Played some twilight tonight and my driver is just killing me, its been like this for the past few months, im gettin seriously about 220 avg out of it. so i switched to the 3 wood and im hitting that about 240-250 on average.... What could the reason be for this such lack of distance on the driver when compared to the 3w. Im thinking maybe cuz i have more of a downward striking on the ball with the 3w and my driver swing must be really ******* up, any help would be great thanks.
Last edited by shaderunner : August 19th, 2006 at 09:40 PM.
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That's the same for me, I was hitting driver left right left right and not very far, gave it to my dad and the next round I was getting 250 down the middle, on the second round on a par 4 258 yarder, I hit my drive 4 yards from the green on the fairway which is about 4 yards wide at this spot with traps on either side.
I am interested in hearing all comments as well
Well most teaching pro's I've talked to most amateurs would do better off the tee with a 3wd than with a driver. Especially since most amateurs play driver's with not enough loft and launch below the ideal launch angle. The 3w produces more backspin than the driver which means it will go straighter in general b.c the increased backspin will less any ensuing sidespin not to mention the higher overall loft brings them to their ideal launch angle.
Alright check it out..... Im hitting a Cleveland Launcher 400 9.5, with Ust Proforce 65, high kick point, low torque STIFF....... My 3w is a NIke T-60 15 Deg STIFF, With USt Proforce FW 85g, low torque, high kick point...... Problem with the driver is i am hitting it higher then the 3w, not gettin much distance nor carry. If anything too much backspin with the driver.
My drives were big slices,it was a 400cc but it doesnt say what loft,my 3 woods were slicing not quite as bad,i got hold of 5 wood at 21 degrees loft and hit that baby straight,i also still worked on my bad out to in swing but the forgiveness of that loft gave me straight shots,i now have a driver normal size rigid graphite shaft but importantly 12 degree loft and hey presto 80 % straight drives and more distance,i dont swing any different with 5,3, or one wood,watch out for the mind problem,i,ve gained confidence with straight 5 wood and used this for about ten rounds of golf to drum straightness into my head,on our 18th if you slice its easy out of bounds,i,ve seen people hit straight all day then slice at last hole,so keep using 3 wood and work on slice and then after a while of success try the odd drive
There's no way in the world you should be getting more backspin with the driver than the 3W, especially when the only difference between them is shaft weight. Those big drivers are made such that backspin is minimized. Besides that you've got 5.5 more degrees of loft on the 3W.
If you're hitting it higher than your 3W and it doesn't go as far, you're just popping it up and it's a problem with something in your swing, setup, tee height (yes, that's vague, but I don't really know enough to tell you which).
ya i figure its a problem with my swing, but its odd because I hit some nice shots consistantly with the 3w and the driver is on a totally different level..... example.... i was just hitting a few 7iron shots off the tee waiting for the people in front of us... I put a really good swing on one of them and flew around 180, little downwind.. so I hit the driver, had a slight fade to it, felt like a miss hit, but still fairly straight, end up right side of fairway about 190 yards. So i might as well tee off with irons... this driver thing is becoming frustrating. I really need a golf teacher
Besides the aforementioned advantages 3w has over driver concerning launch angle and spin, it is shorter, easier to control and swing in tempo, and therefore easier to hit flush...
Alright check it out..... Im hitting a Cleveland Launcher 400 9.5, with Ust Proforce 65, high kick point, low torque STIFF....... My 3w is a NIke T-60 15 Deg STIFF, With USt Proforce FW 85g, low torque, high kick point...... Problem with the driver is i am hitting it higher then the 3w, not gettin much distance nor carry. If anything too much backspin with the driver.
Have you tried teeing it (driver) up high and trying to make contact high on the clubface, like the pros?
If he is popping the ball up in the air like it sounds, then teeing it up not a the right thing to do. It almost sounds like you have a decending blow into the ball which is causing you to pop it up. One drill I love to do on the range when things get crazy is the 50% drill. What I mean by this is to take your normal swing but at 50% your normal power. Do that for 10-15 swings while going through you pre-shot routine. This should help you get back on plane, keep your weight shift ideal, and allow you to release the clubhead properly while ensuring you aren't casting the club. When you feel you are hitting the ball well enough, move it to 60%, then 70%, and finally 80-85% which should be your playing max. I know it gets boring and you might have to take a hit on your ego (the possibility of someone watching you drive the ball 150yrds) but it works and is something Davis Love III does.
Where do you tee the ball in your stance? With that kind of driver it should be played probably in line with or just inside your left big toe. The idea is to catch it on the upswing and let the design of the club get it up in the air and minimize spin that comes with a descending blow.
Also, how high is your tee? I have the same club and try to tee it to where half the ball is above the top of the driver when the club is resting on the ground.
August 11th, 2006, 09:55 PM
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