This is amazing! I’ve been contemplating doing the same as my dispersion of 3 wood is also much better but what a driver gives you if you really nail one outside of distance is a massive confidence/moral boost! You can have a terrible round and then nail a drive on the 18th and be happy to come back tomorrow haha a 3 wood doesn’t do that for me, only driver

I was out playing at 7am this morning and I used my driver for the 1st 7 holes. Took out the 3 wood on the 8th and it went down the middle. It's an easier club to swing

Best play it safe story was literally yesterday. With the M5 3wood. Straight out of the car, no warm up, driver brings water hazard on right hand and left hand side into play. Also group was playing in front of me at 300yds. 3wood is the smart safe play! This is a shot I’ll never forget. As soon as I hit it I knew it was a home run. Carried it 300yds and went right past the group in front of me. Perfect placement too! Nearly drove the green on a very difficult opening par 4 that has water on both sides with an elevated green protected by bunkers on all sides.

I got fitted for 3w recently to play tight par 4s etc. Ripped it during fit, everything straight and distance I wanted. Out on the course, spraying it everywhere! Might as well hit driver 🙈

I liked the video! Would be interesting to see an amateur do the same test (for eg. Mark)

at a highschool tournament, the kid i was playing with pulls out driver and slams it into a par 5 cuts the corner carrys about 320 he had 140 in on a 500 yard par 5. i pull out 6 iron hit it off the tee then hit another 6 iron then pitching wedge in and pared it he 7 putted and quadrupled

I loved this video! This is a topic near and dear to my heart as I’ve gone from one extreme to the other over my “playing career” and am now smack dab in the center in terms of strategy. Growing up and through high school/college I would hit my 3wd every chance I got. I would take any excuse to choose it over the driver because, back then, 3wds were a lot easier to hit than drivers. Also, I could hit my 3wd 275 with a smooth swing all day long back then so I didn’t have a lot of motivation to hit driver unless The situation REALLY called for it. Back then I’d hit driver no more than 5 times a round. Over time drivers became so much more forgiving and 3wd tech didn’t seem to keep up, in my mind in any case, so I started using 3wd less and less. It was when the Cleveland Launcher Comp came out that I finally flipped the switch and became a Big Dog player. I was using Driver or my 19* hybrid when I couldn’t hit driver nearly all of the time. Eventually, it got to the point that I would maybe take the 3wd out of the bag once per round! Fast forward to the present! When the Cobra F7 came out with its rails I knew it was time to give 3wd another go. I was amazed at how much more forgiving it was, especially off the turf than any fairway I’d ever tried! That club, and then the F8, which feels WAY better than F7, changed my game again! NOW: I play 3wd off the deck and off the tee whenever the situation calls for it without fear! That equates to 5-10 times per round depending on the course! Note: I bought the F9 Speedback last week! Looking forward to gaming it for the first time this week! I

I always pick up the broken tees I can’t stand having to use a full-size T on a par three or anywhere I’m not hitting a driver

Great test and very impressive swings with that 3-wood. Personally can't seem to use the 3-wood off the tee so driver or hybrid to play safe

Driver has let me down on many occasions. Taylor Made superfast 2.0 Driver, 3 wood and rescue. I trust the 3 wood as I hit it consistently. As a senior (74) most of my drives are 210-220 yards and my 3 wood is not far behind 200-210 but more in play. My natural draw can get me into trouble with the driver (10.5 degree)

Back in the day when I could hit my driver fairly well I would hardly ever take the 'safe' option, simply because, as odd as it may sound, my driver pretty much *was* my safe option, so I was always confident with it. However, my driver shot shape was consistently quite a big draw, which I couldn't alter and had to factor in and always start it out to the right. Now, the 13th hole on my course has the tee hard up against a line of trees and gorse on the right which, obviously, means I can't aim that way, nor can I aim down the middle as there's trouble down the left. So, there I am in the monthly medal, 4 or 5 under my handicap as we get to the 13th. I take the five iron, have a couple of practice swings, pick my spot, breathe out and relax and commit to the shot.....and then thin it. That wouldn't have been the end of the world had it gone straight, but it didn't. It went off like a rocket for 15 yards, hit the yellow wooden tee marker, shot thirty yards up in the air before landing two yards behind me. To say there was some very mild piss taking from my playing partners would be a slight understatement

One of your best videos! Thank you. I have also topped more 3w than I want to admit to. Worst one was either when I buried the ball 1 in in front of the tee, or the time it actually bounced behind me.

Watching this because for the past 36 holes my driver just isn’t behaving. Went to the range yesterday and again, driver was going big right. I’m sure there’s human error there of course. And yes I’m sure “just go in for a fitting” is the only way you guys know how to solve problems. But I brought my 3 wood with me to the range and I’d say I got the same distance as my driver… only DEAD STRAIGHT. Consistent laser straight shots right down the middle. It just worked for me and honestly I’m tired of trying to save Par from under the trees and on tall grass. I just might have to keep 3 wood in the bag. It’s just… perfect. And it’s a used Cobra BioCell 3 wood I bought off eBay for like 50 bucks.

Another great vid.. Using broken tees... you are tighter than a Submarine door!.. But I do it too so Pot-Kettle haha.. :-)

Oh yeah. I hit a 3 hybrid off a tee looking for 200 yards and safe. Pulled it into the highway running along side. Cannot even call it a hook. It was a proper duck hook from the moment it left the club face. It hooked sooner than the netting running alongside started. Heard a car skreetch it’s tires and I just got in the cart as fast as possible and sped away

Always take driver off the first tee, if its a good hit it stays my go to..if not 3 wood comes into play.. but hey that doesn't always go to plan either 😂 Yes James I keep the broken tees too 👍

Big dog for big ego I will stick with my 3wood from the tee thanks straight down the fairway and confidence on the tee box every time . Great lesson video for most average golfers cheers

It’s simple really. A 3wood is shorter (more control), and with the higher loft gives a higher spin rate on the ball which translates into better shot dispersion. It seemed to work out pretty well for Jack Nicklaus in his career.

I have an older Cobra SS hypersteel 3 wood, face is almost as deep as my driver, which helps tremendously! I also have a old persimmon Ping Zing 3 wood with a metal shaft that goes just as far and very straight. I’m also finding the new(er) fairway and hybrids harder to hit because the head face is so narrow. Nice vid!

I agree it depends on how you are swinging on the day,your swing is looking pure 👌, great video again 👏👏

Part way through this summer I completely lost it with my driver. A total drive of 250 including roll. But, when it was bad it was really bad. In the woods, water or whatever hazard. My 3 wood was more consistent but, really liked the driver distance. Out drive my buddies each time it was in the fairway. Decided to put the driver in the garage and went all in with the 3 wood. Not long before i was hitting the 3 in the 230+ range. 10 out of 14 fairways on average. Score. Dropped 6 strokes. In the fairway at 230 is much better than 250 in the woods or deep rough. Sold the driver and bought better golf balls. Even on a long par 5 its 3 wood, 3 wood, and then maybe a an extra club to hit the green. Now i am always under 100 and hit a couple of 92s. Expect next year with some more short iron time and putting to break 90. All because my driver drove me to ruin.

I did this after accepting driver was never Gonna be consistent... every once in a while it was 280-290 on the fairway. But 7/10 times it was 150 straight, 80 right, and most recently 240 to the left. It was a crapshoot every single hole. Left driver at home used only 5 wood, 220 - 240 on the fairway every single time. Saving me at least 10 strokes. Looking at low loft three wood.

12 of 14 fairways today at TPC Louisiana with the 3 wood off the tee, 1 of the misses was due to having never played the course and thinking the fairway dog-legged more than it did. I would have been 2 for 14 with my driver. Granted I lost 30ish yards hitting 3 wood instead of driver, but playing my 2nd shot from the fairway instead of behind some trees made up for the loss in distance.

Also, playing it safe for me... depends on what your shot shape is. I fade my 3 wood or hit it straight... driver I can draw. So if I can’t miss left, I’ll lean towards 3 wood and cut it up the middle. So think that should play a huge role into how safe you go.

The 3wood for safety idea is from the persimmon days when 1 woods were a lot easier to spray with a balata ball. If you really needed fairway you took 3 wood.

Interesting Video James. I was about to give up my driver for a Cobra F7 3-4 Wood to use of the tee as I'm a high handicapper I just can't tame the Driver. Not sure what to do now 🤔 I would prefer accuracy over distance anytime and probarly would only lose 20yds of distance between driver and 3 Wood

Lol, 😆! I've played a 3W of the tee about 200 yards. The flight was pretty well, only to roll into the hazard area. I have the course 3 strokes on that hole. Double bogey 6 on a par 4, was in a better position to score Birdie I'd I had driven it!😆

I've raised my tee a little for my 3 wood and now I smash that thing better than I do my driver. I definitely prefer my 3W unless the hole involves a hard right turn on the fairway.

Late to comment, but i would like to see a video comparing a driver at 9 degrees and the same driver at 12 degrees and see if there is a difference in dispersion. With adjustable clubs maybe it is worth playing at 9 degrees on a wide open course but change it to 12 degrees if you play a tighter course. I guess something similar could be done with an adjustable 3 wood. It gives a player options depending on the course they play.

If I was playing in a comp I wouldn’t pull out the driver unless the hole was pretty open so I tend to stick to 3 wood. But after taking lessons this winter I will give driver a go more often. It gives better scoring chances.

No I also use those skanky broken tees, feels like more resistance if you use a big tee in my mind

Looking at the "Lateral" data, and assuming a fairway that’s (say) 40 yards wide … anything more than 20L is a missed fairway. That means you hit 4 fairways with the driver and 8 with the 3W. Just saying. Thanks for the video. Keep 'em coming.

A lot of people say a driver is more forgiving because of the larger face. Has anyone ever actually hit a fairway with decent distance on contact outside the center of the face? The face may be bigger but my thought is the only desirable contact point is the same size regardless of club

Reasonably straight with both. Only time 3 wood is coming out is if the driver will go too far. Bigger face of the driver makes it the safer club.

I'm a 12 handicap, almost always regret "playing it safe". I have as much if not more confidence with the driver than three wood off the tee. However, can play a safer driver swing, three quarters and step off the power a little seems to work for me. My golf bag is full of broken tees, they seem to get everywhere in the bag, Used for most iron and rescues off the tee.

Freshman year last hole of the first nine of the state tournament have 180 yards across water try and go for it top it into the water try and make up the stroke by going for it and in the water again, layup with an iron chip it to 60 feet and drain the put for a nine. Now was 5 shots back from the lead, Sophomore year this year hopefully no dumb mistakes

Practice yes, do it on the course, it’s play it safe or go for strokes gained, on some courses the driver and 3 wood stay in the car, I use the 3 wood a lot off of the tee

Yesterday I took out my 3 wood didn’t even bring my driver. So I used my 3 hybrid and 3 wood off each tee except for par threes and it paid off big time, if only I could have been dropping birdies instead of pars and bogeys I would have been in much better shape.

Broken tees - ask your Golfmate Liam Harrison !!! Lol💪💪💪👍👍👍🙂🙂🙂

Played some of my lowest scoring rounds using a 3w as driver. Only problem is you get punished distance wise with a miss on 3w. Since getting the F9 driver my 3w gets used only on very tight holes and fairway shots in. Finding consistency with my driver means I'm now using my hybrids more and accuracy has increased and scores are dropping

I only really see this test being relevant on the course... then repeated with Mark, perhaps. Great content though, keep up the good work!

I am a 7 hcp, so not a good player at all, but one of my club championships its was very windy and wanted to "play it safe" Normally I hit 3w if I am not hitting driver or if the driver stops working, my 3w is my FW finder. Anyway, Pull out my 2i to "play it safe" and take a mighty swing and connected the sole of the club to the top of the ball and the ball sticks in the ground. Yes, fried egg on the tee box. After excavating the ball from the ground, I re-tee and hit my driver, straight down the middle. You never know lol.

Speaking of burying your golf tees, what do you think happens when they aerate? Isn't that actually beneficial? What I hate is divots.

I played it safe today with a 5 wood off the tee, pulled it into brambles, grabbed the driver for my provision shot and it's straight up the middle about 10 yards short of the green. One of those days

I do like hitting 3w as driver is my worst club.... Sometimes favour 3w on dog leg left(draw shot) or downwind and sometimes will work back from green if I can leave a yardage in (if you get my drift?).

James, great video as always but I really struggle with 3 wood. Playing it safe for me is gripping the driver down and swinging 75-80%. I fade the ball and with 3w I hook it 🤪

Playing 3 wood and hitting a fairway much better than finding the rough 20yards further and also 50yards right lol. But all relative to individuals game

I love the shotgun move after a great shot.... can I steal that move? Or do I have to pay royalties?

3 Wood is definately a fairway finder for me. Doing the comparison indoors doesn't give the same effect as you can give the driver full commitment compared to on course. 3 Wood is also more forgiving strike wise on the face.

I had my best ever hole by playing it safe. George golf course South Africa, par 5 11th, 490m back pin location. I struggled with the driver for a couple of holes and went with 3 Wood of the tee, in the middle of the fairway, went 3 Wood again and on the green 6ft from the cup, which I sank for eagle. Was my first and only eagle up to date and the golf shots I'll always remember, so that is commenting on 2 videos at once, about the best shot I'll never forget and how a 3 Wood instead of driver of the tee caused that...

Surprised you didnt choose a "driving iron" or a crossover. Anyway, I buy special short tee pegs (plastic) - or if I've not got any, I can usually find a busted shorty somewhere around the tee ground.

Seem to get on better when I mix driver and 3 wood up although as what's probably happened to most golfers I have occasionally hit 3 wood out of bounds followed by driver down the middle really annoying lol

I use a 3 wood of the tee on certain holes ,dog legs and tight fairways , shorter par 4's ,I do suffer from the shanks on ocasions ,always have. Worst 3 wood shot I shanked it straight right and in to the woods ,yep I shanked a fairway wood off the tee ,that takes some doing .

I have the best of both worlds in one club...16 degree Taylormade SLDR mini driver that is never leaving my bag!!No more mailbox on a stick for me.

How about strokes gained? If 15 yards is the difference between say 5 iron or hybrid, is driver better due to the club you are hitting on the approach?

Normally, if I am thinking, just play it safe and hit the 3W, I hit is so bad it isn't worth it. I am much better off hitting to a number. That all said, there is a course near me that a river runs diagonally through the 1st fairway at such an angle, I usually take a 7I off the tee for a par 5. Leaves an easy 2 shots into the green, and I just don't know off a first hole how I am hitting yet to know if I will cross at the right spot or bring BIG numbers into play.

In James Siekmann book. His apprentice' s scores are improved when they didn't lay up to thier comfort full swing yardage. = if your swing is consistent enough. Let the big dog eat!

I use driving iron. I can get in trouble with 3 wood at worst I am slightly off the fairway with DI. Use small tees for irons.

I used my driver today but it was a hit and miss, I changed to 3 wood and I hit them off the tee and the fairway much further and more consistent. I think I'll stick to 3 wood and leave the Driver at home.

My worst “play it safe” decision happened in The Club Championship. I was 2 down with 2 to play. My opponent hit his drive in the water. I took out an iron to play it safe. I overdrew it and wedged myself in behind a tree. Had to punch out and tied the hole so lost the match!!! Not playing safe anymore

Question is what club does it leave you in, bad driver leaves you a 8 iron, 3 wood leaves you a 9, good driver leaves you a wedge, it's about % into the greens

I think that test has to be done on course because the shape of the hole makes a difference to every tee shot

Thought, if you aren’t good enough to play your driver confidently of the tee and you need your 3 wood then are you good enough to play a 3 wood off the deck ? So here’s a thought, buy a high launch driver (callaway Rogue or Fusion 13.5 degree for example) crank it up to 14.5 or even 15.5 degrees and trim the shaft to 3 wood length. Way way easier to hit than either a normal driver and 3 wood by a country mile. For me my distance and accuracy are both well up. Can I hit a standard length driver further,,,,, sometimes, but an extra 20 to 40 extra yards in the trees or deep stuff ain’t worth **** !

Good video! Be good to see how you get on playing a “safe” hit the fairway driver.....ease back, is it the same then if hitting 250...

1 iron off the tee has worked best for me for playing it safe. It isn't hard to hit as long as it is teed up slightly. Off the deck is a different story.

Get those driver weights forward bruh! Beast mode for life

Excellent test but I have to disagreee with the host. It looks liek the test shows you only gain an average of 15 yards yet have a much better dispersion pattern. So Maybe I should hit the 3 wood off the tee.

I don't own a driver, just a 3 wood (G400) difference in drive length doesn't make up for larger error rate in my case

You won't stick a tee in the ground, but you'll gouge out divots?

My play it safe shot is the 4iron stinger. My bread and butter

I always top my first tee shot if there’s as much as a seagull watching, no matter what club I use. I forgive you aiming your club like a gun, saying boom a lot and club head cover chucking because you don’t wear a baseball cap indoors. I look forward to seeing you in one next video 😂

If you're not a 12 handicap or better don't overthink this. Because most golfers below that level will miss the fairway with anything longer than a 5 iron anyway.

What you talking about you smash everything......😅😂🤣😭😅😂 Ref last post nice n easy lol

Hi, i have after 40 years golf never made many good resultat of playing "safe"? Using #3 wood from tee I have not doin better than big Dog? Its better have a more lofted driver and doin 80% of poower making shots! But till this day it is so, but after You ask, tomorrow I will make shots, one driver one wood on six holes!!! I will tell You how it came out! Johnny D Bergh PGA Retired

I play at a pretty long course its a par 72 and off the plates plays 6800m there are some holes where you just need to play driver other wise your hitting a 3 wood into a par 4 on one hole haha I don't hit it short either driver goes around 270m

If the big guns not working on a given day leave it in the bag But You can hit a bad shot at any time with any club in the bag You wouldn’t lay up on a par three with bunkers on each side

Just play the big dog with shorter legs (shorter shaft)

For me . . . if i i have to question whether or not to use the driver, it had better just stay in the bag. I've already hit the bad shot in my head and that will certainly come out in my swing.

I put my driver away last year and I use my ThreewoodAnd I shut the best Score and my whole year

I was hitting the driver so bad, I went to hitting a 5 iron. It made those holes into the wind tough but it kept me out of trouble. Pretty much had to trust my short game more do that

I agree I will always hit the driver off first tee, bigger face lol... I hit them both big so dosnt matter

Nope your nano the only one I do it all the time all so they are good for iron shots off the tee as well

I mostly only use a 3 wood. Get put into bad situations with the drivers so extra yardage doesn’t matter to me

Great video

I just wish I could find a driver in a 9* that was the size of my 3 wood (old 2007 R7 TP 13*).... My swing speed on my 3 wood normally is around 109-110 but I have gotten it up to 115 when I go after one (I wouldnt use that swing off the first tee!!!!) I love the 3 wood because I have a hard time hitting the driver well. I swing normally at 113 -116 but I got it up to 119 today, but my shots were all over the place :(

My best play safe I hit my old driving iron it was very dry this time of year it rolled almost to the green 350 I was only about 30 yards from the green it was fun

I always say grip and rip it then cry when duff it. I like to try get as close to the green as possible that's probably why my short game is very good, but if I took 3wood maybe my longer irons would be better but that probably why I take driver as I've done it for so long. Can't teach a old dog new tricks.

James.. while your test theory was good, the execution was not quite realistic because u had no pressure.. usually when we game plan to play it safe is because pressure or nerves or trouble on course..next add some pressure.. for example.. set up the fairway to be 15 yards wide.. and hit 5 balls with each.. big dog and little dog.. if you fail to hit 3/5 fairways.. then you have to send a couple sleeves of golf balls to some of your subscribers for penalty. Something like that, which will give some pressure to you and then we can see a more realistic test vs, this one u just did? Thoughts?

I have around play it safe storries a round at the moments wheels have come off a bit.i blame the weather 😊

When I have to play it safe... I pull out my 2 iron. Because Tee’d up I can drive that 250-270. Do love me a good 2 iron

great Video James ! can you do a M5 Vs M6 3 wood test

On home course driver off first tee every time only because the heads bigger so more chance of hitting the ball 😂

I carry a 3 wood and 5 wood my 3 wood is a safely club and my 5 wood is a lay up club

I was going to play it safe hitting a 2 iron over a driver and lay up on a part 4 and I ended up driving the green on a 295 yard slightly up hill hole

played it safe on my last hole of my PAT just to hit two OB and failed it by two but on the bright side i poured boath shots unfortunately OB left .

Your swing is not built for easing off, James. Your motion is at its best full bore.

My worst play it safe it the ball way right out of bounds had to hit from the tee twice lol

Golf tees. I use a tee for driver. If I snap it, I use the pencil sharpener in my bag, sharpen the end... Perfect tee for 3 Wood. Your welcome

Best play it safe was a short par 4 I decided to hit a 3 iron off the tee and play it safe... shanked it into the woods.

Everyone's different, hit the club you are best with....