Swing Science

Driver vs. 3-Wood New data to consider in the tee-shot debate

by e. michael johnson

t’s one of the worst feelings in golf. You’re on a par 4 with a narrow landing area. You reach for your 3-wood to ensure you get it in play but miss the fairway anyway. Can you still hold your head up that the 3-wood was the smart choice? Maybe not. Data from ShotScope, a Scotland-based company that produces watches with shot-tracking capabilities, studied millions of tee shots from everyday golfers and found the percentage of fairways hit using a driver is very close to the percentage using the seemingly more accurate 3-wood. This was true for amateurs of several skill levels.

It’s also worth noting from the data that the 3-wood tee shots forced golfers to hit much longer approaches into the green. For example, the group of players who had an average handicap of 14 hit the fairway 46 percent of the time with a driver and 48 percent with a 3-wood, with an average I

length of 207 yards and 188 yards respectively. When the outliers (duffed shots) were tossed, the gap increased to 222 yards with a driver and 194 with a 3-wood. Even the farthest shots hit with each club showed how many yards are being sacrificed with a 3-wood (246 versus 222). For those middle-handicappers, that’s a twoto three-club difference on approach shots in exchange for hitting two more fairways in 100 attempts than if they used a driver.

The logical conclusion is it’s better to hit driver every time, but you also might want to learn how to find more fairways with a 3-wood. If you improve accuracy with that club, you’ll lessen the distance gap with the driver because shots that hit the fairway roll more than those in the rough. Mark Blackburn, who coaches Chez Reavie (last year’s driving accuracy leader on the PGA Tour), has advice on how to use both clubs better—so you can keep your options open.

Does a 3-wood guarantee significantly better accuracy?

driver

shallow out your path

▶ “If your angle of attack is too steep and if the ball is on a tee, the tendency is to pop it up or hit it too low,” says instructor Mark Blackburn. “To shallow your attack angle, address the ball with your shoulders slightly closed (pointing right of the target for righties). On the way back, make sure your trail forearm doesn’t droop below your lead forearm. This will give your swing better width. Then swing down on an insideout path—matching the orientation of your shoulders at address. You’ll launch your drives off the tee.”

3-wood

dial back your effort

▶ “Tee it up with half the ball above the crown of the club, and make the same shallow, inside-out swing I prescribed for the driver,” Blackburn says. “This allows the club to exit high in the follow-through, creating better impact. The other keys are balance and restraint. Players overswing with the 3-wood because they know they’re giving up distance. The result is a swing that’s too long, too fast—or both. Take the club back so the shaft is just short of parallel. And make a smooth, unhurried swing.”