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Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

post #1 of 34
10/3/09 at 2:14pm
Thread Starter 
With Driver:

-Hit it 230 yards max with a huge slice and very rarely hit the fairway. On a good day hitting my driver off the tee I'll hit maybe two fairways.


With Hybird:

-Max out at 200 yards but hit it dead straight and hit probably 12/18 fairways but lose anywhere from 30-50 yards hitting it instead of my driver.
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post #2 of 34
10/3/09 at 2:23pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

How about your 3W?
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post #3 of 34
10/3/09 at 2:26pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

Originally Posted by NormH3 View Post
How about your 3W?
Slice city. I slice my Driver, 3 Wood, and 5 Wood like you wouldn't believe. But my hybrid and irons I can hit perfectly straight.
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post #4 of 34
10/3/09 at 2:30pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

I've been fighting this as well. I say go hyrbid. If you can hit it 200yds straight then you'll be on or close to any par 5 in 3, and par 4s in 2.

In the mean time, work on your driver at the range or if there is a huge fairway or a dogleg right on the course.

I play the sumo hybrids as well, they are amazing. I can usually hit my 3-wood OK off the tee but honestly its about 50% like my driver so if it doesnt feel right, there is no shame in hitting the hybrid.
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post #5 of 34
10/3/09 at 2:35pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

I grappled with this last year. I gave up on my driver and went with my 3 wood because although I only hit it 200 yards, it was accurate.

This year I bought myself a new driver ( had a cheapie before ) and forced myself to use it. I just swung nice and easy to start ( if I only got 200 yards so what? I wasn't going to get anymore with my 3 wood)
I started to work into the swing and now have a fairly good shot off the tee.
My last round I was averaging 230-240 yard drives and mine were consistently straighter than the rest of my foursome. It took most of this year to get to that point, but it's worth it.
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post #6 of 34
10/3/09 at 2:44pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

Originally Posted by DaSportsGuy View Post
Slice city. I slice my Driver, 3 Wood, and 5 Wood like you wouldn't believe. But my hybrid and irons I can hit perfectly straight.
you might try slightly closing the club face at set up..it helped me..but I'm with the others...go for the sure thing while playing
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post #7 of 34
10/3/09 at 7:24pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

Originally Posted by DaSportsGuy View Post
With Driver:

-Hit it 230 yards max with a huge slice and very rarely hit the fairway. On a good day hitting my driver off the tee I'll hit maybe two fairways.


With Hybird:

-Max out at 200 yards but hit it dead straight and hit probably 12/18 fairways but lose anywhere from 30-50 yards hitting it instead of my driver.
You're going to eventually have to use a driver, so practice with your driver and woods. To fully answer your question though, I think you need to play a round with your driver off the tee, then a round with your hybrid off the tee. Do this for a few rounds (or at least a few 9s) and see which scores are better. It makes sense that playing it safe would score better, but some players need to be aggressive to play their best.

P.S. - Do you really hit 12/14 fairways with a hybrid? It seems too good for a 26.
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post #8 of 34
10/3/09 at 7:34pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

I think you know what the answer is for now.

200 yards dead straight beats 230 from the right rough or right trees.


Game your hybrid and get a lesson and some range time to work out the evils of the slice. With a little work and a little luck you'll be able to game those fairway woods soon. Give it a little more work and luck and you'll be gaming the driver, too.

You can do it.
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post #9 of 34
10/3/09 at 7:36pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

I finally realized that trying to kill the driver and swing really hard doesnt work. Recently Ive tried a smoother swing and slightly lower tee height to keep the ball down and not hit it so high, as I tend to slice it more that way. Been hitting my driver a lot better and I dont have an expensive driver either, got mine for $30 off ebay. I still will occasionally hit a bad one but not nearly as often as I used to. I realized that even though I like hitting my hybrids as well but you have to hit your driver or you'll always have long shots into the green and those are difficult as well for a high handicapper, id much rather have 130 yards and be using an 8 iron than have 175 and be using a 5 iron. Thats where the extra 40 yards makes a difference and especially on the short par 4's where you might have less than 100 for a 2nd shot if you hit a decent drive. Its all about giving yourself the easiest 2nd shot and hitting the ball farther does just that.
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post #10 of 34
10/3/09 at 9:14pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

for me it is the complete opposite...I hit the driver dead straight or with a nice 5 yard fade, but with the hybrid and any other wood off the tee it is slice city. I played nine a few days ago and ended up driving a 245 yard par 4. I pulled it off, landing just off the green, but then chipped and three putted :o(

I say stick with the hybrid until you are able to work the woods out on the range.
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post #11 of 34
10/4/09 at 2:57am

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

Originally Posted by DaSportsGuy View Post
Slice city. I slice my Driver, 3 Wood, and 5 Wood like you wouldn't believe. But my hybrid and irons I can hit perfectly straight.
I'm in the same boat man. Well, part of the time I am. I don't always slice it but I'm inconsitent off the tee with my woods. Today, the course I played has a very tight fairway on 1 so I hit my hybrid. It was straight and down the middle. I made the green in regulation and lipped my birdie leaving a tap in for par. Next hole was another par 4 with a wide open fairway. I sliced it and sent it into the trees, had to take a penalty and a drop, ended up with a 7. I said forget about it and teed off with my hybrid the rest of the day. I shot 6 shots under my handicap. I busted out the driver again on the first par 5 just to sail it to the right again and save double bogey with a 15 footer. So on the next par 5 I hit hybrid - hybrid - 7 iron and par'd it.

So, yeah hybrid down the middle really worked for me. Not saying I don't want to hit my woods properly off the tee, but if you can crank your hybrids, go for it.
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post #12 of 34
10/4/09 at 3:11am

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

Play the hybrid unless you have a wide open fairway with no trouble to the right. Fix your driver issues at the range.
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post #13 of 34
10/4/09 at 12:50pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

im pretty much on the same boat as the OP. Hybrids have been my savior over a few rounds. Use it to your advantage, but your gonna hear this alot. Your gonna have to learn how to use your other clubs eventually.
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post #14 of 34
10/5/09 at 11:35am

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

if you're hitting your driver into trouble it makes sense to ditch it for a club which will keep you in play. if you think about it, would you rather hit a hybrid as your second to reach a long par 4 or have to reload with your driver because you hit it OB. i think 40 yards is a sacrifice worth making
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post #15 of 34
10/5/09 at 12:29pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

The object of the game is to put the little ball in the little hole is as few of strokes as you can. If that means putting your ball all the way to the green, then you would need to do that.

Though, to fully enjoy the game properly, you need to unleash the big dog. Practice at a range, and you'll get the hang of it.
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post #16 of 34
10/5/09 at 12:29pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

Driver.

Don't give up on it, learn how to hit it. One of the most important clubs in your bag and you'll need it to take your game to the next level.
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post #17 of 34
10/5/09 at 1:21pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

I think it's always best to hit whatever club you can hit straight. I've seen good golfers hit stuff like 6 iron 6 iron to get on a par 4 in two.. Just do what you're comfortable with. I tee off with a 3 hybrid that I just got a few days ago now, did it for the first round yesterday with GREAT results (not my score but my teeshots). But, I hit that 3 hybrid 250, sometimes a bit more so I don't have to sacrifice as much I suppose.

But you should always hit what is the straightest as long as it's long enough to get to the GIR.
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post #18 of 34
10/5/09 at 2:30pm

Re: Should I hit my driver or hybrid off the tee?

i agree with most of the folks who've replied here. if you're that inconsistent with your driver (i.e. slice-city -> OB or really bad areas with no chance to go for the green) i would tee off with your hybrid and work on your driver at the range. it would certainly help to video tape both your driver and hybrid swings to see the differences. lessons of course would shorten the time for you to get on the right track and prevent you from engraining any bad habits.
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