3 Wood Swings - Tee vs Ground Strikes

[Nate]

I have always been a much better 3W player off the tee than off the ground. Probably many reasons for that (don’t practice the shot much, ground manipulation on club, etc) but playing yesterday made me think about this a little more in depth. Was 4/4 off the tee & get to the 18th (par 5 2nd shot) & proceed to snap hook it left, like I’d never seen the club before.

So I ask you all: Are you noticeably better w/ the 3W off the tee vs off ground or about the same? If different, why you think?

 

[Bjornjorg]

I have always been a much better 3W player off the tee than off the ground. Probably many reasons for that (don’t practice the shot much, ground manipulation on club, etc) but playing yesterday made me think about this a little more in depth. Was 4/4 off the tee & get to the 18th (par 5 2nd shot) & proceed to snap hook it left, like I’d never seen the club before.

So I ask you all: Are you noticeably better w/ the 3W off the tee vs the off ground or about the same? If different, why you think?

I'm with you. I'm definitely better off the tee than off the ground. Don't know exactly why, but I'm assuming it's a mental thing that nothing is hindering me when I'm off the tee. But I have a hundred demons in my head telling me that's not the case off the ground!

 

[OldandStiff]

Depends on the setup by I'm going to say... ground? I'm guessing because I'm trying to do just a smidgen less with it and make a better swing slightly more often.

 

[Drumdog]

Sure, I can hit the ball farther and with more accuracy from a tee using my 3 wood.

 

[PJSprog]

Way better off the tee than off the ground. I know it's psychological, but I've never gotten past it.

 

[G-Man]

Honestly tee makes it easier, but I feel I am very dangerous with 3W in the fairway.

 

[Nate]

Sure, I can hit the ball farther and with more accuracy from a tee using my 3 wood.

I’ll throw this in there then, I’d say my 5i off the tee is about the same (result wise) off the ground, give or take. More loft help? Iron vs wood? Mental?

 

[G-Man]

If you say you are better off the ground, would you remove the tee and use it on the teebox? I see this most commonly on irons, but curious.

 

[M2Giles]

Off the tee (using a tee) I definitely can swing shallower and get a good result. However, a shallow swing is disastrous off the turf.

If I tee it low enough, it feels close enough to hitting it off the turf but just with a perfect lie. I find that results in a more controllable shot and carrys over to off the turf easier.

 

[OGputtnfool]

I am better off the tee, expected since it's a perfect line and you can simply tee it down almost on the ground if you like that, but not by a huge margin. I'm fairly comfortable off the deck with the 3wd.

 

[Snickerdog]

Probably a touch better off the tee, but have no issues hitting it off the fairway at all. Love my fairways.

 

[IceyShanks]

I'm way better with a 3 wood off the tee, but rarely play it, so that could be part of the problem!

 

[ORT]

I rarely even hit it off the turf, it’s just too much of a crap shoot. I may hit it good, but a lot of times I feel like I have to try to hit more steeply when it’s on the ground (not sure why) and end up chunking it.

 

[MWard]

I’ll throw this in there then, I’d say my 5i off the tee is about the same (result wise) off the ground, give or take. More loft help? Iron vs wood? Mental?

100% mental. I wonder if you’re steering it?

 

[MWard]

As far as my game, I can hit it off the ground with some height, which is just lovely when needed. Off the tee though, less worry about a poor lie and all that. Still, nice to have that weapon into a par 5 and have it hold the green.

 

[JonD]

I’ll throw this in there then, I’d say my 5i off the tee is about the same (result wise) off the ground, give or take. More loft help? Iron vs wood? Mental?

I think the loft helps some, along with the length of the shaft, as I can hit a 5W much more consistently off the deck than a 3W. The rest of it IMO is mental and lack of focus/practicing the shot.

I definitely hit it better off the tee, but that's normal I think. Tee vs. turf performance doesn't really start to even out for me until I get to my irons. Also my 'go for it' range starts at my 3H. I'll still take a shot at the green with the 3W on a par 5 if I'm having a good ball striking day but the shot is definitely low percentage. Half the time it ends up being a 100yd dribbler when I top it.

 

[donny475]

I play a farther shot off the tee, but i am much more accurate off the fairway..I tend to hook it more off a tee

 

[InTheRough]

I saw a video about this and it helped my problem. I was playing the ball too far forward in my stance with the 3W off the deck. So I moved it back to almost where I play my 4H and had better success. Still I feel more confident hitting my 4H off the deck than the 3W unless I have a perfect lie in the fairway.

 

[Jeff Spicoli]

I am more consistent and better hitting it off the ground than the tee, go figure. Big thing for me hitting it off the deck is to swing my regular swing. All I am trying to do is have a controlled swing and hit down and through on it. If there is any doubt or lack of commitment to the swing, that's when the trouble starts.

On the tee I try to do something 'extra' and that is where the inconsistency comes in.

 

[Nate]

I play a farther shot off the tee, but i am much more accurate off the fairway..I tend to hook it more off a tee

I am more consistent and better hitting it off the ground than the tee, go figure. Big thing for me hitting it off the deck is to swing my regular swing. All I am trying to do is have a controlled swing and hit down and through on it. If there is any doubt or lack of commitment to the swing, that's when the trouble starts.

On the tee I try to do something 'extra' and that is where the inconsistency comes in.

Interesting....was waiting to hear a few that had these results off the ground compared to tee.

 

[Jeff Spicoli]

Interesting....was waiting to hear a few that had these results off the ground compared to tee.

I think part of it for me hitting it more accurately off the deck is that I am aimed at smaller target area like the green or flag and I am more focused.

 

[stevie-a]

I have always been a much better 3W player off the tee than off the ground. Probably many reasons for that (don’t practice the shot much, ground manipulation on club, etc) but playing yesterday made me think about this a little more in depth. Was 4/4 off the tee & get to the 18th (par 5 2nd shot) & proceed to snap hook it left, like I’d never seen the club before.

So I ask you all: Are you noticeably better w/ the 3W off the tee vs off ground or about the same? If different, why you think?

Very interesting question... For me, I find that I am BETTER off the ground with my 3w than when it is teed up. That said, when I tee the ball for a 3w, I basically tee it ground level or barely above ground level.

I find that when I do tee it up I tend to get under it more...obviously...and use it as a way to carry trees, water, etc while cutting about 15-20 yards off a normal 3w.

I used to hate my 3w, but over the past 4-5 years I've now found it to be my most reliable, accurate and most versatile club in my bag.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[mikeg_74]

I feel like I’m a bit better off the ground than the tee. Off the tee I feel like I need to swing up like a driver and I catch it thin or top it. A lot of times I have to remind myself to “sweep” through the ball and the success rate is better that way.

 

[pattyboy21]

Even off of the tee box I'll hit 3W without a tee unless I'm trying to hit it higher than normal.

 

[Nate]

Here's another question: Do you have a different swing for the tee ball than the ground ball? Like some have said here, they concentrate on sweeping the ball off the tee (like the driver). What's your thoughts on ground contact? Different shot shape for the tee ball than the ground ball?