Driver or not to driver that is the question.

[mark777]

I played the open course at the Nottinghamshire last week and started par,bogey,birdie. Standing on the 4th tee ( par 4 dog-leg right) my angel side told me to hit 3 wood down to the corner , and the devil side said driver over the corner. Devil side won and I put 2 out of bounds and scored no points. Still smarting I went to the next tee and blobbed that one as well.

Finished with 38 points with those 2 blobs so the day ended up well but I didnt take my driver out again. I hit my 3 wood about 240 yards and was never in the deep stuff. So my question is do we really need to hit a driver or would an extra wedge or hybrid be of more use.

Thanks

Mark

 

[Deleted member 1147]

You choose which to play on a hole-by-hole, day-to-day basis.

What are the benefits/risks of hitting driver on that particular hole. Is the risk worth taking or is it too dangerous?

Also, how are you playing on that particular day? If you're driving it brilliantly and have confidence, or can't hit driver that day, then that should impact your decision.

 

[Robobum]

There's no decision to make here.

You just need to hit the driver harder

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I played the open course at the Nottinghamshire last week and started par,bogey,birdie. Standing on the 4th tee ( par 4 dog-leg right) my angel side told me to hit 3 wood down to the corner , and the devil side said driver over the corner. Devil side won and I put 2 out of bounds and scored no points. Still smarting I went to the next tee and blobbed that one as well.

Finished with 38 points with those 2 blobs so the day ended up well but I didnt take my driver out again. I hit my 3 wood about 240 yards and was never in the deep stuff. So my question is do we really need to hit a driver or would an extra wedge or hybrid be of more use.

Thanks

Mark

It wasn't the driver that was the issue, it was your decision making and ability to forget a bad hole.

 

[patricks148]

is this not the whole risk -reward options thing, you just have to have a way of working that out for your own game.

We have 4 holes at just under 350 and on a good day with the correct wind and firmness of fairway , you could drive all of them, but the risk for me is always too great so always lay up to my fav yardage. I've made far more birdies doing it that way than i have going for them.

 

[Coatsy79]

I'm currently managing with just a 5 wood, but I know if I can learn to hit a driver properly it'll get me much closer on longer holes, it's my aim for the winter to get out to the range and try and get better with my driving

Might change the shaft though as it's very whippy, I seem to be heading towards preferring the stiffer end of regular if that makes sense

 

[BoadieBroadus]

try and find somewhere where you can hit drivers and 3 woods and find accurate yardages for both. only then can you really determine if the extra distance is really worth the risk of a bad shot.

i tend not to use my driver very often because it doesn't really go much further than a 3 wood. all the par 4's are reachable (except for 2 where a sunday best drive would be required) and par 5's i treat as 3 shotters anyway. for me the extra accuracy is more important.

 

[JustOne]

Definitely driver..... then chip out if need be

 

[mark777]

Interesting that 3 single figure players have replied and seeing what their mindset is. I think I havent explained my self properly. My point was is a loss of distance but an increase in accuracy something to aim for for us mid -high handicaps.

Hawkeye your quite right that the 2nd blob was due to my ability not to forget the previous hole. Shot par on the next hole though.

mark

 

[jimbob.someroo]

There's no decision to make here.

You just need to hit the driver harder

Can confirm, this is the correct decision.

In all seriousness Gil Emott is correct. You should assess hole-by-hole on how you're playing. If a driver off the tee is the difference between being able to reach / not reach a long hole then the pros probably outweigh the cons. If it's the difference between an 8 and 9 iron in, maybe not?

 

[patricks148]

Ok i'll go again then


Driver no question.. unless off course you can hit your 3 wood far enough to still be hitting a short iron or less for you 2nd shot on most holes.

Also hitting driver is fun

 

[MattM]

Driver nearly always. Although that is because I'm just as likely to hit a poor 3/5wd as the driver so may as well get the extra distance - and ...

Also hitting driver is fun

:thup:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Surely it is about playing every hole on its merits and the real issue is dealing with a bad hole, forgetting it and starting from scratch on the next one. If you are hitting the three wood well there isn't a swing problem, just a mental one

 

[3PuttCharlie]

I would say accuracy should win the day but over the years some wild boys have won some big cups

I recently went through a stage of wanting a strong 3-wood rather than a driver, so I bought a Cobra 3+ 13 degree which I love and at the moment goes where I tell it to

I also bought a Cobra ZL driver which goes about 30 yards further and it's always fun to rip a driver

I make my decision on what club to use by how long I want my second shot to be. In the summer I want to be as long as I can be as I have a fairly decent short game...in the wetter weather I prefer to hit mid irons in to the green, as I have more bounce on them rather than my wedges which I often hit under the ball when it's wet (too steep angle of attack)

other days Ii may just hit rescues off the tee just because

 

[Scrindle]

I haven't been playing with a driver recently due to not getting on well with it (got some things to practice at the range now though thanks to a certain person on these forums! Thanks again).

That said, I'm always tempted to whip it out on the 18th anyway because I know, from 2 chances I've failed to capitalise on, that if I hit a decent drive I can reach the green with a 4 iron and have a go at eagle! Usually blob the drive or get excited and spoon the 4 iron though! Hah!

 

[Imurg]

We have 3 or 4 quite long Par 4's.
If I get the driver away well I can reach these in 2 and effectively be a shot up on the rest of the field.
But everything's got to be going well, if I fade or hook then I'm hacking out and struggling for a 5
Also our par 5's are not huge and, again with a good rive, reachable in 2.
Some holes have a bit more leeway for a poor shot so the driver comes out.
Others need a straightish shot so it generally doesn't
But it can change round to round..

 

[sawtooth]

You need both driver and 3 wood. You are seriously impeding your progress if you avoid hitting driver IMO. How else can you improve if you don't keep swinging with it? Its obviously true that you can be hitting shorter irons into the greens if you are longer off the tee therefore enabling you to get closer to pins. Also on some holes you can actually take trouble out if you can hit it further off the tee.

3W certainly has its place, for example on our 7th I generally hit 3W there because otherwise you can be blocked out by trees if you go too far up the hole. But generally speaking 3W is essential for long par 3's, second shot on par 5 etc.

You need both in your locker and learn to love them both.

 

[Jumboross]

I have sacked the driver on occasion. If I'm hitting it well I get so much advantage from it, however if it's not going well I know it will get me into trouble. Out comes the three wood which is always straight and normally around 250 and that will generally work on most par fours.