Driver - I can't hit the damn thing

JerryHandbag

Was at the driving range today and the shots i hit with the driver were laughably bad...army golf - left right left right....the most ridiculous slices and hooks your ever likely to see. I'm in the process of re-joining a club having spent a few years as just a casual golfer, so now i want to get back in the groove again....but I never could hit the driver and now is no different....have tried a few different ones, the current one isnt anything fancy, a MacGregor 4/5 yr old jobby, but i seem to be well able to hit all other clubs reasonably straight on a consistent basis. The thing is, I have a rescue wood and a Driving iron and when i really catch these flush I dont see them come up too far behind the driver distance-wise.....so do I really need a driver? I imagine when I do get a handicap I will likely stay around the 15-20 range, not sure if im good enough to ever get into single figure handicap, but u never know.

Ive never got lessons so maybe that might be a route, but just wondering if any of you regular golfers have so much trouble with the driver and not with any other club. Cheers

BunkerMentality

JerryHandbag wrote: »

Was at the driving range today and the shots i hit with the driver were laughably bad...army golf - left right left right....the most ridiculous slices and hooks your ever likely to see. I'm in the process of re-joining a club having spent a few years as just a casual golfer, so now i want to get back in the groove again....but I never could hit the driver and now is no different....have tried a few different ones, the current one isnt anything fancy, a MacGregor 4/5 yr old jobby, but i seem to be well able to hit all other clubs reasonably straight on a consistent basis. The thing is, I have a rescue wood and a Driving iron and when i really catch these flush I dont see them come up too far behind the driver distance-wise.....so do I really need a driver? I imagine when I do get a handicap I will likely stay around the 15-20 range, not sure if im good enough to ever get into single figure handicap, but u never know.

Ive never got lessons so maybe that might be a route, but just wondering if any of you regular golfers have so much trouble with the driver and not with any other club. Cheers

I had much the same problem with both my driver and my 3 wood up until i got some lessons a while back. The guy had me slow down my swing a lot and also take a shorter backswing and it seems to have worked for me anyway. But hey, if you can hit as far with other clubs maybe you don't need it.

Saying that though, the advice he gave me for the woods has improved my consistency with the irons as well so those lessons were money well spent as far as I'm concerned.

stockdam

JerryHandbag wrote: »

so do I really need a driver?

The short answer is that if you have trouble hitting it straight then No.

The driver will loose you more shorts more quickly than any other club (well I guess 4 putting isn't good either).

A driver is really only for a mid to low handicap player. A lot of people will find a rescue wood or 5 wood to be more consistant. Ok so you won't be up with the Big Dogs but as you gain skill and confidence then the driver can be phased in.

Rememebr golf is more about accuracy and not just length.

Andystoran

Started playing at christmas and had awful trouble with the driver...Took advice from friends and just left it at home.
somebody mentioned to me to practice with the 3 wood on the range as i would have a better chance of keeping it straight without loosing too much distance. After a couple of trips to the range i was consistantly hitting the 3 wood 200 yards with a slight slice but acceptable.. `````i then used the 3 wood for a couple of months. Then i picked up my driver again and now im hitting the ball straight most of the time.

My advice is to put the driver away and work on the 3 wood. Give yourself a couple of months and see how u get on. It will build confidence for the driver.

heavyballs

stockdam wrote: »

A driver is really only for a mid to low handicap player.

Can't agree with that comment, the drivers these days are sooo forgiving you could argue that the driver causes more problems for the lower h'caper than the high guys as the low player doesn't have at least one shot per hole to recover from. Most guys i play with who are high swear by their drivers, it's the rest of their games, i.e putting and chipping that lets them down. After all the club is just a long 3 Wood and should be used no different.Unless you're playing somewhere like the European club i think it's a must for the high guys especially.

stockdam

heavyballs wrote: »

stockdam wrote: »

Can't agree with that comment, the drivers these days are sooo forgiving you could argue that the driver causes more problems for the lower h'caper than the high guys as the low player doesn't have at least one shot per hole to recover from. .

Most high handicappers struggle with a slice. The straigher face of the driver will exaggerate the slice.

Ok so the driver heads now are very big which makes them easier to hit. They also come in lofts up to 12 degrees which are arguably more like 2 Woods.

My point was that if you struggle with the driver then don't use it.......or get one with more loft.

Oh and don't get one with my pet hate "draw bias".........sort out your slice first and learn how to draw the ball.

bogman44

I bought one of these The Claw a couple of years ago. I couldn't handle a driver either and was using a three wood that wasn't very forgiving.

It's been good to me. My driving is the best part of my game now. The rest is as brutal as ever though.

stockdam

How does The Claw work....does the toe of it sit up in the air?

Matt Santos

Seems that this is a common enough thing. To tell you the truth the Driver is my favourite clubs and I love to hit it. I can remember having the same problem a couple of years ago when i could not get a handle on the Driver at all.
Was so frustrated with it i snapped it in a bout of temper. Went to replace the shaft in the Pro shop when I thought to myself I should get a shorter shaft as I never had the same problems with the 3 wood.
Worked a treat! Got confidence with it and gradually went back to the standard length of shaft.
Maybe this will help..

JerryHandbag

Andystoran wrote: »

My advice is to put the driver away and work on the 3 wood. Give yourself a couple of months and see how u get on. It will build confidence for the driver.

Thanks for that tip, like I said I seem to be hitting my rescue wood solidly so I'll see how it goes. I know its not a 3 wood but is near enough for me!

Matt Santos wrote: »

Was so frustrated with it i snapped it in a bout of temper. Went to replace the shaft in the Pro shop when I thought to myself I should get a shorter shaft as I never had the same problems with the 3 wood.
Worked a treat! Got confidence with it and gradually went back to the standard length of shaft.
Maybe this will help..

Hmmm never thought of that....I have tried gripping down the shaft a bit but to no avail....also my brother tells me that I'm way too upright at address, that I should flex the knees/crouch over the ball more.....maybe this is causing a loss of balance and wild tee shots? I suppose a lesson or two is in order....either way I'll see how I go tomorrow, playing the first of my three rounds to determine my handicap....no pressure on cos its not a competition but I'll be putting myself under pressure to get it in the fairway!!