3 Wood Vs 3 Hybrid – Which Club To Use And When
The 3 Wood is a club that has been around for a long time in golf while the 3 Hybrid is the new kid on the block that has been taking all of the plaudits in recent times.
The 3 wood has a large head for distance and it’s the second longest club in the bag as well as being very versatile from the tee, fairway and from a good lie in the light rough.
The 3 Hybrid has more loft than the 3 wood and it doesn’t hit the ball as well which is why these clubs are often carried together today. Great from the fairway and rough with a ton of consistency.
3 Wood Overview
The 3 wood is among the longest and the average golfer will hit it well over 200 yards
The club is ideal from the fairway although plenty will also find it useful from the tee.
Plenty of beginners, especially those with slow swing speeds may have a driver that is too strong lofted, too heavy or too long and find the 3 wood to be more useful off the tee.
These people maybe better off with a 12 degree + driver and a 5 , 7 wood combination.
The 3 wood is long, somewhat forgiving, has a large sweet spot and is very long with a lowish flight path and plenty of roll out.
The club is great for getting the ball towards the green in general and not exactly for pin hunting as you might find with a hybrid and more so with an iron.
The clubs are workable from left to right and vice versa for the better players and this can also result in a slice or hook for beginners who may also struggle to get the ball in the air.
Those people should try a more forgiving loft or model of clubs, perhaps with some offset like the Big Bertha B21.
3 Hybrid Overview
It is quite common nowadays to see the best players in the world using Hybrids and they are also included in most beginner sets in place of the longer irons.
The reason why Hybrids are so popular is because they have combined the accuracy ans consistency of the long iron with the distance and easy launch of the fairway wood.
The club is not quite as long as the 3 wood but its got a sharp leading edge that can cut through the long grass of the rough effortlessly.
The leading edge also ensure the club is easy to get a good launch angle with and the thick head ensures a long and towering flight path.
The 3 hybrid is great from straight shots and consistency but it is not the most workable club compared to say a players 3 iron, but still enough to be carried in a ton of pro bags around the world.
A 3 wood is longer and lower launching with more of a bludgeoning affect than precision but it is a great club for beginners and pros alike how can wield it well, even and especially off the tee.
The Hybrid is a rescue club, it will hit the ball high, long and straight, consistently. It has a large sweet spot and is also great from the rough. Both clubs can easily make it into anybodies 14 clubs on the course.
3 Wood Quick Facts
Category – Longer Club
When To Use: From Fairway, Tee Or Light Rough
Average Distance: 220
Longer Hitter: 235
Shorter Hitter: 200
Typical Loft: 15 Degrees
Club Importance: 94/100
3 Hybrid Quick Facts
Category – Longer Club – Fairway Wood/Long Iron Mix
When To Use: From Fairway, Tee Or Light To Heavy Rough
Average Distance: 185
Longer Hitter: 200
Shorter Hitter: 175
Typical Loft: 19 Degrees
Club Importance: 94/100
3 Wood Overview & First Impressions
A 3 wood is one of the most versatile and useful clubs in a golfers bag. It can be used off the tee, the fairway and from the light rough effectively.
The club is like a smaller and easier to wield version of a driver with a shorter shaft, higher loft and smaller face. For this reason many beginners who can’t hit their driver properly use the 3 wood off the tee for better shots and more consistency.
If your driver is not configured correctly for your game this is an obvious conclusion and a higher loft will also suit slower swingers.
The 3 wood is ideal to hit of the fairway too and can result in long and range strokes. A 3 wood wont be able to hit it as well as a hybrid out of the rough however.
The 3 wood is a must have in nearly every golfers bag.
One Club Up – The Driver
The driver is the next club up from the 3 wood. It is the strongest lofted, biggest headed and longest hitting club in the game. It is also one of the hardest clubs to hit effectively.
One Club Down – The 5 Wood
Typically have 18 degrees of loft, the 5 wood is similar to the 3 wood in many ways, often hit from the fairway and light rough. The 5 has a higher more arching flight path with less roll.
3 Hybrid Overview & First Impressions
A Hybrid as the name suggests is a mix between a fairway wood with is large, round head and an iron with is large sweet spot and excellent turf interaction.
The 3 Hybrid is one of the most popular in the collection and the 3 & 4 Hybrids are usually found in most sets these days. While they used to be predominantly used by beginners and high handicappers they are now also seen in most pros bags too.
The clubs are incredibly versatile but as with most clubs they will enjoy there best performance from a nice lie on the fairway.
The large sweet spots ensure consistently straight shots and the decent loft and turf interaction ensure a high ball flight although they are slightly less workable than their iron counter parts.
The sharp leading edge is also ideal for the rough, giving the clubs it’s ‘Rescue club’ title.
The 3 Hybrid is a great for most players around the 190 mark on average from any lie and the club is great for hitting the green consistently.
A 3 hybrid can really add consistency to your game especially if you struggle with your longer irons, it will often replace a 3 or 4 iron these days.
One Club Up – 2 Hybrid
The 2 hybrid is a very similar club to the 3 except it has a stronger loft and thus hits the ball further but on a lower trajectory and with less roll out.
One Club Down – 4 Hybrid
The 4 hybrid is often coupled with the 3 in many beginner sets and will hit the ball 5 to 10 yards less than the 3 Hybrid with a higher loft that can cut through the rough more easily.
3 Wood – Selling Points
- Versatile Club – Tee, Fairway, Light Rough
- Can Be A Replacement For A Driver
- Easy To Hit & Forgiving
- Low And Long Flight Path
- Excellent Club For Beginners
3 Hybrid Selling Points
- Consistently Straight Shots
- Easy To Get Into Air With A Good Launch
- Excellent Turf Interaction
- Great From The Rough
- Excellent Potential Replacement For Long Irons
Who Is The 3 Wood For
The three wood has a place in every golfers bag for beginner to tour professional.
The high handicapper is likely to get the absolute most out of this club as it can be a replacement for a driver for some and can be a good to club for many who can produce their longest, straightest and most consistent shots.
A 3 wood also covers crucial distances on the course, so having your 3 wood will naturally allow all players to hit any distance within their remit by carrying a 3 wood.
Our Favorite 3 Wood – The Callaway Rogue
Their are so many quality 3 woods out their for to chose from but we really like the Callaway Rogue.
It was first released in 2018 and was upgrade in 2020 to encompass even more of Calaways top features form distance, to the stability of the club at high speeds, forgiveness and accuracy.
The rogue 3 wood has plenty to offer golfers of all levels and is available at a competitive price.
Distance: 94/100
Accuracy: 94/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Feel And Control: 88/100
Overall Score: 94/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Who Are 3 Hybrids For?
While 3 Hybrids started out as a club best utlized by beginners and handicappers, that is certainly not the cases now as Hybrids are also ominpresent in the bags of elite golfers around the world.
For it’s usefulness from the rough alone, the ‘Rescue club’ has become a vital component in almost every bag while the consistent straight and high shots are another reason why Hybrids are included in almost all golf sets these days.
For long shots from any lie, consider trying out a 3 hybrid.
Our Favorite 3 Hybrid – The Taylormade Sim Max
When you go with Taylormade, you know you are getting the best quality and since the Sim Max is not the newest model, it packs nearly all of the same tech at a lower price point.
The club is long, consistent and forgiving with a massive sweet spot, exceptional turf interaction and market leading forgiveness.
The Sim 3 Hybrid will be more suitable for the better players too.
Distance: 94/100
Accuracy: 96/100
Forgiveness: 95/100
Feel and Control: 92/100
Overall Score: 94/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Aidan Lehane here, I’m a Mid-low handicap golfer who has made tremendous progress in breaking 90 in just over 1 year of playing golf seriously.
I get out to the course or range as often as possible and review all the equipment I’ve come across on this blog.
