Driver dilemma...

[Chief Broom]

I played 9 holes today and purposefully left my driver in the car. Lately I've been hitting 3w off the tee if there is a significant chance of losing the ball (especially on the right side). This is a good play for me and I chalk this up to better course management. That lead to me playing without the driver today and I found that I didn't lose any appreciable distance off the tee. In fact on one hole I probably hit the best tee shot there ever (about 260yds uphill). So what to do? Misses with the 3w don't go anywhere near as far off line. I still have them but I'm much more likely to still be in play, or at least not as far off in the woods as I would be with the driver. If I connect solidly with the 3w I can get as much as 260yds out of it off the tee. I can get more than that out of my driver but not that often (and when I'm not feeling the driver I can go a whole round without posting that kind of a number). So do I can the driver in the effort of shooting lower scores, or do I continue on with the driver but throttle back with it? There is just somehting about a driver that when you put it in my hands I've got to swing for the fences. Looking back at my game recently I've really been hitting the driver hard and that always leads to disaster. I do know that the one thing I will be incorporating into my game no matter what is hitting 3w off the tee on those tight driving holes.

[OldDog66]

I think you answered your own question. Hit the 3-wood and leave the driver at home. After a couple of rounds you can bring out the driver and see how it goes. If I am on a bad streak with the driver I play a couple of rounds with my 3-wood and when I go back it usually works better. I just wish I could get 260 out of my driver. To get that I need to hit a driver and a sand wedge.

[Dub]

I was highly impressed with how solidly you hit your 3wood off the tee. You nailed the ball to the preferred spots on each attempt.

I know that with my own game, I often find a smooth 3wood result is much more playable than the locations my driver leaves me. I suspect the additional loft and shorter shaft help a great deal. I tend to put a smoother swing on the 3wood, too. I suppose the "kill" impulse must be diminshed as I have a "predetermined" range I hit the stick (not unlike my irons, etc) verses a "go after it" mentality that I get when I pull the headcover off my driver.

[Chief Broom]

...I suppose the "kill" impulse must be diminshed as I have a "predetermined" range I hit the stick (not unlike my irons, etc) verses a "go after it" mentality that I get when I pull the headcover off my driver.

So what should I do ?!?

I know for a fact that pulling the driver out of my bag won't cost me any loss of distance over the course of an entire round. Add to this that the course I usually play is only 6000yds from the tips (The Patch) and it's easy to make a case there that the driver is unnecessary, but how will I ever improve with the driver if I don't use it? I love Patch golfers. They always hit the driver off the tee (sometimes on par 3's). Whenever I mention to them leaving the driver at home they scoff and tell me you have to hit the big stick. I think the key I'm missing and you mentioned this is that with the driver there is no predetermined distance number. It's all or nothing, and that tends to leave me in bad positions on the course I'd rather not visit. Today proved to me that I can play the 3w without any repurchusions for my game. The problem is that if I could get my driver working like my 3w suddenly I'm putting the ball in play close to that mystical 300 number we all want to hit. But it's the pursuit of that ideal that is killing my game. well that and not being able to consistantly hit approach shots, but that's another thread I need to start...

[chilly]

I don't think you really have a dilemma, stay with the 3w. I'm sort of in the same boat, I average around 260 with a 3w with decent control. A well hit driver may be 270, but the instances of me being in the wrong fairway are very high. I've been using the driver less and less, but still bring it out on the 626yd par 5 and 457yd par 4 on my home course, but barely keep it in play on these wide fairways. As a result of using the 3w more often, my scores have come down as I keep the ball in play. You're fortunate enough to have good distance with the 3w, if you were hitting it 190 it would be a different story.

Of course then there's the "what if" scenario, what if you learned to hit your driver? My plan is to keep working on my swing and probably cut down my driver to 44" and see if that gets me some consistency. Truth is, if you hit the ball over 250 on any course up to 6500yds, I don't think there's a need for more distance.

[2-dogs]

Read Wishons "In search of the perfect golf club" book ... you will see why you are confused !!!

[smiley]

Re the above about Wishon. Suggest you look at getting a driver custom fitted at say 44 to max 44.5 inches. The likely result will be more on solid on centre hits, more accuracy and dare I suggest more distance. Longer clubs don't mean more yards in most cases they mean less cause you can not keep the club under control. Look at the long drive guys they lash the ball but struggle to keep in the width of a football field. Just hit it like the three wood especially as you don't get several attempts off each tee to nail one.

[14ledo81]

I have a similar problem, except my distances are a bit shorter than yours. I have been thinking about trying a shorter shafted driver with 12.5 degrees of loft.

[Quinn07]

My suggestion is to take the driver out of the bag for now. I am not sure if you practice much, but why not just take the driver to the range on the days that you practice until you build some confidence back. Doesn't sound like you are losing too much without it right now, but my thought is, and again I am not familiar with your game or where you play, but if you go to a longer course where hitting driver may be more beneficial.

But it sounds like while you are playing at home, there is no need for it.

[Chief Broom]

...if you go to a longer course where hitting driver may be more beneficial.

Exactly.

I played 9 today and used the driver 4 times, 3w 3 times, the other two holes (the lone par 3 and a short par 4 with a strong dogleg left) I hit hybrids. I shot 2 over (tying my personal best on that 9), but that was more a consequence of hitting bang up approach shots than tee shots. Obviously I can't give up on the driver, but I have to figure out how to keep it in line and at least as good as what I can accomplish with the 3w. I tried choking up on the driver in order to take a little off it and control it better. It's too soon to tell if that will help. I am going to incorporate using 3w off the tee a lot more than I ever have. The best drive I hit today was on the last hole and it was a little over 260yds. I'm happy with that. I think lately my worst problem with the driver is more tempo than anything else.

[Chief Broom]

Something funny to add to this thread...

When I played yesterday without a driver I wound up playing with Jim Dent's grandson. He was a nice young man who could really hit the ball a long way. Strong guy with a lot of swing speed. He was blasting his driver straight up in the air with incredible hangtime. I told him that if he could bring that launch angle down he'd easily be hitting it over 300yds. So anyway I tell him on the first tee that I'd left my driver in the car. He offered me the use of his, but I told him how I wanted to see how I did with the 3w. I should have kept my mouth shut. For the 9 I did a pretty good job of keeping up with him and on the hole where I really connected with it I out drove him! He was impressed and told me I ought to just stay with the 3w. I shouldn't have told him about my problems with the driver because you can imagine what he would have been thinking I could do with a driver.

Golf can be funny sometimes...

[chaptowngolfteam]

Just curious why you didn't get the Dymo^2 driver because you have the dymo^2 for your woods. The reason why your 3 wood doesn't go so far off line, is because #1 it is a 3-wood, and #2 it has a higher MOI than a regular 3-wood. A dymo^2 would potentially fix your driver problems.

[Chief Broom]

A dymo^2 would potentially fix your driver problems.

That isn't a bad question. I got the regular Dymo because I like the smaller head of the 3w. I had the Sumo^2 driver and liked it, but didn't see any difference between it and other 460cc drivers forgiveness-wise. The only place where I saw any difference was with off center hits not in reducing a slice/fade or draw bias. I hoped the regular Dymo might appear smaller to my eye.

I just finished the back 9 at my club and played it at 6 over. I hit the driver 5 out of a potential 6 times. Choking up on the club seems to be helping somewhat with control. All five drives were in play and left me fairly satisfied. Nothing terrible long, adjusting to choking up seems to want me to swing a bit more vertically and that had me catching a bit more turf than normal, but overall it went well. I think I've been seriously overswinging with the driver. I'll be playing a different course this weekend and I may well leave the driver at home just to see how I fare.