Best club off the tee for slow learning beginner ?

[Copernicus]

I have been playing on course about 6 months and my tee shots are getting worse not better. Use a driver ( Ping G SFTech) but get poor distance and usually off to the right in the trees then I have a miserable time getting out of rough. My 3 wood is pretty much the same. Yesterday in desperation I just teed off with a 5 iron ( longest iron in my bag - next club up is 7 wood - I use Ping Karsten irons) and that was MUCH better. Obviously, long term as I learn I want to conquer those woods but what would all you experienced players recommend as a way to get there?
Stick with the 5 iron on course and just practice with the woods until I get better. Or is it worth plugging the gap between my 5 iron and 7 wood with either a 4 iron or a hybrid.
Or actually is OK to just always tee off with 5 iron if that works for me?

oh and whats a driving iron ( I see a post on those but I am clueless) and what are crossover irons - are they likely to be of any use to me as clearly at the moment I hit irons better than woods? It goes without saying that if I was good enough to even put cards it yet I would be a high handicapper.

Santa is very likely to bring me a club or two if I am very specific on the letter I put up the chimney! It's just which one to ask for... I have 13 in the bag at the moment but could happily take the driver out and throw it in the ditch


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[PJ87]

I have been playing on course about 6 months and my tee shots are getting worse not better. Use a driver ( Ping G SFTech) but get poor distance and usually off to the right in the trees then I have a miserable time getting out of rough. My 3 wood is pretty much the same. Yesterday in desperation I just teed off with a 5 iron ( longest iron in my bag - next club up is 7 wood - I use Ping Karsten irons) and that was MUCH better. Obviously, long term as I learn I want to conquer those woods but what would all you experienced players recommend as a way to get there?
Stick with the 5 iron on course and just practice with the woods until I get better. Or is it worth plugging the gap between my 5 iron and 7 wood with either a 4 iron or a hybrid.
Or actually is OK to just always tee off with 5 iron if that works for me?

oh and whats a driving iron ( I see a post on those but I am clueless) and what are crossover irons - are they likely to be of any use to me as clearly at the moment I hit irons better than woods? It goes without saying that if I was good enough to even out a card it yet I would be a high handicapper.

Santa is very likely to bring me a club or two if I am very specific on the letter I put up the chimney! It's just which one to ask for... I have 13 in the bag at the moment but could happily take the driver out and throw it in the ditch


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7 wood wouldn't be a bad shout to tee off with

or a hybrid ?

 

[Crawley1981]

Whatever club you can get it on the fairway with as that should be your 1st aim as a beginner and especially at this time of year when you can lift and wipe. So much easier to hit a 150 yard second from the fairway than a 110 yard one from a rubbish lie in the rough.

7 wood also a great club and i use mine regularly from the tee especially if its a tight hole.

Maybe ask santa for a set of lessons if your serious about improving. You never know a few adjustments and you maybe able to control a driver.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Simplistic answer would be to learn to hit the driver and/or a three wood off the tee with a lesson. Using a five iron or a 7 wood, especially in the wind and wet conditions of winter is always going to be a huge disadvantage, especially if these aren't always hit perfectly.

A driving iron use to be a 1 iron in the old days but these days has more loft and designed to get the ball airborne. A crossover, is designed by Ping and is a big souled three/four iron that is a cross between hybrid and iron (hence the name)

 

[Tashyboy]

I don't know if you have or haven't but, get a lesson with that driver. It is the same as I have and it is the danglys. Once you start to really bladder that you will not look for another club off the tee. One step back three steps forward.

 

[Face breaker]

I'm down to my 'Adams 18* XTDti' hybrid off the T at the moment as I've been having driver/wood issues ever since working on my iron play, I'm getting around 190-210 which is more than adequate on our course as two half decent hybrids puts me to within 50-60 of the pin on our par4/1st.

You just gotta go with what works best at the moment, it's better to hit it short and down the middle than it is to have to take 2/3/4 or 5 even outta the rough/trees and that's before you even get to the green.

It's serious 'Hare and Tortoise' stuff I'm afraid. :thup:

 

[guest100718]

Driver

 

[SteveW86]

I guess it depends what you want out of it, a couple of questions would stand out to me (speaking as someone who was in your position a year ago).
How far and straight do you hit your 5 iron?
What part of your golf game do you want to improve first?

For me, I decided to ditch the driver (or 3 wood as it was in my case). I went with the thinking that hitting my irons better would put me in a better place long term, so I decided to use my 5 iron from the tee every single time. I knew that I would struggle with length off the tee, but I knew the direction I was going so I was OK with it. The only thing I worked on was my iron swing, by the time the Old Farts v Whippersnappers forum meet came along I was pretty happy with how things were going. Those who played with me at that meet will probably testify that I didn't really struggle for length too much off the tee....still using 5 iron remember, I even demonstrated to the guys on saturday why I wasnt using my 3 wood, after seeing me hit 1 shot with it, they fully understood my decision!

I carried on using 5 iron through the summer and have ended up with what now feels like a pretty decent swing. I have a thread in the ask the experts section for anyone interested in looking at the swing changes over the last 8 months. Playing this way, I got myself down to 18. Long par 4's I played as par 5's, short to average par 4's I could reach in two and par 5's were always reachable in 3 so it didn't really affect them too much. The only place I feel like I lost out was the par 4's as there was too much pressure on the 2nd shot. I was at the stage where I felt like my golf game was way ahead of my scores, which I was actually pretty happy with.

I know I still have to work on my swing in general, but in October I set a goal for the winter of hitting driver. Off I went for a driver fitting, which was a bit strange as I didn't have anything to compare the results again. I was actually very happy with how I was hitting the driver in the fitting, as was the fitter (who is also my coach) especially as I have never used driver before. I got the driver and after a couple of range sessions I hit the course with it. Since introducing driver (and importantly hitting it well!), I now have a PB score of 75, just over a year after taking up the game properly.

I have probably rambled on a bit too much there, but hopefully you find it useful as I was making the same decision as you were. I took the decision to leave the driver as I was thinking a bit more long term, I wanted to bed in swing changes with my irons and get comfortable with those before bringing the driver out. This was mainly because you hit far more iron shots in a round than you do driver.

If i was making the same decision again, knowing what I know now I would definitely leave the driver alone for now.

 

[Copernicus]

thanks for the advice so far. Especially SteveW86. I should say I am having regular lessons with a great teacher and working with irons and as face breaker says progress there seems to have set me back with the woods. at my last lesson i did express this frustration and I have been given specifics to practice and an explanation of what I need to do but in my case head knowledge and ability to actually do it and be aware of what my body is doing are two very different things !!... and of course work/dark nights have prevented practice so far.
To answer SteveW86's questions:
How far and straight do you hit your 5 iron? - further than anything else and definitely on the fairway
What part of your golf game do you want to improve first? - I like the key words there 'first'. made me think that did because of course everything needs improving and you can only do so much in a lesson and a week's practice between lessons. At the moment I just really want to be on the fairway - not bothered to be honest if it takes me an extra one shot to get to the green as long as I'm not hacking my way to the hole with bunny hops in the rough all the way there which is what happens when I tee off into the woods and can't get out of the rough. That way at least I am making a range of shots from decent positions and practising the fundamentals without being wholly embarrassed at holding playing partners up. ( not that they show any indication of minding, but I do!)
If I could get to a true 36 with a 5 iron I'd be ecstatic never mind 18!!!
Not giving up thoughne:

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[Face breaker]

I guess it depends what you want out of it, a couple of questions would stand out to me (speaking as someone who was in your position a year ago).
How far and straight do you hit your 5 iron?
What part of your golf game do you want to improve first?

For me, I decided to ditch the driver (or 3 wood as it was in my case). I went with the thinking that hitting my irons better would put me in a better place long term, so I decided to use my 5 iron from the tee every single time. I knew that I would struggle with length off the tee, but I knew the direction I was going so I was OK with it. The only thing I worked on was my iron swing, by the time the Old Farts v Whippersnappers forum meet came along I was pretty happy with how things were going. Those who played with me at that meet will probably testify that I didn't really struggle for length too much off the tee....still using 5 iron remember, I even demonstrated to the guys on saturday why I wasnt using my 3 wood, after seeing me hit 1 shot with it, they fully understood my decision!

I carried on using 5 iron through the summer and have ended up with what now feels like a pretty decent swing. I have a thread in the ask the experts section for anyone interested in looking at the swing changes over the last 8 months. Playing this way, I got myself down to 18. Long par 4's I played as par 5's, short to average par 4's I could reach in two and par 5's were always reachable in 3 so it didn't really affect them too much. The only place I feel like I lost out was the par 4's as there was too much pressure on the 2nd shot. I was at the stage where I felt like my golf game was way ahead of my scores, which I was actually pretty happy with.

I know I still have to work on my swing in general, but in October I set a goal for the winter of hitting driver. Off I went for a driver fitting, which was a bit strange as I didn't have anything to compare the results again. I was actually very happy with how I was hitting the driver in the fitting, as was the fitter (who is also my coach) especially as I have never used driver before. I got the driver and after a couple of range sessions I hit the course with it. Since introducing driver (and importantly hitting it well!), I now have a PB score of 75, just over a year after taking up the game properly.

I have probably rambled on a bit too much there, but hopefully you find it useful as I was making the same decision as you were. I took the decision to leave the driver as I was thinking a bit more long term, I wanted to bed in swing changes with my irons and get comfortable with those before bringing the driver out. This was mainly because you hit far more iron shots in a round than you do driver.

If i was making the same decision again, knowing what I know now I would definitely leave the driver alone for now.

This is something that I've been considering of late, will have to see what my new irons say at the weekend, I've been hitting my 5i somewhere around the 185-190yd mark so am hoping my 4i will take me too around the 200yd mark in which case I'll drop the woods altogether (don't use a driver anyway/use a 3-wood sometimes/usually a hybrid off the T) although I think I'll keep the hybrid in the bag just incase I feel the urge to give something a good smack. :thup:

 

[srixon 1]

Something with a bit of loft like a five wood. Too straight faced like a driver and you will just put too much sidespin on the ball causing a slice/hook with a learner swing.

 

[Capella]

Iwould suggest getting a hybrid, maybe something with 20 - 22 °. It should give you a bit more distance off the tee than your 5 iron and yet a lot more control than the driver. And it is a great weapon to have to hit it off the fairway and out of light rough as well, so even when you finally come to terms with your driver (which I am sure you will at some point) it still has a place in your bag and is not a wasted investment.

 

[Sweep]

When I started playing it was generally accepted that you didn't progress to using a driver for quite some time. Nowadays it's different as modern clubs are much easier to use. That said, the driver remains the most difficult club to use effectively and considering your struggles with it to date I would leave it out of the bag for now. My advice would be to enjoy your course time, learn to get the ball round in as few strokes as possible by using an iron off the tee and playing from the fairway. Use part of your range time on learning to use the driver / 3 wood and have lessons with them. As your swing becomes more effective your results with your driver will improve and you can consider using it on the course then. When you do, don't be too surprised if your scores don't massively improve at first. Doing things this way will give you the opportunity to asses honestly how much improvement to your score using the driver offers. It's about getting it round with fewer strokes, not about bombing it off the tee - although we all know how good that feels! Good luck.

 

[Roops]

Driver. To this day I regret not getting a driver and learning how to use it when I started playing. Apart from the putter, it is the easiest club in the bag to hit. They have a head the size of a small car and therefore a large sweet spot and you don't need to swing hard to get the ball out there. Bear in mind that most stock drivers are probably too long for the majority of players, so you could always consider trimming the shaft to make if feel a bit more comfortable. Keep going with the lessons and persevere with the Driver. Don't let people tell you Drivers are dangerous/bad/unreliable/difficult, love your driver

 

[351DRIVER]

As a totally raw beginner, when you are on the course, whatever you can get in the air, it is a long time since i started playing golf but as a kid i recall most shots going along the ground rather than through the air

Once you get the ball airborne consistently with a 7 iron, use a 6 then a 5 and then move to woods and driver...

Not a long drawn out process, say as soon as you hit 3 good 7 irons, move to a 6, 3 goods 6 irons move to a 5

If you cannot hit 3 good 7s, you are not going to hit a driver

 

[duncan mackie]

If I could get to a true 36 with a 5 iron I'd be ecstatic never mind 18!

Stick to the 5 iron. It will help you build confidence, will establish a baseline swing for all the other shots you are going to play and swing for swing will be the fastest route to your current goals.

It should also enable you to enjoy your golf more for the time being.

Once you have gained some consistency with it you can take on the challenge of a more difficult (to hit well) club. The biggest clue as to when this will be is when you find yourself trying to hit the 5 iron further than it naturally goes!

Personally I believe that the 3h or 5w (maybe 4w) is the next club in the natural progression. Hit properly any of these will be adequate to navigate around most courses. With them comes more learning.

Most handicap golfers have a bag full of clubs from 3h to driver because they don't hit them properly/consistently. Many will be constantly changing them as well in an effort to find one that works for them.

I've been playing 40 years with many at single figures, and I can't hit a 5 iron consistently; let alone even close to its potential.

Finally, listen to you teacher and enjoy the game.

 

[duncan mackie]

As a totally raw beginner, when you are on the course, whatever you can get in the air, it is a long time since i started playing golf but as a kid i recall most shots going along the ground rather than through the air

Once you get the ball airborne consistently with a 7 iron, use a 6 then a 5 and then move to woods and driver...

Not a long drawn out process, say as soon as you hit 3 good 7 irons, move to a 6, 3 goods 6 irons move to a 5

If you cannot hit 3 good 7s, you are not going to hit a driver

I think we are saying the same thing but you used less words and got the message over better (in less time too)!

 

[njrose51]

What would you prefer on a par 4:

5 iron off tee = fairway. 7 iron = short of the green. Chip on = green. 2 putt.

OR

Try to smash driver/3 wood off tee = trees = Lost.

OR

Try to smash driver/3 wood = trees/heavy rough, topped. Lash out to fairway. possibly two more shots to green. chip on. 2 putts.

Play the clubs you are comfortable with to give you the confidence. I used a 5 iron for a long time. got me on the fairway 90% of the time.

Practise with the big clubs on the range.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

I always hit driver if I can, from the very first time on a course for better or for worse. I just take the rough with the smooth, laugh and get on with the next shot.

Depends what you are playing for, if you want to shot low scores then driver is probably not the best as a beginner or high handicapper but hey you only live life once, whats up with loosing a few dunlops, shooting high scores as when you get one right and flying one down the middle long and straight, that is what makes me coming back for more. Still not figured out how swinging a long stick around you body ever gets the ball airborne and straight! I reckon about 1 in 2 drives(and generally even with irons) are good enough to call okay for me.

Driver is the answer.

 

[Orikoru]

Before this year I could never hit a wood to save my life and used to tee off with a 5 iron. Played much more regularly this year though, practised the woods down the range until the were passable and then eased them into my rounds on the longer holes where the extra distance would be advantageous. Leave the driver til last though I'd say - even when I'd got the 3 and 5 woods passable, I still couldn't hit a driver. In fact I ended up buying a different driver with more loft as I could never hit with the old one. So if your driver also doesn't have much loft you will probably struggle to get any distance on it until you're really comfortable with the woods.