Ego spoils the round of the High Handicapper?

[Big Don]

When playing yesterday I hit several howlers with my driver during the first few holes and prepared myself for a terrible round. However, I decided to park the driver from hole 3 onwards and instead hit 3 wood and 5 wood of the tee. This resulted in a rather dramatic transformation in my outlook. I practically hit all of the remaining fairways leaving a very playable 2nd shot most of the time.

This has led me to the basic question, should high handicappers really be carrying the "big dog" in their bag? The ego screams yes, but the reality is that erratically hitting a driver into the woods and/or the heavy cabbage (rough) is an act of self sabotage. Any views out there?

[dodson914]

Well, I am a high, very high handicapper and I use my driver. I've only played 5 times but, I can really get a hold of the ball with my driver and I am straight for the most part. My short game is what is killing me. Just my .02

[lhshurdl3r]

It just depends on your drive accuracy and the type of holes your playing on. If you're not that accurate with a driver and have a narrower shot to take, don't take the risk and use a wood or long iron. I'm a relatively high handicapper (19) in my book, my accuracy is pretty well with my driver. To each his own for this situation.

[Turkish]

I'm pretty much brand new to the game. While I hit drivers on the driving range, ever since I started actually playing, I've kept the driver at home when I go to both the course and the range. On shorter par 4s I usually tee off with my 4 iron to get it a solid 180 or so before setting up a short iron shot that hopefully rolls on.

It does hurt slightly when my younger cousin blasts a big drive off the tee though.

[Shindig]

When playing yesterday I hit several howlers with my driver during the first few holes and prepared myself for a terrible round. However, I decided to park the driver from hole 3 onwards and instead hit 3 wood and 5 wood of the tee. This resulted in a rather dramatic transformation in my outlook. I practically hit all of the remaining fairways leaving a very playable 2nd shot most of the time.

It depends on your driver accuracy. Given your situation, I'd suggest you leave the driver in the bag unless you're playing on a wide fairway type course.

My driver tends not to be the club that costs me shots (my irons have that responsibility). Occasionally, I'll play a course I've never played before and I'll drive through a fairway on a dogleg, but I learn my lesson the 2nd time I play the course and hit 3W on those holes . Other courses have very tight fairways on some holes, and I'll go down to a hybrid or even iron.

[motius]

I don't carry my Driver on the course at all, and since I don't have a 3W, I tee off with my 5W for longer holes. I have been working on my driver at the range and it is improving, but definitely not to the point where I would trust it on a course. My 5W goes around 160 yards and I can usually keep in on the fairway. With my driver, I can't hit it any further than the same 160 yards I get with my 5W, and it is way more likely to have a huge slice or hook and costing me far more strokes (and balls) than just hitting a shorter straight shot.

[getinthehole]

It depends. You can still be a high handicapper if you have awful irons, short game or putting, yet amazing driving. I can hit my driver perfectly straight and quite long 8/10, yet if I had more consistent strikes with my irons my handicap would be way lower. I hit some fantastic iron shots then some awful ones. So it really depends.

[lamebums]

This has led me to the basic question, should high handicappers really be carrying the "big dog" in their bag? The ego screams yes, but the reality is that erratically hitting a driver into the woods and/or the heavy cabbage (rough) is an act of self sabotage. Any views out there?

Your handicap is irrelevant when it comes to whether or not to carry the club in the bag. Generally speaking, a higher handicapper is going to be less consistent, but there are plenty of exceptions to that rule, and they are all over the place. It really depends on how consistent

you are with the club. If you're all over the place with the driver but hit every fairway with the 3 wood, then by all means tee off with a 3 wood. For example, driving is the best part of my game. Nothing's more satisfying than launching a 270+ bomb down the middle with a nice draw, for me. And, I can hit those low, raking iron shots to greens on a good day. But then out comes Mr. Four-Wiggle, and my game dies... There are days that my driving's just bad - in which case I'll go to the 3 iron. It all depends on what you're good at, though. Hell, if you're good at the 1 iron, the 64 degree wedge and the 5 degree lofted driver, hit that off every tee box. You gotta do what you gotta to do get those lower scores. It's all about confidence and your ability - play to those strengths.

[Warik]

This has led me to the basic question, should high handicappers really be carrying the "big dog" in their bag?

Use of the "big dog" is precisely what let my first < 100 round slip through my fingers today. It was the same thing on almost every par 4... slice the driver 20-30 yards into the right rough, then hit beautiful shots with my irons onto or close to the green. I shot a 102 and probably could have shot ~95-98 had I used a 3-iron or something off of the tee instead.

So I vote yes... high handicappers leave your drivers at home for 1 round and watch your scores go down.

[ham_man]

Yes, yes, yes. I finally came to the realization that I can hit 3w off the tee and leave myself a very playable shot, and if I'm not hitting my 3w well, I can go 6i 6i SW and two putt for a bogey on nearly every par four. That epiphany literally dropped 6 strokes off my game overnight, with literally no effort. I'm happy.

[Mhinderaker]

I think that as most people here have said, your handicap, while not a hard and fast rule for whether or not you should really be hitting driver very often, tends to be a good indicator.

[gompers]

IMO, I don't think the driver is really necessary for a lot of golfers, especially on Par 4s. The average recreational golfer hits it something like 220 yards. If you can get it out there 200+ with a hybrid, 3 iron or higher lofted wood, you're really only giving up 15 or 20 yards. So you can be hitting your second shot from 220 in the fairway, or 200 in the rough.

Where it becomes difficult is when you're a lot longer with your driver than your next club. When you KNOW you can hit it 300 with the driver, it's hard to give up 40 or 60 yards hitting a 3 wood, even if it means being in the fairway vs. not.

I think the biggest thing is actually knowing how far you actually hit your clubs. Being brutally honest with yourself will help you a lot. It's a lot easier to put the driver in the bag when you realize you don't hit it as far as you wanted to think you did

[jmurdock]

In my first few years playing golf, I never hit a driver. I could hit a 3 or 5 wood farther and with greater accuracy. Why not put up the driver for a while and add an extra wedge to help out with your short game??

[laconic517]

alot of newer 3 woods are hotter than drivers anyway, and the added loft helps, id say use a 3 wood if your swing speed isnt very high.

[Norm66]

I haven't carried a driver in my bag the whole 11 months I've been golfing. I've done nothing with it but slice so I've stayed with the 3-wood off the tee. My instructor tells me my swing is ready for the driver now though. He wants me to bring it to my next lesson so we'll see how it goes from there.

[beung]

My opinion on this has a multiple thought lines here so stick with me....

The driver (assume it's a somewhat modern one) is probably going to be the most technologically advanced (and most expensive) piece of the equipment in your bag. So in theory it should be the straightest but in reality it isn't.

Why is this, a few reason,

Mainly because people think that they have to swing as hard as they can to get the club to perform. Which drastically reduces your swing accuracy. If some one filmed your "straighter" 3w and your "out of control" diver swings you would see the driver is out of control because your swing is. Swing your driver like you swing your 3w (or whatever your safe club is off the tee).

Adding to this is the distance the driver travels, your 20deg miss to the right becomes really costly when it starts traveling 220+ yrds. Where as the 3w might not get to to the trouble, the driver most certainly will.

I know people are going to say why do so many hit 2i overseas at the British, because of the wind and the roll the fairways offer. I don't know how many have tried to hit a 2i but any modern wood is easier to hit then the best 2i out there.

Now the reason why you should hit your driver,

Distance, not just for the sake of hitting far but for the club you are going to have to use for your second shot. Image playing a par3 course, but every hole was about 200 yrds. How would your score be as compared to playing the same course but each hole was only like 150 yrds? The difference between having to hit 5i or 8i is probaly close to a half stroke per attempt if not more.

Ego does play into it, not on the course but in the stores. They make 13 deg drivers, ask for the "Lucky 13", most manufactures make them. Shaft options are available which are less then stiff, not everyone needs a stiff 9.5 deg driver or even a regular 10deg driver. The standard 3w is 15deg so if you can hit a 3w I don't see how having 2deg less loft is going to make it that much harder to hit - you are going to get a delofted 3w with all the technology of a modern driver.

[mgolfer]

I thought that my swing was to blame when I was slicing the ball every shot with my driver. I recently tried a King Cobra driver and I hit it straight about 220+ every shot. The fact that I am uncomfortable pitching in from 120-60 yards to the green and the fact that I cannot use my 4 iron or my 5 iron consistantly destroys my rounds. I am happy though that I am breaking 50s when I play 9 holes all the time on a very tough course.

Also...If you consistantly slice the ball with your driver, why don't you take it with you when you play and if you have to hit it around some trees to the right you can use your driver and slice it around them. I used to do that.

[getinthehole]

Also...If you consistantly slice the ball with your driver, why don't you take it with you when you play and if you have to hit it around some trees to the right you can use your driver and slice it around them. I used to do that.

Because then, you accidently hit an absolutely awesome straight shot, that's what I used to do. I aim left to avoid out of bounds and it goes straight, then I aim straight and it goes out of bounds.