No Driver - No Problems........

[Macster]

Hi all,
Some of you might recall my posts earlier this summer re Binning the Driver, due to my complete inadequacy to hit it well - something that has taken me 25yrs of playing Golf to realise, & accept !

Well, back in mid June, I was playing off 9.4........and did BIN the Driver. (Well, sold it to a Mate !)

Into my Bag went 2 new Stage2 RBZ Taylor Made Fairways......a Tour 3Wood, adjusted down to 13.5*, and also a Tour 5W, adjusted down a bit too.

Result ? The 3Wood has put me in places off the Tee that my Driver would have been proud of, and far more consistently, and the 5W has proved a dream to hit, and has got me adjacent or ON Par5 Greens in 2 regularly......
which I've never done before.

Handicap ? Now 8.1, which is the lowest it has ever been, and at 51, I'm chuffed with. With work this winter, I'm sure I can go lower, so incentive !

Drivers - you can keep em, I wont be using one again, and in all honesty, after measuring my 3W on at least 4/5 occasions at over 270yds, why would I ?

For those of you that hit a Driver well, I'm envious.
For those of you that dont -.....well........re-read above !!

Enjoy the rest of the season boys........

 

[markgs]

I have the non tour version on rbz stage 2 and i agree with you they are very long clubs they for me make a par 5 almost like an easy par 4. i have been through the green on par 5 holes lots of times since i have had the rbz stage 2 before i owned it this was not posable with my old 3 wood at all. Love them i am so tempted to get the rbz stage 2 driver

 

[duncan mackie]

Drivers - you can keep em, I wont be using one again, and in all honesty, after measuring my 3W on at least 4/5 occasions at over 270yds, why would I ?

For those of you that hit a Driver well, I'm envious.
For those of you that dont -.....well........re-read above !!

Enjoy the rest of the season boys........

most people would need 'a driver' to reach the distances you are off the tee - and in fact it's probably more realistic in terms of shaft length and loft to call your club a driver than a 3 wood!

if the message is to find 'a club' that you are most comfortable with off the tee, rather than trying to wring the last few yards out of an even stronger one - should work for everyone but is most powerful for those who've be playing longest and have got out the habit of considering which club on anything except par 3s and very shot par 4s.

I didn't carry a driver for about a 6 week period this summer because I simply didn't need the extra distance - and our course tops out over 7000! Mine's only the 14.5 Tour TP stage 1, and you have a few years on me as well

as to the specific club - yep, they work well

 

[virtuocity]

most people would need 'a driver' to reach the distances you are off the tee - and in fact it's probably more realistic in terms of shaft length and loft to call your club a driver than a 3 wood!

Spot on.

If I could hit a 7 iron 200 yards (not saying that you can), I wouldn't carry anything longer.

 

[CallawayKid]

I can echo that Macster, the only time I get the driver out is on a dogleg right or a left to right shot is required. The rest of the time my 3 wood is the club. Really wish I could hit a driver well though

CK

 

[harpo_72]

There was a period in my golfing life when I did not have a driver, I used a t-zoid strong 3 wood. It was plenty long enough and my handicap was at its lowest. I eventually got a driver, but rarely used it, I only really need them when the geography suggests that I need a carry of 230+ yards, which may not sound very much but this is pure carry. I was using the 5 wood on the majority of holes this summer, there was only 4 holes that dictated the use of a driver + 2 par 5s which are wide an open, but at 460 and 515 respectively a driver is not req'd.
Honestly speaking I only set my bag up as per the course if we are looking at par 4s of less than 400yards it would have to take some extreme geography to make me hit a driver. Distance is important but if you land in a place that doesn't maximise the effort and gets you in a poor lie or bad line in there is no real point. Your better off being 10-20 yards back and with a good lie and line...

 

[BoadieBroadus]

i heartily agree with the merits of binning a driver. i first broke 80 with a 5 wood being my longest club and it took some time to repeat using 3 woods and drivers.

someone will come on this thread and say that the driver has the biggest head and is the easiest club to hit, but i've seen more drivers hit into trouble than any other club by quite a large number.

whenever someone professing to be a beginner asks for a reccommended driver. i'm almost always tempted to reply - "a hybrid"

 

[markgs]

i have played lots of rounds in summer with no driver just 3 hybrid off the tee and had some of my best rounds with it, knowing your going to be in the middle of the fairway ever times is a great advantage

 

[harpo_72]

Big headed drivers being easy to hit is true... But to hit it where you intend is nothing to do with head size!! Actually they should make them smaller to deter people who don't realise that they are "chompers" ( have I used that correctly ?)

 

[Jon321]

I just brought a stage 2 rbz spoon earlier this week. Going to set the loft at 11.5 and see what happens. Possible driver replacement and just carry two 3 woods.

 

[lyden]

Really tempted to try a qualifier without a driver, when I'm hitting it well it goes miles but my place is tree lined so your staring bogey in the face if your off line. I suspect I'd have the same problem with my 3 wood but I hit a 3 hybrid 225-240 and a 5 iron 200 so I don't exactly need a driver.......I do enjoy hitting gap wedges in to greens though.

 

[the smiling assassin]

Why would I ditch the driver?? I'd far rather hit my second shot into a par 5 with a wedge than a 7 or 8 iron

 

[shewy]

I just bought a rbz stage 2 tour spoon head,the driver is the one club that really causes me shots.cant wait to try them side by side.
Just need to pair it with a good shaft.
Btw I totally blame this forum for my addiction!

 

[ScienceBoy]

IMO the driver makers should be taking a long hard look at how to make the Driver easier to hit rather than longer, knock it 20 yards past a 3 wood at most. Give me that over 40 yards and half the number of fairways and I would be happy!