How important is the drive ?

CrapHacker

CrapHacker

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Drive for show, putt for dough.

How many times have you heard / said it?

Driving is a relatively unimportant part of the game when compared with the short game.

Yes ? Or do you think otherwise ?

I played today at Eastbourne Downs. 6150 odd yards off the yellows. And a half wedge away from Beachy Head if anyone doesn't know it. So any temptation to end it all after a bad run in can be easily accommodated.

It was very hilly, as one would expect, but it was in great nick, and was a thoroughly enjoyable course and could have been great fun to play.

Except for one thing. I just could not get a drive away.

I made up for it by putting better than I have done in living memory, and managed two gross birdies, and 5 pars, alongside my 4 blobs, 6 single bogeys, and just the one double bogey - and that was a 3 putt from about 8 feet. I used 30 putts - single putting 7 greens. I wouldn't expect to putt that well again this year, I'd normally happily settle for 35 putts with 2 or 3 three putts thrown in for luck.

So overall, a great round then ?

No !!

It was damned frustrating tbh. Hitting the ball so badly off the tee was mentally screwing me up so much that if I hadn't been so knackered from all that hill climbing, I'd have probably tried too hard on the greens and ruined that as well.

The overall score was a good 4 or 5 shots less than I could have hoped for, so I should be raring to go, but I have fonder memories from my previous round, where I scored almost identically, but was hitting my drives damn good, but not putting so well.

Stupid blimmin game.

How does driving affect your game ?
 
At this moment in time , the worst part of my game is my long irons so the further i can make it down the track off the tee , the better.
From an accuracy point of view , I know its obvious but it also makes the game so much easier if you're playing your 2nd shot off the short stuff...unfortunately ,it's these shots where i'm suffering most with my driving really improved ( Thanks to BobMac ) but my long irons/hybrids failing me big time.
 
Drive for show, putt for dough.

How many times have you heard / said it?

Driving is a relatively unimportant part of the game when compared with the short game.

Yes ? Or do you think otherwise ?
Click to expand...
It depends on the course and the yardage. Some courses are quite open and with a wayward drive and you still have the chance to recover... other courses you're in the trees or the water. Likewise if you're playing off the back tees, a bad drive and you've got a loooooong way to recover, hit a good one and you're going in with a 9-iron.

For a 6150 yd course you don't even need a driver :D
 
For a 6150 yd course you don't even need a driver :D
Click to expand...

You may not but the 6100 yarder I'm playing at the moment has a few 400+ par 4's and if you don't hit a driver you ain't getting up in 2. And hit a good driver on a par 5 and you have a chance of getting up in 2 as well.

But as you mentioned, an open course means you can be off line and still have a chance of making par. But a tight one mostly means you're in trouble. Yesterday I was in trouble on an open course so God alone knows what it would have been like playing, say, Woburn or another tight course.
 
Drive for show, putt for dough.

How many times have you heard / said it?

Driving is a relatively unimportant part of the game when compared with the short game.

Yes ? Or do you think otherwise ?
Click to expand...
It depends on the course and the yardage. Some courses are quite open and with a wayward drive and you still have the chance to recover... other courses you're in the trees or the water. Likewise if you're playing off the back tees, a bad drive and you've got a loooooong way to recover, hit a good one and you're going in with a 9-iron.

For a 6150 yd course you don't even need a driver :D
Click to expand...

And that really does depend on how far you hit your driver, JustOne. ;)
 
To me, every shot and every club you use has its importance. On about 9 holes of every course around all you have to do is put a drive somewhere where you have a reasonable 2nd shot, this can include the 1st cut of rough.

But on 18 holes, if you want the best results, your shots to the green and putting require the most accuracy and consistancy for the best results.

On many holes golfers can recover from a slightly errant drive without loss of strokes,not always the case with a wayward 2nd shot or putting.

I have lost count the number of times I have played golf with people who hit superb drives yet do not capitalise on it.

I play one chap occasionally who hits his driver 220 to 230 straight down the middle every time, I have rarely seen a club golfer so consistant, yet he plays off 20? The last time we played, I shot 82, he shot 90, I never stayed on one fairway that day and lost ball during the round, he never missed a fairway once. :D
 
Whats wrong with the long irons/hybrids. Direction or contact?
Click to expand...

TBH Bob , its a bit of everything but mostly contact . I think i'm just trying to larrup the ball too much , thinking headspeed = power . 6/7 iron up and i'm ok as my swing is much smoother and controlled but as soon as i see that i need to hit a longish distance with an iron i sort of panic !!! . Probably all in my head :)
 
Driving does not really matter IMO unless you playing really long tracks

You can top your driver mess up hybrid then get wedge in your hand, on the green, one putt par

Easy Peezy if you could putt well

In a round 2/3 of shots if not more are from 100 in,so get good at that and you will be a good player
 
Driving does not really matter IMO unless you playing really long tracks

You can top your driver mess up hybrid then get wedge in your hand, on the green, one putt par

Easy Peezy if you could putt well

In a round 2/3 of shots if not more are from 100 in,so get good at that and you will be a good player
Click to expand...

The point I'm making is the driver is a confidence club. If you're hitting it well it means you can attack the golf course much better. I know that if I'm driving well I'm as confident of hitting the fairway as with any other club.

I played to 10 hitting only 3 irons off the tee, but it became very boring. Once I learned to hit driver my enjoyment of the game soared.

don't get me wrong, I agree the short game is what get's your handicap tumbling if it's mastered, but the driver is what fills you with confidence that you can score well.
 
The point I'm making is the driver is a confidence club. If you're hitting it well it means you can attack the golf course much better. I know that if I'm driving well I'm as confident of hitting the fairway as with any other club.

I played to 10 hitting only 3 irons off the tee, but it became very boring. Once I learned to hit driver my enjoyment of the game soared.

don't get me wrong, I agree the short game is what get's your handicap tumbling if it's mastered, but the driver is what fills you with confidence that you can score well.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much how it felt yesterday. I was constantly playing catch up, and whilst there were a few fist pumps after a putt sunk ( especially after the 20 yarder from the fringe on the 9th for a rediculous birdie )

One memorable example. The 18th. A 340 yarder. I pull hooked the drive so far onto the first fairway that I left myself a 3I on the green ( about 170 into a slight head/cross wind ). Last week, when Minnie was on my side, I'd have hit the drive 230 down the middle, to leave a 9I.

Damned rediculous

But on top of that, proper golfers are capable of using the driver. For me it's not just a case of 'how many' I also want to get to be a proper golfer myself.

After that, I aim to master the chipper :D
 
It a strange one because it all depends on how the rest of your game is - If your iron play is weak you need to be a good driver get as close to each green etc If you are a really strong iron player driving becomes less important.

Golf is about the balance
 
Tylney Park GC off White Tee's is over 6500yds.

If my driver is not working I lose all confidence with my swing, which messes everything up.

Hoping to kill that with my 4wood, as long as I can keep my confidence, as not used much.

Driver working I am as good as I can be :)
 
I myself think its phsycological in every players mind.
your partners bomb theres down the middle while your 30 40 yards shorter.
i had this problem as i think everyone does i have a G10 stiff shaft driver and to be honest its a great club but one day while out with my dad he took it from me as it wasnt behaving. he handed me a wilson staff Fwc 5 wood stiff shaft.. now this club i love. im hittin it on average 220-240 conditions permitted.. its straight and im rarely in trouble with it. i can use it off the tee off the fairway or the rough and its dependable i love it.
My point is forget about trying to take the name off the ball with a driver most average club golfers drives fall between the 200 - 280 mark the latter being few and far between but iv you can hit your 3 or even 5 wood for that matter fairly long chances are you'll only be off the pace by 20 yards maybe. try leaving your driver at home the next time you play and see how you get on...
 
It a strange one because it all depends on how the rest of your game is - If your iron play is weak you need to be a good driver get as close to each green etc If you are a really strong iron player driving becomes less important.

Golf is about the balance
Click to expand...
I agree. If you know your short game is weak it puts a lot more emphasis on your driving - have a bad driving day and you're playing with your fingers crossed :)
 
I think particularly in competitive play its paramount to be driving well not only to make the 400+ par 4's accessible and giving you options for the par 5's but because in my experience the drives set the tempo for the round. If I get a good drive away on the 2nd (our first is a long par 3 but doens't require driver) then I can be confident of being in position to make a par and so I mentally relax and everything starts to slot into place.

However if I lose one OB right or hit a hook into the rough left, I have to make a real conscious effort not to get ahead of myself and worry about how many I might take and to slow the swing down. With the dryer weather though, the 3 wood is actually becoming a more favourable option on some holes now.

I think overall it is an important facet of the game as its easier to hit short irons into mid length par 4's than going in with 5 or 6 iron if using another club off the tee. It takes more pressure off. That said if you are playing too many shots from the longer grass then it can be a card killer. I guess it depends on the day and how you are swinging it
 
Driving is a relatively unimportant part of the game when compared with the short game.

Yes ? Or do you think otherwise ?
How does driving affect your game ?
Click to expand...

Gosh....a toughie.....

For me, driving is very important. I'm looking to make the hard/long holes as easy as possible. For guys that hit the ball miles and combine this with a sharp short game, I'd say their h'caps rely on it, if they are off low figures.

So much depends on the individual standard. There are plenty of opportunities to make pars and birdies without the need to even use the driver or 3 wood. If I'm standing on the tee with a driver, chances are I'm not expecting to par the hole (since I don't use it on short par 4s) and just want to "have a chance" of making a freak par or if not, just make a comfortable bogey.

Other than that, dunno.... :) :D
 
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