3-wood vs soft driver

Strategy
#1

The driver vs 3-wood off the tee article and some of the responses got me thinking about another question. Suppose the play off the tee is to hit it your 3-wood distance. Are you better off hitting a full 3-wood or hitting an easy driver?

Possible advantages to hitting 3-wood
-Get to make a stock swing
-More loft
-Shorter club length

Possible advantages to hitting driver
-Get to make a easier swing (might not be an advantage for some)
-Bigger clubface

Next time I get into a simulator I think I’m going to play around with some easy driver swings and see what the dispersion is like relative to my 3-wood. What do you guys think?

#2

I’ve recently discovered a “bunt driver” swing that I really like. The key is that I don’t see it as “taking something off” my regular driver swing, but instead I set up to it like a fairway wood (lower tee, little further back in my stance) and put a full swing on it. Nice low draw that’s proved very useful.
To add a bit to why this over the 3 wood, I think it is more forgiving and the low ball flight is really handy.

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#3

The driver bunt is useful, but it can be tricky to master. When I was trying to put that in play I had a tendency to whip hook it because I’m taking myself out of normal rhythm of my swing. A lot of practice time and it’s a useful shot, albeit not one I use but once maybe every 50 rounds or so.

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#4

The answer could be different for each golfer. I’m similar to @CoryO in that I’ve found a bunt driver swing is more effective for me than a full 3-wood. I think a lot of that has to do with the size/forgiveness that a driver’s head provides.

If you do have access to a simulator/launch monitor, this is a great test to perform to see what kind of tendencies you have with each club.

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#5

I would prefer the bigger head on the driver. At most aren’t you talking about dropping from 90% effort to 80%?

#6

I agree, off of a tee i am a lot straighter with a 3 quarter driver swing than a stock 3 wood…the face is so big with so much forgiveness.

I have hit 3 wood off the tee maybe 3 times this year in 100 rounds…that reason would usually be to curve the ball more on a dogleg…if i cant hit driver based on distance it will be a hybrid or 5 iron for me.

#7

I have a similar driver swing in my back pocket… same thing I use into the wind.

#8

I have three different driver swings.

  • Normal Swing
  • Hard Swing - only if the hole is really open
  • normal with ball tee down - flight is usually lower and I hit it off the bottom of the club face to create spin usually goes up 20 years less.
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#9

I get the concept of multiple swings and maybe I should try, but I also consider the “13 clubs one swing” methodology. Maybe I choke up on a club but it’s same swing

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#10

For shots over 80 yards, I never tell myself to “swing hard” or “swing soft” anymore. I’m sure I might make subconscious adjustments, but in my mind everything is a full swing.

#11

I’ve always been a swing full kinda of player (except wedges).

I find the minute you dial off you majorly undercook it. Agree with others, having a bunt drive is probably a safer and more consistent approach.

I dropped my 3 wood for a 19° degree hyrbid to give consistency and haven’t looked back.

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#12

I really like to use the bunt driver on short, tight holes. I choke down a little on the club, concentrate on taking the club back slowly, and then swinging through at about 75%.

My mental picture for you oldies-but-goodies like me is Bob Hope’s swing. :smiley:

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#13

Neutral or tail wind, I go with the full swing 3 wood. Into the wind, I go with an easy driver swing teed down in which I cut the follow through short.

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#14

Yeah I was thinking kind of along these lines too. I’m a high spin player who over-spins his driver (low 3000s) and the wind really knocks my drives down. 3-wood spins even more, but a soft driver swing might knock off a few hundred rpms of spin - it definitely does with my irons.

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#15

Tee height and ball position will do a lot as well.

#16

I don’t really ever swing an “easy driver” because too many things can go wrong. Generally when I try to hit something easy I’ll stop my body rotation, flip my hands and hit a snap hook.

What I will do is choke up on my driver, move it back in my stance, and try to hit a lower, draw that carries shorter than a normal driver swing. I like that shot.

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#17

That’s my “bunt” as well, not a partial swing, just a different setup.

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