Thinking of ditching the driver for a strong 3.

[slide13]

I have a tough time with my driver. I hit it fairly long but the control just isn't there. Sometimes I slide it bad. Next time I'll over correct and hook it. Seems the only shot I can't hit is a straight one, at least not consistently.

I have a 3 utility wood that I hit amazingly well. Always feels comfortable, the balls seems to fly off the face and good shots go dead straight and the bad ones are only slightly off. Works great both off the ground or off a tee. I know the higher loft and shorter shaft are a part of it, but this club just feels right when I hit it.

So, in light of that, I'm thinking of ditching the driver and getting a strong 3 fairway wood of the same brand and shaft type as my 3 utility wood (Nickent 4DX). If I do this I may take the driver out of my bag all together and just use this strong 3 in its place off the tee.

I have tried the driver in the same model but only at the golf store with a taped face. Didn't have the same feel as the others so I'm not sure about that one. I think sometimes the long shaft, super huge head and just knowing that it's a driver in my hands are part of my problem.

Anyway go this route before? If so are you still doing it or did you find yourself gravitating back towards your driver over time?

[walk18]

Eventually you'll need the distance if you play a course of any decent length, but if you're somewhat of a beginner, I'd say go with the 3W and find more fairways and enjoy the game more, definitely.

[Kcas77]

Get the shaft cut down to around 44 or even 43 inches this will help a lot with those errant shots.

[Shindig]

Phil tried this at The Open last year, with disastrous results. His friends Adam and Tiger were further ahead of him and in the fairway.

Now, if you hit your 3-Wood well, there's no reason not to hit it off the tee whenever you aren't sure what the driver is going to do (or if you are sure, and don't like what it will do).

That having been said, what's the loft on your driver? I think, all other things being equal, an amateur struggling with a driver will be better off with a 10.5 - 12 degree driver with a shorter shaft (maybe 3-wood length, or slightly more) than he will be with a strong 3-wood.

There's a strong macho factor with a low-lofted driver, but Nick Watney plays pretty well with an 11.5° driver. Interestingly, he won a tournament this year at the same course that Phil had previously tried playing with a 3-wood as his driver, with the same loft.

While we're at it, tell us more about your driver. We see the make and model, but what of loft? How long is the shaft? What's its flex? Same questions about the existing 3-wood that you like.

[st0wgolf08]

Phil tried this at The Open last year, with disastrous results. His friends Adam and Tiger were further ahead of him and in the fairway.

Nick Watney's driver is probably under 9 degrees when the faced is squared. It probably is cranked open a bit, I remember dustin johnson was playing a 10.5 but with like a 2.5 degree open face, so it was like an 8 at square. Also, vijay once had a 7 wood they cranked so far open that when he squared it the effective loft was equal to that of a 3 wood.

[RocketSauce]

I have a tough time with my driver. I hit it fairly long but the control just isn't there. Sometimes I slide it bad. Next time I'll over correct and hook it. Seems the only shot I can't hit is a straight one, at least not consistently.

it might be a good idea if you play a shorter course. i know someone who plays a 6100 yard course and doesnt use a driver either. and the 3 wood he uses (TM R9) gives him plenty of length for that course

[NorCalGolfer]

i'd have to agree with what someone else said. if you play any course of length...you'll be screaming for that driver on the turn.

[beachbreak]

Check out the Tour Edge J-Max Bazooka, 16 degree driver. It is a 460cc driver with the loft of a 3 wood. Super easy to hit. In essence it is a "super" 3 wood. Incredibly easy to hit and control. I played one for awhile but now I hit my driver pretty good. I hit about 225 with the Bazooka around 250 with my driver. They aren't made anymore but try ebay.

[slide13]

driver is 9.5* loft '07 Burner with a stiff RE*AX Superfast 50 shaft. Swing speed on the launch monitor today was about 108 I believe.

Maybe a shorter shaft would help, sometimes I think that is part of what screws me up. Then again, if I went with a shorter shaft and higher loft I'm not far off from a strong 3 wood accept for head size. Maybe I'll look into it though....or maybe I just need to work with my driver more. I should probably get something 10.5* or 11* though.

[beachbreak]

Yeah, then just use your 3 wood on the course and work with the driver at the range until you are comfortable with it then take it on the course.

[Three Putt]

A 13 degree 3 wood is tough to hit. You would be better with a 12, 13, or 15 degree driver. Higher Launch, More Backspin, Bigger impact area = Good results.

You can pick up some Nike Sumo "Lucky 13" on TGW and other places cheap. Also look at Nickent 3dx Tour Square (12 degree) - cheap...but solid club.

[ryohazuki222]

^^What he said.

I've always had a solid 3 wood game with my old 3 wood. So much so, that I probably averaged 10-20 yards more with the 3 wood than with the driver. I really just wanted a strong 3 wood as it seemed perfect.

Anyway...

I changed equipment altogether... leaving myself with just a Driver (until I recently finished the new bag) for a while. I got a driver stroke that worked and used it whenever. Lately I've been having issues....... and finally put the strong 3 wood in my bag --- just in time too, since I've started not trusting the driver.

Anyway...... I can't hit that strong 3 wood to save my life. Since I've started golf (admittedly not long) it's the only club that so far I've not been able to hit with some practice.

Driver swing seems to be coming back though......... so I don't care about the strong 3 wood at the moment. Got bigger fish to fry!

[ks8829]

The driver is an important club in your bag. suggest the following:

1) choke up
2) swing 70%
3) check your take away
4) make a compact swing
5) shorten your backswing
6) practice your wedge game to improve your driver
7) keep it in your bag and learn to hit the driver, how many pros go without a driver

[lumpuckeroo]

You might also look at a higher lofted driver, TaylorMade Burner has an HT driver, which is 12 degrees of loft, also most that of a strong 3 wood.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I use a strong 3 wood of off the tee often. Its basically a second driver for me. It wouldnt be a bad option if you decide to use this instead of the driver for awhile. The extra loft should help you with control and should minimize the effect of your bad swings. Im sure others had said this, but you are going to have to learn to hit a driver at some point if you plan to play courses at over 6000 yards.

[HytrewQasdfg]

A 13 degree 3 wood is tough to hit. You would be better with a 12, 13, or 15 degree driver. Higher Launch, More Backspin, Bigger impact area = Good results.

Finally, the voice of reason.

Instead of messing with your 3 wood's loft (since you already hit it well), try changing you driver's loft. Most amateurs use too low of a lofted driver anyway (and too stiff a shaft, but that is another story.) Do you think the reason women's drivers are 14, 15, even 16 degrees isn't because the are trying to hit the ball higher? No, it is because the higher loft helps them hit it FARTHER given their swing speeds. Lower loft = less backspin = more sidespin = bigger slices/hooks. This is another reason to try a driver with a greater loft. It will reduce the amount the ball curves.

I think sometimes the long shaft, super huge head and just knowing that it's a driver in my hands are part of my problem.

How long is your driver? Someone made the good suggestion that you cut it down to 44 inches. Few pros play a full length driver (I think Tiger's is 44.5), yet golf companies have been adding length to drivers little by little, till now it wouldn't surprise me to find you have a 46 inch driver (probably unhittable by most amateurs.)

Try putting some impact tape on the face and see if you can consistenly hit the middle of the face. Choke down some and see if you do better. A 3 wood has a pretty long shaft too. If you can hit a 3 wood consistently, shortening the shaft may be all you need to do to hit a driver consistently.

[pittpanther]

Finally, the voice of reason.

I'm going to go even further... You can hit a 3W off the deck, something most players CANNOT do, but not driver? I suggest you have the skill/athletic ability to hit driver - you just need to practice it.

Everything Hytrew said above is correct - the low loft and long shaft of the driver amplifies swing faults, which manifests itself as undesirable sidespin. You can TRY to fix this by making changes to equipment, but that is not an ideal solution. You need to figure out what's wrong with your swing, and fix it. To be a golfer, eventually you will want and need your driver. Pulling it out of your bag is not a long-term solution. You would never pull your putter out of your bag, you would practice with it. Do the same with your driver.

[bogeyhitter25]

Why not a smaller headed driver?