When is the right time to buy a driver?

Hi folks,

I had an interesting conversation with  a member of staff's husband at a nearby private golf club yesterday. We were discussing clubs and how long we'd been playing etc and I mentioned that I don't use a driver yet. When he asked why I couldn't really give him an adequate answer. All I could do was explain the order I bought my clubs and why I bought them:

1. Started off with my Nike Sumo SQ irons (4-sw) to groove my swing.
2. Next I wanted more distance off the tee so I bought a Taylormade Burner 4H primarily as a tee club but also to be useful for times I pushed a little too far right into trees.
3. I then found myself wanting a higher lofted club for greenside chipping and a gap wedge so bought a 50, 54 and 58 Vokey with the 54 replacing my SW.
4. Next I found myself feeling I could hit the ball further than I was with the 4H so I bought a 3W to increase my distance off the tee.

I've just not contemplated a driver until now.

The question is when did you buy your driver and how did you know it was the "right time" to do so? Do you use it often enough to warrant the extra expense on it?

I bought mine when I first got my clubs with no real intention to use it except at the driving range.  Its actually my most consistent club off the tee but thats not really saying much haha.

I had difficulty hitting my driver at first, but I know some people that did pretty good with it as a beginner.  A lot depends on your swing, which at a 14.8 you should have a pretty good one.  I'd try out some higher lofted drivers at first, 10 or 11 and see how you hit them, then work your way down.  An TM R11, or Titleist 910 would give you the ability to adjust loft, so they might be worth a look.  I went with the FT-9 iMix because I wanted to have the ability to switch shafts and heads without incurring the cost of a new driver each time.  They are pretty reasonably priced on Callaways pre-owned site.

As for warranting the extra expense, that depends on your course and how well you hit your 3w.  The course I play most of the time is pretty short, and narrow, so I use my 3w on all but 3 holes.  I'm trying to get better at course management, and I've found that on the other holes that I had been using it on, the reward wasn't worth the risk, especially since I only hit my 3w about 20 yards less than my driver on average.  If you're playing long courses with wider fairways you might benefit more.

I guy out all my old scorecards yesterday to see the distances on longer holes and although there are a couple of holes I could squeeze a little more off the tee on the majority I think the 3W will still be fine with. I reckon my best option is to do as I did with the hybrid and wait until I feel I need to get a longer club rather than arbitrarily asking myself if I should.

Thanks for the replies guys!

You seem to be a fairly conservative player, so I would as long as you are able distance wise to hit all the greens on the courses you regularly play at least 50% of the time you are ok without a driver. Not saying you hit or miss 50%, just that you have enough distance to do so with clubs you can control.

Personally, I just enjoy hitting the driver and accept that sometimes it gets me in trouble.

I find the driver to be a very useful club to have in the bag. However, if it gets you into a lot of trouble a lot of the time, then it's not worth the risk on trying to get more distance off the tee.

I love to go for all par 5's in 2 if possible so driver is essential off the tee on the 5's. i just feel they are such great holes to score on.

Also, you can really get yourself hitting your scoring clubs into most par 4's if you're consistent with the driver.

All that being said, being in the fairway is always better than being further down the hole in the rough or the trees. No question.

i would suggest just trying a few drivers out and see how they feel and if you're confident with them. I find the driver a very easy club to hit and definitely helps me get into a lot more scoring opportunities.