Equipment
‘Is the 3-wood becoming redundant?’ – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been debating whether 3-woods are becoming less useful. WRXer ‘Justcallmemoses’ asks with modern 3-woods going “too far” are they becoming a “waste of bag space”, and says to fellow members
“Are you pulling a 2 iron or 5 wood off the tee if you must find the fairway? Do you even have the speed to launch a 3 wood?”
And our members have been having their say on the topic in our forum.
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.
- Cellis: “I would have a hard time calling them redundant. Going from a driver to 2 iron, or 5 wood that is probably around 18* is a massive gap. You also do not need a “crazy” amount of speed to launch a 3 wood, more so just a good swing. The only contemplation I have with my 3 wood is moving it from 13.5 to 15*, but it will definitely not be leaving my bag.”
- manima1: “4W is the answer w/ these new lower spinning fairway wood heads, in my opinion. 15 degree 3W’s to me nearly chase driver length.”
- ehy8266: “It really depends on how far the driver goes relative to the 3wd. If the driver goes 250 and the 3wd 240ish, then it is redundant. Conversely, when a driver can result in a 270+ shot and the 3wd 240+, then it isn’t.”
- third-times-a-charm: “It was a tee only club for me, and I realized I was not any more accurate with 3W than driver, so I’m back to experimenting with a 5w turned down.”
- puttingmatt: “I still find plenty of places where a 3 wood works very well for my game. As with all clubs, a 3 wood is player specific. If you can’t strike them well, you will need to search for an alternative.”
Entire Thread: “Is the 3 wood becoming redundant?“
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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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SoonerSlim
Nov 12, 2021 at 11:29 am
Seniors need to put away their ego and get a 5W or 7W. If they do, they will find that they can actually hit these clubs as far as their beloved 3W. Unless you are a senior that can generate mid 90s clubhead speed, you need to ditch the 3W for an 18-21 degree wood. You will love the outcome.
Jerome
Nov 12, 2021 at 11:05 am
The average male golfer hits the driver 200-210 yards. Only forum golfers “average” 270-280. I once hit my driver 310 yards, but I don’t go around saying I hit my driver around 300. If golfers would actually measure their shots they would be shocked by the average. I play with long hitters all the time who occasionally hit it 280, but most of the time we are very close in distance.
Rodney Clarke
Nov 12, 2021 at 2:56 pm
Well said Jerome, 100% correct.
Mike
Nov 13, 2021 at 9:07 am
Great post. My course has a numerous par 4’s that are in the 360-375 range. If I can get to the 150 yd marker on my drive, that’s a very good shot for me. Throw in the ever-present wind (usually against me or a cross-wind) & it becomes a super-great poke for me.
Imafitter
Nov 12, 2021 at 10:51 am
I go from driver to 5-Wood dialed down from 17.5 to 16. Great off the tee and off the deck.