Driving Strategy

**mn723** · January 30, 2008

What is everyone’s strategy when using a driver? I read posts on this website where people purchase a particular driver because it is easier for them to work and shape. I also read in golf publications where tour pros say they just want a driver that is as long and forgiving as possible.

My new strategy is to just bomb it and hope my driver is the most forgiving possible. I recently went into a golf shop and said I want the longest and most forgiving club they sold. They set me up with a TM Burner. I’ll let my short irons clean up the mess. If a hole has too much trouble I’ll use my 4 wood (250 yards) or 3 iron (220 yards) off the tee.

giantbear · January 30, 2008

I just bought a new driver in August, I wanted to increase the head size as i thought i was losing too much yardage to equipment. My first criteria was feel. I always felt the large headed drivers felt too big when i swung them, so i was looking for a big head with a small head feel. I hit em all before buying. My second criteria was consistency of play. I took them out on the range for several days to see how consistently i hit them. I have a habit of hitting a new club really well and then setteling in with it. I narrowed it down on the range and then took the two finalists out on the course, see how they felt in game situations. To me, a club that is the longest but doesn't feel right to me is not going to allow me to take advantage of the clubs length. I may not have wound up with the 'longest club' out there, but it is the right club for me.

**Shindig** · January 30, 2008

When I'm on the course - or even at the practice tee - I don't refer to it as a driver. It's my "play club." Why? Because this helps me focus on the purpose of the club: to put the ball in play. It isn't to hit it as far as I can. It is to get the ball to a given place.

I pick out my target and try to put the ball in play in that direction. This may not seem like an overly complicated strategy, and it isn't. But when I do this, I manage to avoid over-swinging more often than not.

**Big_M** · January 30, 2008

My approach varies by hole. First I think where I want to hit a shot into the green from and what I have to do to get there. Maybe the ideal spot is too narrow, if so I may hit 3-wood or 2-hybrid, and try to lay it out there in the next best spot. Also, on a 330 yard hole I usually will hit a 3-wood as I prefer a 90-100 yard shot to a 50-80 yard shot. If a hole has a shape to it and a draw fits my eye I will hit such. If I must play a fade I will. But most holes with sufficient room I just bomb it on out there at the center of the fairway.

**osean79** · January 30, 2008

What is everyone’s strategy when using a driver? I read posts on this website where people purchase a particular driver because it is easier for them to work and shape. I also read in golf publications where tour pros say they just want a driver that is as long and forgiving as possible.

My strategy is the same! It's a relatively new one i've been using the last month or so, when I ran into a dry period of bad driving. Couldn't hit fairway and was very short ( around 200-210 yds) left and right. Before this dry period I was consistantly hitting 240-250yds with the driver, hitting the fairway 30-40% of the time. So, I then decided that since i'm not accurate with the driver anyway I should just hit it as far as I can and salvage the shot with my irons and putter (i've been a fair putter from the beginning).

So, I hit it as hard as I can (without falling over from the effort), and I found I can hit it at least 270-280 on average and sometimes around 300 with good roll! and no I don't hit the fairway every shot, but then these shots are not any worse then before! Now, I am much closer to the green even when I'm punching out from the woods or many times have a clear look at the green from the other fairway! haha. My scores have not suffered at all, and I do get a kick out of the occational straight drive right down the middle! The "wow"s and the "woah"s i get from my friends are also worth it. I hope you have a lot of fun hitting it long! I'm having a blast

**FortAsel** · January 30, 2008

When purchasing a driver, I allways do a 50 ball trial. If I like the feel, forgiveness and workability, it will most likelly end up on my bag.

When playing in the golf course, I use about 10 times the driver per round on my home course (par 72) I hit my 3 wood about 230 meters and my 3i about 200 meters. If the hole has a "wide" fairway I will most likelly use a driver, If not, I will vary from 3w to 3i. I'm gonna purchase a 2i soon, so ...

By the way, most of the times I get around 260m carry with the driver and it doesn't roll much...

**bca42** · January 30, 2008

What is everyone’s strategy when using a driver? I read posts on this website where people purchase a particular driver because it is easier for them to work and shape. I also read in golf publications where tour pros say they just want a driver that is as long and forgiving as possible.

Hurry, you should trademark: 'Bomb and Hope'

**Crafty** · January 30, 2008

The main thing I try to do is pick out a very small target. This is something that my dad taught me to do. The smaller your target, the more focused you are on the target and not the fairway as a whole. You are much less likely to hit the fairway if you are aiming at the fairway as a whole. Picking out a small target makes you forget that there is a fairway. This is a golden example: Nick Price was hitting some drives at the practice tee (i believe it was at Augusta but I can't be sure). The man observing him noticed that almost every drive he hit was flying right toward a group of poles in the distance. When the man asked Price if he was aiming at the poles, Price said, "I wasn't aiming at the poles; I was aiming at the rope holding up the second pole form the left."

As far as wroking the ball, I have a natural draw so that is covered pretty well. If I really need to fade the ball I can a little bit. Im working on shot shaping with the driver because your marigin of error is greater when you drive the ball with the shape of the fairway.

**mn723** · January 30, 2008

My strategy is the same! It's a relatively new one i've been using the last month or so, when I ran into a dry period of bad driving. Couldn't hit fairway and was very short ( around 200-210 yds) left and right. Before this dry period I was consistantly hitting 240-250yds with the driver, hitting the fairway 30-40% of the time. So, I then decided that since i'm not accurate with the driver anyway I should just hit it as far as I can and salvage the shot with my irons and putter (i've been a fair putter from the beginning).

I noticed the same thing. I'd rather drive it 290-300 yards and hit 35% of fairways than drive it 260-270 yards and hit 65% of fairways. I'm guessing my avg approach shot out of the rough from 100 yards out is similar to a shot from 130 out of the fairway. However, if I'm behind a tree in the rough that is a different issue

. I just get the feeling that the saying "drive for show, putt for dough" isn't as accurate as it used to be, especially after they have come so far in driver, wedge groove and ball spin technology.

**Jeepthrills** · January 30, 2008

Generally with the driver I aim up the left side and play for my natural fade. I rarely try to work the ball. If I need a draw I'm taking my hybrid. My goal is simple with the driver. Hit it out there as far as I can and plan on it fading into play.

**Jeepthrills** · January 30, 2008

I just aim up the left side and play for my fade. I try to hit it as far as I can and figure it will comeback into the fairway. If I need a draw I'm going with the hybrid.

**lamebums** · January 30, 2008

I aim down the right side and let a draw bring it back to the middle of the fairway. With the driver I'm looking just for one thing, and that's to hit the ball as far as possible. I'm not particularly good with approaches of about 180-200 yards (when it's over 220 I can hit a 3 wood in, no problem) so on long par 4's I don't have much choice but to shorten the hole as much as possible. And I cut too many corners for my own good.

Besides, I'd rather be long and in the trees than short and in the trees.

**SirMilton** · January 30, 2008

Aim at the center of the fairway usually toward the "barber pole" (at our club we have a black and white pole in the center of the fairway at 150 yards from the green on all par 4s and 5s) with a controlled swing. Not maximum distance, but almost never out of the fairway.

The exception is only for holes where there are trees blocking approach shots on one side or the other. We have a nasty par 4 at our club that has fully mature trees on the left half of the fairway about 250 yards from the men's tees, then fully mature trees on the right half of the fairway at about 325 yards. If you hit left you have problems no matter your length and if you hit right you need a banana slice or TW's 8 iron shot to avoid the trees. I usually just plan a bogey, but I have birdied it.

I rarely try to go over a dogleg, or even cut it close.

I very rarely try to "shape" a drive unless the fairway is very hard, then I will intentionally hit a power fade for the extra roll. I can usually aim at the left edge, land in the left center and get a 50 yard roll and stay in the fairway with a power fade. the danger is overcooking it and getting a true slice and ending up 50 yards right of the fairway in who knows what stuff.

January 30, 2008

Man, I'll tell you that my drive used to be the most frustrating part of my game. I used to play par-3-courses sometimes, just so I could feel better about myself.

I started trusting my gear a little more -- everything down to the golf tee. I have a no-name driver that i picked up at a trade show (but i love the thing) and i am all about the nike juice ball, and i only use spring tees.

No one seems to know too much about these spring tees. I get mine online at kovissamerica.com and they are like hitting off air -- plus I haven't broken one yet!

**RichF** · January 31, 2008

When I hit flush, I've started hitting anywhere between 270-290yds (carry & roll) quite regularly now...however, I've found that on short Par4s (320-350yds) I find myself in trouble as my short-game, isn't up to scratch.

Example - last Friday I used my driver on a pretty straight-ish Par4 of 345yds. My drive ended up right in the middle of the fairway with just 40yds left to the pin...using a SW I completely fluffed the shot, topped it and went past the hole, off the green and a shot wasted.

I'm going to start using my 3-wood / 2-Iron more on these holes and leaving the driver for the 400+ holes only until my short-game is good enough.

**sirshanksalot** · January 31, 2008

Driving for me is like a book... if it starts well then the hold finishes up nicely. If I shank it like i do about 20% of the time, I end up with a frustrating score. I've been trying to keep my cool and especially lay off on trying to crush the ball, which is what I used to do. Nice and easy keeps me on the fairway for a good lie to hit another shot.

**neudi** · January 31, 2008

Biggest thing for me is to control my driver because if you don't know where it is going then why are you pulling it out of your bag.

**tm22721** · February 1, 2008

Strategy is to get it in the fairway, 200-220 yards is good enough for me. Without an intense focus on inside-out path and staying behind the ball, I tend to pull or slice.

Things got much better after I went to a 43" driver like the pros used 20 years ago, to get more control.

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