Neal Shipley carries two drivers in his golf bag. His main driver flies 300 yards. His second drive, a cut-down, higher-lofted version, carries exactly 280 yards and flies significantly straighter.
A growing number of PGA Tour players are ditching their 3-woods for what Ping calls the “Thriver.” Players like Ben Silverman, Preston Summerhays, and Shipley are seeing measurable improvements in accuracy and scoring by swapping their 3-wood for a shortened, higher-lofted driver.
After speaking with Marty Jertson, VP of Fitting and Performance at Ping, the data behind this strategy reveals why this unconventional approach makes perfect sense.
The Problem with 3-Woods Nobody Talks About
If you drive the ball 280+ yards, you barely use your 3-wood off the ground.
Ping’s analysis of on-course data reveals a striking pattern: players who drive 300 yards hit their 3-wood off the tee 80% of the time, not off the deck. The longer you hit your driver, the less you need that 3-wood for approach shots into par 5s.
“The 3-wood off the ground is just proportionally not an important shot for scoring from a strokes-gained perspective,” Jertson explains. “Those days of hitting a high 3-wood into a par 5 to make eagle are largely gone.”
Meanwhile, the first tee shot with a 3-wood remains one of golf’s most anxiety-inducing moments. Competitive players know the feeling: standing on a tight tee box where driver won’t work, gripping a 3-wood, and fighting pure dread.
The “Thriver” Concept
Take a 12-degree driver head, put it on a 3-wood shaft (about 43 inches), and optimize it for accuracy at a specific yardage.
The typical setup:
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- 12-degree driver head (actual loft: 13.5 degrees)
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- 43-43.5 inch shaft length
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- Carries about 20-25 yards shorter than your main driver
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- 40-60% tighter dispersion than a traditional 3-wood
For Shipley, this means a reliable 280-yard carry compared to his 300-yard driver. The trade-off? Unprecedented accuracy for a club that travels nearly as far as most golfers’ drivers.
Why Moment of Inertia Matters
A driver head has 3-5 times the moment of inertia (MOI) of a 3-wood. In practical terms, this means significantly better forgiveness on off-center hits.
“You could reduce your left-right dispersion by 40 to 60% compared to a 3-wood,” says Jertson. “When we tested this, players consistently hit it at least 40% tighter than their 3-wood off the tee.”
That improvement translates to real strokes gained. Ping’s internal calculator shows that maintaining the same distance (270 yards) while tightening dispersion by 40% equals 1.8 strokes gained per round through driving accuracy alone.
Who Should Consider Two Drivers
The strategy depends entirely on your driving distance:
280+ carry: You’ll likely gain strokes by switching
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- Your 3-wood is primarily a tee club anyway
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- Course management often requires precision over maximum distance
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- First tee nerves with a 3-wood cost you strokes
250–275: Worth testing both options. Fit for tee and turf
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- Test both scenarios when getting fitted
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- Give equal priority to hitting off the ground and off the tee
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- Consider course conditions and typical pin positions
225 and below: You probably still need a traditional fairway wood or 5-wood you can trust off the ground
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- You need that 3-wood performance off the deck
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- Distance from the fairway is crucial for reaching greens
The faster you swing, the more likely it is that a Thriver outperforms your 3-wood in both consistency and strokes gained off the tee.
The 2:1 Distance-to-Accuracy Rule
Ping’s strokes-gained research reveals a crucial ratio: for better players (single digits), gaining 10 yards of distance is worth losing 5 yards of accuracy. For higher handicaps driving under 250 yards, that ratio shifts to 3:1—distance becomes even more valuable.
This data supports why tour players can sacrifice 20-25 yards for dramatically improved accuracy. When you’re already long enough to reach most pins, precision becomes the priority.
Building Your Own Thriver
If you want to test this concept:
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- Start with a 12-degree driver head (actual loft around 13.5°)
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- Use a 3-wood shaft (typically 43-43.5 inches)
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- Add 12-15 grams of lead tape to achieve proper swing weight
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- Tee it low for your stock shot (more options with tee height)
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- Expect 3,000+ rpm spin rate with a slightly descending blow
The result should be a club that carries 20-25 yards shorter than your driver but flies significantly straighter.
Course Strategy Changes
The two-driver setup fundamentally changes course management. Instead of choosing between bombing driver and nervously hitting 3-wood, you have:
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- Driver: Maximum distance when the course allows
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- Thriver: Precision placement when accuracy matters
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- Confidence club: Automatic fairway finder for tight holes
“I consider this club like an anti-anxiety club,” Jertson admits. “You can get steep on it, take a divot if you want—that ball’s going down the fairway.”
The Professional Verdict
Tour players who’ve made the switch report they never go back. The combination of improved accuracy and reduced stress on demanding tee shots outweighs the occasional lost opportunity from not having a 3-wood.
“If you play this club, you can reoptimize your regular driver to be a little bit longer for distance,” suggests Jertson. Many players actually gain total distance by being more aggressive with their primary driver setup.
Making the Decision
The two-driver strategy works if:
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- You drive the ball 280+ yards consistently
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- Course management matters more than maximum distance
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- You get nervous hitting 3-wood off the tee
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- You rarely hit 3-wood successfully off the ground
- You rarely hit 3-wood successfully off the ground
Before making any equipment changes, get properly fitted. Ping’s network of certified fitters can help determine if this unconventional approach suits your game and build the optimal setup for your swing
