Should The Average Golfer Carry A 3 Wood?

Watching a vintage Tiger Woods 3 wood is one of the most amazing experiences that a golfer can have. Seeing that shot, sailing 300 yards to the green made just about everyone fall for that dazzling club. What was once a relic that was used by people with less than stellar control off the tee had become a way to get home in two on even the longest holes in golf. The problem is, this was 1997 and golf technology has come a long way - in almost everything but fairway woods.

Back in the late 1980's and early 1990's, metal woods began replacing wood-woods in most players bags. 3 woods were still an excellent club choice for many since the higher lofts were easier for slower swinging amateurs to get airborne and carry further than their lower lofted drivers. The increased lofts also helped keep slices and hooks to a minimum during the round as well. The basic rule of thumb was 200 with a driver or drop to a 3 wood. It was pretty simple, until technology caught up with the shorter hitter.

As drivers grew to Fisher Price sizes, they became easier and easier for players to hit. The 3 wood was left in the bag more and more, until that 300 yard shot from the fairway reared its ugly head once again. As soon as the cart rolls up to that ball, the inner Roy McAvoy in all of us steps to the front of the line to reach for that eternal greatness. We grab hold of that 3 wood to knock one stiff from 260, only to be let down by that trusty 3 wood swing after swing. Toppers, slices, hooks, it's all fair game for those clubs we only use once in a blue moon, and our 3 woods are probably that one club that we just never use, or at least not enough, to really count on it when we need that miracle shot. Instead of on in two, we end up hitting 3 or worse from 220 yards out, or from the drop zone, again and again.

That lead me to wonder, should anyone even consider carrying a 3 wood any longer? With higher lofted drivers that features heads 2 to 3 times the size of that old 3 wood, using it off the tee is all but out. With longer distances off the tee, it's really not needed off the fairway any more either. With all the technology of hybrids, fairway woods altogether are beginning to make less sense, so why would we go after a 14 or 15 degree club that even some tour professionals no longer want in their bags?

This brings me to the point of this post - should the average golfer carry a 3 woods in today's game? My personal opinion on this is split - because it really depends on how you play the game. If you play the proper tees for someone that drives the ball 200 yards, you should never, ever, ever consider carrying a 3 wood. With a proper bag setup, you should be focusing on clubs that will work from 150 yards in and dialing in the gapping on those clubs to be no more than about 7 yards a club. For example, playing the white tees on a 330 yard hole, you will have 130 left to the flag on a normal drive. If you have steps from 150 - 143 - 135 - 128 - 120, etc..., you can dial that club right in for birdie chances. If you're playing the blue tees and back yourself up 20-30 yards, you still have a good shot without needing to press down to a fairway wood where you chances for success are far less.

Moving on to the golfer that may want to carry a three wood, which in my mind, a lower lofted hybrid makes far more sense here, it would be the golfer that just needs to get that eagle or two a round to keep the pressure on his scoring average. Even then, with so many great options available to players today, I still find it hard to say that pulling a 3 wood from the bag will end with great results when you need it to. More often than not, there's a bunker, a water hazard, some deep rough or something more dramatic waiting for you at the end of that swing. Perhaps laying up when you have 240 to carry isn't a bad move Roy. Of course, that river is awfully tempting and those crocodiles can't be all that fast can they?