New to forum, and to golf!!

[Heath]

I have been playing now for about 6 months, just a local 9 hole and a few rounds up at Worlebury GC near WSM. About time I joined the forum and asked advice!!
I have just spent the last two days at Celtic Manor playing the Montgomery and Roman Road course, and staying at the Hotel which is very very good, and have come to realise that the advice i recently received about my present driver is correct... i have the wrong one which is highlighting my slice!!
I recently attended a Cobra demo day and after watching me stick a few very right down the range the Cobra bloke wandered off and came back with a s9-1 offset with (Cobra/Aldila DVS-HL, 55g shaft) that i then hit straight down the line time and time again... back to my Nike sq5000 sumo and off it went wildly to the right. The cobra added about 20 yards to my distance as well ... to be expected i guess as it took the spin out of the ball!
Now to the point, money is not that free flowing at the moment and i have seen various Draw drivers at good prices from the 2008 ranges from various manufacturers.. any one got any recommendations. I have tried a Taylormade Burner draw with good results as well... do i save for the Cobra or will i get good results with others.
My iron, wedge and putter game is fine for a man of my limited playing experience... just the driver does my head in!!
I was well pleased to score 99 on the Roman Road course today... i guess i would have a handicap of 28 as a beginner so i did it in 71 ...!!

 

[brendy]

Welcome aboard Heath, glad to see another person "bitten" by the game.
Offset drivers are like blonde bimbos, fun for a while. You will need to sort out why you are slicing wildly.

 

[Macster]

Heath - welcome to the forum and to years of golf ahead.
Be prepared for much frustration, but in all honesty, dont let it get to you, it only becomes counter-productive.

As far as the 'Driver' is concerned, believe me, very very few people hit them consistently well. A 'Draw' bias or similar only hides a swing fault in my honest opinion too, so I wouldnt go that way.
Its taken me years to find out that I can hit anything with a Steel shaft in better than a Graphite shaft, and also the length of a 3Wood shaft is far more 'controllable' with most of us mere amateur golfers.

Hence _ I now carry a Steel shafted 3 wood instead of the Driver, and so far, its seeing me down a shot or 2.
Better in play on the fairway than long in the trees.

 

[Heath]

funny... as i was reading my post i thought to myself that i could just perhaps sort out the slice
... but i have settled down into a fairly nice swing that i can repeat over and over again for most of my clubs and i have so many other things to think about having just taken up my first new hobby since i was a kid that it would be nice for now to perhaps get a club to help and then as time moves on sort the driving swing out.
I have a feeling i will go for something like a Cobra LD M Speed at under 80 quid for now and perhaps in a year or so concentrate on changes.

Thanks for the welcome... and advice and i know that you are right, i am in denial

.. and i do get good results with my very cheap 3 wood. Cheaper to stick with that i reckon

 

[Golfmmad]

Welcome to the forum Heath and to this great game we all love!
As others have said don't worry too much about your driving, just enjoy, it will come good in time.
When I first started didn't touch a driver, was advised to just hit 5wood then 3 wood to build confidence up. Pretty much what I did, and now sometimes have good driving days and plenty of bad ones. As everyone will tell you , we all come back for more.

Golfmmad.

 

[Jekyll]

Hi Heath, I've just started to use my driver with very mixed results, mainly bad ones. I tend to stick to my 3 wood as well and funnily enough keep going back to my cheaper steel shaft wood. I seem to hit it better than a graphite shafted one. Can anyone tell us the reason for this?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Heath.

I know what you are saying and my advice is that if you have a repeatable swing with a draw bias club and don't have the time, money or inclination for lessons at the minute then get one and stick with it. If it helps, I have a Cleveland Hi Bore XLS draw bias (with headcover) 10.5 degree with a regular fujikara shaft that I'm willing to sell. If you want to try one somewhere and see what you think then PM me

 

[viscount17]

I was the opposite to many, I started with a driver (badly) but never got to grips with a 3-wood - I'm only now starting to use one.

I was sold an R7 draw on the basis that I hit miles further than what I had, strange once you get them home all that extra distance vanishes. I've since changed the weights to as near neutral as I can get.

Once I got over the slice I was hitting a draw. then that vanished and now more often than not I hit a fade.

I really need a new driver but all those demands on the exchequer (for some odd reason she's expecting a birthday pressie - I thought me being out playing golf would be enough!)

 

[JamieSmith]

Welcome to the forum Heath!

 

[JustOne]

I have been playing now for about 6 months, ......................................
I have just spent the last two days at Celtic Manor playing the Montgomery and Roman Road course, and staying at the Hotel which is very very good

blimey... that's some introduction to golf! It'll be all downhill from there mate

Welcome to the forum.

Regards........

 

[Heath]

Thanks for the welcomes...
I played the Montgomery on thursday and did it in 123!!! But that was only my 4th full 18 holes of golf... was very pleased to do the lakeside in 99 on friday. Sounds real bad compared to you guys no doubt but breaking that 100 mark is a big thing for me. Of course i wasn't brave enough to have a go on the 2010 whilst there!!
Just been looking around and chatting to people and have been recommended the Cobra F speed ld 08 (£78) that has a little draw bias or the Taylormade Burner Draw (£99)..
I can't remember the figures from the equipment at the Cobra test day but i do apprently have a good swing and ball speed and was on the upper limit of the Cobra M and into the F rating.

Bit different to my other hobby that is Motorcycle trials riding, been doing that for nearly 40 years now... almost know a thing or two about that

 

[RGDave]

Welcome Heath.....not holding back on the "proper" courses then!?

I have to say (re; driver) is that i.m.o. use the one you feel works best for you. I have 3 drivers (yes, it's true) and use them all from time to time. One of them is a draw bias and it doesn't draw any more or less than the others. I don't find it as straight as my square-type Wilson (which is unimmaginably difficult to slice), so if you are struggling with a Nike Square driver, go for a lesson or fix your swing.

I have a conventional driver (benny) which I can slice wildly.
I have a draw bias driver (FT-3) which doesn't slice too bad
I have a square driver (Spine) that seems just to hit the ball straight only, but that can be straight left or straight right!

I like the Wilson the best....it's longer in the shaft but an easy-to-use 12 degree - which is the opposite to everything I'd expect since long means wild most of the time.


Go with what you like. Ignore the nay-sayers about the draw bias clubs......I don't believe they hide a bad path or dodgy swing, they just help a little.

 

[mono217]

Welcome