5 Wood vs 3 Iron: How to Pick The Right Club for You

Which golf membership ought to I carry between a 5 wooden vs 3 iron?

It is a common query I obtain from excessive handicap golfers seeking to improve their gear. Total, a 5-wood makes essentially the most sense for much less expert golfers, because it possesses enhanced second of inertia (MOI) to provide straight, constant strikes.

Nevertheless, it’s price proudly owning each golf equipment to arrange for any golf course or climate situations. On this put up, I zone in on options, advantages, and variations of the golf equipment in query. By the tip you’ll know when to hold a 5-wood and go away the 3-iron at residence.

 

Overview of The 5 Wooden and three Iron

Though a 5-wood and 3-iron carry related lofts, they’re remarkably totally different golf golf equipment. A 5-wood options an enlarged crown development and a decrease heart of gravity (CG).

The enlarged head produces optimum MOI to maintain the clubface sq. at impression. Subsequently, a 5-wood promotes straight, lengthy pictures for optimum carry distance.

A 3-iron presents a diminished floor space to strike the golf ball. As well as, they’re constructed to ship a decrease launch angle, appropriate for windy situations and hyperlinks programs.

 

Variations Between a 5 Wooden and a 3 Iron

Head Development

The clearest distinction between a 5 wooden vs 3-iron is the development of the top. A 5-wood options an enlarged crown design with a large candy spot. The elevated crown measurement enabled the engineers to place further mass within the head for a towering flight and a constant and forgiving shot.

As well as, the expanded candy spot helps you keep ball velocity and reduce aspect spin on heel and toe mishits. Subsequently, you produce optimum distance and accuracy.

Conversely, a 3-iron incorporates a blade development that’s larger, however narrower than a 5-wood. This design ends in a diminished candy spot in comparison with the wooden, which may value you distance and accuracy on off-center strikes.

Nevertheless, trendy recreation enchancment lengthy irons include perimeter weighting and a low and again CG. This helps you speed up ball velocity on mishits to provide constant yardage.

Shaft Size

The shaft size of those two golf equipment differs, albeit marginally. Nevertheless, shaving an inch off your shaft impacts your ball place at handle. Whether it is too far ahead for a shorter design, it causes you to hunch over at handle. This posture units you up for an out-to-in swing path prompting an open clubface at contact.

Quite the opposite, inserting the ball too far again in your stance for an extended shaft leaves you restricted time to sq. the face up at impression. Subsequently, you generate sidespin that causes a slice, sending your ball into the deep proper tough.

The common size of 5-woods with metal shafts ranges from 41.5 to 42 inches. Alternatively, the usual graphite shaft for this membership measures 42 to 42.5 inches. The longer size of those golf equipment implies that your ball ought to sit in direction of your entrance foot.

A regular 3-iron with a metal shaft clocks in at 39 inches, whereas a graphite development reaches 39.5-inches. The shorter shaft size of a 3-iron requires you to maneuver your ball to the entrance heart of your setup.

Clubhead Velocity

The longer shaft size of a 5-wood helps to spice up clubhead velocity over a 3-iron. Knowledge gathered by Trackman exhibits that the typical swing velocity with a 5-wood is 103 mph versus the 3-iron’s 98 mph.

Fast clubhead velocity will increase a golfer’s skill to impart optimum vitality onto the ball at impression, resulting in accelerated ball velocity.

Launch Angle

Contemplating each these golf equipment carry a loft of 18 to 19 levels, you’ll anticipate an analogous launch angle and apex. Nevertheless, they ship various ball flights making them appropriate for various climate and golf course layouts.

Trackman discovered that PGA professionals obtain a most top of 31-yards with a 5-wood. This trumps the 3-iron apex of 27 yards.

 

Subsequently, a 5-wood towers the ball flight of a 3 iron, making it appropriate for well-manicured programs and clear situations. The upper trajectory helps you enhance carry distance which helps on fairways that ship restricted roll. Plus, the flight encourages a gentle touchdown to cease your ball quickly on tight greens and touchdown zones.

Quite the opposite, a 3-iron works on agency turf that promotes roll. As well as, the low launch is welcome in windy situations, the place you try to fly the ball below the breeze.

Though the above statistics symbolize PGA Tour Professionals and never amateurs, the outcomes are related. Whether or not you’re low, mid, or excessive handicappers, you most likely launch a 5-wood larger than a 3-iron.

Distance

Remaining with the Trackman information, we flip to hold distance. The golf launch monitor big found that professionals hit a 5-wood farther than a 3-iron. On common, a PGA Tour participant sends their 5-wood 230-yards. Sadly, there is no such thing as a indication whether or not that features fairway, tough, and tee pictures.

As well as, their information suggests {that a} 3-iron carries 212-yards on common. In consequence, the iron travels 18-yards lower than its fairway wooden nemesis.

In 2018, one other golf information supplier Arccos launched statistics on fairway woods vs hybrids vs irons for common golfers. They broke down the outcomes by handicap class. Total, their findings complemented these of Trackman aside from low handicapper golfers.

Of their case, they discovered that superior amateurs ship their 3-iron tee pictures farther than a 5-wood. The distinction is 7-yards. A potential rationalization for this result’s that these gamers generate extra backspin rpm with 5-wood tee pictures, resulting in a marginal lack of carry distance.

Regardless of this discovering, mid handicappers and people with excessive handicaps produce elevated yardage with the green wooden over an iron.

Roll

I discussed that the excessive ball flight of a 5-wood shot tends to limit your roll upon touchdown. Which means your golf ball stops quickly and doesn’t achieve additional yards on the ground. Diminished roll is the distinction between driving a par 4 inexperienced or placing your self in place to succeed in a par 5 in 2.

Alternatively, the low launch of a 3-iron propels the ball ahead after it hits the bottom. This helps you obtain additional distance. Particularly in case your ball catches the right slope, it might probably run for yards.

 

Which Membership Usually Hits Additional?

Primarily based on the info gathered from Trackman and Arccos, it’s evident {that a} 5-wood hits additional off the tee and the deck.

The Trackman report doesn’t state whether or not their stats are for pictures from the tee or off the deck. Nonetheless, they discovered that PGA Tour gamers carry a 5-wood 230-yards on common. This exceeds the typical 3-iron results of 212-yards.

 

Which Membership is Thought-about Simpler to Hit?

The improved MOI of a 5-wood, coupled with its low CG and expanded candy spot, make it simpler to hit. Particularly for newbies with slower swing velocity. Gamers on this bracket typically wrestle to persistently get their ball into the air, making the 3-iron a troublesome associate.

 

Do You Want Each Golf equipment in Your Bag?

It’s pointless to hold each golf equipment in your bag, as they carry related lofts. Including the 2 leaves you with fewer slots for wedges, which I desire greater than lengthy golf equipment.

Regardless of my view on carrying each in your bag, I imagine it’s best to personal a 5-wood and 3-iron. You need the choice of a 3-iron for days the place heavy wind is forecast, or you’re taking part in a hyperlinks course. The low launching nature of the iron helps you retain the ball out of the breeze and promote most ahead roll.

 

Methods to Determine Out Which Membership is Proper for You

Get Fitted

My first suggestion for amateurs is to get fitted. Visiting an expert fitter supplies detailed perception into your swing that can assist you determine the most suitable choice.

In fact, this will increase your start-up prices. I’ve compiled a guidelines beneath for these seeking to hold their bills to a minimal.

Shaft Size

I spoke in regards to the clubhead velocity benefits of an extended shaft. Since a 5-wood has a taller development, it is smart that you simply produce accelerated swing velocity. The draw back of an extended shaft is that it’s tough to manage. This may result in inaccurate strikes, decreasing your smash issue, ball velocity, and distance.

You could discover that the shorter shaft of a 3-iron will increase your management over the golf membership. In consequence, it could be simpler so that you can discover the middle of the clubface.

Ball Flight

What ball flight do you want? Are you on the lookout for a high-flying shot that lands softly? Or is a low-flying shot with most roll extra up your alley? Your reply to this query can information your determination on which membership is finest for you.

Golfers searching for towering ball flight and gentle touchdown on method ought to keep on with the 5-wood. The low CG and excessive MOI encourage straight, excessive golf pictures for a constant lengthy recreation. Quite the opposite, a 3-iron is healthier for individuals who desire low trajectory and extra roll upon touchdown.

Climate

In case you solely have the price range for certainly one of these golf equipment, I urge you to issue within the climate forecast. Clearly, day-after-day brings about totally different situations. Nevertheless, it’s best to take into consideration the everyday situations at your golf course.

Areas with fixed wind don’t favor the excessive launching 5-wood. As an alternative, the low-flying 3-iron retains your ball beneath the breeze to maximise distance in these situations.

Dwelling Course Design

Lastly, the format of your property course ought to information your determination. Don’t add a 3-iron to your bag if the greens are slim and demand a gentle touchdown. Quite the opposite, the towering flight of a 5-wood will value you whole distance on agency, windy hyperlinks programs.

 

Associated Studying: If an extended iron just isn’t in your radar, chances are you’ll desire studying how fairway woods examine to excessive launching hybrids. Learn our assessment on the 5-wood vs 3-hybrid.