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Thinking of pulling driver from bag. Good idea?

achase215

achase215

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Been struggling with driver, and seriously considering just rolling with my 13* Adams 3W. I usually struggle with the club, but today on the 4 tee shots I hit it today I hit 3 FW and about 230 the one FW I did miss was a pull and it missed by 5 YD's. With driver when I catch it I can get 250-275, but haven't been catching it good lately. Is there any tip to transfer my 3W swing to my driver? Thanks for the input.
 
achase215 said:
Been struggling with driver, and seriously considering just rolling with my 13* Adams 3W. I usually struggle with the club, but today on the 4 tee shots I hit it today I hit 3 FW and about 230 the one FW I did miss was a pull and it missed by 5 YD's. With driver when I catch it I can get 250-275, but haven't been catching it good lately. Is there any tip to transfer my 3W swing to my driver? Thanks for the input.
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Two approaches to this problem. The quick fix is of course, continue to hit your 3 wood, and score well, but if you're looking to get better and lower your scores, you are going to have to fix your driver.

Just a simple fix, swing easier, get a nice tempo down that works for you. If you're struggling with it that badly, then you should probably go get a lesson or something to fix the problem, because if you're playing from the tees you're supposed to be playing from, there is rarely a course where you don't need your driver for at least 5 shots, and likely more.
 
If you don't hit the driver much and can get enough distance with your 3w then it makes perfect sense to remove it from the bag. I am pondering doing exactly the same thing as I very rarely hit driver on the course. I can hit my 3w around 250 and keep it in play.
 
Maybe get fitted for a higher lofted driver? There is a trend now to go with 12 degree drivers. Mine is an HT Taylor Made which is, I think 13.5 degrees.

Or maybe just a lesson, since you hit your 3 wood so far.

Just an opinion.
 
GenErr said:
Maybe get fitted for a higher lofted driver? There is a trend now to go with 12 degree drivers. Mine is an HT Taylor Made which is, I think 13.5 degrees.

Or maybe just a lesson, since you hit your 3 wood so far.

Just an opinion.
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I would have to agree with the lesson, with the 3 wood being hit so far and straight, a teaching pro could either straighten out what you are doing with the driver, or recommend that you have a fitting and get a different loft or different shaft.
 
DawgDaddy said:
I would have to agree with the lesson, with the 3 wood being hit so far and straight, a teaching pro could either straighten out what you are doing with the driver, or recommend that you have a fitting and get a different loft or different shaft.
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+2. Lessons and a fitting are a must.
 
I did the same thing recently, started hitting a 13* 3w as my driving club. Scoring wise it hasn't affected my score as I only used driver on a couple holes, those being the longer par 5s and used my regular 3w before. So I say go for it and worry about the driver later if you don't need it now. I am going to wait until later in the year before switching back, maybe get a lesson or just work with it at the range, but right now I am happy with the strong 3.
 
Pulling the driver is a remody not a cure which i think we all know. I just went through a long process of curing a slice. it took endless days on the range and sadly enough watching tons of youtube videos. I tried it all and found what worked. When they say tring to fix a slice it gets worse before it gets better they dont play. But i stayed on it and it finally came around and now i am being gready and tring to work on a draw.
 
It would be a good short term fix. You should still try to work out the driver problems though.
 
I pull my driver from my bag often, then rip balls off the tee with it.
 
Unless you need it, don't use it. Some holes I play require driver if I want a shot at a birdie or par.
 
You might try gripping down a couple of inches on the driver which should give more feel and control. You probably hit it more solid and won't lose much if any distance. That's the remedy I use late in the round when my old legs get wobbly in the heat or any time when having trouble making solid contact.
 
achase215 said:
Been struggling with driver, and seriously considering just rolling with my 13* Adams 3W. I usually struggle with the club, but today on the 4 tee shots I hit it today I hit 3 FW and about 230 the one FW I did miss was a pull and it missed by 5 YD's. With driver when I catch it I can get 250-275, but haven't been catching it good lately. Is there any tip to transfer my 3W swing to my driver? Thanks for the input.
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How high do you tee your 3W? How high do you tee your driver? I have never been able to hit any driver when teed to what is considered normal height. I tee the ball no more than 3/4"-1" above the ground for my driver ( and about 1/2" for the 3W), and that keeps me from trying to scoop the ball. When teed normally I will push, pull, hook, slice - you name it, if you can do it with a driver I've done it. I played with a couple of guys last week who were quite surprised at how well I hit the driver when teed so low. I've been doing it like that for more than 20 years now. I can also hit the driver fairly well off the deck from all but a really tight fairway lie. I currently use a 12° driver, but I've used as low as an 8° the same way.
 
TC said:
I pull my driver from my bag often, then rip balls off the tee with it.
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Haha nice one TC.

One thing you could do when using your driver is just take a nice smooth easy swing. Don't rush your take away, I can control my driver better when I have a slower tempo. If I rush my backswing I start hooking the ball bad.
 
Fourputt said:
How high do you tee your 3W? How high do you tee your driver? I have never been able to hit any driver when teed to what is considered normal height. I tee the ball no more than 3/4"-1" above the ground for my driver ( and about 1/2" for the 3W), and that keeps me from trying to scoop the ball. When teed normally I will push, pull, hook, slice - you name it, if you can do it with a driver I've done it. I played with a couple of guys last week who were quite surprised at how well I hit the driver when teed so low. I've been doing it like that for more than 20 years now. I can also hit the driver fairly well off the deck from all but a really tight fairway lie. I currently use a 12° driver, but I've used as low as an 8° the same way.
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I agree. I only use short tees, but with the driver I am still able to catch it on the upswing which is key to a good drive. With 3 wood, I tee the ball very low as I have a very shallow faced wood.

To some degree, I think it depends of the driver. The sweet spot on some it is lower on the face, but my K15 has the spot just above center, or a little higher than others.
 
Like others have said this will be a temp fix, but if you dont want to lose 30 yards I would suggest getting a lesson as this can really help you get on track with the driver.
 
Fourputt said:
How high do you tee your 3W? How high do you tee your driver? I have never been able to hit any driver when teed to what is considered normal height. I tee the ball no more than 3/4"-1" above the ground for my driver ( and about 1/2" for the 3W), and that keeps me from trying to scoop the ball. When teed normally I will push, pull, hook, slice - you name it, if you can do it with a driver I've done it. I played with a couple of guys last week who were quite surprised at how well I hit the driver when teed so low. I've been doing it like that for more than 20 years now. I can also hit the driver fairly well off the deck from all but a really tight fairway lie. I currently use a 12° driver, but I've used as low as an 8° the same way.
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I'm the exact opposite.

I tee my ball so that at least half of it is above the crown of my driver at address.
I set up so that the ball is basically opposite my left toe, I open my stance slightly and KaBoom!

I've tried teeing the ball lower and moving it towards the middle of my stance (left instep like all the books say) but I have major problems with direction and lose lots of power.

I guess it's all about what works best for you!
 
I use to be a low tee hitter myself, but developed a nasty habit of topping my drives. I struggled and struggled and then one day said to myself, "Hey idiot, why not tee the ball higher." It worked like gangbusters and I got alot more distance as well.

As for benching the driver, I've been back and forth. It really depends on confidence. I'll go through a period where I don't touch my driver, then after awhile I'll work on it at the range and start to feel better about it. When your standing on that tee box you've got to feel good about the club your grabbing. Sometimes it's the driver, sometimes it's the 3wood, sometimes it's a long iron. Follow your heart, but I'd never completely banish any club.
JWLI said:
I'm the exact opposite.

I tee my ball so that at least half of it is above the crown of my driver at address.
I set up so that the ball is basically opposite my left toe, I open my stance slightly and KaBoom!

I've tried teeing the ball lower and moving it towards the middle of my stance (left instep like all the books say) but I have major problems with direction and lose lots of power.

I guess it's all about what works best for you!
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thinking about your driver is disaster on the tee box. personally, when my game is at its best, im not thinking about anything on the tee. recently, ive had some major struggles on the tee so i spent a lot of time on the range trying to figure things out. basically, if i just trust my swing, reach ideal tempo and get through the ball, its back to being atuomatic
 
Get a driver fitting and find one that works for you. Not all drivers work for all golfers.
 
I know how you're feeling. My driver is a big mess right now and I honestly havent even pulled it from my bag in over a month regardless of distance off the tee. I've been playing some of my better scores lately, but that is because my M3 is a fairway finder for me. That being said I'm planning to get my driver back in the mix, once I've been able to find time to get a lesson to fix what's broken with it. My problem has just been I haven't had the time to get a lesson and it hasn't really been a priority as my golf time has dwindled some right now with the weather and life not permitting it.
 
I had same stuggles, started hitting 3W and 3H off of tee. Got a lesson, gave me some tips and I drove the ball much better yesterday, no perfect by any stretch, but better nonetheless
 
JWLI said:
I'm the exact opposite.

I tee my ball so that at least half of it is above the crown of my driver at address.
I set up so that the ball is basically opposite my left toe, I open my stance slightly and KaBoom!

I've tried teeing the ball lower and moving it towards the middle of my stance (left instep like all the books say) but I have major problems with direction and lose lots of power.

I guess it's all about what works best for you!
Click to expand...

Its all about getting it right for your swing. A driver must me hit on the up swing 99% of the time. For my normal swing, I tee the ball as high as possible with a short tee, just off my left heel. For a draw, I'll play the back slightly but at the same height. Hitting dead into a stiff wind, I'll tee the ball down a little to keep the flight down, which results from catching it at the bottom of the arch and no so much on the upswing.
 
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