Why not hit up with the 3 wood just like the driver?

[dlam]

So we all know that positive angle of attack with a driver will yield more yards
Why not do that with 3 wood too? Get extra 20-40 yards by hitting up on the ball off the tee with 3 wood
And off a fairway lie expect to be shorter with 3 wood as the angle of attack is more level or downward

 

[wulsy]

You'd have to tee it up pretty high and then you might get right under it and sky it with that small head. No?

 

[Frans@France]

So we all know that positive angle of attack with a driver will yield more yards

Hitting up by itself WILL NOT yield more yards! What you want to achieve is the optimum launch angle for the ball speed and if possible the optimal spin. Optimal here is maximum distance (either carry or roll)

So what will hitting up really do for that ball data : it can make the loftspin lower therefore generating less spin. However as seen by hitting down most people keep the spin loft the same

It will increase launch angle. As the launch angle might now be less optimal you might need to take a driver with less loft to get again back to the optimal launch angle.

Less loft is less spinloft is less spin. Less loft might also improve on the maximal smash value so increasing possible speed and thus carry

To know what your optimum is you need to know your ball speed. And then calculate your optimum or let a clubfitter do that for you. Then find the max AOA you can achieve without to much trouble and from there find the correct launch, then the correct loft that generates that correct launch....

If you need max distance also with your 3-wood : start using the driver instead!

if you have the best distance with the 3-wood then you have not enough clubhead speed for the driver your are using!! Find a clubfitter unless you're on of those "I don't like anything higher then 10* loft" macho types.

 

[jewofgolf]

Practically speaking, hitting up on it (correctly) reduces spin loft and (generally) leads to more distance due to higher launch (from hitting up more) and lower/same spin (from less spin loft). To put it plainly, doing the opposite of flipping is going to add yards.

When I'm teeing off with a 3 wood, sometimes I tee it a little higher (~1/4") and I get 5-10 more yards out of it. Control decreases some the more you hit up on it (generally speaking, changing your swing from "normal for you" leads to less accuracy from worse timing) more, but sometimes you want/need those yards.

 

[Frans@France]

Practically speaking, hitting up on it (correctly) reduces spin loft and (generally) leads to more distance due to higher launch (from hitting up more) and lower/same spin (from less spin loft).

No, Most people (if not all) keep the spin loft (the angle between dynamic loft and angle of attack) the same. so only launch will change. You need to use a good launch monitor to really know what happens.

No, Higher launch and less spin will not generate more distance! Only optimal launch angle and optimal spin for your ball speed gives more distance! Again if you don't know your ballspeed you have no idea of knowing if you are in the optimal zone already.

Most slow clubhead speed golfers would need more spin and higher launch to get more distance. That's why a lot of people have better result with the 3wood.

 

[dschultz6072]

if you want to play around with launch/spin data, go here:
Trajectory optimizer

 

[jewofgolf]

I'm sorry to disagree with you, but at least in my experience (maybe because I've been playing at a decently high level for a long time), myself and anybody I know that hits up on the ball more intentionally and successfully reduces spin loft. Add some axis tilt, hold off the release a bit longer, you get that result.

And it is generally true that adding launch and reducing spin is going to be more optimal than whatever most people are already doing. Of course you are technically correct in the most absolute terms, but in the real world I am also correct. 99.9% of people are not optimized for distance with a 3 wood - when you hit up on it you get closer.

 

[Frans@France]

I'm sorry to disagree with you, but at least in my experience (maybe because I've been playing at a decently high level for a long time), myself and anybody I know that hits up on the ball more intentionally and successfully reduces spin loft. Add some axis tilt, hold off the release a bit longer, you get that result.

my experience is not based on myself. I measure with a Trackman every year the group of new PGA teaching professionals here for this region. That is part of the d-plane, ball flight education and Trackman demo I give them.

I yet have to measure someone that can change AoA while keeping dynamic loft the same. Only after explanation and providing constant data feedback while they are changing their swing some(!) will succeed.

--this is my last posting on this subject. If you disagree that's fine with me--

PS I forgot to tell that I also measure each and every golfer that visits me for fittings and they do the same thing. However most are not single or better hcp golfer. and the PGA group is. That's why I mentioned them.

 

[jewofgolf]

Thanks for your discussion on this. In my small sample set (including me testing on a launch monitor) we were able to get it right. I'm not going to disagree that many (and based on your much greater experience most) don't get it right when hitting up on the ball. I also want to point out that I completely agree that the generalized statements do not apply to everyone and people should get hard data to know the right thing to change.

 

[Brian Manzella]

Absoluetly NO REASON you can't hit up on the 3-wood.

I do it when I want to hot a "going draw" downwind.