Golf Science Lab

What if the 3-wood is the most overrated club in your bag?In this episode of the Golf Well podcast, I sit down with Marty Jertson, VP of Fitting & Performance at Ping, to talk about the rise of the Thriver—a shorter, higher-lofted second driver that's replacing fairway woods for tour players like Neil Shipley and Preston Summerhays.We break down:– Why the 3-wood is becoming obsolete for high-speed players– How a Thriver setup can drastically improve accuracy off the tee– Fitting insights using Ping’s in-house strokes gained calculator– Why your course strategy might need a total re-think– How to build one yourself (or get it built the right way)This might be the most under-the-radar gear trend in golf right now—and after hearing this, you might want to build one yourself.