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Originally Posted by nkranga This is chapter out of Bob Rotella's book. It is simple, yet effective. It goes to explain why pull a driver every time when a 3 wood will do the job. In some cases even a 5 Iron can replace the driver! From the Tee, landing in the fairway 175 yards to the hole is better than a driver leaving you in the rough and 50 yards closer. Hence instead of a tentative swing with the driver, use a long irong and swing with confidence. Sound advice...I think. But will your ego let you do this ? |
Lee Trevino is quoted as saying that 90% of amateur golfers would be better off not even carrying a driver. I can't give you the source, but I've seen that quotation more than once (He might have said 99%). I've also read that for most golfers the difference in distance between the driver and the 3W is about 10 yards, but the difference in accuracy is much greater than that. To get any advantage from the driver, you have to be able to (a) hit it hard enough to keep it in the air with the lower trajectory, and (b) hit square enough to minimize the sidespin that causes slices and hooks.
I can hit 250 yards with my driver. The operative word is "can." That means, 250 yards is my best drive, but it is by no means my typical drive. Typically, it's going to be 220-230 or less. And although I *can* hit it straight, I usually don't. With my 3W I not only *can* hit about 220 yards, I usually do, and I am *far* more likely to end up on the fairway.
It may be a blow to my ego to use a 3W when the others are using drivers, but it's worse to drive a wicked banana slice into the woods. I reserve the driver for the very widest fairways, where I feel I can't get into too much trouble, and even then I don't usually end up in an advantageous position.
The temptation is not just about ego. It's also the tendency to remember those few times when I used the driver and crushed it and the ball sailed right down the middle--and to forget about the banana slices, worm burners, and pinball shots amid tree branches. I remember the great shots (by my standard; I realize not everyone is thrilled with a 250 yard drive) and then the little voice says, "Wouldn't it be great to hit one of those now?"
I figure my approach is okay. I don't want to shun the driver altogether, but I limit it to holes where it isn't likely to get me into too much trouble. My partner can hit about 180 off a tee with his 5 iron, and when he's really concentrating on making a certain score, he goes to that club every time, because he's completely confident in that shot going straight where he points it.