7 Wood vs 3 Iron (What Club Should You Hit?)

Written by Todd in Online Golf Instruction

The 7 wood loft is around 21 degrees, while the typical loft of a 3 iron is 19 degrees. The 7 wood shaft might be 1-2 inches longer on average.  This results in similar distances when hit with a proper swing.

The great news for golfers in today’s game is the many options they have when it comes to club selection.

The bad news is the many options that they have. 

It can be difficult to gather enough information, test out a variety of clubs and then decide what is best for their game.

The traditional setup for many golfers included the following:

  • Driver
  • 3 Wood
  • 5 Wood
  • 3 Iron through Pitching Wedge
  • Sand Wedge, Lob Wedge
  • Putter

However, now golfers have many different options including the hybrids and higher lofted fairway woods that may not even have been considered a decade or two ago.  Some alternative clubs to the setup above include:

  • 3-9 Hybrid Club
  • 3-9 Fairway Woods
  • 2-3 Driving Irons

So, let’s dive in and consider the pros and cons of the 7 wood vs the 3 iron.

7 Wood vs 3 Iron

Recommendation: I would estimate that close to 95% of golfers would benefit from using a 7 wood over a 3 iron. If your swing speed isn’t fast enough, a 3 iron can be really difficult to hit. Meanwhile, the 7 wood is designed to be played from a variety of lies and helps the golfer launch the ball higher than a 3 iron, yet not lose any distance! Make sure you benefit from today’s technology in the game of golf!

The difficulty for many amateur golfers is making the proper swing on a consistent basis, which is why many amateur golfers will be better off with a 7 wood compared to a 3 wood.  

Both clubs are needed for those difficult, narrow par 4s.

Pros of the 7 Wood

  • Extra forgiveness
  • Low center of gravity
  • Great out of a variety of lies

Extra Forgiveness

Unless you have the perfect golf swing and strike the ball on the center of the club face a high percentage of the time, the 7 wood is a great replacement club for the 3 iron.  It is built to be forgiving and launch the ball high and far.  Most golfers have experienced the feeling of hitting a long iron off center and it is not good. 

The confidence that can be gained from standing over a fairway wood is enough to help the golfer make a quality swing and when you add in the extra forgiveness you have a quality club that becomes a go to club for many golfers.

Low Center of Gravity

Many golfers struggle to hit the ball high enough to hold a green from 175 yards plus. Even when they hit the ball solidly, it might have a lower trajectory and the ball hits the green and runs off the back.  The low center of gravity on the 7 wood not only provides extra distance, but extra height for many golfers.

Great Out of a Variety of Lies

Let’s face it, too often we miss the fairway and end up in thick rough or a fairway bunker.  This is where the 7 wood really becomes a special club.  The engineering behind the 7 wood is designed to help golfers in these situations.  The 3 iron can be difficult because it will twist and turn through the thicker rough.

Many sets do not even offer a 3 wood any longer because they can be difficult to hit.

Pros of the 3 Iron

  • Precision
  • Workability

Precision

If you are a low single digit handicap golfer, precision in your carry distances is vital.  When you want to hit a 205 yard shot, you want it to carry somewhere pretty close to that distance.  Hitting a 205 yard shot 215 yards can lead to disaster when you are trying to make birdies and pars and manage your way around a golf course.  The 3 iron provides that precision that the elite golfer needs to play par or better golf.

Workability

The better golfer will also want to hit lower shots when the course or conditions call for it.  The 3 iron is superior to being able to control the ball flight and the ability to hit a draw or fade.  For the golfer that has a quality swing and needs the precision and workability the 3 iron is a viable option for the golfer.

Finding a place to test out the different options is improtant.

Next Steps

  • Assess your game
  • Test out a variety of options
  • Consider multiple options

Assess Your Game

Do you end up in a lot of rough and fairway bunkers and struggle to make solid contact that leads to quality shots?  Are you frustrated with trying to hit 3 iron and hit less than 75% of your shots with a 3 iron solid? Do you struggle to carry your 3 iron more than 150 yards?

Then it is probably time to consider alternative options to the 3 iron.  Many golfers get to the point where they can set their ego aside or whatever might be holding them back and make the move to a better club option.  There have been great advancements in clubs over the years and the golfer needs to take advantage of these better options.

Test Out A Variety of Options

I would recommend heading to a local pro shop or local big box golf store and testing out on a launch monitor or golf simulator and getting the actual numbers on each of the different options on the market today.  Consider what distance you need a golf for and where the gaps might currently exist.

Consider Multiple Options

Many golfers will own more than 14 clubs and have options of what club they want to carry for their next round based on the golf course, the conditions, and how they are currently swinging.  Having a variety of fairway woods, hybrids or driving irons is a decent idea if you can afford it.  Keep the game fun and give yourself plenty of options.

Have Fun!

Make sure you are enjoying the journey and working to improve your swing and your scoring.  Golf is supposed to be fun and many golfers enjoy testing out and then buying new golf clubs.  The hope that the new club brings is always exciting!

Other 7 Wood or 3 Iron Related Posts:

My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently.  About four years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage.  I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.

This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer.  I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day.  I can practice or play rounds of golf.  I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.

It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.

Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you?  I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor.  Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed.  Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier.  Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system?  It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:

Recent Posts