Hitting the big sticks

[mcgriff]

In all my years playing golf the driver/3 wood have gotten me into more trouble than they are worth. I have been fitted for a driver in the past and the results don't really change. Some of it is in my head I am sure. I just never know what is going to happen when I start that backswing. Left? Right? That pond 2 holes away?

My current driver is fairly stable, but it's not enough. My iron play is solid, short game has never been better. I can tell as I have been driving my handicap down this year the wall I will hit will be off the tee. Last 18 I didn't pull a wood out and put up an 81. My Nike 2H goes for 230s, 240s if I stand on it and STRAIGHT. Even if I miss a bit the error isn't exacerbated like it is with the woods.

Not sure if I should get fitted for a strong 3 wood that can be useful off the deck and the tee or keep searching for the right driver. Getting fed up really. How do you guys deal with an unstable long game?

[soloredd]

I put my 3 wood on the shelf at the beginning of the year. Got tired of being so inconsistent with it. I need lessons just with this club. So I am now hitting my driver (which is becoming one of my favorite clubs in the bag) and then 4 iron. Nothing else in between the driver and irons. It works for me.

[golfro]

find the right driver? give me a broom stick with a pan duct taped at the end and i'll play it.

its not the driver my friend, its the swing. lessons and many hours at the range. thats how i fix my long game.

[Mexicanleprican]

find the right driver? give me a broom stick with a pan duct taped at the end and i'll play it.

Truer words have never been spoken.

I love my driver, but I wish I loved my putter more...

[delav]

If you can hit your hybrid as well as your say chances are the problem is mental. Remember, the longer the club, the more controlled the swing.

[mcgriff]

Thanks for the replies all. I know I overthink it. When I come up on a 172 yard shot to the green I am not even thinking about my swing. I am shaping the shot in my head. Picking my target. Studying the lie...etc. When I tee it up for a distance shot my mind is focused on swing mechanics.

[Mexicanleprican]

man if you can hit your irons and your hybrid you'll be fine. Honestly regardless of the club, if I can't hit it warming up for a round, I avoid it unless I am having a particularly good day hitting the ball. I've found that all the shots I have trouble making, I have trouble visualizing as well.

[delav]

It's not an identical swing to your irons, as you want to come into the ball a bit shallower. If you're trying to swing the driver like the rest of your clubs, you're likely to hit some interesting shots. Small adjustments in your setup and swing thoughts are all it takes.

[CalBoomer]

find the right driver? give me a broom stick with a pan duct taped at the end and i'll play it.

I have to second this opinion. The driver swing is different from all the other clubs, in that the ball has to be contacted with a slightly rising club head. And the swing plane has to be flatter than with the irons. For the longest time, I could never hit my irons and driver well at the same time. Reason? The same swing doesn't work for both. Sounds like you have everything but the driver working. You need some instruction more than you need to find the "right" driver.

[lumpuckeroo]

Not sure if I should get fitted for a strong 3 wood that can be useful off the deck and the tee or keep searching for the right driver. Getting fed up really. How do you guys deal with an unstable long game?

Heavy drinking! I wish I had some insight, that was always the weakest part of my game, but in the last 2 or 3 years it has made a huge turn around. I would say don't give up on the driver as it can be a big asset, keep working on it.

[ks8829]

What help me hit my driver straight is to focus on my backswing and the direction of my driver on the take away. You see alot of pros practice their backswing just before they hit as a pre-shot routine.

What helped me hit my driver straight.

1) I focus on taking the driver shaft down the line on the target
2) this will point the driver face perpendicular to the target and the toe pointing up
3) the club is now parallal to the ground with the shaft pointing down the line to the target
4) If I go too much inside the target line I will tend to draw the club
5) if I go too much outside the target line I will tend to fade the ball
6) now you have a clear picture of what your 1st position of your take away should be on your backswing
7) I now lift the club up in a slow but deliberate motion up pass the hip and into my backswing
8) you can play with straight down the line or slightly inside the line on the 2nd position of your backswing
9) what also helps me is to slightly lower my rear shoulder at my set up this helps me stay behind the ball, limit my backswing and also helps me generate power with my wrists at the impact zone.
10) I actually practice this position on all my clubs, wedges, low, mid irons, fairway woods.
11) I feel so confident with my driver that I actually will hit my driver on short par 3 into the wind by choking up on the shaft to control the distance
12) Basic set up position must be correct: position of hands, posture, distance from the club and we are assuming that they are in the correct position.

[mcgriff]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I will probably leave the driver in the truck bed for the rest of the year and commit to it this winter. I am striking my hybrids and irons so well lately it should carry me the rest of the season. Squeezed out 9 holes tonight with 11 putts and finished with a year low 37. Less the 1 lost ball from a drive...who knows, maybe would have gone under for the first time in a long time. Man, if I had a sack of money laying around I would buy up all the MP T10s I could.

I think lessons specific to the driver and a custom fit maybe under the Christmas tree for me this year. That, or buy up all the MP T10s I can find!

[ghalfaire]

In all my years playing golf the driver/3 wood have gotten me into more trouble than they are worth. I have been fitted for a driver in the past and the results don't really change. Some of it is in my head I am sure. I just never know what is going to happen when I start that backswing. Left? Right? That pond 2 holes away?

I had the same problem (still do to a lesser extent) and finally took a lesson. I was hooding (closing) the club on the way back. I think was because I bought into the strong left hand idea a few years back (good enough for Tiger good enough for me?) and over the years it caused me this flaw which eventually caused my handicap to go up 4-5 stokes. So the Pro had me keep the toe of the club face up when it is parallel to the ground on the way back, weaken my left hand, move the tee ball a little more forward and shorten the back swing some. I don't see near as much of the left rough anymore and wish I could say the same about the right. But when I do it correct it is pretty. It has only been two weeks and getting better. I am considering shortening the driver some as I think they are too long these days in the quest for more distance which isn't really that important if you can't keep it in play. I have been gripping about an inch lower and it seems to help. But the 3 wood is still my savior on the course when I am having "Army problems".

[Gerald]

Forget the big stick !!! - I know a few guys that actually banned all drivers, woods, hybrids and still playing around scratch..... !

[inthecup]

It is the Indian not the arrow.

[$2 Nassau]

Mentally I'm in such a bad place right now when hitting my driver, I don't know where it's going to go. But I'll never stop hitting it, I'm determined to refine that part of my game. It's what's holding me back right now, without a doubt. I feel if you are going to be good at this game you need to be able to hit your driver well, with accuracy and reasonable distance.

[anthonykim3]

Forget the big stick !!! - I know a few guys that actually banned all drivers, woods, hybrids and still playing around scratch..... !

i havent hit a driver my last 3 rounds and they are a 71 , 69 , and 73 , no need for a driver guys aslong as ur comfortable with hitting greens from 190 -200 no need for driver at all