should i put driver away?

[Cici]

Hi, I am new to golf and although I can use an iron, I find it totally impossible to use a driver. I have looked at all the different tips and hints in magazines etc but cannot use it. A friend of mine has said I shouldn't even be thinking of using a driver just yet, is he right? Or will it just click into place at some point?

[Engervik]

Thanks for a question that makes sense =)

As a beginner I can say that I kept the driver at home in the beginning but after 4-5 months and i felt like i could controll the irons i got it out again. At that point I had to change my swing to be able to use the driver and it messed up my irons. Not sure what the best way to go about it is but I would advise you to use the full range of clubs including the driver at the range but not take it out while playing before you feel you have control of it. In the very beginning I wouldn't use it at all as I gave my FT-5 to a friend of mine to try the first time he was at the range and he managed to hit the ball with the hosel and the hosel broke so its now in the trunk of my car and replaced by an used Nike Ignite i picked up.

[stealthduffer]

Have you tried your fairway woods off the tee?  I struggled with a driver for years - as a matter of fact this is the first year that I am using my driver on a regular basis.  Fortunately I was almost as far with the 3W and much more accurate.  I'd give that a try to see if the 3W or even 5W is a viable option.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

. ... I'd give that a try to see if the 3W or even 5W is a viable option.

I had a couple of beginners play regularly with me in the past. I recommended that they keep the driver in the bag  until they broke 95.

The FWs have shorter shafts and smaller heads than a driver, and don't look as different from an iron as a driver does.

After your swing starts to stabilize, try hitting the driver again. If  you still have trouble, get your driver swing checked out on a launch monitor. If all the clubs work except for the driver, maybe it's not the head design and shaft that you need.

[dbuck]

How much of a beginner are you?

If you are truly just starting, then the simple answer is yes, leave the driver in the bag until you are more comfortable with the game in general.

You should not however have to adjust your swing that much to hit the driver. If you can't hit your driver with your 5 iron swing, something is wrong with your 5 iron swing. Take a lesson if at all possible and get grounded in the fundamentals--it will pay dividends later on. With a 12 handicap, I obviously have no room to be a smart aleck, but I have been where you are. Historically, the driver is the hardest club to hit, although with the modern technology, that is not as true as it was.  Still, the driver with the longest shaft and least loft of any club, magnifies any faults.

The swing is basically the same though.  Most of the changes are accomplished by the setup, including ball position in the stance, width of stance and tee height. The ball should be SLIGHTLY forward in the stance from the 5 iron, maybe a ball width, the feet should be about shoulder width or slightly outside. Most recommend to tee the ball so about half the ball is above the crown of the club.  It helps me to "hover" or not ground the driver at address, encouraging me to swing the club rather than hit the ball.

There is no shame in leaving the driver in the bag til you are more comfortable. I also don't think there is any harm in taking it out once in a while, but try to swing it the same as your 5 iron.

[GaijinGolfer]

I wouldnt put the driver away, just work harder at getting better with it.  Personally, I find my 3-wood 10x harder to hit well than I do my driver because the 3-wood's shaft is almost as long, yet the head is much smaller.

Id suggest taking some lessons with a PGA pro and figuring out exactly WHY you are unable (notice I didnt say, "cant"?) to hit your driver well.

[i-Guy]

Being a 7.7 handicap and having not had a driver in my bag for the last two years I say trade your driver in and get a good "strong" 3 wood to hit off the tee...See my sig for what I play...I recently tracked my disctances off the tee (only when I hit a fairway) and after 5 rounds, I avergaged 250 off the tee and I had a long of 279.  I am a fade bias player and even though my swing is pretty reliable with my irons it tends to be too steep for a driver and I just hate those big heads.  My 3 wood is 43 inches (at least 2 inches shorter then most drivers) and at 190cc is good enough size to be forgiving...plus you can hit a 3 wood even off a tee with a decending blow like with an iron and get very good results.  I recently started working with a PGA teaching pro and we are working on what he calls a professional fade verus what I have been doing so maybe within a year I will be able to hit a driver but for now I am very content with the distance of my 3 wood and it has taken me into the single digits...recently shot an 80 on a 7,000 yard golf course using only my 3 wood off the tee....Sweet!

[saevel25]

If you can't hit the driver, go get a lesson. If your will to sacrifice 1-2 clublengths with out the driver, thats huge.

[delav]

Originally Posted by Cici

Hi, I am new to golf and although I can use an iron, I find it totally impossible to use a driver. I have looked at all the different tips and hints in magazines etc but cannot use it. A friend of mine has said I shouldn't even be thinking of using a driver just yet, is he right? Or will it just click into place at some point?

It would be advantageous for most young golfers to learn with a 3 wood in lieu of a driver.

However, I think your talents might be best used in a literary field.  Your rapid comprehension of sentence structure, grammar and punctuation are simply astounding Cici.  At this rate, the sky is the limit for you.