Driver or no driver

[Grunt]

Hi everyone

I have a question for you all.
Recently I have been using my driver less & less due to my power fade. 8) aka slice, the 3 wood is actually coming out straight or with a slight draw shape.
As I will soon have a 2i hybrid to go in the bag & the trouble the driver is getting me in at the moment. Would dropping the driver for the time being be a good idea. I am almost getting the same distance with the 3 wood off the tee. Also my home course is not overly long and accuracy is more important.

What do you all think?

ps I have voted the soft option.

[Trung]

drop the driver, fairways = lower score :D

[Fishman Dan]

Learn to hit it. Keep the head down and make sure of a nice, slow swing and you'll be surprised.

Don't be scared of it, but Trung is right - fairways = good score. Try witohut for a round or two - especially on the long holes. No point being in the crap with no shot out, and you're still 350+ metres from the hole for 1.

[McMw]

imagine how much more fun it would be if u could hit the driver as good as the 3wood....so practice!!! :wink:

[Grunt]

Well I think I have the length with my irons to cover any deficiencies that the 3 wood will bring for the time being. That said I won't be banishing the Driver if it is not in the bag. It will be more that I will be training with it at the range and bringing it back once I feel confident once more.

[jaster]

Go hard!!! Fearless Golf!! Grip it and Rip it..... :wink:

[AndyP]

The fact that you are asking the questions says that you lack confidence in it. No point hitting a shot with it if you can't trust that you will hit the fairway. Leave it out of the bag until you regain confidence with it on the range.

[Grunt]

I have not lost confidence so much as seen the lack of distance loss with the 3 wood. My best mate who is a pro has told me a fair few times that anyone over 20 should probably leave the driver at home.

[BrisVegas]

I'd leave it out. Honestly, I don't think most of us "should" be using driver off the tee unless we can be confident of hitting the fairway 3 out of 4 times with it. Also, depending on your swing speed, a 3 wood is probably giving you a better launch angle than driver anyway, so you won't lose much distance.

Personally, I never trusted a driver until I was about an 11 hcap. By that stage it was probably costing me distance to stay with 3 wood, but I was sooo confident off the tee with it!

When you're at the range working on your driver, have a go at hitting some hard draws with 3 wood.... Great shot to go to in a pinch and on hard ground it'll run a mile.

[jaster]

I have not lost confidence so much as seen the lack of distance loss with the 3 wood. My best mate who is a pro has told me a fair few times that anyone over 20 should probably leave the driver at home.

So should Tiger? Els? Goosen? etc etc leave their driver at home ;) :lol: Just poking from Grunt :P

[Grunt]

Jaster they all lack my great left to right shot shaping ability :wink:

[Courty]

I'm curious as to what shafts are in both the 3 wood & the driver. Maybe the driver is too soft for your swing? :?

[markTHEblake]

Grunt - have you ever heard of a 2 Wood?

thats from the good old days when real golfers carried a 1 wood.

a 2 wood was prabable about 11-12 degrees. a 3 wood 13-14 degrees.

Maybe what you really need is a 12 degree driver - just dont call it a driver, get a wood cover and draw a 2 on it, and you will be set.

I have seen graphs that show that golfers with a slower swing speed will get more distance from a 12 degree driver (even 13-14), and will be much easier to hit.

[Grunt]

My driver has a regular shaft in it and so does the 3 wood. They are Adams OEM shafts. The loft is 10.5 and the 3 wood is 15. If you have seen me play you would also know that my swing is not slow :? have been told to slow it down by at least 50km/h :shock:

[shazza_rs]

Sounds to me to be a reason to get a new driver :wink: :lol:

For me my driver is probably close to my most trustworthy club. Odd for a 22 hcp I know.

Play confident golf.... or as Jaster said, GRIP it and RIP it. The motto has always worked for me. :)

[Courty]

My driver has a regular shaft in it and so does the 3 wood. They are Adams OEM shafts. The loft is 10.5 and the 3 wood is 15. If you have seen me play you would also know that my swing is not slow  :?  have been told to slow it down by at least 50km/h  :shock:

If it's so fast, maybe a Stiff Flex would help you keep the clubface square at impact...
On another note, I'm led to believe there can be large inconsistencies in OEM shafts. Maybe you should get them tested against each other...

[Grunt]

I had them tested and the 5 wood was rated stiff and the other regular. I hit the 5 wood with a draw off the tee, the 3 wood with a slight fade and the Driver with a big slice. Would stiffer fix my slice up?

[Courty]

I had them tested and the 5 wood was rated stiff and the other regular. I hit the 5 wood with a draw off the tee, the 3 wood with a slight fade and the Driver with a big slice. Would stiffer fix my slice up?

If the slice is caused by the face not closing at the point of impact, then a stiffer shaft would definitely help. If it is caused by an outside-in swing plane, I'm not sure how much a stiffer shaft would affect the ball flight. Some of the others may be able to answer that one.

[Grunt]

I like the club so once I get a bit better I will get the driver shafted to a shaft that suits my game. That has always been the aim.

[Andrew]

Damn it, Grant. Go the driver & go it every time.

And when you are standing on the 18th tee at Mac Grange knowing that you only have to hit the fairway to win longest drive, walk over to your golf bag, wrap your hands around the longest thing you see, take the cover off, aim at the road & swing the damn thing as hard as if your life depended on it.


Golf is not a number, it's a state of mind.

[Grunt]

Andrew you know my game too well now. I want to surprise people and actually hit it somewhere near where I aim.

[Jarro]

keep at the driver Grant ... it's all in your head :wink:

[Flowergirl]

If your mate - who you said is a pro - told you to stick with your 3 wood - why are you asking all us bozos :shock:
Any swing fault you have - and if you're off 25 - you will have- will be magnified greatly by using your driver. Why not just play the next few rounds without the driver and see what happens. Too easy :D
But hey - it's up to you what you want out of golf. Lower scores or the occasional moment of heroism. :wink:

[Jarro]

If your mate - who you said is a pro - told you to stick with your 3 wood - why are you asking all us bozos :shock:
Any swing fault you have - and if you're off 25 - you will have- will be magnified greatly by using your driver. Why not just play the next few rounds without the driver and see what happens. Too easy :D
But hey - it's up to you what you want out of golf. Lower scores or the occasional moment of heroism. :wink:

well put FG, very nicely said 8)

[BrisVegas]

I used to play once a week at City GC with an old Italian guy called Mario (Jaster and Goughy will know who I mean! :lol: ) who had a shocking slice. He used to muck around trying out different drivers looking for that "one club" that would straighten him out. Needless to say he never found it.

All he managed to do was hit a bigger, quicker slice with the big oversize drivers he would try. With a 3 wood though, he could start his tee shot down the left tree line and cut it back to the fairway like clockwork. I tried to reason with him that he should be happy with the consistency and the fairways he kept hitting. Of course, he wanted more distance and kept mucking around with different drivers, with no success.

He played off about 13 quite easily, despite the wicked slice and only using a 3 wood off the tee. He worked on his chipping and putting to recover from his sometimes long iron approach shot misses. Being off 25, on average, you're gonna bogey every hole and make double on half of them... Sacrificing 10-20 metres off the tee aint that big a deal. Their are probably a dozen shots a round to be gained by improving your game inside 100....

[Grunt]

Bris

for those who have played with me keep telling me I am not a 25 marker more like 17 but I have the blow out hole in my round that kills my handicap. I regularly have rounds with pars and the occasional birdie only to trash them with an 8 or worse.

[peter_rs]

Its a good old story grant it just doesn't work. eg my last round was a 95 23 over with 2x4over & 2x3over changing them to just 1 over would save 10 shots so it could have been a 85. but that is why we are 20+ golfer :smt010

Anyone who has seen me play knows I "grip it and rip it" a little :lol: but that is beacuse I know my swing/game. if you need to hit 3 wood to believe you have a chance of hitting the fairway and you have to hit fairways to shot low scores do it. However I know I'm better of in trouble 280m+ of the tee then 230M+. I make more pars from rescue shots then the fairway but thats my game.


ps. change that shaft asap :wink: ultralight with 3.5 torque is not good for a caster. If you don't want to change the driver take it for a wedge or a 2-wood.

[gazgolf1]

I had them tested and the 5 wood was rated stiff and the other regular. I hit the 5 wood with a draw off the tee, the 3 wood with a slight fade and the Driver with a big slice. Would stiffer fix my slice up?

If the slice is caused by the face not closing at the point of impact, then a stiffer shaft would definitely help. If it is caused by an outside-in swing plane, I'm not sure how much a stiffer shaft would affect the ball flight. Some of the others may be able to answer that one.

Courty is right....get a new shaft in your driver that matches your swing speed.If the shaft is too soft it will lag behind your hands at impact and the clubface will stay open. 8)

[jaster]

I used to play once a week at City GC with an old Italian guy called Mario (Jaster and Goughy will know who I mean! :lol: )

Yep..annoying bugger to play with..won't shutup and couldn't understand him :lol: Nice bloke though ;)

[Jarro]

i always thought a shaft that was too soft for you would make you hit hooks :? too stiff = blocks/cuts.

[peter_rs]

Jarro I believe its a fine line between flex & torque. I went from a R/3.5 to a S/2.5 shaft and went from a big slice to straight. Also you cann't believe the flex they say on a shaft you have to look at cpm.

Also its a little weight shaft which in my experience you need a smooth swing to use (not a cast where you hit from the top).

[jaster]

Well the polls rule..take the driver ya pussy :wink: :lol:

[Courty]

Well the polls rule..take the driver ya pussy  :wink:  :lol:

I voted to keep it in the bag, but I strongly suggest getting the shaft changed.


i always thought a shaft that was too soft for you would make you hit hooks. too stiff = blocks/cuts.

:roll:

[Grunt]

Well this afternoon I poped into Drummond to see if their machine was in fact a launch monitor or not. They say it is but unfortunatly it is broken and won't be fixed until next week. I am going to get it looked into on their machine and see what recommendations come out of it. Until then the driveer will stay in the bag but will be on reduced duty. Therefore only used where the option for using 3 wood is not viable.

[Bruce]

Until then the driveer will stay in the bag but will be on reduced duty. Therefore only used where the option for using 3 wood is not viable.

I'm curious. What circumstances could possibly exist where the driver would be viable but the 3W wouldn't. Are there many holes with 200m water carries off the tee and nowhere to bail out?

[Grunt]

More that the drive area is wide enough to land the driver.

[jaster]

i always thought a shaft that was too soft for you would make you hit hooks. too stiff = blocks/cuts.

:roll:

You are correct Jarro, courty is rolling his eyes cause he knows you are correct!! Too stiff = low fades, too weak = high hooks.

[Grunt]

Well the no driver plan is coming to fruition, I am almost positive of making the decision of not playing the driver on the weekend.
I have also completed the purchase of a 2i Hybrid from 3oneday to complete my set of Adams club that I can pick and choose forthe particular course and game I am playing.
So Saturdays bag might be;
3 Wood
5 Wood
2I Hybrid
3I to PW
52* & 60* wedges

Another possibility is to drop 5W and slot another wedge in; 56*. It all depends if the 2i hybrid turns up b4 Rachelle goes to work tomorrow and I get it for the weekend.

[oz]

For my 2c worth... I would take it out of the bag for competition play right now. I would keep practicing with it, though, between rounds. Give yourself a target as to when you can put it back in the bag. It might be, for example, that it goes back in the bag when your handicap reaches 20. If it is costing you so many shots now, you really need to eliminate it from your game temporarily.

[AndyP]

Well the no driver plan is coming to fruition, I am almost positive of making the decision of not playing the driver on the weekend.
How could you go against the poll and the collective wisdom of OZgolf? :shock: :roll:

Do it, Grunt.

[Grunt]

Sorry guys I know I asked your opinion but I will see how I feel in the morning whether I take the Driver or not. I have sort of made my mind up to drop it and slip in the additional wedge, but an also thinking of dropping the Strong 5w and slipping in a 2i Hybrid that I picked up off Pete(3oneday) thru the week.

Lets see if I make the right choice in the morning and go out and shoot the round of my life! 8)

[AndyP]

I think I will be dropping my driver for my weekend round too, Grunt. :idea:

[Grunt]

I played with it, having dropped the 5w for the 2i Hybrid. And to top it off it went OK, not straight but not in the normal trouble I have been in.

[Jarro]

stick with it Grunt 8)