# Leave the driver at home?



## Stretch (May 15, 2010)

I was wondering if anyone was in the same boat as me.

With my driver, I can hit 1 straight and 9 slice off between 15 to 30 yards. The straight one goes like 250.

With my 3 wood, I can hit 9 straight and 1 might slice 10 to 20 yards. The straight ones go 200 - 220.

Rather than mess with my swing too much, I decided to leave it out of the bag. I have tried teeing it up off the front toe, heel, past the toe, tee it up higher, slower swing, bigger tees and nothing really helps. All my other long clubs are pretty good, maybe 1 or 2 slight slice or off line so I am pretty confident my swing, stance, alignment, grip and overall setup are pretty good. My next thought was to have my club checked.

I found a local club fitter (2 mins from my house) only he has put me on hold for one thing or another for almost 2 months. Yea, I have given up on this guy! Talked to three others and one says shorten my shaft, one say replace shaft and the other said its not worth spending anything on my clubs. Nice array of options huh?

I do understand and believe in fitted clubs and will do so on my next set but decided that leaving the driver out of my bag was my best option for now. Hit it 200 - 220 and then go from there.

Anyone with a similar experience? What did you do?


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

Been there, done that. Nothing wrong with playing, but not having a driver in your bag. A couple of the many rules of golf when compared to shorter, more lofted clubs, is that the longer the club, the less control the golfer has with it. The less loft the club has, the less control the golfer has with it. Most drivers fit perfectly into these two rules. I am pretty decent with my driver, but there are times, when I don't even bother to take it out of my bag when playing. Perhaps, I am not hitting it very well that particular day. Or, may the course has skinny fairways which would mean more accuracy than I can get when using my driver. I know people who are 10 handicappers who's longest club in their bag is a 5w. 

The options given to you were all viable. My questions would be is your driver shaft the same flex as your other longer clubs you have more success with? Same brand, and model? If the shaft flex is incorrect for your swing, then a properly fitted reshaft might be in order. Hit a driver that already has your correct flex attached to it before having the work done. A quality club fitter can make this fitted club available to you. You can easily get a better idea on shortening the driver shaft simply by gripping down on it an inch or two. If that seems to cure the problem, then perhaps the shaft is too long for you. As for the club not being worth spending money on, I don't readily buy into that scenario. The price of a club does not guarantee success for the end user. Cheap, or expensive, it makes no difference, as long as the golfer has a some what repeatable swing, and correctly fitted clubs. In my case I have $29.99 driver head attached to a fitted $69.99 shaft. I can hold my own, when I am swinging well, with most folks using a 4,5, or 6 hundred dollar driver. I am so happy with my present driver head, that I purchased 2 extra ones for shafts to be named later. :laugh:


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## Stretch (May 15, 2010)

Thanks for the input FrogsHair.
All my clubs are the same, purchased a complete kit, but that doesnt mean the driver shaft is the same or similar. Many shafts are so off in the tolerances that the only way to be sure and have them the same is to have a fitter do his work.

As I listed above, 4 different fitters and 3 different responses.... who do you go with? (Not the one that keep pushing you off for sure!) I dont really know any of them and have heard good things about all 3 so who is correct? I dont want to try all 3 to see who was correct. I would have to go with the one who suggested the shaft. That seem logical and would probably be the best course of action. I have tried choking down 1,2 & 3 inches but its doesnt feel right because I have big hands and they still dont fly right, I mean correct.... the do fly right and thats the problem!

I am good with my 3 wood and pretty good with the 5, getting better with the 3 & 4 hybrids and spot on with my 5 iron so I figure that should do for most of the long shots on any course. The bonus of leaving my driver at home is I get to carry an extra wedge! (IF your playing with the 14 club rule) I love the wedges and have them dialed in great. I have been told and read many times that your short game is where you make it or break it so I figured it would be better to get really good at that and worry about driving last.

** If anyone has a suggestion for an honest and qualified fitter in the Central Mass area, please let me know.


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

I would choose a fitter who has a launch monitor over one that doesn't, assuming he knows how to use it. I would also choose the fitter who has club with the same shaft he is recommending, attached to a club head, and who would let the end user hit it more than just a few times at a nearby driving range. In my case I am lucky to have a club fitter (just) for my woods. He utilizes a launch monitor, and goes with me to to the driving range. Since I don't trust the consistency of a range ball's flight pattern, I usually supply a few new balls to get a better idea of how the ball will really fly once I start hitting my normal game balls. I tend to slice range balls, but hit my "gamers" much straighter. My club fitter also understands my golf swing, and has many minutes of video of me swinging a club. We have been seeing each other going on 15 years now. He has a day job, and his club fitting is just a hobby for him. I think I am one of only 20 or so clients. My point is to find someone you are happy with, who is going to be in business tomorrow. 

As for your ball flight going right, check out this link on shaft flexes; Understanding Golf Club Shaft Flex

You are quite right about no consistency between shaft flexes. The shaft in my driver is rated "S", while my other woods are rated "R". My driver shaft is a different brand than my 3,5,7 fairway woods.


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## Spike (Apr 4, 2014)

I am in this boat with you assuming you still play this way. I have cobeled together a set that works for me, but it's not what most people would like to play. The driver is a fickle beast that I have yet to master. For me a fairway metal off the tee is just more consistent for my very inconsistent swing.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I also play stiff driver and 4 wood, but a regular flex set of hybrids and irons.

What I don't understand is what many manufacturers call "Wedge Flex"... Friends over in the Mizuno Forum say it's basically stiff. I'd be tempted to take my sand wedge and lob wedge and change the shafts to the same thing as my irons. I have no idea what might happen, but right now, I have a 50* gap wedge I hit 95 yards. When I go to a 54* sand wedge, I can only hit it about 70 yards. My 60* lob wedge only goes about 50 yards.

I don't know if the shaft is responsible, but I suspect it's only partly so. I suspect the other part of the problem is 79" of me bending over to hit a couple 35" clubs. I doubt I make an efficient swing with the posture needed to do that.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

BTW - Speaking about changing shafts...

I have an old Mizuno 4 wood I hit pretty well. I have a much newer Mizuno 3 wood I hit OK, but it has a tip stoff shaft in it the seller on ebay didn't mention when I bought it. The damn thing feels like a telephone pole.

When I get home from California, I'm going to see if the shafts can be switched. Hopefully they are the same diameter. I need to hit a fairway wood off the tee at Killian Greens a few times. I also need them out of the fairway a handful of times. In other words, my fairway woods get used at KG a lot more than at other courses. 

The bigger head on the new JPX 3 wood would be a really good club on the shaft currently in the 4 wood.


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