Equipment
What GolfWRXers are saying about ditching their driver for a strong 3-wood
In our forums, our members have been discussing the merit of dropping their driver in favor of a strong 3-wood. Struggling with consistency with the big stick, WRXer ‘grisham’ says his accuracy off the tee has improved dramatically by using a strong 3-wood and asks have any fellow members taken the same approach.
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.
- Myherobobhope: “I’ve tinkered with ideas like this… but I think having a driver in the bag and confidence with it on the course is important to shooting your best possible score. It might be a 44-inch 13-degree driver… but I think you need to find a way to maximize length while minimizing risk. Step one is getting the ball in play, and step 2 is hitting the ball as far as possible while managing step 1…”
- BMC: “Swing speed plays a big role. Sub 95 mph, go with 44 inch/ 14*. Could be labeled a 3 wood or driver. Swing shape plays a role too. I use an OG Rapture 3 wood and can hit a high draw with it for max distance.”
- Newgs: “I go back and forth between my 3w and my driver as my top club. One thing I have noticed is I get in a lot less trouble with my 3w than with my driver, and that makes my round a lot more fun. What distance I lose, which isn’t much, is made up easily with more fairways instead of rough or worse. My thing is I tend to over swing with my driver, which, as noted above, is more between the ears than anything else. Go with what works for you at the end of the day though.”
- bubbagump: “I’ve been rocking a SLDR mini since it came out, and have zero regrets in using it as my main tee club. I do agree, that even if you mash it and are within say 10-15y of your driver you are leaving likely at least 1 club out there each hole which can add up fast, but accuracy can never hurt either, and if you are comfortable with some longer approaches in some cases, it equals out. I used the mini almost exclusively off the tee because most the courses I played it was all I needed but when I would play longer holes or courses the difference of a driver could really be handy. I really began to work on driver, and get it into shape, and now I am comfortable pulling it but still use the mini often as course management requires it the better club. I have kept the mini in also because I use it as a 3w, so I hit it both off the deck and tee, so its not just a boutique luxury club taking a spot in the bag. If you can find your way around most courses with a strong 3w, 2w or mini I would say go for it and see how it works for you.”
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Scans
May 23, 2020 at 3:45 pm
I made the switch to a Taylormade Burner at 13.5* stiff shaft in 2008. I have been the best driver in my group since. It occurred to me that every time I got on a tight hole I pulled a 3 wood. Why not try a high lofted driver. It works great for me. My club is a tree lined tight driving course. Finding the fairway is required to score well. Far easier to hit than the 10.5* driver I had. Just switched to a Taylormade M6 at 12* adjusted to 13.5*. Honestly not sure it’s any better than my 2008 Burner but both are much easier than lowers lofted drivers. Give it a try.
15th Club
May 23, 2020 at 12:38 pm
I am as anti-driver as anybody. And I am sympathetic to this idea. But I wouldn’t drop driver from my 14-club set. (Driver is the first club tossed out when I walk with a Sunday bag and 7 or 8 clubs.)
Rather, I’d keep thedriver, and a strong 3w, and a fw, but adjust my long iron lifts to widen the loft gaps and drop the 3-, 4-, or 5-iron. Or else limit my wedges.