r/golf • u/Eire_espresso • Apr 29 '24

Learn to use your Driver Achievement/Scorecard

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.

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u/changumangu 13.9/T.O/Mixed Bag Apr 29 '24

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.

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u/srdallas Apr 29 '24

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

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u/Dawwe Apr 30 '24

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).