Driver vs. 3W

[zero]

While I've made good improvements across the bag, my driver is still a challenge. Specifically, my 3W distances are about equal to driver and more consistent/accurate. I'm just curious what swing mechanics are at play here so I can keep working on my driver. Right now it seems like it should just be removed from the bag for better scoring but I don't want to give up on it as I should be getting ~25 more carry, but right now they're both at around 230. Driver is a Callaway X2 Hot, 3W is a Taylormade Jetspeed. Many thanks.

[boogielicious]

14 hours ago, zero said:

While I've made good improvements across the bag, my driver is still a challenge. Specifically, my 3W distances are about equal to driver and more consistent/accurate. I'm just curious what swing mechanics are at play here so I can keep working on my driver. Right now it seems like it should just be removed from the bag for better scoring but I don't want to give up on it as I should be getting ~25 more carry, but right now they're both at around 230. Driver is a Callaway X2 Hot, 3W is a Taylormade Jetspeed. Many thanks.

Keep working at it and keep it in the bag for holes that don't have accuracy challenges. Those are the holes you can let loose on. 

[Let it Fly]

41 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Keep working at it and keep it in the bag for holes that don't have accuracy challenges.

Agree with @boogielicious here.  You can still play good golf with the driver on the bench, but I think it's an important club to have confidence in to play your best golf.

Currently going through similar struggles with the driver.  For a few rounds, I'd only use it once or twice on holes where trouble was hard to find and/or fairly easy to recover from.  I found myself hitting decent shots and it's definitely started to build up the confidence to use elsewhere.  Mix in some work with it at the range and it'll come back for ya.  I'll leave any swing specifics/mechanics for others who are more qualified.   

[klineka]

Have you started a "my swing" thread in that section on this forum? That will be the best place to get advice related to your specific swing. If you posted videos of both your driver and 3 wood swings from front on and down the line views, I'm sure plenty of people will be able to help.

[Shindig]

What are the specs on the two clubs?  Are they the same flex / relative length / etc? 

Also, what happens when you take an AK grip on your driver and swing that?  Maybe even to the point where you're holding the driver so it is about the same length as the 3-Wood?  

[zero]

4 hours ago, klineka said:

Have you started a "my swing" thread in that section on this forum? That will be the best place to get advice related to your specific swing. If you posted videos of both your driver and 3 wood swings from front on and down the line views, I'm sure plenty of people will be able to help.

Yep, I have a swing thread, but not 3W & Driver specifically, will try to record soon, thanks.

[zero]

1 hour ago, Shindig said:

What are the specs on the two clubs?  Are they the same flex / relative length / etc? 

Also, what happens when you take an AK grip on your driver and swing that?  Maybe even to the point where you're holding the driver so it is about the same length as the 3-Wood?  

Here are club specs. Yes, I usually choke down on it, but as you can see to the length of the 3W would be 2.5", that would be awkward. About 1" is all i do.

JetSpeed Fairway / 3-15° RH Lie 59° 165cc 43.5” D5 42.5” C9

X2 Hot Driver 9°

RH

46"

Adjustable

460

D3  Shaft Aldila Stiff 58 mid mid

[Slowcelica]

22 hours ago, zero said:

While I've made good improvements across the bag, my driver is still a challenge. Specifically, my 3W distances are about equal to driver and more consistent/accurate. I'm just curious what swing mechanics are at play here so I can keep working on my driver. Right now it seems like it should just be removed from the bag for better scoring but I don't want to give up on it as I should be getting ~25 more carry, but right now they're both at around 230. Driver is a Callaway X2 Hot, 3W is a Taylormade Jetspeed. Many thanks.

I had the same issue around 2 years ago, my 3 wood I would hit great off the tee and consistently hit it farther than my driver at the time, I sliced my driver and just could not hit it far at all. My 3 wood I could get out to about 220-230 and it was straight but could not hit it off the ground to save my life.

So I made a decision I was going to make my driver my best part of my game, it was by far my worst part. I went and got fitted for a driver that fit my swing and removed my 3 wood from my bag so I wouldn't be tempted to use it. Then I went to work, my evolvr instructor had me making full swing changes already that helped out my driving, once a week I started going to the range (normally I hit in a cage in my yard) and the range session was just to get so I wasn't anxious about hitting my driver.  My range session was split up into, working on my driver swing and any changes I needed to make and then trying to hit an imaginary fairway, swinging as fast as I possibly could. So 2 years later I'm hitting the ball straighter even drawing the ball sometimes, and hitting it farther than I ever have. I hit a 270 yard drive for the first time last year with no cart path/wind/hill help GameGolf measured and this year I've hit quite a few drives over 240 yards. Now for most of you you're probably thinking big deal, but my typical drive according to GameGolf when I started working on it was 167 yards! Yea I still have mishits but a normal drive for me now is 230ish yards, a good drive for me is now 245-250 a great drive for me is now 260+. And it is a lot easier to play the game from the fairway with a 9i or PW into the green.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Slowcelica

[zero]

12 minutes ago, Slowcelica said:

I had the same issue around 2 years ago, my 3 wood I would hit great off the tee and consistently hit it farther than my driver at the time, I sliced my driver and just could not hit it far at all. My 3 wood I could get out to about 220-230 and it was straight but could not hit it off the ground to save my life.

So I made a decision I was going to make my driver my best part of my game, it was by far my worst part. I went and got fitted for a driver that fit my swing and removed my 3 wood from my bag so I wouldn't be tempted to use it. Then I went to work, my evolvr instructor had me making full swing changes already that helped out my driving, once a week I started going to the range (normally I hit in a cage in my yard) and the range session was just to get so I wasn't anxious about hitting my driver.  My range session was split up into, working on my driver swing and any changes I needed to make and then trying to hit an imaginary fairway, swinging as fast as I possibly could. So 2 years later I'm hitting the ball straighter even drawing the ball sometimes, and hitting it farther than I ever have. I hit a 270 yard drive for the first time last year with no cart path/wind/hill help GameGolf measured and this year I've hit quite a few drives over 240 yards. Now for most of you you're probably thinking big deal, but my typical drive according to GameGolf when I started working on it was 167 yards! Yea I still have mishits but a normal drive for me now is 230ish yards, a good drive for me is now 245-250 a great drive for me is now 260+. And it is a lot easier to play the game from the fairway with a 9i or PW into the green.

Thanks, good advice. I used to hit drives 275 regularly, but since getting my swing plane fixed and my score lower it has gone to hell. At least all other parts of my game are in good shape!

[b101]

What's the common miss with the driver, or is this that a 'good' shot isn't going far? Also, out of interest, do you hit it off the crown or very, very low with the driver often? 

[zero]

1 hour ago, b101 said:

xWhat's the common miss with the driver, or is this that a 'good' shot isn't going far? Also, out of interest, do you hit it off the crown or very, very low with the driver often? 

Most common miss is a slice, but I also hook one occasionally. I'm all over the clubface, unlike any other club. It's a mystery. Also the setup and body mechanics just feel so much different that other clubs. Even when I "bomb" it, I'm only getting about 250 w/ roll lately. It's really weird because I tested my speeds at a hitting bay recently and was pretty happy.

Edited June 1, 2017 by zero

[b101]

10 hours ago, zero said:

Most common miss is a slice, but I also hook one occasionally. I'm all over the clubface, unlike any other club. It's a mystery. Also the setup and body mechanics just feel so much different that other clubs. Even when I "bomb" it, I'm only getting about 250 w/ roll lately. It's really weird because I tested my speeds at a hitting bay recently and was pretty happy.

Those numbers are useful. Your contact is a bit all over the place with the driver. Particularly look at the launch angle (just right of efficiency), which ranges from 5* to 18*. As a result, spin can really spike or drop - the 4664 rpm one would just balloon and lose yards, whilst the 1270 is on the verge of struggling to stay in the air. If I remember rightly, the number to aim for with spin is around 1800, but the launch is what's killing you as there's no consistency. 

I would bet that you aren't hitting up on the ball, which is causing this. As a result, a 3 wood will be the better option as it's designed for a slightly decelerating Angle of Attack. A good drill to sort it is to tee up a ball slightly forward in your stance (use a 1-inch tee, white or yellow I think) and try to consistently pick it cleanly with a 7 iron at slow speed - i.e. not high on the face or topped. It may also be worth checking your setup with the driver and whether lower body is getting too active.

Hope that helps - this mirrors an issue I fought with for a long time, so I hope it's the same thing!

[zero]

20 hours ago, b101 said:

Those numbers are useful. Your contact is a bit all over the place with the driver. Particularly look at the launch angle (just right of efficiency), which ranges from 5* to 18*. As a result, spin can really spike or drop - the 4664 rpm one would just balloon and lose yards, whilst the 1270 is on the verge of struggling to stay in the air. If I remember rightly, the number to aim for with spin is around 1800, but the launch is what's killing you as there's no consistency. 

I would bet that you aren't hitting up on the ball, which is causing this. As a result, a 3 wood will be the better option as it's designed for a slightly decelerating Angle of Attack. A good drill to sort it is to tee up a ball slightly forward in your stance (use a 1-inch tee, white or yellow I think) and try to consistently pick it cleanly with a 7 iron at slow speed - i.e. not high on the face or topped. It may also be worth checking your setup with the driver and whether lower body is getting too active.

Hope that helps - this mirrors an issue I fought with for a long time, so I hope it's the same thing!

That's the thing - it's the only club where you hit up on the ball, longest shaft, lightest head, widest stance, etc.

[Mr. Desmond]

If JetSpeed 3 wd works, maybe you need a JetSpeed driver - at 44.5 inches. The XHot is a good driver but at 46 inches, that's a lot of shaft and could be the reason your contact is all over the board. You might try the XHot at 44.5 in, or get fit for a new Callaway driver at 44.5 in -- the GBB and XR16 driver were both known as draw biased. callawaygolfpreowned.com

[DrvFrShow]

I canned my 3W last year. I used to hit it just as far off the tee as my driver, then learned how to hit a driver. The big club face on the driver is very forgiving. It's learning to stop trying to kill the ball and swing the club and make contact on the upward part of the swing. I'm not a great driver by any stretch. I have a GBB Epic now. It's standard length, but I choke up about an inch on it just because it feels a little too long. 

What you might want to try next time you go to the range is wrapping some electrical tape around the grip about 1" down from the end. Wrap it about 1/8" thick. It'll force you to choke up a little. You'll get to see if a shorter driver might help. 

[zero]

Also posted in my swing thread. Many many thanks for your input.

3W Front

3W DTL

Driver Front

Driver DTL

 

[iacas]

Simply put, your impact creates better launch conditions for your 3W than they do for your driver right now. That's not a great shot with the driver there - it looks like almost a pop-up with a flip.

[zero]

19 minutes ago, iacas said:

Simply put, your impact creates better launch conditions for your 3W than they do for your driver right now. That's not a great shot with the driver there - it looks like almost a pop-up with a flip.

That driver and I have a mutually detrimental relationship