jekyll and hyde driver...

For the last 2 seasons I have been playing a kind of "jekyll and hyde" with my driver. I'm not the biggest hitter and it seems like I am never quite happy.

For example 250 and fairways is all I could dream of when I'm missing fairways but as soon as I start hitting that number I can't think of anything but getting more distance.

I have had a few rocky months with the driver this season and am currently content to be just keeping it in play. I am currently playing a 5 to 10 yard draw and feel fairly confident on the box. Ending the season any day now I'll be content with 250 and fairways for now.

Is 280 down the middle too much to really ask for though? (See... here I go again)

I think its possible to get extra distance from your driver with the right equipment, technique, flexibility and strength, it only takes dedication, time and some money.

This is a common malady and one I have found myself fighting all too often. The key for me in defeating this thought process is realizing that I'm not a long ball hitter. I'm not and I never will be. That doesn't mean I don't hit my driver longer than the majority of players, but I'm not "Mr. 300" not to mention 300 plus! Realizing and accepting that has helped my driving immensely. Now I no longer try to smash the ball with everything I've got. Now I concentrate more on form and timing rather than power, and ironically enough when I do this well the distance is there. I'm not hitting anything out there near 300 (unless the lay of the hole provides for a lot of roll) but 250 and an occasional drive of 275 in play is more than adequate to get the job done.

Things that sabotage this more moderate way of thinking: Watching someone belt out a drive 300 yards, especially someone you're easily out playing... Checking your swing speed on a launch monitor. You're usual swing may only be clocking in the range of 100-105, but when you step on it and let it rip your numbers start rising up to 115+. You start second guessing yourself and imagining what would happen if you could get that swing to play... etc... I still have to rein myself in when I find myself wanting to hit a long drive, but the one thing in my favor is experience. Swinging out of my shoes will result in an amazing drive only a couple of times out of 100. You can't play consistent golf that way. I don't play mulligans or do overs so that means what I hit I have to play or suffer the consequences (OOB or lost ball). That right there is usually enough to keep me swinging easy and keeping the ball in play.

This is excactly how i would like ot play but like you say its easy to get distracted from your game plan.

I have undergone a swing change assisted by my club pro and feel that my swing path/plane is correct now. I have a Taylor Made Tour Burner and a Superquad, both 10.5 degrees and both Taylormade stiff shafts. My swing speed is about 93mph so I get about 230-240 yards carry and what ever roll the course allows. I have spoken to the pro about getting up to about 260 carry with increasing my swing speed and he tells me it would take a major commitment to the gym to achieve ( and I am fit and healthy, correct weight and do manual work)
So the next stage for me to gain extra yards is shaft and ball fitting, the pro tells me this could equate to 15yards. I plan on getting fitted next week and will report back.

i agree with what someone already said - part of it is just simply realizing your limitations and grounding yourself in reality. awhile back, i accepted that my comfortable driving distance - not trying to boom it - is between 260 and 270. then, i took the driver out of my bag, i didn't allow myself to take it on the course for a solid month, and i teed off with the 3-wood instead and got myself used to being anywhere between 250 and 150 yards out from the green off the tee. after the month was over, i put the driver back in the bag and made a conscious decision to not try to boom it, to just accept that i was not "mr 300" as someone put it. lo and behold, i was hitting more fairways because i wasn't trying to power the ball, and my distance actually seemed pretty comfortable after only using a 3-wood for a month. i was 50 yards closer to the green on my tee shots, and it felt like that was plenty close.

Ugh, I think I suffer from the malady as you gents. I think my average is 245-255 now, but I know that I CAN hit 280, so usually the round starts out, good drives at 245, than if I don't consciously remind myself to keep it slow and steady, I'll find my swing getting faster and faster and my balls start heading more left or more right and soon I've lost my swing for the round.

So we must resign ourselves to our average drives until technology can help us carry more :)

Thanks for the replies. Its good to know I'm not alone.
As for the tech specs, I, like many others here am probably ashamed to admit even to myself how many drivers I own (have owned) in the last season... I have tinkered with flex, torque, loft and even length.

What I have found is tempo and balance win over all.
Accuratly driving 250-270
Bomb and gouge 270-290

Over the last half of the season I did some experimenting with balls, comparing different brands and compressions, It certainly made a difference and I think I have reined in most of the tech specs for my particular swing.
Aside from all that mumbo jumbo its different when there is OB left and water right and an elevated tee box... It still takes some Moxie to execute.

I too have found that with no thoughts of distance just good tempo and balance I have achieved some of my best drives. (this is usually when I think about giving it a little extra)

As for my physical attributes, I am 6'4" and just under 200lbs. Swing with a driver is mid 90's. I can swing alot harder, and used too... My longest drive is 364 yards down wind flat hole, Over swung a R flex callaway war bird. (that should date that drive sufficiently...) Also at that time of regularly driving withing a wedge of most any par 4 I had never broke 90.

The malady I was referring to is the "never being happy with what you've got" mentality.

Thanks for the posts, I like the replies about dealing with it, knowing its common but somewhat unattainable.


Chief Boom hit the nail on the head for the most part. Thanks to all for letting me know I am not alone!