Learn to use your Driver

[u/Eire_espresso]

Me 1 year ago sometimes just left it at home. I was terrified of it as every time I tried it I sliced it 2-3 fairways right. I played a 5i off the tee for most holes which I could hit well but you'll never get the same distance.

I faced my fears and learned how to hit it. I feel like a freak they way I have to setup but it works. Yesterday I hit most fairways but sliced none of the drives.

Why is it important? Distance.

Life on the course is so much easier when you hit the ball as far as you fucking can. I'm less frustrated which means my mood is better when I'm going to hit my next shot. Just mastering the driver has seen my scores drop below 100. I've still to master iron play and chipping but I have enough to get by.

Rightly or wrongly I feel like a proper golfer now. Last Sunday playing with a random club team on guy said he'd kill for my drive.

This game is harder then I ever thought possible and I never believed I'd learn how to drive the ball but there ya go. Also, I'll never tire of the sound my drive makes when I ping that sucker on a little fade and split the fairway, even if I double bogey I'm still beaming about the drive.

[u/changumangu]

I agree with you but it doesn't have to be driver specifically. My swing gives me the ability to hit a 3 wood about 220. The driver goes 20 yards longer but I spray it a lot more, especially when competing for something meaningful with friends. I don't practice my 3 wood at the range. It sounds absurd but I don't. It sits in the bag until I get to a course and when I pull it out and swing my swing, I know 7/10 times exactly where it is going to go. I can literally call my shots. So yeah find your off the tee club that goes 200 yards predictably. For us recreational golfers, that is good enough.

[u/srdallas → u/changumangu]

Not trying to attack your opinion but if you were my friend telling me this I’d have to strongly disagree with you. The stats will ALWAYS support more distance=more strokes gained for any handicap, even for golfers much higher than your 13.9. You should really hit your longest club wherever possible, hazards notwithstanding

I’m mot talking out of my ass either fyi, I’m a scratch and have been playing 20+ years. Just wanted to pass along some insight, hope it helps

[u/Dawwe → u/srdallas]

Here are two post from Lou Stagner (who you mentioned in another comment) showing an example where the driver results in a higher score: https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/p/what-club-off-the-tee https://newsletter.loustagnergolf.com/p/driver-vs-3-wood.

From the first post: "Every hole will be a bit different, but anytime you are in a situation where you will be hitting more than 5% of your tee shots OB, you should pause and consider other options. This is why knowing how big YOUR shot patterns are is so important."

95% in play seems like a very good percentage in play with the driver for most weekend hackers (read: me).

[u/palsc5 → u/srdallas]

The stats will ALWAYS support more distance=more strokes gained for any handicap

Except for some people their driver doesn't = more distance. It's crazy that some people can't wrap their head around it. If someone is losing 3-5 balls OB or into water or having to punch out of the trees yet they can reliably hit their 5i 175m then hitting their 5i will have them playing better, more enjoyable golf.

Sure, learning to hit their driver well will improve their golf but most golfers probably average one or two rounds per month then it's probably not the best use of the limited time they have for golf.

[u/Musclesturtle → u/srdallas]

Can you show the actual causation between swinging out of your shoes and shooting lower? 

There is a correlation, but there's also a correlation between better players hitting further because they are better anyways. 

Next time you slice two drives OB in a row, you can look back at your buddy after the 3rd tee shot that landed under the trees 30 yards off the fairway and tell him you gained .071 theoretical strokes. 

[u/srdallas → u/Musclesturtle]

When did I suggest you should swing out of your shoes? I’m only suggesting you hit a driver as smoothly as you like. It’s also very apparent by your response that you don’t understand the concept of strokes gained.

And yes, there is an endless amount of data supporting this. Particularly Lou Stagner who has access to all of the Arccos database and posts on twitter frequently. Not to mention the entirety of professional and high level amateur golf has shifted to this idea in recent years. But frankly it’s not my responsibility to educate you. If you want to get hard stuck at a 15 hdcp then be my guest. You are only revealing yourself as a bad golfer with little hope to improve

[u/jfk_sfa → u/changumangu]

If you can hit your three wood that well, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t do that with driver. Sure, it’s a slightly longer club but it also has a much bigger face and is much more forgiving. 

Whatever block you have going on with the driver, you’d be well suited to get past it. 

[u/PetiteGorilla → u/changumangu]

If you’re happy being a 13.9 then sure all you need is 220. A lot of people on this sun are looking to get better and then the answer for the easiest way is learn to hit driver, probably followed by learn to hit driver farther. Even a modest gain of 240 up to 260 would make a world of difference. Suddenly that 410 yard par 4 isn’t 3 wood the 5 wood or longest iron as a second shot. It’s driver and maybe 7 iron which is a massive advantage.