Single Digits, Do You Ever Abandon Driver Altogether to Hold a Round Together?

[DLev45]

I am currently a 7.3, and was playing in our club’s match play semifinals yesterday and my driving absolutely tanked me.

Last week in the quarterfinals I hit 11/14 fairways and 12/18 greens on the way to victory and was hitting it great.

Fast forward to yesterday and of the 11 times I hit driver, and I only hit the fairway 4 times. 6/14 FIR.

4 were straight up tops that rolled out to 150-200 yards, and 1 was a pushed OB. My SG off the tee was -6.3 en route to an 82. Believe it or not, I actually had to play really well just to managed to shoot 82. It was that bad.

Had not been having driver issues leading up to yesterday. And on the range prior to the round, driver was point and shoot.

How do you guys typically handle this situation if you encounter it in competition? Do you take your medicine and just go with FW/hybrids the rest of the way? Do you just choke down and try to steer it?

My strategy was to keep pretending like nothing was wrong and forget about that last bad one. “I’m a good driver of the ball. That last swing was the anomaly. Just go through your norma routine and hit your drive. It will come back around.” Obviously, that did not work. I spent all day scrambling for par/bogey off the tee.

[AFcelica]

Either find a go to shot with the driver, I like to tee it low and hit like a 10 yard cut. Or find another club you’re confident in. For me my 19° hybrid. Scorecard doesn’t care how just how many. Gotta find what works for you and practice it enough to be able to rely on it

[LeoLeo99]

I've seen better golfers than me abandon their driver and hit 3 wood or even 2 wood back in the day. Whatever you're confident in. Personally, I don't have much confidence in fairways or hybrids off the tee to begin with so if I lose confidence in my driver, I'm in trouble. My go to is choke up on the driver with a lower tee height. I'll use that shot when I need to hit a fairway and too much distance will lead to trouble. Took me a while to learn and trust that shot. Had some recuperation post surgery where I couldn't swing 100% and learned some really great 3/4 swing shots during that period.

[SNIPERBBB]

If it gets bad, I start aiming way left and power fade the driver. Or just start doing angry swings lol. Steering it never seems to really work for me. I will do bunt drivers, 3/4 or 1/2 swings to keep it in play especially when I start to get wavy-wipey with driver.

[Myherobobhope]

This is something I want to improve on... just a short swing driver shot I know will stay in play. 220 yard line drive I’m confident in... add it to my list of shots to learn!

[DLev45]

The misses were all off the toe or stone cold tops like i was about to completely whiff the ball. Don’t know if it was ball position, weight shift, distance to the ball, losing posture, or what. Couldn’t get it figured out, live.

In hindsight, I wish I had abandoned ship. Could have tried throwing a FW/3H out there 220-240ish and taken my chances with longer approaches, but it didn’t help that I was trailing in the match and felt like I needed to press.

I think I am going to try to groove a left arm parallel driver swing that can bail me out when I can’t figure out where the malfunction is.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

Without a driver, my game really tanks too. My go to shot with a driver is to tee up low and swing like a 3W. My windy day shot. If the course is short and narrow, hybrid or 4i are my “safety” shots.

When I depend upon these tactics, I never expect to break 80. Even 82 would be pushing it. Losing 30-40 yards off the tee is pretty disastrous.

[Mcgeeno]

In all honesty I didnt start going really low (From streaky 5 cap to 0-2 cap) until I learned this.

 

I found a driving club I could lean on under pressure. I hit little squeeze cuts with my 17 degree G25 hybrid. I can always keep that in play when the driver is off. It goes 220-250 depending on how I step on it.

 

Having a club or shot you can rely on under pressure is top of the heap importance to me.

[Golfbeat]

I leave the driver in the bag most of the time. The last 5 years I will have every round at least 3 or 4 snap hooks or big slices any time I try it. The 3 wood is straight as a laser and luckily still far enough.. They call me Henrik at my club (but not Stenson). Took lessons spent hours on the range focused on the driver. Can't do it. My buddies think it is mental. They might have a point.

[DLev45]

I have often contemplated playing a practice round where I hit whatever club got me inside of 150 yards on Par 4s, and whatever club left me a comfortable 2nd shot to get inside 150 yards on Par 5s, just to see if it would lead to an above-average or below average score for me. 150 yards is between an 8i and 9i for me, so based on my distances, I wouldn't be hitting driver off the tee on Par 4s under 400 and Par 5s under 550.

Driver total distance ranges from 260-290 depending on conditions, FW carries ~230, 19-degree hybrid ~215, and 22-hybrid ~200.

I know that closer=better if not bringing trouble into play. That's why I am talking about it as an experiment. Average score over my last 20 rounds is 80. Current average breakdown/round over last 20 is 1.5 birdies, 9 pars, 5.5 bogeys, and 2 double bogeys. Maybe I would beat that, and maybe I wouldn't. I know I would make less birdies, but probably less bogeys and doubles, too.

[MtlJeff]

I have definitely done it in individual rounds but overall i don't recommend it as a strategy. Hitting driver is a great way to improve your chance at birdie , or par if it's hit properly. The best thing you can do is practice with it until you are comfortable because avoiding it will not make you better.

But yes i have done it. One year i played our club championship and hit driver only once in 36 holes. Last season in my interclub match i was struggling with it so much i hit it only twice the entire round on wide open par 5's.

But that's also when i realized i needed to make some changes so i could hit it better because avoiding it hurts you.

Without question, the best golf i've ever played has always gone hand in hand with hitting driver well

[Hawkeye77]

Not sure what single digits has to do with it, but I am and yes. When I was a higher handicap, I'd sometimes just play 3w off the tee and had some really good rounds that way.

I abandoned driver on purpose for an entire round while on a trip last year and was the best decision for that day and paid off.

[goaliedad30]

I do this frequently. If I can't seem to find a groove with the driver, I'll hit 3w off the tee and make sure I'm in the fairway. Typical driver for me is 235-250, and the 3w is 220-235, but much straighter.

[Moonlightgrm]

I never have. Recently I had a round where I missed every fairway on the front side and was 6-over par at the turn. On the tenth tee I told myself “set your head behind the ball and keep still”. I hit every fairway on the back side and shot 1-under par. At no time did I consider leaving my driver in the bag. Find one swing thought and stick with it on that particular day.

[DLev45]

The single digit part is that I would think making a strategy when driver isn't working is completely different for a 15 cap trying to keep it below 90 and a 5 cap trying to keep it below 80.

[b.mattay]

I never do. In my mind, I am not going to hit any club poorly for an extended period of time.

[Socrates]

Temporarily choke down and tee it down. But never abandon it. Afraid to hit driver and you won’t stay in the low singles for long. Driver and wedges have to be your best clubs.

[Hawkeye77]

Still trying to make your best score, without focusing on whether below 90 or below 80 or below 70. Plenty of 90s shooters can encounter the exact same kind of issue/dilemma.

[DLev45]

That was my thinking, too. But it just never came around until it was too late.

Mind you, I'm not talking about being scared to hit driver next round or anything. The week prior on the same course I hit 11/14 FIR and 12/18 GIR. It's not an issue that I don't believe I can iron out on the range before the next time out.

I just mean holding it together when enduring one of these "wtf" stretches mid-round like I had, where from #5-15, I hit driver 7 times and was 0/7 FIR during that stretch. 4 topped drives that didn't make it past 200 yards and 3 push/cuts.

 

[xmanhockey7]

Nope. I hit driver all the way around. Granted driver is one of my better clubs in the bag. If there’s any club I won’t top off the tee it’s that. If I’m having a horrible day I may tee it down and choke down, but I usually just keep sending it and hit away from trouble.

[Obee]

No, but I used to back when I had a bit of club head speed.

[deadsolid...shank]

Driver is by far the best club in my bag, if it goes bad, there really isn’t anything for me to go to. If it’s bad, the rest probably are as well.

[hoselpalooza]

if you have decent swing speed, driver is unnecessary to get around most non-PGA length tracks. it's windy where i live so i practice a lot of 200y-220y (carry) piercing shots with 4i and 2i. in dry conditions the ball rolls out quite a bit further. when it's not windy these are still great shots for getting off of the tee because the dispersion is so much tighter than driver and 3w. and to keep the ball low i have to swing easier so it's helpful to do when (e.g.) i have more adrenaline or feel tighter. in cold or wet conditions i would probably go with a 3w stinger or maybe 5w to avoid over swinging.

anyway, it's good to have a few options for each tee shot. maybe have a plan B and plan C in case you don't want or need to hit driver for certain holes. and practice these shots on the range or in practice rounds.

good luck!

[msg]

If that was happening to me, I would have turned to my 3 hybrid or 4 hybrid. Those clubs are just amazing for me this year. Just aim and hit. But so far, my driver has been pretty good to me and I have not had the need to stop using it at any point this year. Crossing fingers.

[scooterhd2]

When I was a higher handicap I would occasionally abandon the driver for entire rounds. Once I even made that decision on the range before the round and was hitting the driver so badly that I put it in the car as to not be tempted on the course. To this day I am happy to sacrifice some yards to stay in play. But you have to learn how to do that with the driver.

Spend some range sessions really focusing on trying to hit controlled shots, without worrying much about distance. Pick out target lines and choke up on the driver, make 3/4 swings and dial in the accuracy. The driver is huge, you essentially have the most forgiving 3W every made in your bag already. Just learn how to dial it back for control. Of course when you are having a good day, then you can unleash it, but if you are getting wild, or even just need a well placed shot on a tight fairway, choke up and take a 80% swing with a smooth tempo.

[Popeye64]

When things come off the tracks, I say to myself and its usually out loud. LETS DO A HARD RESET.

I take a deep breathe, keep my swing simple but fire through the ball. Its an easier swing but the move is strong.

Its usually not just the driver. When I come off the tracks its everything. So chucking just the driver doesn't work for me. The hard rest does every time.

I've gone +7 or so on the front and even or better after the reset.... many times.

[Pepperturbo]

Yes, if, for any reason, my driver and 4wd go south on me I reach for my 2 or 3 iron. There have been many rounds where I never touch either wood, opting for 2i off every par 4 & 5. IMO it's part of having a bag full of diverse shots. Too many golfers have what I call static shots that when a given club goes south they have nothing to revert to. Good reason for hitting the ball 10-12yds further than standard or 10-12yds shorter than standard; essentially creating 2 additional clubs from one. Do the math.

[hoselpalooza]

it's part of having a bag full of diverse shots. Too many golfers have what I call static shots that when a given club goes south they have nothing to revert to. Good reason for hitting the ball 10-12yds further than standard or 10-12yds shorter than standard; essentially creating 2 additional clubs from one.@Pepperturbo, completely agree. i think a lot of people default to driver without considering their options. i used to do the same thing until my driver broke and didn't have a backup handy. i didn't game a 3- or 5-wood at the time, so while waiting for the warranty repair i borrowed my dad's old ping eye (?) 1-iron for longer drives and used my 3- or 4-iron for most shorter par 4's and 5's.
it changed the way i approached the tee box and course management. i went from mostly trying to hit it as far as possible to playing for position and picking smaller targets/more playable misses. i also learned to enjoy hitting long irons. as an aside, those positive memories were also helpful when i had to re-learn how to hit them all over again after an extended hiatus. :)
of course when the manufacturer sent a brand new driver back instead of the old one i reckon i probably used it to tee off on everything, including short par 3's...

[puttingmatt]

Yes I have let the driver sit it out before,

First 5 holes and driver acted up on 4 of them.

3 wood straight like a string, salvaged the round

Had to be set up, as driver was fine at the range

the next day, but to your question, I can usually

figure out a swing mistake quickly, but if not, I let

the club sit, till I can figure it out, at the range.

Do what it takes, to keep the round afloat

[jons1]

Hit anything you're confident in. And if you're not confident, hit it lower so it doesn't have enough air time to get in trouble. Sometimes you're just too jumpy and you need to slow everything down, swing a littler easier, and things get back on track.

When it goes bad, like army golf style grab a hard hat it's time to go to work bad... just ditch the the club. You don't need 14 clubs to play great golf. I don't care how good you are, even best in the world, there are times when you just have to scrap it around the course and focus on the second shot.