Making sure you have the perfect set makeup is half the battle when it comes to being a great golfer.
If you leave yourself without a club that can hit the ball 200 yards or without a backup club from the tee, then you are going to have trouble progressing with your game.
A strong 3-wood is a great club to keep in the bag, but there are some things to know before you make a purchase.
In our guide, we will help to explain what a strong 3-wood is and when you should use one.
What Is a Strong 3 Wood?
A strong 3 wood is a three-wood that has less loft than a traditional 3 wood.
The loft of the traditional 3 wood is usually around 15 or 16 degrees.
A strong 3 wood will have a loft of 13 or 14 degrees.
When you consider that a standard driver is between 9 and 12 degrees of loft, you can see the strong 3 wood is not all that far removed from this.
Since different companies have varying lofts on their clubs, it’s hard to say that there is a single loft that would make something a strong 3 wood.
Many golfers use the strong 3 wood as an alternative off the tee, and others will use it on the fairway to get lots of extra distance.
What Is a Strong 3 Wood from Callaway?
Callaway makes an entire line of fairway woods.
The newest fairway woods this year are the Mavriks.
There is one Mavrik made in a strong three-wood.
This club has 13.5 degrees of loft, making it just a little weaker than a driver would be.
The Mavrik strong three is the same weight and the same length as the three and four wood of the same brand.
You can easily use this club as an alternative to a driver off the tee.
It also makes an excellent option for those who feel as though they can’t get enough distance from the fairway.
The strong three is not the easiest club to stop on a green, but it will undoubtedly get you plenty of roll if you lack some distance from the fairway.
What Is the Loft of a Strong 3 Wood?
The strong three-wood will probably have around 13–14 degrees of loft.
From a distance perspective, the low loft on the strong 3 wood is a great thing.
When you consider the forgiveness perspective, it is not so great.
The lower the loft a club has, the less forgiving it is.
The Mavrik does a great job of providing a golf club with a large sweet spot, plenty of forgiveness, and lots of length.
Even the best of golfers will sometimes struggle with three-wood from a fairway lie.
Off of a short tee from the tee box, the strong three-wood is not all that difficult to hit.
In fact, some golfers believe it is easier to use than a driver.
Sometimes the fact that the strong three is a little shorter than a driver is what helps people learn how to release the club and hit it solidly.
What Is the Difference Between a 3 Wood and a Strong 3 Wood?
The main difference between a three-wood and a strong three is the loft.
The strong three is going to have slightly less loft and therefore will be able to get a bit of extra distance.
What Fairway Woods Should Golfers Carry?
The fairway woods you carry will depend on the set makeup which works best for your game.
Some golfers would rather carry extra hybrids and wedges than they would fairway woods.
For the most part, it is essential to have at least one fairway wood in your golf bag.
Carrying a fairway wood should be more about distance than anything else.
As great as hybrids are and as good as they can stop on the green, it is rare to find one that travels quite as far as a fairway wood.
If a golfer has lots of swing speed, they tend to enjoy carrying a three-wood or a strong three-wood to try and hit off the fairways on longer holes.
For golfers who have a medium or slower swing speed, sometimes it makes sense to carry a five-wood.
The five-wood will give you a good mix of distance and forgiveness.
The five-wood is also a valuable golf club to hit off the tee from time to time if you need to give the driver a break.
An ideal setup is to have both a three and a five wood if possible.
If you don’t have the room in your golf bag, then one or the other is acceptable.
Higher handicappers may find they do better with fairway woods than they do with hybrids.
This is more of a preference thing than anything else.
Some companies make seven and nine woods to accommodate the higher handicap players.
Sometimes a golf company will make a 13 wood, but this is much rarer now that there are so many hybrids on the market.
People tend to choose the hybrids over the fairway woods at times because of the forgiveness they offer out of the rough.
Is It Okay to Use a Strong Three Wood to Replace a Driver?
A driver can be a difficult club to hit.
The club is very long and has a low loft.
The combination of those two things with the fast swing speed of a golfer can leave a lot of room for error.
Golfers tend to swing very hard and try to attack the ball when they stand on a tee box.
For the most part, this is a good thing and will get them lots of distance, but if the clubhead is not appropriately applied at impact, the ball can go several different directions.
For some golfers, it takes a lot of time to get used to swinging a driver, and it just remains a weak spot in the game.
It is hard to start a golf hole when you do not have confidence on the tee.
If switching to a fairway wood off the tee can get you the confidence you need, then it makes sense to switch.
The switch will likely result in much straighter shots.
Golfers worry about the loss of distance they may experience, but most of the time, because of the accuracy and more quality hits, the loss of distance is not usually very significant.
Three woods have a bit more loft and are a bit shorter than a driver.
This is what prevents them from flying quite as far.
The question is, if you can hit a three wood 240 yards straight or a driver 255, but it slices twenty yards, which is the better club for you?
Maybe save the golf club off the tee for a day when you are playing a more wide-open golf course.
For the tighter courses with lots of trouble, stick with the more accurate and consistent golf club.
Is a Strong 3 Wood Good Off the Fairway?
Hitting long fairway shots is hard regardless of what club you have in your hand.
The lower the loft, the harder it is to hit a golf shot solid without a tee.
Golfers can get used to hitting a strong three wood off the grass, but it will take a bit of practice.
Make sure you keep the ball towards the front of your stance.
If you feel as though your swing is getting a bit too long, it’s okay to feel like you take a ¾ swing.
Don’t ever slow your swing down while using a strong three wood from the fairway.
Always swing through the shot and complete your finish.
If there is a lot of trouble in front of you or a water hazard you need to carry, the strong three may not be the best shot from the fairway.
The miss with this shot most likely is going to be a very low running shot.
These shots can work out quite well as long as there is not a water hazard in front of you.
What Is Better to Carry a Driving Iron or a Strong Three Wood?
The way a golfer sets up their golf bag is going to be about their strengths and weaknesses.
It is essential to analyze what the best clubs in your bag are and make sure you carry more of these.
Some players do well with irons.
If this is the case, they should carry more irons in their bag.
Others do well with hybrids, and they should eliminate all long irons and put in a bunch of hybrids.
If you are great at fairway woods, then you should keep several in your bag.
Some lower handicap players just don’t like the feel and the weighting of a fairway wood.
For these players, the driving iron could be a better choice to put in the golf bag.
Driving irons also have a very low loft, and they can be used to hit long-running shots off the tee.
Driving irons are good for approach shots on long par fours or par fives as well.
If a golfer has a slower swing speed, the driving iron can be tough to hit.
These clubs are mostly geared toward the lower handicappers.
Are Strong 3 Woods More Expensive than 3 Woods?
A strong 3 wood and a traditional 3 wood are going to be about the same as far as pricing is concerned.
The fairway woods that are all geared for the same group of players should be the same price.
For instance, all of the Mavrik fairway woods should be the same price.
If you decide to start changing shafts or the model of the Mavrik, then the pricing can change.
Fairway woods generally cost between $150 and $350 each.
Carrying one fairway wood in your bag won’t hurt your golf budget too much.
Things start to get expensive when you are a golfer who carries three or even four fairway woods.
Conclusion
A strong three wood can be a great golf club to have in your bag.
If you are a player who struggles with your game off the tee, the strong three wood could get you back in the game.
If you can get a reliable and consistent golf shot off the tee, why not go for it?
Even if the club gives you just a little less distance, it will be well worth it to stay in the fairway.
If you are unsure about switching to a strong three wood, then it makes sense to get something adjustable.
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