Putting the driver away

[Philip9210]

Did this today on a 66.4/110 course. Used only my 3 iron. I shot a 103. Which for me right now is pretty good. Putting let me down today, had a putt for birdie from probably 20ft and I 4 putt...this game is frustrating, but I love it haha. All in all, I'm going to stick to my 3i off the tee because I know for a fact I can break 90 like this, just have to get to where I can cut down on putts and begin to hit my wedge's a bit tighter.

[Doctorfro]

You know, the other day I shot my best round of the year. And for the first time in weeks, my driver was not up to snuff (I had the short game working well). I considered leaving it in the bag after a couple of bad drives but I knew that some well struck drives would give me the best chance to score lower. I've put it in perspective that I'm out there to have fun. So I kept hitting it and some were good and some weren't but it was a fun journey. Would I have felt differently if I hadn't scored low? I don't think so. I've struggled with my standing goal of breaking 80 but I'm not so foolish to think that I'm going to do it every time out. I hit my three wood well most of the time, but on holes when I can, the big dog is gonna eat. Work it out on the range and keep hitting the lumber. Have fun and enjoy the game.

[golfaddiction]

Don't get me wrong, I love my driver have hit some great drives Last round when I pulled 3 drives OOB (on 3 of the shortest par 4s), I also crushed back-to-back drives on long par 4s to go birdie-par. There doesn't seem to be much of an advantage being 120 yards away (for me this is a light PW) vs 150 yards away (a full 9-iron), especially when the driver can be erratic.

[Doctorfro]

Short par 4's....yeah, three wood or even hybrid is a good choice. When it's less than 400 yards, I usually think, "what will get me to the 150 marker?" Then I hit three wood or hybrid accordingly (unless it's wide open and I can get close to the green with a driver for a small pitch). My most comfortable approach yardage is 120-130 but I'll take 150 or shorter anytime. I def understand the penalty strokes. If you check my scores below you'll see that most of the time, my scores are hampered by penalty strokes (most OB but some hazard or unplayable). If you can minimize that, the scores fall. Trust me, I understand.

[PaddyHarrington]

Was just thinking about this during the week before I saw this thread.
After shooting some of my best scores ever recently and finally breaking 100,I have gone backwards and my scores are very high at the moment.
My driver is defiantly costing me a dozen or more shots a round,from being out of bounds and sometimes even landing 3 fairways over,next round I play I am going to leave it out of my bag altogether and put back in a 3 wood that i took out a few years ago when I bought my first hybrids.
Hit several shots with my 3w off the tee at the driving range the other night and was long and straight,so hopefully it will help me the next time I play as my iron play is as good as it ever has been

[The Recreational Golfer]

Hit the longest club off the tee that you can reliably put in the fairway. 220 with your hybrid would be all the distance you ever need to shoot good scores if it gets in the fairway time after time. The driver is an overrated club for recreational golfers.

[golfaddiction]

As I found out today - always use the driver off the first tee. The giant head means you're always making some kind of contact. Today I shanked my 3wood into the woods on the first hole. I put my provisional just off the fairway and made 6 total, but it's just a little unnerving standing on the first tee with such a small clubhead.