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Thinking of pulling driver from bag. Good idea?

agree lessons and fitting could be helpful also depends on your handicap and game. Do you play once a week every day a month etc. Driver is by far the most difficult club to hit and frankly most average golfers don't need it. Most people play tees too far back for them and 230 3wood is definitely playable. Doesn't mean not to work on driver but its so much based on timing tempo and rhythm that if not playing a lot can just be tough to get going as its a long club.
 
To be quite honest, I left the driver out of my bag for a few months and it never hurt except on par 5's. I didnt have a 3 wood but if I did I would probably still be gaming it off the tee. My driver is getting better but for me, being without it never really punished my score. Then again, you see my present handicap.
 
Your signature shows that your Driver and 3W are both Adams. Do they have the same type of shaft? Other than that, you've got a mental block and you need to figure out how to unblock it. Maybe a fitting does that. Maybe a lesson does that. I'd probably do a lesson first, with video.

One other thing with this, though, is that when you pull the driver out, are you mentally telling yourself, "who know where this is going"? Or, are you using positive visualization of the upcoming teeshot, but still getting a bad result? What about with the 3W, you probably have positive vibes with that. So, you more easily conjure up a postive mental image of the shot doing what you want it to do.
 
going thru the same issue now. Haven't used the driver in three rounds. been using 4 hybrid, 3 wood, or 4 iron.

trying to get the driver straightened out at the range and when I do, I'll drop another club and get it back into the bag.
 
Like OleG said I think a driver fitting might be your best bet. As a former driver hater, I decided that I'd rather lose a little bit of distance for consistency. This has helped lower my scores and put me in a better spot on approach shots.
 
burmbuster said:
To be quite honest, I left the driver out of my bag for a few months and it never hurt except on par 5's. I didnt have a 3 wood but if I did I would probably still be gaming it off the tee. My driver is getting better but for me, being without it never really punished my score. Then again, you see my present handicap.
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I play with a guy every Sunday, doesn't carry a driver. Before every par 5, he makes the comment, "3 Wood, 3 Wood, Pitching Wedge, Putt." It works for him.
 
wburdett said:
agree lessons and fitting could be helpful also depends on your handicap and game. Do you play once a week every day a month etc. Driver is by far the most difficult club to hit and frankly most average golfers don't need it. Most people play tees too far back for them and 230 3wood is definitely playable. Doesn't mean not to work on driver but its so much based on timing tempo and rhythm that if not playing a lot can just be tough to get going as its a long club.
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It's funny that you should mention that 230 yds. is "playable" because I was just watching the final round of the Evian Masters and it was said that Ai Myazato averages just 227 yds. off the tee with her driver (one of the shortest hitters on tour) and yet she was averaging -4 per round on a 6,400 yd. course and has now won this tournament twice in the last three years.

Definitely makes you think doesn't it?
 
I have a buddy that breaks 90 and only uses irons. He tells me all the time - the scorecard doesn't need to know which clubs got the ball into the hole. His method of thinking taught me course management, taking angles around the course and placing more importance on scoring instead of worrying about trying to shape a bunch of shots.
 
I love Ai Miyazato's golf swing. Her swing tempo is awesome. I watch a lot of women's golf when possible because the courses they play are similar to my own. I pick tees between 6000 - 6600 yards when possible. I learn a lot from their course management and techniques. They seem to play within themselves. I never understood why men don't watch more female sports. My girlfriend calls me a pervert because I'm always watching women's sports.

I heard someone say they would watch women athletics if they were more attractive. I wondered if they were secretly attracted to male athletes. After all, it's the same sport. (that's another thread entirely!)
 
Fat Free Golfer said:
I love Ai Miyazato's golf swing. Her swing tempo is awesome. I watch a lot of women's golf when possible because the courses they play are similar to my own. I pick tees between 6000 - 6600 yards when possible. I learn a lot from their course management and techniques. They seem to play within themselves. I never understood why men don't watch more female sports. My girlfriend calls me a pervert because I'm always watching women's sports.

I heard someone say they would watch women athletics if they were more attractive. I wondered if they were secretly attracted to male athletes. After all, it's the same sport. (that's another thread entirely!)
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I watch a lot of LPGA golf and I'm with you - the average male amateur golfer can learn FAR more about swinging the club, club selection and course management from the LPGA than they EVER could from watching the men's tour. The PGA Tour is all about crazy long distances, mega backspins and "BOO-YAH" shotmaking while the ladie's tour is all about playing within one's limitations and taking what the course gives them. There's very little over-the-top shotmaking on the LPGA tour but there is a ton of practicality and a workmanlike approach to things.

Not to mention that they're a lot easier on the eyes. :D
 
I struggle sometimes with this...I now look at it like even if your driver gets you in trouble you will get really good at recovery shots so you will have a whole arsenal of recovery shots that your opponent won't have :D :D
 
A lot of good advice here. My dad, who was a scratch handicap, tried to get me to leave the driver in the bag when i first started playing this game, but I wouldn't listen, couldn't understand. The worst part was that I could hit some great shots with the driver occasionally, probably only often enough to keep trying it, but overall it added more strokes to my score than it took away. I got my first birdie when I finally, finally!, took his advice and left the driver in the bag and hit his old Wilson X-31 2i off the tee at the par 4 300yd first hole at good ol Electra Country Club and cow pasture in Electra TX. I was left with 90 yds to the green and choked up on my pitching wedge, stuck it to about 12 feet and drained the putt. I'll never forget that hole. Later, I got my first eagle when I got reliable enough with my 3 wood to use that from the tee most often.
 
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