Bizarrely, I woke up in the middle of the night worrying that no one had answered the question! But I guess Lowpost does. The answer is that more loft converts sidespin into backspin, which explains why it's so hard to shape shots with a pitching wedge, and why Slats and everyone else here who's better than me (which is everyone ) may take a 3 off the tee, particularly on a difficult hole.

It's also worth remembering that 3 woods are good out of rough, because the head has a tendency to glide through it, and that the argument doesn't stop there, but it may be worth considering a 5 wood, and 7 woods aren't unknown.

The received wisdom is that beginners should have a hybrid. I've never hit one, so I can't comment, but I would say, Lowpost that I have no trouble with my 3 iron. Does that make me a freak? my set ATM is 1W (12^), 3W, 5W, 3-SI, Putter, 64^ bonkers wedge. On the course I play it works for me.