Driving?

[kid2]

How much emphasis do you place on driving?

Has changing the model made you hit more fairways?

Are you bothered if you miss a fairway?


I dont place massive emphasis on being pin point accurate with my driving if i miss a fairway im not too bothered....I find that this takes huge pressure off my before the shot.

I know the usual term drive for show putt for dough and it does ring through but if we struggle slightly with direction with every other club then why do we always try to get the longest driver we can and the straightest one even though this may not always be the case.

For me i play my i15 cause i like its looks....It isnt the straightest or the most forgiving but then i dont really mind playing now and then from the rough...Our fairways are not exactly generous at the best of times anyway

 

[shewy]

Hitting the fairway is everything,yes your putts will keep your score low but if your hacking out sideways every time then thats going to add up,also missing every fairway will have you doubting your technique.
So for me no matter what club I take off the tee I want to hit the fairway.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

It depends where you miss it, I don't tend to be wild so my misses are usually manageable so as long as I hit a good drive I'm not bothered if I miss by a yard or two. TBH, on some holes I'd rather miss the right side that hit the wrong side. Our 7th for instance I rather be in the 1st cut right than in the fairway left.

 

[papyt]

hitting the fairway is a must if you want to shoot low scores,how can being in the rough help with your approach shot.I think that is the difference between a low h/c player and some one in the high teens or above,forgive me but i thought the game was to keep the ball in play or have i been getting it wrong all theses years.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

hitting the fairway is a must if you want to shoot low scores,how can being in the rough help with your approach shot.I think that is the difference between a low h/c player and some one in the high teens or above,forgive me but i thought the game was to keep the ball in play or have i been getting it wrong all theses years.

That's not actually true, it helps but it isn't a must. As long as you don't miss by far and have a decent short game you can still shoot low scores

 

[kid2]

That's not actually true, it helps but it isn't a must. As long as you don't miss by far and have a decent short game you can still shoot low scores

Have to completely agree with Hawkeye here.....Golf is all about misses and the ability to recover after them...Its not a Game of perfect shots!

 

[Imurg]

Obviously it's best to find the fairway but as Hawkeye says (We agree almost too much on most things!) it's where you miss that matters more.
During today's round I hit 3 fairways. I hit 11 GIR but only once from the fairway
I shot 74 gross.
Because when I did miss, I didn't miss badly - with 2 exceptions and I made par both times.
Mostly I was in the first cut, between 1 and 5 yards from the short stuff.
And when you miss it's vital to know your limitations, your ability to escape. What's reasonable, what's achievable and go for that.
I'm quite good at escaping. Our 9th today I hit a really poor drive short and right leaving 210 to the flag with wind into and from the right.
Out comes the 4 wood and I stick it to 15 feet where I miss the birdie putt by 3 inches.
I went for it because I knew I could pull the shot off because I was only in the first cut.
Keep the ball in play. 1st cut is normally ok.

 

[papyt]

That's not actually true, it helps but it isn't a must. As long as you don't miss by far and have a decent short game you can still shoot low scores

a lot of ifs and buts there! why not work on hitting the fairway and getting the ball to the best position,or do some just hit and hope?

 

[papyt]

Obviously it's best to find the fairway but as Hawkeye says (We agree almost too much on most things!) it's where you miss that matters more.
During today's round I hit 3 fairways. I hit 11 GIR but only once from the fairway
I shot 74 gross.
Because when I did miss, I didn't miss badly - with 2 exceptions and I made par both times.
Mostly I was in the first cut, between 1 and 5 yards from the short stuff.
And when you miss it's vital to know your limitations, your ability to escape. What's reasonable, what's achievable and go for that.
I'm quite good at escaping. Our 9th today I hit a really poor drive short and right leaving 210 to the flag with wind into and from the right.
Out comes the 4 wood and I stick it to 15 feet where I miss the birdie putt by 3 inches.
I went for it because I knew I could pull the shot off because I was only in the first cut.
Keep the ball in play. 1st cut is normally ok.

if i was 5 yds off line at my club i would be in the trees on most holes,just in the first cut is ok but did you aim to be on the side you ended up on that is the question.

 

[Imurg]

if i was 5 yds off line at my club i would be in the trees on most holes,just in the first cut is ok but did you aim to be on the side you ended up on that is the question.

With my driving, I aim to be on the golf course.....

 

[papyt]

With my driving, I aim to be on the golf course.....

lol

 

[Macster]

Its all dependent on your own course I think, - at mine, if you're wayward, you're likely to drop at least one, so hitting the fairway is very important to scoring, at least off my 10 H/C.
Last night for example, 1st Drive was pants,......then I hit the Big Stick like a dream, and walked off 2 of our hardest holes with safe 4's.......(Par4's 452/430yds).
On another day, 5's are a good score on them.

On a friends course, you can be wayward and find yourself on the adjacent fairway, still with a shot to the green, so less punished.

Sadly dont have that luxury at my place, so Driving is important.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

a lot of ifs and buts there! why not work on hitting the fairway and getting the ball to the best position,or do some just hit and hope?

Because no matter how hard you try, you aren't going to hit all the fairways, just watch the pro's. How often do you see them miss fairways and make par? No matter how good you are you're gonna need more to your game than trying to hit every fairway. It's not how, it's how many

 

[dave]

in the winter especially fairways are a must, hitting out of muddy boggy rough isnt fun, during the summer i dont mind the first cut night light and fluffy grass.

i am generally quite accurate of the tee.

 

[papyt]

Because no matter how hard you try, you aren't going to hit all the fairways, just watch the pro's. How often do you see them miss fairways and make par? No matter how good you are you're gonna need more to your game than trying to hit every fairway. It's not how, it's how many

granted you need a good short game that goes without saying but not on every hole,i can scramble with the best of them but isn't that tougher than being on the cut stuff.

 

[GreiginFife]

For me the question is by how far do I mind missing the fairway? While I agree it's important to hit fairways, it's not vital for me. I have a decent enough short game to be in the first or maybe even second cut and still have a shot.
There are a few holes at Muckhart that pretty much demand a fairway to prevent dropping a shot but they are minority and I often find I just take my medicine on them if I go wayward.

 

[G1BB0]

Changing driver has helped me massively, also allowing for my fade instead of trying to fight it. Hit much more fairways and misses are rarely in really bad trouble (maybe 1 a round costs me a shot but off 28 I will take that for now).

I have also found that my drives have improved since switching from AD333 to ProV1/V1x. I get the lake ones from direct golf for £10 for 24

 

[spawn_ukuk]

Every course has problems if you miss the fairways, Long grass, Trees, some fairways are wide some are narrow
if your not accurate then you will find your self in bother
Theres certain holes where you know you dont have to be accurate, but then theres hole you know you gotta hit the fairway

 

[HawkeyeMS]

granted you need a good short game that goes without saying but not on every hole,i can scramble with the best of them but isn't that tougher than being on the cut stuff.

Of course it's easier, I actually hit a lot of fairways but no matter how much you practice and no matter how hard you try it isn't going to happen

 

[ScienceBoy]

I guess not a lot on using the driver, depending on your course it can be between 2 and 10 shots a round.

The best way to practice tee shots is to go to a range and imagine a fairway (I am lucky because mine has 2 white posts you can use). Use anything you can find and try and tee off 10 times and see how many fairways you can hit. Try varying the clubs, some long irons/hybrids, some woods and some drivers. Score yourself and see how well you do. Make up a scoring system and then try and beat it.

I dont think just swinging away with a driver time after time really helps much but DAMN is it fun!