I hit my 3 Wood better than my driver. So now.......

[jslane57]

I think what I'm going to do for now, unless I break down and go to a box store and hit the R15 even though I have no intention of buying it there, is to use my 3W off the tee for now, but continue to work on the driver on the range. If I'm playing around and there's no one behind us, I'll try hitting both so I can more accurately compare results.

 

Accuracy outweighs distance for lower scores. And that is what your looking for right?

 

Lower scores in the long run, yes. I don't want totally give up on the driver to save a few strokes now if 2 years from now I'd be scoring better had I kept at it.

It's a cycle. No worries. If you actually get lower scores with the 3-wood, confidence will grow and you'll buy a new driver thinking scores will go even lower. But they wont. Then you'll loose confidence in the driver and scores will go back up. Then get rid of the driver and scores will go back down. Confidence gained. New driver purchased, scores back up. It's a cycle:) And the cruelest thing about the cycle: Drivers cost like $500.00 and they don't always help. I doubt Henrik Stenson prefers his 3-wood only because if he used his driver the ball would simply go too far...

[k1enneth]

I think what I'm going to do for now, unless I break down and go to a box store and hit the R15 even though I have no intention of buying it there, is to use my 3W off the tee for now, but continue to work on the driver on the range. If I'm playing around and there's no one behind us, I'll try hitting both so I can more accurately compare results.

 

Accuracy outweighs distance for lower scores. And that is what your looking for right?

 

Lower scores in the long run, yes. I don't want totally give up on the driver to save a few strokes now if 2 years from now I'd be scoring better had I kept at it.

right, keep your driver, just put it aside for a month. Keep stats when you play of fairways hit and whether center, right, left on the score card. Also when you go to the driving range with said driver don't hit more than 20 drives and keep a journal of left, or right, or center of say the 175yard marker. The drill for driver control is to hit say 5 to the 150 yard mark, 5 to the 175 yard mark, 5 to the 200 yard mark and 5 back to 175. Tiger and Davis Love 3rd use this drill. It is the one that I found by accident when trying to slow tempo/rhythm to make center contact. Plus...you must get the face tape and find out where the ball contacts the face of the club. That will be your FIRST item to determine for knowledge on how to straighten out your swing. So first ball contact on face of club, second square contact with tempo/rhythym, and last will be how many degrees to swing from in to out for tweaking. I probably have to swing 10degrees in to out on the driver or learn to shallow the swing plane. I don't mean to be-labor this point, just saying there is a process to improvement and that is how I had to break the darn thing down.

p.s. after all that work I found out that the carbon fiber shafts that are manufactured have varying quality control measures...I saved about $10 bucks a week and after a year I spent on a driver fitting and got a shaft to put into my Callaway X2 hot that matched my tempo. I was making too many compensations for the Aidilia blue tour shaft that Callaway provided with that driver. The head was great, shaft did NOT work for me. Good luck on your journey, but in the end you will probably find other adjustments in your swing that make your whole package come together!

[Girevik]

So I played 9 after work today. The I only got one chance to hit both my 3W and driver off the tee. Both went almost exactly the same distance, almost right at 220. Ironically this time my 3W was yanked into the fairway on my left, and the driver right down the middle.

 

I'm far from an expert on what ball flight is upposed to look like, but what stuck out to me was my driver seemed to have a higher, more towering flight path while my 3W seemed to be more of a line drive. Or maybe not...I probably need to have an expert watch both.

 

FWIW, my driver was still set at it's default 10.5* loft.

[Bgwaltney622]

When/if you get your driver fixed, put a 3 wood shaft in it, or cut down a driver shaft to 44-45" for better control and hopefully improve strike

 

I tried that. Didn't work.

 

Me two, just made things worse honestly. In my opinion, you can't beat custom fit. Nothing provide more control and optimum strike than properly fit clubs. To the OP, I spent a whole season with just a 3 wood in the bag, strong 3 wood at 13*. Had a golf coach who said until you can hit a 3 wood straight, draw, and fade, when you want to, you shouldn't even carry a driver. Most of the courses we play as amatures aren't even really long enough to need a driver, except on maybe the par 5s. Just remember strike is everything, and the smaller face, plus added loft, of a 3 wood is easier to hit more consistent.

[Girevik]

Not sure I've ever been more encouraged and frustrated at the same time in my entire life. Went to the driving range today and has hitting REALLY well. Making good contact with good distance (for me). I wasn't hitting everything down the middle, but that would be unrealistic for me, and while I yanked a few left and pushed some right, the misses weren't horrible (again, by my standards). No nasty slices or hooks. I've never hit the ball so consistently in my life.

 

Except for when I tried my driver; didn't hit it well once. So freaking frustrating.

[SpeedyPro]

I've been away from golf for the last 4-5 years, playing only 4-5 rounds a year. Now I try to catch up, and am suffering from inconsistency between clubs. Mostly, if my iron shots are one, driver goes bad.

So I purchased TM AeroBurner mini driver, and I cannot be happier. It is basically a deep-faced 3 wood. Distance is almost the same, and most of all, it's straighter than the driver. If I really nail the driver, then the driver is 20-ish yds longer, but I score better with this 3 wood (mini driver).

[k1enneth]

Not sure I've ever been more encouraged and frustrated at the same time in my entire life. Went to the driving range today and has hitting REALLY well. Making good contact with good distance (for me). I wasn't hitting everything down the middle, but that would be unrealistic for me, and while I yanked a few left and pushed some right, the misses weren't horrible (again, by my standards). No nasty slices or hooks. I've never hit the ball so consistently in my life.

 

Except for when I tried my driver; didn't hit it well once. So freaking frustrating.

challenging game. so good contact with some clubs is positive. Have you tried that face tape or foot powder to determine where on the face of the driver you are making contact?

[Girevik]

Not yet. I have the tape but forgot to put in in my bag. Hopefully next time.

[k1enneth]

Not yet. I have the tape but forgot to put in in my bag. Hopefully next time.

how is the Driver going? btw, I created my golf website. It is just a hobby, take a look at www.slicenomore.net

[Girevik]

I've still been skittish about hitting it, and the weather here as turned so I'm afraid my golfing is done for a while. I do have an indoor place I take lessons at I hope to hit some while I sit through winter, but I'm afraid I'll just have to pick things up next spring.

[Girevik]

Not to resurrect an ancient thread, but I'm going to resurrect my ancient thread.

 

So it was warm enough to go to the range today and I actually scrapped together the bal....err, guts to hit a fair number of balls with my driver. I'm still using the old Cobra Amp Cell, but I did loft it up to 11.5* on a good number of balls.

 

Anyway, after I re-remembered a technique I learned this summer I was hitting the ball fairly well with the driver. A decent number of balls were pretty straight by my standards. But my distance is still for crap. I'm not even sure I was hitting it 200 yards, but I'm not sure how much to attribute to weather \ range balls. Regardless, it didn't seem like I was hitting my driver a lot farther than the 3W.

 

I did put some tape on the driver and seemed to be hitting in the middle-ish of the club (obviously since I'm horrible they weren't all dead center). But for me I was pretty pleased with where I was striking it.

 

So I based on my finally putting the tape on and seeing where I'm making contact I guess I want to revisit my question. Should I just do away with the driver? Do I need a new driver (I am keeping an eye on the Cobra King LTD but have been too cheap to pull the trigger, even used). Even being a cheap bastxxx (i.e. Scottish), I'm willing to spend money on a diver if it would help. But it I can only get another few yards, I figure why bother. Seems to me that being a 230lb weight lifter I should be able to get at least 250 yards out of a driver.

[Jasonic]

Not to resurrect an ancient thread, but I'm going to resurrect my ancient thread.

 

So it was warm enough to go to the range today and I actually scrapped together the bal....err, guts to hit a fair number of balls with my driver. I'm still using the old Cobra Amp Cell, but I did loft it up to 11.5* on a good number of balls.

 

Anyway, after I re-remembered a technique I learned this summer I was hitting the ball fairly well with the driver. A decent number of balls were pretty straight by my standards. But my distance is still for crap. I'm not even sure I was hitting it 200 yards, but I'm not sure how much to attribute to weather \ range balls. Regardless, it didn't seem like I was hitting my driver a lot farther than the 3W.

 

I did put some tape on the driver and seemed to be hitting in the middle-ish of the club (obviously since I'm horrible they weren't all dead center). But for me I was pretty pleased with where I was striking it.

 

So I based on my finally putting the tape on and seeing where I'm making contact I guess I want to revisit my question. Should I just do away with the driver? Do I need a new driver (I am keeping an eye on the Cobra King LTD but have been too cheap to pull the trigger, even used). Even being a cheap bastxxx (i.e. Scottish), I'm willing to spend money on a diver if it would help. But it I can only get another few yards, I figure why bother. Seems to me that being a 230lb weight lifter I should be able to get at least 250 yards out of a driver.

 

FWIW the LTD is my favorite driver ever. Lo spin AND forgiveness AND great feel it's tough to beat

[Girevik]

Ok, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a mint King LTD from Global Golf. Hopefully I can learn to hit the damn thing.

[TheSwal]

On 8/5/2016 at 11:16 AM, BKN1964 said:

Ask Tom Wishon about it. If I remember correctly, he says most of us should be hitting 14-15 degree drivers; essentially a 3 wood.

 

http://wishongolf.com/12-myths-that-could-wreck-your-golf-game/

I caddied for Tom Watson in 1982 right after he won the US Open at Pebble Beach CA. On Lowell Thomas's 880 yard par 6 the longest hole in the world he hit driver, 3 wood, 3 wood, pitching wedge and made the 10 ft putt for a birdie 5. On another hole he asked me how far am I from the from the pin. I told him 235. He hit 3 wood and put it within 8 feet. So i guess back in 1982 he hit a 3 wood 235. 

Swal

[Sp4zRX]

On 7/1/2023 at 8:16 PM, TheSwal said:

I caddied for Tom Watson in 1982 right after he won the US Open at Pebble Beach CA. On Lowell Thomas's 880 yard par 6 the longest hole in the world he hit driver, 3 wood, 3 wood, pitching wedge and made the 10 ft putt for a birdie 5. On another hole he asked me how far am I from the from the pin. I told him 235. He hit 3 wood and put it within 8 feet. So i guess back in 1982 he hit a 3 wood 235. 

Swal

6 year old thread….. 

 

How does Tom Wishon’s suggestion to play higher lofted drivers segue to Tom Watson 235 yard 3 wood in 1982?