Carrying Two Drivers

[pinestreetgolf]

I don't mean to sound rude but why? 3 wood is shorter and can be hit off deck or tee much more useful than a 2nd redundant driver

I did this for a season or two on and off ..... and then found the Cally 3 deep. Better option for me, here's why

 

1. I can hit off the deck from perfect lies

2. It is crazy long off the tee

3. Easy to fade off the tee

4. Easy to hit low runners into the wind off the tee

 

My driver is my high draw club .... I love cutting corners off of doglegs with it

 

This is a great post. Realistically, you are still carrying two "drivers." One that you can hit high and draw as well as one you can hit low and fade. The ability to hit one of them off the turf from a perfect lie (where hopefully there is very little trouble to navigate) is just lagniappe.

 

That is the main part of my premise about two "drivers." It's as much (more, really) a conceptual thing as it is a 460cc thing. Or a #1 wood thing. Or a 9° thing. It's about admitting to yourself that most of us need two dedicated "drivers" in the bag. We need to be able to hit long shots off the tee that fit into either the "Long v. Straight" category, or the "Draw v. Fade" category. Luckily, some folks like Chris, can sorta find both (he even got High v. Low outta the deal!) with just two clubs.

 

I want people to accept the fact that the 2nd longest club in your bag does NOT have to be hit off the turf. It can be a dedicated tee shot club and as such, it can be a 460° club. Check out Matt Dobyn's bag and take a look at his 2nd longest club. http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1366888-matt-dobyns-witb-2016-pga-championship/

 

I personally have a RBZ Stage 2 14.5° turned down to 12.5° as my 2nd "driver." Like Chris, it only comes out of the bag for shots off the turf where ALL conditions are perfect. Other than that, it is a driver. I currently find the shorter club and smaller clubhead easier to draw and my other driver generates a nice little cut, so together, they make a great set of tee shot clubs. But, I will gladly replace it with a more forgiving 460cc club if I can find one that I can consistently hit a draw with.

 

Let's all be open minded and honest about your bag setup. We lose more strokes with bad tee shots and bad long shots off the turf than probably any other place on the course. They are very, very difficult for most of us. Set the bag up in a way that protects against that, if you want.

 

I'm all for it.

 

I find the 460cc head worth the rare times when I want a 13* club off the deck. After reading this thread (and failing the year-long bag challenge) I've played a couple rounds with two drivers and so far the results have been fantastic - to the point where im wondering why i went away from it. This is a great thread.

 

I carry a long speedline that has very little loft and an absolute beast of a shaft. If I hit it square its going 315+. Its also probably going in some direction i've never imagined. I also have a Nike driver (Lucky 13) that was my gamer when i first started playing until i discovered golf equipment (about 7 years). It has a stock R flex shaft but for some reason I'm a killer with it in terms of repeatability - i can hit a sky-high, baby cut with that club over and over - just set up a little open and let my right shoulder come under just slightly into impact - easy tight sky-high fade.

 

Wind at my back or a short hole, the nike goes. If I can either hit it wherever (16 at my local is wide-open 502 yard par 4) the boomstick comes out. It gives me insane control over my tee shots.

 

I am going to think about buying a rapture or 3 deep for the best of both worlds but worried about losing that particular nike club i've probably played a couple hundred rounds with. I can hit really hard ground balls with my Lucky 13 but nothing up in the air off the turf. I also got a ping wood to fit the gap, so i can still attack most par 5s in two shots. I had to cut my 3 iron, but given that was used primarily off short par 4 tees the Lucky 13 is longer AND straighter.

 

This thread makes a whole lot of sense, even for "better" players. I played a twilight 9 and shot 35, but the key was i was never, ever out of position. I hit the 8* on the two par 5s (1 and 5) and the 13* on all the par 4s. It was the easiest-feeling 35 of my life, and it could have been lower - missed makable putts for birdie on 3,4,8 and 9.

[CMCSGolf]

If you like swing with a descending blow, get a 13 degree 3 wood. You won't give up much distance and you can hit it straighter, if you want, or hit fades and draws. There's no downside. Ask Stenson.

 

I really like the original PING Rapture 3 wood off the tee and good lies in the fairway. Mine's 14 degrees and 44". Cheap experiment these days.

 

I agree with this and do the same thing. Standard driver and then 13.5 degree 3 wood. It flies really low and rarely gets far off line. I give up only a little distance and when it's try, the thing runs forever. Plus, it is fairly easy to hit off the deck. Much easier than any 460 CC head. While it may be called a 3 wood and look like one, it is essentially a second driver for me that is a go to shot on narrow holes.

[Pwood28]

This is defintely a subject that is specific to each golfer. I have struggled with consistency off the tee since I started playing and tried multiple options. I've shortened my driver shaft, played a mini driver and pulled driver all together. What I have landed on is this:

 

Driver (M2 10.5) 260-270

4-5 wood (Baffler at 16.5) 230-240

20 degree DI (Srixon with 85g shaft) 210-220

 

For me this covers every shot I encounter off the tee. If a tee shot is forgiving and long, I hit driver, forgiving but short, it's the 4-5 wood and if I absolutely have to thread a needle it's the DI. At my home course Iactually hit the DI on 4-5 par 4s every round.

 

What I like most about this set up is the flexibility it leaves me. The Baffler is a great club imo as it is easy to hit off the turf and if I'm farther than 230 out, I'm going to be laying up. The DI is also great off the fairway and I can run it in to greens anywhere from 180-210. It plays very much like a rescue/utility for me as well if I need to hit low punch shots out of trouble.

[Jokes]

I am thinking about going the two driver route. One at 48 inches and one at 42.5. For the longer driver do you guys think I would be better off going with an all around forgiving head like the G400 Max or something like an M3 or Subzero and cut out all spin to maximize distance.

[Fubuman]

At 48”, I’d find the lightest head possible. So what’s wrong with one at 45”?

If wanting one at 42,5” is for accuracy then 48” will be hell, besides, I think I’d struggle to master a 48” club swing which could negate all the potential accuracy of the 42,5” driver due to the clubs feeling so far apart from one another.

[Titleist_PT23]

I would get a low spin head for the longer one. I also think playing anything past 45 inches would be tough.

 

I posted this elsewhere as well:

 

I tried playing with two drivers a couple of years ago; a 8.75* D3 and a 12* D2 at 43.5 inches (this was essentially a 3 wood replacement, as I usually just hit a 13* 3 wood off the tee).

 

Like many things, it seemed to work great for a few rounds. Over the next few months, I don't think the results were that much different than the results with the 13* 3 wood.

 

Ultimately, I think the slight differences in the way the ball came off the face of each club, shaft length, and tee height / swing required to hit each club well (easier to hit the 12 degree well with a less positive AoA) made switching back and forth in the middle of the round difficult.

[BogeyParBogey]

I'm getting my 2019 bag in order and have a while to wait during the northern Illinois winter yet. The item that's been the hardest to plan out is my 2nd tee club. Last year I primarily used either a 915F 15* or 816H1 19* as backup clubs to my driver. The fairway tended to miss too often and in punishing ways. The hybrid was accurate, but lost enough distance that it was only feasible on par 4s that are quite short.

 

My rough plan that has to be proven out yet is:

 

Primary driver 915D2 10.5* lofted down to 9.75*

Secondary driver 915D2 12* likely lofted up to either 12.75* or 13.5* --> I just purchased this club today off the net for a song

 

I'm a 90 MPH driver guy so I'm not hitting bombs with anything. My main goal is to hit fairways and have clean 2nd shot looks. I'd pull the primary driver on wide open holes where I need the distance, secondary driver on tight holes over 330 yards, and 816H1 21* on holes less than 330 yards.

 

Does this plan sound like a reasonable starting place?

 

DT

[Titleist_PT23]

I'm getting my 2019 bag in order and have a while to wait during the northern Illinois winter yet. The item that's been the hardest to plan out is my 2nd tee club. Last year I primarily used either a 915D2 15* or 816H1 19* as backup clubs to my driver. The fairway tended to miss too often and in punishing ways. The hybrid was accurate, but lost enough distance that it was only feasible on par 4s that are quite short.

 

My rough plan that has to be proven out yet is:

 

Primary driver 915D2 10.5* lofted down to 9.75*

Secondary driver 915D2 12* likely lofted up to either 12.75* or 13.5* --> I just purchased this club today off the net for a song

 

I'm a 90 MPH driver guy so I'm not hitting bombs with anything. My main goal is to hit fairways and have clean 2nd shot looks. I'd pull the primary driver on wide open holes where I need the distance, secondary driver on tight holes over 330 yards, and 816H1 21* on holes less than 330 yards.

 

Does this plan sound like a reasonable starting place?

 

DT

See my post above. At 90 mph, I am not sure you will really see that much of a distance difference between the clubs. I am in the 95-99 mph range and I think there was less than 10 yards between the two (and in some ways the higher lofted one probably had better launch characteristics).

 

Only time it was really noticable was into a strong wind. Here, the higher loft would balloon a bit if not struck perfect.

 

Also, you may feel the two clubheads look different at address with one turned down and the other up.

[Titleist_PT23]

I'm getting my 2019 bag in order and have a while to wait during the northern Illinois winter yet. The item that's been the hardest to plan out is my 2nd tee club. Last year I primarily used either a 915D2 15* or 816H1 19* as backup clubs to my driver. The fairway tended to miss too often and in punishing ways. The hybrid was accurate, but lost enough distance that it was only feasible on par 4s that are quite short.

 

My rough plan that has to be proven out yet is:

 

Primary driver 915D2 10.5* lofted down to 9.75*

Secondary driver 915D2 12* likely lofted up to either 12.75* or 13.5* --> I just purchased this club today off the net for a song

 

I'm a 90 MPH driver guy so I'm not hitting bombs with anything. My main goal is to hit fairways and have clean 2nd shot looks. I'd pull the primary driver on wide open holes where I need the distance, secondary driver on tight holes over 330 yards, and 816H1 21* on holes less than 330 yards.

 

Does this plan sound like a reasonable starting place?

 

DT

Also, at least for me the higher lofted driver wasn't significantly more accurate either (I played a handful of rounds with only 1 of the drivers to really see the difference in distance/accuracy). I mean, it's only a few degrees different and the shaft is still very long.

 

You might find that the higher lofted one hits the fairway more often on tight holes. But this may be a function of just swinging easy / trying to make solid contact, etc.

 

Net-Net, I didn't see much point in carrying both after a few rounds. Currently, I'm playing one at 11.25* and 44 inches. On a tight hole, I will just tee the ball a little lower, grip down and inch or so, and make an easy swing. It's definitely not going to win any style points (can't recall a pro doing this other than Bubba Watson off the 1st tee at Riveria), but it seems to work ok for now.

[BogeyParBogey]

I'm getting my 2019 bag in order and have a while to wait during the northern Illinois winter yet. The item that's been the hardest to plan out is my 2nd tee club. Last year I primarily used either a 915D2 15* or 816H1 19* as backup clubs to my driver. The fairway tended to miss too often and in punishing ways. The hybrid was accurate, but lost enough distance that it was only feasible on par 4s that are quite short.

 

My rough plan that has to be proven out yet is:

 

Primary driver 915D2 10.5* lofted down to 9.75*

Secondary driver 915D2 12* likely lofted up to either 12.75* or 13.5* --> I just purchased this club today off the net for a song

 

I'm a 90 MPH driver guy so I'm not hitting bombs with anything. My main goal is to hit fairways and have clean 2nd shot looks. I'd pull the primary driver on wide open holes where I need the distance, secondary driver on tight holes over 330 yards, and 816H1 21* on holes less than 330 yards.

 

Does this plan sound like a reasonable starting place?

 

DT

Also, at least for me the higher lofted driver wasn't significantly more accurate either (I played a handful of rounds with only 1 of the drivers to really see the difference in distance/accuracy). I mean, it's only a few degrees different and the shaft is still very long.

 

You might find that the higher lofted one hits the fairway more often on tight holes. But this may be a function of just swinging easy / trying to make solid contact, etc.

 

Net-Net, I didn't see much point in carrying both after a few rounds. Currently, I'm playing one at 11.25* and 44 inches. On a tight hole, I will just tee the ball a little lower, grip down and inch or so, and make an easy swing. It's definitely not going to win any style points (can't recall a pro doing this other than Bubba Watson off the 1st tee at Riveria), but it seems to work ok for now.

 

Thanks for the feedback! I'll give it a go and see how it works. If it fails I'll flip the driver for not too much lost money.

 

DT

[swing33]

I am working on this strategy for a course that we play where my group likes to play from the 6,000 - 6,100 yard tee box. My epic SZ is automatic with mid launch fade but there are 4 short dog leg right holes that playing from this yardage I hit along iron or ease up on a fairway wood. I am working on a couple of driver options that I am going to set up to hit the high draw and cut the corners on these holes - on two of them hitting the green is a possibility if I can get similar distance to my SZ but in a high draw flight.

[amitchell894]

Ditch the putter, use your 3rd driver on the greens.

[Millhill88]

My buddy did this 10 years ago. Long before Phil made it a "thing". He couldn't, and still can't hit a 3 wood off a tee for some reason. He had his normal driver, and a shorter driver with a heavier shaft and 12* loft, to hit the fairway when length wasn't an issue.

 

Personally. I hit my 3 wood off the tee way more than my driver. Puts me in the fairway most every time. Driver is pulled out for the looong par 4's and any par 5 that i'll be going for in 2.

[Jokes]

I just got a 13.5 degree Callaway Great Big Bertha brand new for a good price. Plan on putting it at +2D and giving it a go at 42". Will report back