13.5 Vs 15 Degree Fairway Wood – Which 3 Wood Is Best For You?

13.5 Vs 15 Degree Fairway Wood – Which 3 Wood Is Best For You?

Recently I’ve been looking for ways to improve my golf, my golf coach suggested that I should think about using a lower degree of loft on my 3 wood – from 15 degrees to 13.5 degrees.

To help me understand how this could help me improve my golf I spent some time understanding the reasons why this could be a good change to make.

Should you have a 3 wood with 13.5 degrees or 15 degrees? I will provide you with everything you need to know to answer this question, help you make the right decision, and ultimately improve your golf.  So keep reading if you are trying to work out what degree 3 wood you should use.

Does the loft of a golf club matter?

The loft of a golf club has a huge impact on the golf ball. The amount of loft will determine how far, and high the ball travels when hit, and how much spin is generated.

The lower the loft, the further the golf ball will travel. This is particularly important in woods, as the amount of loft can also influence how easy the ball is to hit from the fairway.

How choosing the right loft can improve your golf?

Loft can have a big impact on your golf score. The most important choice you can make in golf is what club to use, this is determined by the loft of a club.

After a driver, the fairway wood is the club which will travel the furthest. If you want the golf ball to travel a longer distance, then a lower lofted club is the best choice. If you’re looking for a shot which travels a shorter distance, then a higher lofted club is the best choice.

What are the lofts of fairway woods?

Fairway woods generally range from a 3 wood through to a 7 wood. The 7 wood typically has a loft of around 25 degrees, with a 3 wood loft around 15 degrees.

To help you see how these lofts vary from club to club have look at the helpful table below:

Driver	8-13 Degrees
3 Wood	12-17 Degrees
4 Wood	15-19 Degrees
5 Wood	20-23 Degrees
7 Wood	25-28 Degrees

You’ll see that there is a big variation in the types of loft you can find in fairway woods. Therefore, when deciding which shot to play, choosing the correct loft is a very important decision.

How far should I hit my woods?

Club	Short Hitter	Mid Hitter	Long Hitter
Driver	200 yds	230 yds	260 yds
3 Wood	180 yds	215 yds	235 yds
5 Wood	170 yds	195 yds	210 yds
3 Hybrid	163 yds	190 yds	205 yds

How does swing speed impact my golf?

Swing speed relates to the amount of speed you generate when you swing your club through the ball.

This speed can vary hugely from golfer to golfer. Top PGA professionals such as Bryson DeChambeau can swing the clubhead at nearly 140 mph. Whereas the average club golfer generally has a swing speed between 80-90 mph.

The faster your swing speed the further you will hit the ball. This is simple physics, the harder something is hit the further it will move. This technique has been deployed by today’s top professionals extremely well, allowing them to hit the ball record distances on the golf course.

Is a 13.5 Degree Wood the right choice for me?

A lower lofted 3 wood is traditionally more suited to a better golfer with a lower handicap.

This is because due to its lower trajectory of ball flight, the 13.5 degree wood can be harder to get airborne and achieve the required amount of carry distance on your shot. Therefore, a more consistent swing is required to achieve a good ball flight.

Do I need a fast swing for a 13.5 degree wood?

A lower lofted club can be harder to hit if you do not have a swing which is fast enough.

Swing speed is important as if you have a slower swing, using a lower lofted club you may struggle to get the ball airborne. A 13.5 degree 3 wood has a lower trajectory and lower ball flight, it will travel further, but you will need a faster swing to achieve the required distance

Is a 15 Degree Wood best for average golfers?

The 15 degree 3 wood is the most common fairway wood and is more suited to the average golfer.

It is best for a golfer who is looking for a more consistent strike from the fairway, as the lower centre of gravity means it is an easier club to hit off the deck, and the higher loft provides more forgiveness in off centre shots.

Does swing speed matter with a 15 degree 3 wood?

The swing speed required to hit a good shot with a 15 degree 3 wood can be slower.

I have a slower swing speed and find this suits me well. The higher loft means that it’s easier to get the ball airborne and provides good ball carry and distance.

Should I use a driver or a 13.5 degree 3 wood from the tee?

Some golfers choose to use a lower lofted 3 wood in place of a driver from the tee. With drivers typically having a loft between 9-12 degrees, you can see why it would be an easy change to make.

The 13.5 degree 3 wood is a great choice for those shorter holes which require more position than distance. Tiger Woods used a 13.5 3 wood and would regularly use this from the tee in place of a driver for position and accuracy.

Is there any difference between 13.5 and 14 Degree Woods?

There will be very little difference in choosing a fairway wood with 0.5 degree difference. Unless you are a very good golfer its highly unlikely that you will see the benefit of such a small change.

Should I use a 15 or 16 Degree Wood?

There are two main reasons why you might choose a 16 degree wood over a 15 degree wood.

Firstly, a higher amount of loft in your fairway woods can really suit golfers who struggle to get the ball airborne from the fairway. As it has more loft the club will launch the ball on a higher trajectory. Secondly, a deciding factor will be how far you want to hit the ball. The gapping of your club distances could mean that the 16 degree loft suits your game better than the 15 degree lofted wood.

Why high handicappers need fairway woods?

Higher handicappers generally rely on fairway woods to help hit the green on longer par three holes. These will be the ones that are too far for their irons to reach.

Also, fairway woods are helpful on those long par 5 holes which you want to try and reach in two, or at least get very close to the green for your third shot. Finally, fairway woods can be a good club to use when off target and hitting shots from the rough. Due to the shape of the club head, they are easier to hit through longer grass than irons and can be a good rescue club.

Do I need a 3 wood or a 5 wood?

This is a tough decision, a 3 wood or a 5 wood. I know of golfers who carry a 3 wood in their bag but never use the club as they have no confidence when hitting it.

While the 5 wood can be just as tricky, it is an easier club to hit for a higher handicap player and should be the go to option. The shorter shaft length, together with the increased loft will produce consistently better results. Ultimately it will depend on how far you want to hit the club, but for me a 5 wood is a safer, more consistent option.

Do better players need a 3 wood or a 5 wood?

If you’re lucky enough to be a better player, you have the luxury of choosing whichever club you like! It’s a gift that these players have, they can easily hit any club they choose.

However the stats would show that better players will typically hit  3 iron further than a 5 wood. A 3 wood when hit well, would just travel too far to be a suitable alternatives for the 5 wood. So, for a better golfer a 3 wood will always be the best choice.

How To Hit Fairway Woods Consistently?

The best techniques for hitting fairway woods consistently is to use a sweeping motion when striking the ball.

This is different to how you would hit down on your iron shots. If you do these three things each time, you will have a consistency with your fairway woods that will improve your golf:

1. Position the ball forward when taking your stance. The ball should be approximately two golf balls inside your heel for a 3 wood.
2. Swing the club backwards using a wide arch, this will generate a wider swing which is flatter. This is required to generate the weeping motion down through the ball.
3. Aim to hit through the ball, only taking a small divot where required. This will produce the best contact to set the ball on its way to the target!

Three Top Tips For Hitting Fairway woods

Try these three amazing tips for hitting excellent fairway woods:

1. Take a practice swing each time and make sure that you graze the turf or fairway consistently. This way you are training your body to swing at the ball from the correct height.
2. Use the loft of the fairway wood to get the ball in the air. The loft of the fairway wood, if hit correctly, will get the ball airborne. All you need to do is strike the ball from the centre of the club. Bad shots come from players hitting down on the ball with the fairway wood which will produce a duffed shot.
3. No divots. Try to clip the ball off the fairway so that there is very little divot. This will ensure that you have a clean strike on the ball which will produce the best results every time.

The Best 3 Fairway Woods For 2022?

1. The Ping G425 Fairway wood is my top choice for 2022. It has amazing forgiveness and has the unique ‘wrap around face design’ found in the Ping woods. This produces higher ball speeds and more forgiveness. This is perfect for either high or low handicap golfers.
2. The Callaway Rogue ST Max is one of the newest fairway woods on the market. It makes the list as not only does it use computer-driven learning to produce a more stable clubhead, but this technology also helps generate higher trajectory with lower spin rates making it very forgiving.
3. The TaylorMade Stealth Fairway wood is the third choice on my list. Recently released TaylorMade have designed this club for maximum forgiveness with no compromise on distance. What more could you ask for!

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed reading this summary of why choosing the right loft for your fairway wood can be critical in improving your golf. In summary it seems that if you are a higher handicap golfer a higher lofted 3 wood will be the best choice for your game.

They are easier to hit, more forgiving, and suit a slower swing speed. The 13.5 degree 3 wood can be an excellent option for a better, lower handicap golfer. It allows them to get the required distance, can be used from the tee as an alternative to the driver and suits a more consistent, faster swing.

So, have a think about which one will suit your game the best. Why not take some time to have a look at the recommended fairway woods in this article, I’m confident that if by choosing the right fairway wood you will take your game to the next level!

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