my driver, which, as noted above, is more between the ears than anything else. Go with what works for you at the end of the day though.”
• bubbagump: “I’ve been rocking a SLDR mini since it came out, and have zero regrets in using it as my main tee club. I do agree, that even if you mash it and are within say 10-15y of your driver you are leaving likely at least 1 club out there each hole which can add up fast, but accuracy can never hurt either, and if you are comfortable with some longer approaches in some cases, it equals out. I used the mini almost exclusively off the tee because most the courses I played it was all I needed but when I would play longer holes or courses the difference of a driver could really be handy. I really began to work on driver, and get it into shape, and now I am comfortable pulling it but still use the mini often as course management requires it the better club. I have kept the mini in also because I use it as a 3w, so I hit it both off the deck and tee, so its not just a boutique luxury club taking a spot in the bag. If you can find your way around most courses with a strong 3w, 2w or mini I would say go for it and see how it works for you.”

Entire Thread: “Ditching the driver for a strong 3-wood”