BombTech Grenade: Your Next Must-Try 3-Wood

That’s right. You read it correctly. Your next must-try 3-wood is the Grenade from boutique equipment brand, BombTech Golf. Never heard of it? That’s because the brand doesn’t pay Tour players to game its gear or to sport a BombTech bag on the course. Also, you won’t find BombTech at your pro shop or the local big box store. Instead, the company uses a direct-to-consumer model, which eliminates middlemen from adding digits to the price tag.

BombTech isn’t a fly-by-night startup, either. Tyler Sullivan, a University of Vermont graduate founded the company in 2012 and has sold over 100,000 clubs since then. Sullivan reached out to the engineering school at his alma mater to create a unique driver crafted with high-end materials. The result was an innovative dual cavity design called the Grenade driver. Since that first driver was launched, BombTech has added iron sets, driving irons, wedges, and a 3-wood to the mix.

By now you know I have a passion for golf style and apparel, but I also take my equipment seriously. As much as I try to stay on the forefront of golf fashion trends, my ‘What’s In The Bag’ is anything but a collection of trendy sticks. The Titleist 913 driver, Mizuno MP-57 irons, TaylorMade Burner 5-wood, Vokey wedges, and Scotty Cameron Newport putter remain my gamers for the simple fact that I’ve found nothing to knock them out of the bag.

If there has been one revolving door when it comes to equipment, though, it has been the 3-wood. I’ve had as much success figuring out a 3-wood over the years as I had figuring out the French language in high school. Je ne comprends what? I’ve tried everything from the Titleist 915 to the TaylorMade Rocketballz to something from Tour Edge before going all in on a fully customized Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 last year. I get along well enough with the Callaway, but when the opportunity to check out BombTech’s Grenade 3-wood presented itself, I couldn’t resist. Granted, I was plenty skeptical.

After putting the Grenade head-to-head with the Callaway 815 over a few rounds in Hawaii a couple of weeks ago, I’m convinced the Grenade is a must-try. Before getting into a list of reasons why the Grenade should be on your short list, here are a few things to know.

Last time I checked, I’m not a robot and I don’t swing like one. I am a three handicap so I have something resembling a repeating, yet flawed swing. My driver club head speed tops out at 110 mph and I have a freakishly high launch and high spin rate. (The mechanical flaws causing this are best saved for another day and a longer format.) I also don’t have access to Trackman to check spin rates, ball speed, launch angles, etc. I’m just a guy hitting shots in a real course environment.

Enough about me. After a few days on the course with the Grenade 3-wood, here are 7 reasons why I’m totally digging it.

1. It’s Long
Hitting one ball with my Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 followed by another one with the Grenade, the Grenade was consistently about 10-11 yards longer off the tee and about 5-7 yards longer off the fairway. BombTech claims that the reduced drag from the dual cavity design increases club head speed and the thin, vacuum heat-treated stainless steel face creates higher ball speeds. The only thing I know is ‘ball go far’ with the Grenade.

2. It’s Super Easy to Hit
The Grenade is effortless to hit. It feels like a wedge in a 3-wood’s body. Many amateurs struggle with getting a 3-wood airborne from the fairway, but a smooth swing with the Grenade produces a high, yet piercing ball flight from the short grass. I don’t claim to know the engineering or physics behind this, but the dual cavity design is said to position more weight behind the sweet spot and increase accuracy on off-center hits.

3. A Clean Setup
I can tell within a few seconds of putting a club behind a ball if I’ll like it. Most clubs don’t get passed this stage. Either the face is too deep, too shallow, too open, or too closed. Also, I’m not one for crazy colors or outrageous patterns on my club heads, which is why the Grenade’s simple design and matte black finish speaks to me.

4. The Perfect Length
Longer shafts on fairway woods have given many OEMs the ability to boast about higher ball speeds and greater distances. However, these longer shafts actually make it more difficult for the average player (or at least me) to find the center of the clubface on a consistent basis. The Grenade checks in at a modest 43.5” for more consistent strikes resulting in more distance and higher ball speeds.

5. No Wrenches and Screws
Adjustability is a sexy selling point, but really, how often do you adjust your woods? Do you even know where that wrench is? In the 4+ years I’ve had my Titleist 913 driver, I’ve adjusted it once. At 15* the Grenade 3-wood possesses the perfect loft. The lack of adjustability also helps to keep the cost down and plays into BombTech’s simple design approach. No wrench. No problem.

6. It’s $147…or Free
The Grenade is a must-try for all the reasons listed above, but at $147 it is a no brainer. Even better than that, BombTech is throwing in a Grenade 3-wood at no cost when you buy a Grenade driver. That’s a win/win.

7. A 60-Day Guarantee
All BombTech clubs come with a 60-day guarantee and a 1-year warranty on defects. There is a 10% restocking fee, which on the 3-wood is slightly more than a sleeve of ProV1s. You really have very little to lose for giving the Grenade a shot.

On the Flip Side
While the Grenade 3-wood is well on its way to earning a spot in my bag, I wish I had gone with an extra-stiff shaft. The tip on the Grenade shaft is a bit soft and light compared to my Callaway. This, plus the fact that the face is closed about 0.5* gives the Grenade a left bias. For most weekend warriors this will straighten out the dreaded slice, but it may force better players to make an adjustment at address. I also wish BombTech offered more shaft options, but I realize that offering one shaft in multiple flexes helps with that $147 price point. I’ll likely try to pair the Grenade head with one of the shafts in my garage to find the perfect set up.

As skeptical as I was about BombTech’s Grenade 3-wood, it held its own against my spec’d out Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 and even outperformed the Callaway in the distance category. If you are in the market for a new 3-wood this season, the Grenade should be on your short list, and at $147 with a 60-day guarantee, there is no reason not to give it a go.

BombTech Golf on the web: bombtechgolf.com
BombTech Golf on Facebook: @BombTechGolf
BombTech Golf on Twitter: @BombTechGolf