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High Handicapper Thinking About Completely Replacing the Driver with a Hybrid for Now - Your Thoughts?


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Originally Posted by Jimdangles

I dont think avoiding the problem is the answer. I am working on a new system. Less that 340 yards Ill go 3 iron off the tee. 340-360 Hybrid 360-380 is 3 wood. Anything more than that I am hitting driver. This is my hopes to avoid as much damage as possible and always be in scoring position on my second shot from 100-120. Things can change if there is trouble or what not. But make the driver hittable. Doesnt have to be a good shot but just get to where if you REALLY concentrate on your 4 driver hits per round. It will make the game alot easier hitting wedges into the green instead of 5 irons into greens. Also work on a good punch shot. I used it all the time for when I do end up in the trees. I hove no better club in my bag than a 3 iron that I can fade or draw and keep lower then 10 feet but still going 170 yards with fairway roll.

Originally Posted by x129

These type of systems are fundamentally flawed. If the hole is 340 with tons of space in your landing zone, you should be pulling driver. If it is 400 but there are bunkers and OOBs where you miss, you should be using a club that avoids it. The distance of the hole doesn't matter as much as the risk of a bad shot and the reward for a good one.

See bold. It is a rule of thumb not a law set in stone. For the most part though if my wedges are on point (havent been latelty) I am more like to hit my 100 yard club more accurately thatn an awkard 70 yard chip shot. I cant tell you how many times I have tried to only take 10 20 yards off that 100 yard shot and either completely fatted it or came up short or hit it with too much. I am more confident with a full swing than a half swing but that is just me. Obviously from 70 yards I can be a little more accurate left to right but depth can be off.  I would say maybe there is a point around 310 320 where I may be hitting driver again just because around 50 yards and in it gets easier. But this has been my system I have been working on to avoid crappy misses. It makes it frustrating when the hole is supposed to be pretty easy but you make it harder for yourself by hitting driver and ending up in the tress and causing more damage.

Bag: Ogio Ozone XX

Driver: :titleist: 910 D2 (Project X 7A3)

3 Wood: :titleist: 910F ;(Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana 'ahina 82)

Hybrid: :titleist: 909H 19* (Diamana Blue)

Irons: :titleist: 755 3-P (Tri Spec Stiff Flex Steel)

Wedges: :titleist: (Vokey 52* 56* 60*)

Putter: Ping Karsten Anser 2

Balls: :titleist: Nxt tour/ Prov1x

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As a fellow high handicapper I take it round by round.  If my driver is all over the place that round then I leave it in the bag and hit my 3w or 5w or even 3h depending on which club I'm hitting better that day.  For me because I don't hit all that often anymore my 3h is probably my worst club and I find myself actually hitting my 5w better even out of rough if it's a long hole.

The net-net is that distance is great but if you're putting yourself in terrible position it's better to be shorter and have an easier second shot than have to hit a hero shot off the roots of the tree your behind...

I do agree that you do need to hit the clubs you have trouble with in order to get better with them but it's not always the smart thing to do when actually on the course.

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I dropped the driver from my bag and use a 3W. I hit my 3W as long as most guys I play with hit their drivers and most of the time I'm on the fairway while their in the woods. Also, since I use the 3W off the tee all the time I am very comfortable with it, so on the fairway I hit it as good as off the tee. On par 5's I'm usually chipping on in 3. If the hybrid works for you, go with it, your logic is sound.

Regards the fourth wedge, I use a pitching (48*), gap (52*) and a sand wedge (56*). Those three wedges sharre all I need. I have a lob wedge (60*) but I never use it. If I need a flop shot over a trap with little green to work with I use my sand wedge, works fine for me.

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When you all tee off with a hybrid, how high do you tee the ball?

Do I want to push the tee down almost flush to the ground?  Or should I push it down to the point where the ball's distance from the ground equals the diameter of my fingers (ie, pushing the ball/tee down into the ground until my fingers are gently squeezed between the grass and the ball)?

Or, do you have success teeing the ball up a little higher than that, when teeing off with a hybrid?  Everywhere I look online, I see that it's important to strike down on the ball when hitting with a hybrid (whether teeing off or hitting from the fairway/rough), similar to when hitting with an iron.  I'm worried that if I tee the ball up to high, then this just won't work.

Thanks!

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OP what is your most common miss? We all have a common miss if we think about it or even make a note of it for a few rounds what my problem was a when I was struggling with my driver was a slice that didn't rear its head until about 150 yards out.  I had a friend of mine who has an idea about golf swings nothing serious just played a lot come watch me at the range and told me I was swinging to steep (with all my clubs but with the driver it showed more cause its a longer club and it goes the farthest). My advice is to go get a lesson or if you don't feel like doing that go to the range with someone and have them watch you swing and see if there's just something your doing wrong that you can't feel but someone watching might pick up on by watching you.  The driver is in my opinion the best club in everyone's bag for the fact that once you figure it out every other club feels way easier to hit and it makes you more confident in all your clubs. For the amount you play you should work on something when you go out and not worry about what score you shoot that's just my opinion. I like the earlier post of hitting 2 balls on each hole (1 with the driver, 1 with the hybrid) if you have time or the course to yourself play 2 balls tee to green on every hole you could even just take 2 putts for both and see which is better.

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To your post on how high to tee the ball for a hybrid I don't tee them up at all irons either.  When I tee them up I actually seem to try to hit them in the air instead of hitting down on them.  You can't tee them up in the fairway was the way I always looked at it I'm not saying thats right at all but the best guy I play with does the same and it seems to work well for him.

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Originally Posted by cooke119

I dropped the driver from my bag and use a 3W. I hit my 3W as long as most guys I play with hit their drivers and most of the time I'm on the fairway while their in the woods. Also, since I use the 3W off the tee all the time I am very comfortable with it, so on the fairway I hit it as good as off the tee. On par 5's I'm usually chipping on in 3. If the hybrid works for you, go with it, your logic is sound.

Regards the fourth wedge, I use a pitching (48*), gap (52*) and a sand wedge (56*). Those three wedges sharre all I need. I have a lob wedge (60*) but I never use it. If I need a flop shot over a trap with little green to work with I use my sand wedge, works fine for me.

If you enjoy 3w 3w chip into a green that is fine but Ill take driver, long iron or hybrid into the green and only chipping if I miss the green (less likely with a long iron than a 3w) My worst case scenario when driving is into the trees, punch out to iron.

Par 5s are the main hole where you can mess up more and still escape with a par. Might as well go with the big dog.

Bag: Ogio Ozone XX

Driver: :titleist: 910 D2 (Project X 7A3)

3 Wood: :titleist: 910F ;(Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana 'ahina 82)

Hybrid: :titleist: 909H 19* (Diamana Blue)

Irons: :titleist: 755 3-P (Tri Spec Stiff Flex Steel)

Wedges: :titleist: (Vokey 52* 56* 60*)

Putter: Ping Karsten Anser 2

Balls: :titleist: Nxt tour/ Prov1x

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How high to tee a hybrid? Same as you'd tee up a 7-iron. For me that is just at the top of the grass as if it was a perfect lie. Occasionally, I'll tee irons and hybrids up a LITTLE more if I want to hit it a bit higher (have a par three over water that plays 170-200 yards so a high ball has a better chance of holding the green and allows to me to take one more club to feel good about clearing the water.)

Russ - Student of the Moe Norman swing as taught by the pros at - http://moenormangolf.com

Titleist 910 D3 8.5* w/ Project X shaft/ Titleist 910F 15* w/ Project X shaft

Cobra Baffler 20* & 23* hybrids with Accra hybrid shafts

Mizuno MP-53 irons 5Iron-PW AeroTech i95 shafts stiff and soft stepped once/Mizuno MP T-11 50.6/56.10/MP T10 60*

Seemore PCB putter with SuperStroke 3.0

Srixon 2012 Z-Star yellow balls/ Iomic Sticky 2.3, X-Evolution grips/Titleist Lightweight Cart Bag---

extra/alternate clubs: Mizunos JPX-800 Pro 5-GW with Project X 5.0 soft-stepped shafts

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Originally Posted by Jakester23

To your post on how high to tee the ball for a hybrid I don't tee them up at all irons either.  When I tee them up I actually seem to try to hit them in the air instead of hitting down on them.  You can't tee them up in the fairway was the way I always looked at it I'm not saying thats right at all but the best guy I play with does the same and it seems to work well for him.

Everyone I see on the PGA tour tee's the ball up for a driver, 3 wood, hybrid, iron, or anything they hit off of a tee box. It seams to work well for them, so I do the same.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey everyone.  I was the original poster on this thread and just wanted to first thank you all for your advice, and second provide some feedback on how this discussion has helped me, as it may help other golfers at my same level.

Today I played the same 9-hole public course I played two weeks ago, only today the difference was that I left my driver (and my 3 and 4 irons) home and teed off using a hybrid on all of the long holes.  I actually had only ten clubs in my bag.  Leaving the driver home helped me score a 50 today on 9 holes, shaving off four strokes from my previous score of 54.  To me, over nine holes, this is a significant improvement for me from one outing to the next.  Hopefully (?) this gets me closer to my short-term goal of breaking 100 on 18 holes.

Unlike two weeks ago, I lost no balls today.  The only holes I was unhappy with were the two on which I shanked my initial drive with my hybrid, resulting in a 7 and an 8 on those two holes.  That just tells me I need to practice more on teeing off with my hybrid to hopefully do better on those same holes next week.  On the holes I teed off well with the hybrid, I of course ended up in the fairway, a manageable distance from the green, with a relatively easy shot with a mid-iron or wedge.

All morning as I played, I asked myself, "Why the hell have I been making this game so complicated for myself all these years?!"  I honestly think that novice golfers like me too easily fall victim to either marketing propaganda by clubmakers, or more likely, to our own egos, and think that we need to use a driver on every hole to launch the ball 300+ yards, and our games/psyches suffer because we spend most of our rounds searching with frustration for our balls in the woods.  Today was the first enjoyable round I had in years, because I actually kept the ball in play, I felt like I was actually improving as a player, and I hit a few great shots because I was feeling so good mentally.

Based on everyone's advice and my experience, I will definitely put the driver on ice until I get lessons from a pro.  This will be a good thing, as I'll now have the extra time to focus on practicing my putting and short game, and I'll become more of a "real golfer."

In golf, I'm learning that simplicity leads to success, and success leads to confidence.

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  • 2 years later...

I've been plying on and off for 20+ years and never improving off the tee.  I got tired of all of the different drivers' technologies and schemes for supposedly adding distance.  I now use a 3-Hybrid to tee off.  I also carry a 4Hybrid and a 5Hybrid for the fairways.  Finally a #7-#9, SW and Putter.  It probably does not look very professional but I enjoy the game so much more.  I am always on the fairway from the tee and get to the green faster.  It's not what the latest marketing message is recommending but what you feel comfortable with.

Enjoy the game.

Francois

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I'm spraying my driver all over the place. I hit a 216 carry with it. I hit my 5 wood 205 carry. The ball spray is much less. I should be on the first cut anyway. I might put one in the trees, but that's the game. The par 4s are about 320, so if I play a 5 wood off the tee and it's playable with a 10 to 15 yd roll depending upon ground conditions, I'm looking at a pitching wedge to 9 iron for my second shot. With my driver IF I hit it well, I'm looking at a gap wedge.

Par 5s are 420 (3) and 475. So 5W + 3H + wedge for the long one. It's still within range of a GIR. Plus two of these par 5s has danger of an OB and water on one side. Driver? It has bitten me too many times. I've learned my lesson.

Do I need a driver?

Julia

:callaway:  :cobra:    :seemore:  :bushnell:  :clicgear:  :adidas:  :footjoy:

Spoiler

Driver: Callaway Big Bertha w/ Fubuki Z50 R 44.5"
FW: Cobra BiO CELL 14.5 degree; 
Hybrids: Cobra BiO CELL 22.5 degree Project X R-flex
Irons: Cobra BiO CELL 5 - GW Project X R-Flex
Wedges: Cobra BiO CELL SW, Fly-Z LW, 64* Callaway PM Grind.
Putter: 48" Odyssey Dart

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Yes! You do, every man needs a driver and, more importantly, to learn how to use it! You don't have to bomb them 280 yards like people on here pretend they do, I probably carry 200-220 average, but land them on/close to fairwY, plus roll out, and you've made the hole considerably shorter!,... Resulting in better scores. Of course you'll have the 3wood brigade on telling you 3 woods are statisistically better than drivers, but I've learned statistics can be bent to suit any argument, in fact 67.98% of statistics are made up and 12 out of 8 people believe them!

Gaz Lee

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I guess I have 2 follow up questions. Im struggling with my driver right now as well and continually slice it. I seem to do ok with just hitting with irons from the box for now. But I would like to progress beyond that obviously.

So my questions are: 1. Is it easier to control a hybrid than it is a driver? 2. What hybrids would anyone recommend for someone who has been playing for less than 6 months?

Thanks guys!

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I guess I have 2 follow up questions. Im struggling with my driver right now as well and continually slice it. I seem to do ok with just hitting with irons from the box for now. But I would like to progress beyond that obviously. So my questions are: 1. Is it easier to control a hybrid than it is a driver? 2. What hybrids would anyone recommend for someone who has been playing for less than 6 months? Thanks guys!

1) Generally speaking, it is easier to control a hybrid by virtue of the higher loft in the hybrid and the shorter shaft. But this is very much dependent on your own game. I had a period where my hybrid was very shanky. Drivers are very big faces to make contact with so you'll probably at least hit it 150 on all but your worst hits, whereas the hybrid brings shanks and tops much more into play. So depending on your issues, you'll have different experiences with both. But generally, the lack of loft of the driver makes it less forgiving in terms of staying straight. 2) Depends on your budget. Hybrids by nature are designed to be easy to hit, so you'll probably not find one you just can't hit. That said, a 3 hybrid is harder to hit than a 4 hybrid because, again, loft. I like Callaways X and X2 hot hybrids. The X Hots are pretty cheap and the X2s are dropping now that the XR line came out. Taylormade's new aeroburner line has gotten great reviews. But you should try them. I disliked the sound of the SLDR hybrids and loved the pinginess of the Callaway X2. Couldn't get that from an online review.

Dom's Sticks:

Callaway X-24 10.5° Driver, Callaway Big Bertha 15° wood, Callaway XR 19° hybrid, Callaway X-24 24° hybrid, Callaway X-24 5i-9i, PING Glide PW 47°/12°, Cleveland REG 588 52°/08°, Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind 56°/13°, 60°/10°, Odyssey Versa Jailbird putter w/SuperStroke Slim 3.0 grip, Callaway Chev Stand Bag, Titleist Pro-V1x ball

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Hi, I have been through something similar. I did take the driver out of the bag and tee off with a 2h for a period, while I had a lesson, dedicated practice time to it, and pared back my swing to the extent I could control it. This means that I went from striking the ball 270 yards to 230, but it was much more consistent and accurate (hitting maybe 40% of fairways and light rough 40%, rather than fairways 10% and light rough 40%). I reintroduced it initially on holes with generous landing zones, and then slowly on tighter holes. I'm now working on developing a faster, more consistent swings and moving the ball around corners, but am not confident doing either consistently enough to do it on the course.


The short answer, for me, is take the hybrid off the tee if you want to score in the short term and work on your driver. If you're not concerned about scoring well then use the course as another place to practice the driver. If you don't want to put time and energy into the driver just leave it at home.

D: Ping G25 Stock S Shaft
3W: Titleist 915F 16.5* Diamana S70 Blue Stiff
3H, 4H: Callaway XR Project X LZ 6.0
5i-PW: Mizuno MP54 Project X 5.5 Shafts
52*, 58*: Mizuno JPX Wedge TT Dynalite Gold AP
Putter: Mizuno MP A306

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