Equipment
Forum Thread of the Day: “Weak lofted 3-wood a good option?”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from ludddy who opens the discussion on the benefits of using a weak lofted 3-wood in his set-up. At the moment, ludddy is currently only using his 3-wood on long par 5s and would like to use it more going forward off the tee. Our members give their thoughts on whether changing to a weak lofted 3-wood is the right move.
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.
- Celebros: “I just recently took my 15* out of the bag and replaced it with a 4-5 wood that is adjustable 16-19*. In my case, it was because I usually didn’t need that much club into Par 5s and on tight/shorter Par 4s I typically hit an iron off the tee. The higher loft gives me much gapping into the rest of my set as well.”
- RacineBoxer: “I’ve gone through this a time or two. There almost comes the point where no matter what you do, you’re going to have a club in your bag that you rarely use. If it’s not the 3 wood, then it’s some sort of driving iron or low lofted hybrid or 4 iron or maybe you carry both a 58 & 62 degree wedges. Maybe the longer and longer you hit it the more you gap your clubs and eventually use everything, but for us mere mortals you’re likely to find a little bunching somewhere. I don’t use my 3 wood much. I find the bigger head of the driver more forgiving. I get more horrible shots with the 3 wood because the head is just so small (talking topping the ball or popping it up for 80 yards types of horrible tee shots). If I need a fairway finder on a short, tight, hole, I’m going 5 wood or hybrid. I’m a straight to fade player, and the 3 wood is a club I’m comfortable getting going a little right to left off the tee, so I’ll use it non-routinely for a hole that calls for that shot shape. But usually, I find going to 4 wood or 4h a safer play to find the middle of the fairway.”
- Bye: “It’s such an individual thing, that really the only way to find the answer is to play with a few different options. For me, as long as I can put enough spin on it, the 3 wood is the best option. I had a few 4 woods; I just kept fiddling with them.”
- Boognish: “Loft is generally your friend with fairway woods. Your confidence from the tee should guide your head shape decision if you need it for tee layups. There is a trade-off for deep face (flat flight) tee clubs when you want to use it off the turf. I’m a big 5 wood guy, but they can often launch/spin too high for regular tee use. If you only carry one fairway wood, my recommendation would be a 4-wood with a lower spin shaft.”
Entire Thread: “Weak lofted 3-wood a good option?”
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- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.
TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.
TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.
Can you see where this is going?
Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”
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TaylorMade PUDI
TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)
Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.
In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.
TaylorMade PDHY
TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).
Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.
Club Junkie’s take
Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.
For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.
PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?
TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:
- PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
- PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
- Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
- PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
- PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family
Pricing, specs, and availability
Price: $249.99
At retail: Now
Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)
Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)
PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed
PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that 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, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Aubrey
Aug 29, 2019 at 9:00 am
I follow a fairly strict 4-5 degree gap throughout the bag and I go with a 8.5 driver, 13.5 3 wood, 17.5 4-5wood then 21 3iron continuing through the set. I will monkey with the set up depending on what the course calls for and where I want to be off the tee but that’s pretty much my standard bag.