The 3 wood seach begins

[DaveE]

I have one appointment this morning and then I headed to Golfsmith to demo 3 woods.

I have an old Adams tight lies and a 4+ Callaway Steelhead Plus. At one time the Callaway my was favorite club and now I couldn't hit the ocean from a cruise ship with it. :wow:

The tight lies is a good club but our fairways tend to stay fairly lush and it's easy for me to get under the ball. I guess I'm looking for something with a bigger head like the GBB II or the TM580.

I hoping to find something reliable off the tee for short par 4s but also something I can use from the fairway on par 5s.

I won't be buying anything today so opinions would be appreciated.

 

[Rockford35]

Steelhead III with Graphite shaft.

Crazy forgiving.

Have a go at one of those if you can.

R35

 

[The master]

If money is not an issue then I would recommend a "Sonertec np-99" they are one of if not the best fairway out there the taylormade v-steel would come in a close 2nd I have one and love it they come out like a bullet and are great out of a variety of lies.

If your on a bit of a tight budget I would recommend the Adams redline I have not hit this club but have geard great reports everywhere about it. Also the ORLIMAR TRIMETAL hip are a great club tried my friends at the range and are by far the best value for money fairway wood I am thinking of getting one for a spare.

 

[DaveE]

And the frontrunner is....

After my first demo day I'm leaning toward the Cobra SZ and the TM R580.

Both have a deeper face that some of the others and with our lush fairways a deep face is a priority.

I think the 580 falls into the catagory of stupid easy but so does the Cobra. My first impresion though is that the Cobra is a little hotter of the face.

I probably won't get to demo again for another week so keep coming with any ideas.

Rock, nobody had a Steelhead III to try. I remember trying those a year ago or so but good luck finding one now.

 

[Rockford35]

Places around town here have tons. I think Callaway Canada must have had a warehouse full and dumped them cheap.

I think they had Steelhead III drivers for 99CDN. Cheap like cheap.

R35

 

[Bravo]

Dave:

Twelve months ago I was shopping for a replacement for my Orlimar. I tried everything and got the Sonartec SS-03 14*. I then bought an SS-03 19*.

I like the 14* because the ball flies at a mid-height, lower than a typical 3 wood. When it lands, it gets excellent roll.

As a fairway wood, this is a very good club and I think it is comparable with the others you are trying.

What I have found however is - due to the fact that it produces a (relatively) lower, boring flight, it is an excellent Complement to my TM R540 driver.

The TM driver does what All contemporary drivers do now. It produces a very high, long carry shot. Great....

But what happens when you are playing into the wind? How do you like that high shot when playing into a 20 MPH wind? It sucks. Big crosswind? Yes, we want to get that drive way UP into the crosswind and let it carry the ball right into the rough....

After I had the Sonartec for six weeks or so - I started hitting it from the tee quite a bit and loved it. Everytime there is a meaningful headwind OR crosswind - where a lower trajectory is helpful, I use the Sonartec instead of the driver. Somehow it produces great roll once the ball is back on terra firma.....

And just for what it is worth, I have documented tee shots with this club - uphill of 265 and one shot from the fairway on level ground of 268.

Something to consider as this club is more than a fairway metal for me - it is a "secondary driver" for me also.....I did not know this when I bought it - but it has been a very pleasant surprise and strategic benefit for my game

 

[IrishGolfer]

Bravo

I still haven't hooked up with my friend, the Sonartec rep dude, but I can't wait. It should set me off for next season offing.

I just hope I like them!!!

 

[DaveE]

Bravo:

Thanks for the info. I do plan to use the 3 wood off the tee as well. We have two par 4s that are short enough to make driver a problem. Both require very accurate shots and anything over 250 yds. (not that I do that all the time) is usually in trouble.

The SS-03 would probably be the best choice for me too since I'm trying to find something with a deeper face. I'll add it my demo list and let you know how it goes.

 

[Bravo]

Bravo

I still haven't hooked up with my friend, the Sonartec rep dude, but I can't wait. It should set me off for next season offing.

I just hope I like them!!!

You play in so much more wind than we do - all the more reason for such a complentary club to a high flying driver....

I think you will love them...Only people I don't recommend them to are higher handicappers...

 

[DaveE]

3 wood update

I found a store that had a Cobra SZ demo I could take for the weekend. No SS-03 or Steelhead though. Too bad.

First let me say it was a beautiful day, as nice as you could hope for in December. The high was around 72 and a light breeze came and went throughout the day. We started play at 10am and quit when it got dark, around 6pm. We managed to play 39 holes so the Cobra got a good demo.

The deep face was an advantage on our lush fairways. Made good contact all day, (no pop flys) and the flight was fairly low & straight which is what I'm looking for. I did not find it to be as long as my driver off the tee as some have claimed, although I did have one fairway shot on a par five go over the green. It's pretty hot. Still managed a chip and one putt so life can be good on occasion.

Hoping to find other demos I can play with but right now the Cobra looks like the front runner. FWIW it appears to have the deepest face of the newer fairway woods. If you guys are aware of others please let me know.

 

[Rockford35]

I liked the feel of the Pings when I slammed a few out with one this fall. Had a different feel, but one I could live with. Very workable too. It would fade when i wanted it to, and draw too.

Just a suggestion.

I use one to shovel my driveway.

R35

 

[DaveE]

Do you remember if it was the G2.

I don't have any snow but I do have dogs so a 3wood/shovel combo could come in handy.

 

[Rockford35]

It was indeed the G2. It felt like it got the ball up in a hurry. Great for out of the rough, but off the deck i wasn't as happy. But then again, i'm so picky about that stuff....

I think it just wasn't as boring a shot as what I am used to with the Hawkeye Pro's. But, if the ball goes 240 with a 3 wood to 4 feet, i could care less what I have in my hands!

Maybe try the Ping, it's a pretty forgiving and easy to swing club. It really does alot of the work for you.

Except pick up dog land mines.

(HA!....reminds me of a story.....my brother has 3 goldens, and my other brother has a chocolate lab....my dad was taking care of them over the winter, and both brothers fell back on the "pickup" chores. Come spring, it became a big job, so my Einstein brother figured the best way to rid himself of this chore was to fill a plastic garbage can with dog droppings and haul the whole thing away. Well, after filling the garbage can, it weighed about 250lbs. He and friend decided to take it to a local landfill to dispose of it. Trouble was, no one had a truck that day. And, the DS was getting ripe. So, the brainiacs heaved it into my brothers trunk, only to have the bottom burst out on the garbage can into his trunk. He promptly sold the car as "never smoked in" condition. No one ever checks the trunk in a used car..... )

R35

 

[DaveE]

That's my final answer

Well I had a chance to go demo 3 woods again. Sonartec and Ping were the remaining ones that I had a real interest in.

For now at least I have to accept that I don't have the game for the Sonartec. I still need something with more forgiveness.

The Ping is nice but in the end the Cobra just fits what I'm looking for the best.

The deep face was a big selling point because of our fairways. Plus, the SZs are reasonably long off the tee. Anyway, I've submitted my final Christmas list to my wife and daughters so we'll see what's under the tree Saturday.