You're Correct!

So you arrive at your ball on the fairway, lets have a run through of the process for selecting your next shot and what you need to assess before deciding on which club to use.

1. How is the ball lying in the fairway? Is the ball on a perfect lie? In an old sand filled divot? Sat down in a depression? Is the ball on a downhill, uphill, flat or side sloped lie? Hitting the fairway doesnt always guarantee you the perfect lie.
2. What are the conditions like, weather, wind, etc and how will this affect the golf ball.
3. What obstacles are between you and the green? Are there water hazards, bunkers, trees or deep rough to be avoided?
4. What is my desired target for my next shot? And how far is the target?
5. Is this the best target for your skill set? Are you confident with this target?
6. From the information gathered, which club do you require?

This should be the process for each shot you play on the golf course when deciding on the appropriate club selection. When it comes to deciding if you should be choosing a 3 wood for your next shot, you should now be able to answer the question for yourself.

The most important factor when deciding whether to use the 3 wood would be the lie. If the ball isnt lay too good you will struggle to sweep the ball away and make any kind of decent contact on the ball.

When assessing your next shot to decide on playing a 3 wood from the fairway, the lie alone isnt enough information to give you the green light to hit away. The ball may be lay on a nice, inviting lie, but then you could have a large water hazard tight to the right hand side of the green. Ask yourself - is the 3 wood the smart play?

The distance of the shot from the fairway may be perfect for the best 3 wood you can hit. But then there is the lie, the wind, hazards, etc. If you selected each club based on the distance alone and did not calculate in all other factors, you will be selecting the incorrect play on a frequent basis.

When deciding to play a 3 wood from off the fairway, you need to consider what obstacles are between your ball and the hole. If there is a water hazard to carry in front of the green then the 3 wood may be the correct choice. But this alone shouldnt sway your decision. You should decide if that choice of club is the smart play. How many times can you sail a 3 wood perfectly on to the green compared to the number of times you hit that low worm burner which would find the water? Play smart in accordance to your skill set.