Driver is now officially.......History !!

M

Macster

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
2,427
Location
East Yorks
Visit site
Careful analysis of my last 2 Comp rounds, which both were in Buffer, has shown me starkly that there really is no point in me carrying a damned Driver :confused:

3 Double Bogeys, all caused by errant Drives into the Trees/Rough, leaving me with no or very little shot out, etc etc....
Other than that, good play, as you can imagine, and even 29 putts, which I was well happy with.

I've tried Titleists, Pings, and even my current TM M2, and even had lessons purely on Driver technique over the winter, but whatever I do, its just teh one Club that I cannot get any kind of regular consistency with, either Fade or Draw,
does mi 'ed in.

So, 3 Wood it is, and I've even dug out an old TM Steel shafted R7 3W, which so far, after yesterday, I have high hopes for.

I guess 230yds on the Fairway is better than 240/250 in the boondocks any day eh ?!

I know lots of others too at my place that have similar issues, even guys lower than me, so seems I'm not alone, anyone else on here too ?
 
I agree. I have a real mental block when it comes to driver. But instead of lashing it into the woods, I tend to try and dig for oil and end up topping the ball 3 foot in front of me!

So now use a Callaway UDI or 3 wood. All seem to get me on the fairway or close to it.
 
Never understood this really - Driver has the biggest sweet spot, the bigger crown and easier to hit. So how can hitting a 3 wood be better. Also you say 240/250 in the tree's but with slices and hooks - it would be less distance! If you go in the **** - take your medicine.

I think these issues run deeper than the swing. Its all between the ears!
So what are you thoughts when teeing it up? Don't hit there, don't hit in the trees! Your brain can't process a negative - always turns it around so don'ts become do's! if you have the fear, you tighten up and you lose the ability to swing.
Just relax, execute pre shot routine and relax. Put yourself in the best frame of mind to hit a shot!
Do hit fairway, Do hit fairway - imagine the shot! Or the thought could be simply - DO hit a draw, DO hit a fade, DO relax.
 
maybes a tad counterintuitive for folks but with a larger face there's a bunch more real estate on which to miss center (sweet-psot is just approx the size of a pin point - there's a smaller area around the sweet that gives a tad more help to strike but it's not a bigger sweeet-spot)

also the driver is the longest shaft & has the least loft - so with a greater divergence between path/AoA/face angle & strike location having loft is a good thing as it has a tad of an effect in limiting the damage of not so great impact conditions

plus driver tends to 'feel' pretty light - which also doesn't play good with 'out of sequence' from the top 'hits' at ball
& most folks with driver are thinking distance & power - not sequence/rhythm/balance & strike location quality

3 metal has more loft which will help mitigate a tad of a mis-strike
also a shorter shaft & is also 'heavier' in terms of being able to 'feel' the clubhead which makes it a tad easier to control
plus with a smaller surface area face then off-center strikes are not goin to be as far off-center as the potential for that is with the larger face of the big stick

biggest issues I see all the time with folks that struggle with the driver are rooted in grip hold & body position in relation to the ball at set-up - so these 'statics' tend to work against folks being able to deliver the club head in reasonable shape through the ball
plus the 'intention' to hit the ball which mostly means the club head is taking the shortest route to ball which leads to more of a chop type action

driver being the longest club should take the longest route to impact
 
Oh tell me about it, I KNOW it 'should be the easiest to hit', but it aint as simple as that.....

I agree about the Club head weight being an issue, I just cant ever get the same idea of where the clubhead is v my 3 wood, and this R7 Steel shafted on in particular is much more head-heavy and therefore much
easier to feel thru the swing.

There are only 6 Holes at my Club, where realistically a good clout with a Driver would offer much benefit, in leaving say 7/8i rather than 4/5, but as I said, i'd rather hit the fairways and take my chances with the longer irons
than risk the unreliabilty any more, its maddening.

Been playing 28yrs or more, and now at 55, need to start thinking smart if I'm gonna keep my Handicap down....... Hit Fairways, Good short Game, and good Putting. The Plan !
 
lukeysafc100 said:
Never understood this really - Driver has the biggest sweet spot, the bigger crown and easier to hit. So how can hitting a 3 wood be better. Also you say 240/250 in the tree's but with slices and hooks - it would be less distance! If you go in the **** - take your medicine.

I think these issues run deeper than the swing. Its all between the ears!
So what are you thoughts when teeing it up? Don't hit there, don't hit in the trees! Your brain can't process a negative - always turns it around so don'ts become do's! if you have the fear, you tighten up and you lose the ability to swing.
Just relax, execute pre shot routine and relax. Put yourself in the best frame of mind to hit a shot!
Do hit fairway, Do hit fairway - imagine the shot! Or the thought could be simply - DO hit a draw, DO hit a fade, DO relax.
Click to expand...

used to feel the same until i started having problems with the driver. not the best when you are off 5 and it was the strongest part of my game until then.
 
the_coach said:
maybes a tad counterintuitive for folks but with a larger face there's a bunch more real estate on which to miss center (sweet-psot is just approx the size of a pin point - there's a smaller area around the sweet that gives a tad more help to strike but it's not a bigger sweeet-spot)

also the driver is the longest shaft & has the least loft - so with a greater divergence between path/AoA/face angle & strike location having loft is a good thing as it has a tad of an effect in limiting the damage of not so great impact conditions

plus driver tends to 'feel' pretty light - which also doesn't play good with 'out of sequence' from the top 'hits' at ball
& most folks with driver are thinking distance & power - not sequence/rhythm/balance & strike location quality

3 metal has more loft which will help mitigate a tad of a mis-strike
also a shorter shaft & is also 'heavier' in terms of being able to 'feel' the clubhead which makes it a tad easier to control
plus with a smaller surface area face then off-center strikes are not goin to be as far off-center as the potential for that is with the larger face of the big stick

biggest issues I see all the time with folks that struggle with the driver are rooted in grip hold & body position in relation to the ball at set-up - so these 'statics' tend to work against folks being able to deliver the club head in reasonable shape through the ball
plus the 'intention' to hit the ball which mostly means the club head is taking the shortest route to ball which leads to more of a chop type action

driver being the longest club should take the longest route to impact
Click to expand...

Yes, all of that, plus ....."I'm taking my driver because I need to hit the ball further" mentality (for averge Joe of course)
 
the_coach said:
maybes a tad counterintuitive for folks but with a larger face there's a bunch more real estate on which to miss center (sweet-psot is just approx the size of a pin point - there's a smaller area around the sweet that gives a tad more help to strike but it's not a bigger sweeet-spot)

also the driver is the longest shaft & has the least loft - so with a greater divergence between path/AoA/face angle & strike location having loft is a good thing as it has a tad of an effect in limiting the damage of not so great impact conditions

plus driver tends to 'feel' pretty light - which also doesn't play good with 'out of sequence' from the top 'hits' at ball
& most folks with driver are thinking distance & power - not sequence/rhythm/balance & strike location quality

3 metal has more loft which will help mitigate a tad of a mis-strike
also a shorter shaft & is also 'heavier' in terms of being able to 'feel' the clubhead which makes it a tad easier to control
plus with a smaller surface area face then off-center strikes are not goin to be as far off-center as the potential for that is with the larger face of the big stick

biggest issues I see all the time with folks that struggle with the driver are rooted in grip hold & body position in relation to the ball at set-up - so these 'statics' tend to work against folks being able to deliver the club head in reasonable shape through the ball
plus the 'intention' to hit the ball which mostly means the club head is taking the shortest route to ball which leads to more of a chop type action

driver being the longest club should take the longest route to impact
Click to expand...


duncan mackie said:
Yes, all of that, plus ....."I'm taking my driver because I need to hit the ball further" mentality (for averge Joe of course)
Click to expand...

yep for sure - my ways I was speaking to that in the part highlighted
 
I think when it comes to the driver far too many amateurs have too great expectations as to what to expect.

Look at the pro statistics, even the best only get about 75% accuracy and it quickly tails down to about 50% for 'average' pros.

Personally I think a wedge from the rough is an easier shot than a 7 iron from the fairway.
 
Last week in the Wednesday stableford I turned up at the club, got my bag out and realised I had left my driver in the garage. I have to take it out of the bag to fit in the boot. Played anyway and got 41 points to win the comp. Still put it back in next time though.
 
One is not enough, needs 3-6 over the year.

If people spend less than half of the price of a new driver on lessons...

One driver lesson will not cut it. If the rest of your swing is OK and doesn't need a lesson then take 3 to nail your tee game at least.
 
Forget the lessons, just keep trying driver after driver. It's loads of fun watching regular pps shaking their head when you turn up with yet another miracle fix :D
 
Only use my driver 3-4 times maximum in a medal round and find I'm scoring much better.

It's no good driving it 250yds if you've got to chip out sideways, you might as well have took 2 x 9 irons to gets there.

My 4w is circa 200yds but it's a fairway finder, ok it's a longer second shot to the green but wayward drives kill rounds.

This rubbish about drive for show putt for dough is guff imo, if you don't get off the tee well your immediately on the back foot needing up & downs to score.
 
Macster said:
Careful analysis of my last 2 Comp rounds, which both were in Buffer, has shown me starkly that there really is no point in me carrying a damned Driver :confused:

3 Double Bogeys, all caused by errant Drives into the Trees/Rough, leaving me with no or very little shot out, etc etc....
Other than that, good play, as you can imagine, and even 29 putts, which I was well happy with.

I've tried Titleists, Pings, and even my current TM M2, and even had lessons purely on Driver technique over the winter, but whatever I do, its just teh one Club that I cannot get any kind of regular consistency with, either Fade or Draw,
does mi 'ed in.

So, 3 Wood it is, and I've even dug out an old TM Steel shafted R7 3W, which so far, after yesterday, I have high hopes for.

I guess 230yds on the Fairway is better than 240/250 in the boondocks any day eh ?!

I know lots of others too at my place that have similar issues, even guys lower than me, so seems I'm not alone, anyone else on here too ?
Click to expand...

Buy a shaft the same spec as what you have from a well know auction site and lop 2" off. Most new drivers are coming in close to 46" and it's simply harder to control.

I recently acquired a xr16 as part of a golf day booking, and the plan was to sell my then current xr15 and the xr16 and buy a fusion. After a long chat with a mate who works at AG, I ended up have my xr15, an xr16 demo and a fusion demo on the range. An xr16 with a fusion shaft was a completely different beast.

What do you have to lose... £40 or 40 yards
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Jacko_G
Is Golf now too expensive???
18 19 20
Replies
398
Views
35K
GreiginFife
GreiginFife
N
Which golf clubs for a beginner? Long post alert!!!!
Replies
19
Views
7K
Emily Winslow
E
D
A loose object in TM M2 driver
Replies
5
Views
863
Bunkermagnet
Bunkermagnet
A
Can anyone advise me if this M2 driver is a good buy? Do not know anything about driver shafts
2
Replies
20
Views
3K
Canary_Yellow
C
patricks148
Titleist TS2 Driver
2
Replies
21
Views
4K
patricks148
patricks148
Top