how many of you guys actually "work" your driver...?

[Diesel]

well...?

 

or do you more or less try and hit a straight ball, or do you simply play either a natural fade or draw predominantley...?

[oregongolf]

only when i have to!

 

i like to hit a straight mid-trajectory driver.

[alpha_pro]

I like to shape my driver! unfortunately there is only straight, draw, and hook to choose from! I cant hit a fade to save my life!

[bheidepr]

I can hit a slice ;) but just try to hit the straight ball

[Diesel]

i'm considering demoing a FTi for craps and giggles... if it's impossible to not hit it straight, what the hell right...? i already hit a high ball, and can pretty much go over most trees...

[Shaitan]

I hit a natural fade when I don't swing easy but I am able to work the ball both way on demand, but I generally find it harder to hit a draw. I like to hit pretty straight with my drives cos what's the point of trying to work it, get it wrong, miss the fairway and f*** 4 times this side of Sunday. That's why I hit 12 fw's today ;)

 

P.S - Hey Diesel, nice, a hio on a par4 - that's where my only hio is as well. Congrats on the low round as well, keep it up. I haven't broken 80 in comp since my old club's club champs in May, but that was an easier course *sigh*. Should have broken it today, +4 with 3 holes to play and go bogey, dub, dub :D. Anxiety attack

[Dizz]

I'm a + cap and can work it both ways everytime I tee it up. However the only time I actually try to work a driver is if theres trouble on a hole or a hole doesnt fit my eye. For example, fairway bunkers down the left I need to avoid you have to either commit to aiming at those bunkers and playing a fade or aiming down the right and drawing it back. My natural shot with the driver is a little cut so if the hole fits my eye then I'm aiming down the left center and letting it rip. Theres a couple courses I play with holes that you absolutely have to draw the ball off the tee to hit the fairway unless its DEAD straight and I can definitely tee it up on the left side of the box and turn it over but I wont unless I have to.

[thenewbie]

there have been days where I'm "on" and I've been able to work my driver both ways. usually I either have one directional option or the other, as in, straight or draw, or straight or fade.

 

though, my home course needs a fade to really get around well, so I like the days my fade is on.

 

I try, however, to never aim so that a straight shot would get me in trouble.

[Diesel]

i normally setup somwhere in the middle of the fairway, or tend to favor the side that i know is safer...

 

my issue with the driver is i have 2 misses... LEFT & RIGHT... the left miss usually doesn't hurt me, unless the OB is tight over there, but the right side miss is a 30 yard miss to the right...

 

i figure if i can hit 50% more fairways my scores should continue to drop...

 

there are only a handful of holes of all the course i play where i would even attempt to work my driver (mostly cuts), but again, if i hit the ball high enough the trees get taken out of play...

 

anyone go to an FTi and find it NOTICABLY straigher...?

[Diesel]

I hit a natural fade when I don't swing easy but I am able to work the ball both way on demand, but I generally find it harder to hit a draw. I like to hit pretty straight with my drives cos what's the point of trying to work it, get it wrong, miss the fairway and f*** 4 times this side of Sunday. That's why I hit 12 fw's today ;)

 

P.S - Hey Diesel, nice, a hio on a par4 - that's where my only hio is as well. Congrats on the low round as well, keep it up. I haven't broken 80 in comp since my old club's club champs in May, but that was an easier course *sigh*. Should have broken it today, +4 with 3 holes to play and go bogey, dub, dub :D. Anxiety attack

 

thanks a lot man... it was definitely a crazy moment, and glad I had a friend there to share it with... i want to find a quality display case for the ball and card for keepsake... if anyone knows a good one, let me know...!

[emc]

I usually work with what I have on the day with the driver, but I can play a big ugly, nasty 30 yard cut if I need to

[PatScan]

i think working the driver allows me to hit a lot more fairways. I almost never plan to hit a ball straight, the exception being some crazy attempt at cutting off a really high dogleg.

 

With working the ball, you can aim so that if it goes the way you want, it's in a great position, if it goes straight, its in a fine position and if it goes the other way it's in an acceptable position. that's right out of jack's book, golf my way.

[XYB34A]

I have an upright swing. Very upright. I hit the ball miles high naturally. I bought the FT1 tour model 8.5 loft w/the 686 speeder xflex. All I did was take off the ribbed reminder grip that I hate. It is more or less straight. If you get in front of the ball it's a big push to the right with a little tail right at the end. If you come over the top its more or less a dead pull. After I hit it a while I could hit a baby draw with it. The Driver will run for miles. It was very dry in central Kentucky from early may till late July. The ground was very hard. I could hit this thing 350 or more easy. But it just ran forever. When the course got lush with the 2 weeks of rain that we had in the middle of july. Then the club got real short. It carries in the air about 250 to 260 at best. So I switched back to the Cobra. I can carry it in the 275 to 300 range. It lands and hops once or twice and that is it. I would say that the reason that a lot of people say that it is a shorter club in distance, has to do with the condition of the course you play on. Its a great club. And doesnt really make that sound the NIKE sumo does that makes you want to puke.

[g8a_golf]

I only do if it is needed. doglegs or bunker avoidances mostly. I can draw it pretty nicely and fade it about 7 out of 10 times. the fade goes noticably shorter, though. i can usually hit a draw somewhere in the 270-300 yard range and hit a cut about 250-275 at most. i can hit the new Burner (which i'm getting soon) about ten yard longer than my vurrent Cobra, so the distances should go up a touch.

[RacineBoxer]

I certainly don't try to work it (and I do work many of my irons L-R or R-L). Historically I've tee'd it up on the right side and aimed down the left edge of the fairway about 280 out which worked well for my fade, with my "miss" being most commonly a push and/or slice. With my new HiBore I'm actually aiming more straight and missing both left and right. I've only had the club since Wednesday so I have a lot more figuring to do. Eventually I'd like to get back to hitting it either straight or with a slight fade since I prefer to hit fades with my irons and hybrids too.

 

P.S. This is just a "FWIW" but when I was at the US bank championships in Milwaukee a few weeks ago about 90% of the pro's were hitting their drivers with a mid trajectory draw. I'm not sure if that is normal ball flight or "working it" for them though.

[bobcat]

One of the key reasons why I still play my (325cc) R500 Tour Driver is the superior workability it offers me. It is also considerably longer for me than any of the newer 460cc heads I have tested. I love hitting what I like to call "workable bullets" with the R500 Tour. This driver also provides much better rollout compared to the larger heads. I doubt there is ANY driver one can buy in the stores today that even comes close to this one for hitting controlled draws and fades. Workability is not really an attribute for the larger heads.

 

Equally important to me is how a driver feels. The R500 Tour feels almost persimmon-like, it reallys is that solid-feeling. It also sounds great. (You'll never hear any of those high-pitched "TING" sounds when I'm the one hitting off the tee....just a nice muted "Thwack".)

 

Nope, none of those those huge, hollow-sounding, 460cc heads for me, thank you! The R500 Tour Driver will be staying in my bag for a long, long time!

[ezra76]

I try to on almost every tee shot and it probably gets me in more trouble than just trying to hit it straight would. I often lose a fade too far right or get handsy on a draw attempt and yank it. I hit 1 perfect powerfade last round and 1 perfect high draw, I also lost 2 fades right and yanked a drive left OB. So those 2 pars I made with wedges in were offset by +5 on the 3 holes I lost the drive. I no longer have a predominite ballflight, really varies day to day. Some days I hit draws easier, some days fades. I find I score better when my fade is going but hit it further when the draw is on.

[hoganfan924]

I hit a natural draw but will also hit a small fade when the hole calls for it (did it twice today). Just open the face a touch, line up down the left side and release hard left - never stop the body rotation left. I don't try to hit it straight anymore, it's too unpredictable, prefer to line up on one side of the fairway and work the ball toward center. I never try to work the ball using any kind of hand manipulation or forearm rotation, just set-up changes with quiet hands.

[villa]

I have no idea how to hit the ball straight (never have, never will), so I hit every shot with either a fade or a draw.

 

If anything, I favour a draw off the tee (little bit more roll) and i'll opt for a fade on an approach shot (find it easier to control the distance/spin) but it depends on how the hole plays and what the wind is doing.

 

I think Ben Hogan once said that there's no such thing as a straight shot and that's always stayed with me. If I aim down the middle of the fairway to try and hit it straight, how do I know where my miss is going to go?

[leekgolf]

I work my driver. 80% of the time I hit a slight draw. On occasion, when the situation calls for it, I'll hit a "hold fade". It's pretty new to my game, but easy to hit and very, very accurate.

[Swingtheclub]

Yes and know and I wish I did not.

 

I very seldom try to hit a hook or draw with a driver. One par four at my club I do occassionally but its not a good shot for me.

 

 

Normally I try to hit it straight the exception being tryint to hit cuts. I have a pretty good block fade but as far as left to right I hit a lot of balls that never cut.

 

When I am playing well if I need to hit a pure cut or a hook or draw I get out my three wood.

[AcesAZ]

I'm in the same boat as Villa, I have no idea how to hit a straight ball. I usually hit a high draw as my natural shot but can hit a fade when needed. I probably only need to hit 1 or 2 fades a round though with the driver.

[jvwvu]

Straight ball never, ok 1 outta 50.

 

Normally with new shaft Aldila NV 75S in FT-3 Neutral I fade the ball. Previous shaft I drew the ball (Stock in TM 540XD).

 

I could fade the TM and now can draw the Aldila NV.

 

Usually just face alignment and stronger/weaker grip gets it for me. Needed to learn this on the course I play (front needs draw - back needs fade). But this sometimes gets me in trouble.

 

Just wish I could hit the straight ball 85-% of the time.

[muxi87]

there's no such thing as a straight ball off the tee for me...95% are draws of some sort--depending on the trouble.

 

My beliefs are along the side of one of the guys above...why would you attempt to hit a straight ball? It only leaves you with half the room to miss--and WE ALL MISS WITH THE DRIVER OFTEN...even Tiger. If you're hitting a draw, line up down the right from the left tee area, and you have 100% of the fairway to 'miss' to...if you're hitting a cut, line up down the left and the same is true. Just my 2 cents...

[Noncenx]

I can work a driver, just can't do it when I want to.

 

I've been hitting a slight fade the past few months but every now and then a straight one will sneak in so I move to the right side of the tee and pick a target far enough down the left side so that if it does go straight I'm not hurt. It just ends up on the left side of the fairway if it goes straight or in the middle with the fade.

[smithg1053]

I work it when it is called for...either right to left or vice versa. Most of the time it is trying to hit it fairly straight, but on holes where the fairway slopes hard from one direction to the other, then I will move the ball into the slope to keep it in the fairway rather hit it straight and let it run out into the rough. Ditto for doglegs.

[SadTrombone]

I try to work every shot. However, if I'm on the range and can't draw or cut it, I'll hit the shot I got all day long. As long as I know I'm eliminating the trouble, I don't care. If all I have is a fade, I'll aim it in the left rough and cut it back. If all I have is a draw, I'll go the other way.

 

I prefer to work it both ways when needed. It makes the fairways wider.

 

-mini

[Young04]

there's no such thing as a straight ball off the tee for me...95% are draws of some sort--depending on the trouble.

 

My beliefs are along the side of one of the guys above...why would you attempt to hit a straight ball? It only leaves you with half the room to miss--and WE ALL MISS WITH THE DRIVER OFTEN...even Tiger. If you're hitting a draw, line up down the right from the left tee area, and you have 100% of the fairway to 'miss' to...if you're hitting a cut, line up down the left and the same is true. Just my 2 cents...

 

i'm not sure i totally agree with this...

 

i like to draw the ball, but when i miss, it's a push. if i'm aiming down the right side and i push it, i'm dead. i know many will disagree with me, but i like to aim down the middle and give me a margin of error both ways.

 

if i try to fade the ball, once again, my typical miss is a pull (dead if i'm aiming down the side of the fairway).

[Diesel]

there's no such thing as a straight ball off the tee for me...95% are draws of some sort--depending on the trouble.

 

My beliefs are along the side of one of the guys above...why would you attempt to hit a straight ball? It only leaves you with half the room to miss--and WE ALL MISS WITH THE DRIVER OFTEN...even Tiger. If you're hitting a draw, line up down the right from the left tee area, and you have 100% of the fairway to 'miss' to...if you're hitting a cut, line up down the left and the same is true. Just my 2 cents...

 

that makes no sense to me, cause if the ball does not draw while you're aimed right up the right side, the ball is going to be way right, or OB...

 

vice versa for a fade...

[villa]

there's no such thing as a straight ball off the tee for me...95% are draws of some sort--depending on the trouble.

 

My beliefs are along the side of one of the guys above...why would you attempt to hit a straight ball? It only leaves you with half the room to miss--and WE ALL MISS WITH THE DRIVER OFTEN...even Tiger. If you're hitting a draw, line up down the right from the left tee area, and you have 100% of the fairway to 'miss' to...if you're hitting a cut, line up down the left and the same is true. Just my 2 cents...

On the contrary guys, I completely agree with this.

 

If you want to hit a fade, you want to be aiming down the left side so you've got the whole of the fairway to play with and vice versa for a draw.

 

If you aim down the middle of the fairway and you hit a fade or a draw then you've only got half of the fairway to aim at.