Who needs a driver - learning from a 12 HC

[vkurup]

Played the monthly S/F alongside a 12 HC.
Hole 1 (P5): I shot a par for 3 pts using my 3W for tee off)
Hole 2 (P3): Bogie for 2 points
Hole 3 (P5): Topped my driver to the start of the fairway. Hybrid-Hybrid into the green and par for 3pts
Hole 4 (P4): Pulled driver into cabbage, Sliced/Topped driver in the right hand cabbage. hack-hybrid-chip into green, but blobed.


On the 5th hole, my FC mentioned, you should stop hitting the driver and use the hybrid or the 3W going forward. So I packed off the driver. Finished the front 9 with 18 points. My FCs were commenting on how I am likely to get cut today as my 3W was longer than their driver (was avg between 200-230y thanks to the roll on the dry ground). Then my FC dealt the killer blow 'The only way he will stay on 19 is if he uses his driver again!!'

Whenever I have a bad run with my driver, I keep hitting it till I get it to behave. I loose a lot of holes in the process. I finished the day with 33 points (incl 3 blobs) but otherwise the 3W had a great outing.

How do others approach a badly behaving club? Do you beat it into submission or put it into a dark corner till it behaves? It was a good learning experience for me - guess the difference in approach between a 12 HC and 19 HC.

 

[fundy]

Several options all have been tried in the last year or so with regards to driver. Option 1 - bench it for a few months. Option 2 - have a lesson on how to use it. Option 3 - replace it with a newer shinier one

Ultimately in order Ive always had the order as lesson, bench it, replace it, but the latest one is behaving for now. That said looking at your distances I think you need to try to be using a driver, so would definitely go the lesson route (and i mean driver specific lesson as its a slightly different golf swing imo)

 

[guest100718]

If you're confident withe driver then hit it. But dont just blindly pull it on every par 4/5.

 

[tsped83]

It's not the club. Practice with it until you develop a swing/technique that holds steady. I am by no means a great driver, but I NEVER top the damn thing. Practice with it, learn what your miss is and at least you can then account/play for it.

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

That sounds like advice from an FC to me

I was the other way round. I always used a 3 wood/hybrid, never trusted myself with a driver. Now I have got one, and it works well, I'm finding being so much closer to the green is helping massively!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Played the monthly S/F alongside a 12 HC.
Hole 1 (P5): I shot a par for 3 pts using my 3W for tee off)
Hole 2 (P3): Bogie for 2 points
Hole 3 (P5): Topped my driver to the start of the fairway. Hybrid-Hybrid into the green and par for 3pts
Hole 4 (P4): Pulled driver into cabbage, Sliced/Topped driver in the right hand cabbage. hack-hybrid-chip into green, but blobed.


On the 5th hole, my FC mentioned, you should stop hitting the driver and use the hybrid or the 3W going forward. So I packed off the driver. Finished the front 9 with 18 points. My FCs were commenting on how I am likely to get cut today as my 3W was longer than their driver (was avg between 200-230y thanks to the roll on the dry ground). Then my FC dealt the killer blow 'The only way he will stay on 19 is if he uses his driver again!!'

Whenever I have a bad run with my driver, I keep hitting it till I get it to behave. I loose a lot of holes in the process. I finished the day with 33 points (incl 3 blobs) but otherwise the 3W had a great outing.

How do others approach a badly behaving club? Do you beat it into submission or put it into a dark corner till it behaves? It was a good learning experience for me - guess the difference in approach between a 12 HC and 19 HC.

I guess we're ignoring the fact that your FC gave you advice during a comp

There is no such thing as a badly behaving club. I know I can hit all of them so if I am hitting it badly, I am doing something wrong in my swing so I try to fix it.

Having said that, I have recently started using my driver less, purely because I didn't think I needed it as often as I use it while the course is dry so I have been using my 21' hybrid off the tee more. I have done it for 2 rounds and shot +4 & +8, my best two rounds this year. As a happy aside, hitting my hybrid off the tee seems to give me better tempo so when I have needed my driver, I have better tempo and have only missed one out of 6 fairways :thup:

 

[TheJezster]

Funnily enough, for the last couple of rounds I too haven't used my driver. 4 wood or 18 hybrid from the tee for me, puts me in a good position for my 2nd shot generally.

Driver hadn't been going well, I had no confidence so have kept it in the bag for now. Will probably stay that way for a week or so, but I am off to NI for a golfing trip in 2 weeks so I should start practising with it to use it there I think..

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Just thinking about your course and knowing how dry it gets, I would be surprised if a driver was needed at all. Maybe on 4 an 16 but that's about it I would think.

 

[virtuocity]

Enjoy your 3 wood in the soggy Autumn fairways.

 

[Alex1975]

I play off 12 and simply have to hit my driver on lots of holes as I am not long enough otherwise. That said, if my driver is not working for me my 3 wood wont me either....

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Enjoy your 3 wood in the soggy Autumn fairways.

Ah yes, a very different animal that. Bottom line is you need to be able to hit every club in the bag, and know when to use each of them.

 

[virtuocity]

I'd rather be a 14 handicapper hitting driver as often as is sensible than a 9 handicapper hitting 3 woods half the time to ensure that you're on the fairway.

Bold statement but I only play for fun and hitting driver is fun.

 

[Alex1975]

I'd rather be a 14 handicapper hitting driver as often as is sensible than a 9 handicapper hitting 3 woods half the time to ensure that you're on the fairway.

Bold statement but I only play for fun and hitting driver is fun.

Respect and understand what your saying but .... hell no, not me, ill take the 9 cap please!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I'd rather be a 14 handicapper hitting driver as often as is sensible than a 9 handicapper hitting 3 woods half the time to ensure that you're on the fairway.

Bold statement but I only play for fun and hitting driver is fun.

Shooting low scores is fun, what clubs you use to do it is irrelevant (unless it's a chipper :rofl

 

[la_lucha]

I'm playing my best golf at the moment and one of the key measures was to drop the driver. I outhit alot of peoples drives with my 3 wood and I can draw it something wonderful. So I've been taking the 3 wood and the driver is left at home. Just no need for a club that's so difficult to master for all of 10-30 yards difference.

 

[fundy]

I'd rather be a 14 handicapper hitting driver as often as is sensible than a 9 handicapper hitting 3 woods half the time to ensure that you're on the fairway.

Bold statement but I only play for fun and hitting driver is fun.

No fun hitting it in the rubbish everytime, believe me I should no. Golfs an overall game about getting it in the hole, that for me means invariably I hit no more than 4 or 5 drivers a round and sometimes not even that. Yeah would be lovely to hit driver 14 times a round but its just not practical (this also ties in to the thread about limiting the golf ball for me!)

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I'd rather be a 14 handicapper hitting driver as often as is sensible than a 9 handicapper hitting 3 woods half the time to ensure that you're on the fairway.

Bold statement but I only play for fun and hitting driver is fun.

I'd rather be a 5 handicapper and use driver whenever it's needed.

Just pick and choose when to use it, when you need it, and when it's the last club you should use.

But also remember that smashing a good driver is the best part of the game!

 

[Deano23]

I got down to 10 playing a 3 iron from the tee. I never missed a fairway and learnt how to hit long and mid iron approach shots. When I started hitting a driver the game felt pretty easy... apart from that damned putting lark.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I'd rather be a 5 handicapper and use driver whenever it's needed.

Just pick and choose when to use it, when you need it, and when it's the last club you should use.

But also remember that smashing a good driver is the best part of the game!

Summed up perfectly

I only use my driver three times on my home course but it's possible to use it on another 5 holes but I prefer to use the 3W to keep it in the fairway

 

[BFL]

I love hitting my driver and do it well. I have a slice but I play with that and hit alot of fairways(working on curing the slice and almost there).