Equipment
‘Is the 3-wood becoming redundant?’ – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been debating whether 3-woods are becoming less useful. WRXer ‘Justcallmemoses’ asks with modern 3-woods going “too far” are they becoming a “waste of bag space”, and says to fellow members
“Are you pulling a 2 iron or 5 wood off the tee if you must find the fairway? Do you even have the speed to launch a 3 wood?”
And our members have been having their say on the topic in our forum.
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.
- Cellis: “I would have a hard time calling them redundant. Going from a driver to 2 iron, or 5 wood that is probably around 18* is a massive gap. You also do not need a “crazy” amount of speed to launch a 3 wood, more so just a good swing. The only contemplation I have with my 3 wood is moving it from 13.5 to 15*, but it will definitely not be leaving my bag.”
- manima1: “4W is the answer w/ these new lower spinning fairway wood heads, in my opinion. 15 degree 3W’s to me nearly chase driver length.”
- ehy8266: “It really depends on how far the driver goes relative to the 3wd. If the driver goes 250 and the 3wd 240ish, then it is redundant. Conversely, when a driver can result in a 270+ shot and the 3wd 240+, then it isn’t.”
- third-times-a-charm: “It was a tee only club for me, and I realized I was not any more accurate with 3W than driver, so I’m back to experimenting with a 5w turned down.”
- puttingmatt: “I still find plenty of places where a 3 wood works very well for my game. As with all clubs, a 3 wood is player specific. If you can’t strike them well, you will need to search for an alternative.”
Entire Thread: “Is the 3 wood becoming redundant?“
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Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.
From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4
3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms
Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105
Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
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Charles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider
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Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4 3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4 5-wood: Ping G440...
Eric Cole WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: PXG Lightning Tour Max (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees) Shaft:...
Si Woo Kim WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X Mini driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Mini...
Wyndham Clark’s winning WITB: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
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SoonerSlim
Nov 12, 2021 at 11:29 am
Seniors need to put away their ego and get a 5W or 7W. If they do, they will find that they can actually hit these clubs as far as their beloved 3W. Unless you are a senior that can generate mid 90s clubhead speed, you need to ditch the 3W for an 18-21 degree wood. You will love the outcome.
Jerome
Nov 12, 2021 at 11:05 am
The average male golfer hits the driver 200-210 yards. Only forum golfers “average” 270-280. I once hit my driver 310 yards, but I don’t go around saying I hit my driver around 300. If golfers would actually measure their shots they would be shocked by the average. I play with long hitters all the time who occasionally hit it 280, but most of the time we are very close in distance.
Rodney Clarke
Nov 12, 2021 at 2:56 pm
Well said Jerome, 100% correct.
Mike
Nov 13, 2021 at 9:07 am
Great post. My course has a numerous par 4’s that are in the 360-375 range. If I can get to the 150 yd marker on my drive, that’s a very good shot for me. Throw in the ever-present wind (usually against me or a cross-wind) & it becomes a super-great poke for me.
Imafitter
Nov 12, 2021 at 10:51 am
I go from driver to 5-Wood dialed down from 17.5 to 16. Great off the tee and off the deck.