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Should I pull out the driver or not?

robmypro

robmypro

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I am doing some prep for the round Thursday, and I am wondering if I should just play my irons the first time out and park my driver? My irons are pretty solid, and I don't think I will have too many penalties using them, versus my driver, which could get ugly. It would basically be a bogey plan.

I feel pretty solid from my SW to my 5 iron, and even my 4i is not that sporadic on the range (I know, not the same). I am thinking I'd go 5i off the tee, just to keep it in play, leaving me a mid iron to the green in many cases. The thought of racking up a lot of penalty strokes doesn't sound that appealing, and I think with a few more range sessions I might be able to get it under control. I don't have any hybrids, and my fairway woods are nowhere near ready for prime time. So I am thinking irons only first time out.

Do you guys think this is a good plan?
 
Why not? Move up a tee box and go have some fun.
 
No. If your goal is to gauge where you are at, you should play the game the way you would think is the correct way to accomplish the best score. That means choosing wisely off the tee, course management through out, etc.

That is strictly based on the idea that your goal is to gauge where you are. If the goal is to just have some fun, heck yeah, move up a tee box and go irons only.
 
If you feel comfortable doing that, definitely. The important thing is to have fun. I usually keep my driver in my bag and maybe just leave it for Par 5s. If I hit it twice and both are bad, I'll shelve it for the round.
 
I'd say play with all your clubs. It will give you the best idea of where your game actually is.
 
Mulligan9111 said:
I'd say play with all your clubs. It will give you the best idea of where your game actually is.
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First time out I like this idea as well.
 
Definitely play the driver, who cares if it gets you in to trouble you have the perfect excuse of coming back from a very long layoff. There shouldn't be a lot of pressure with the expectations so if it sounds fun for you to hit the driver hit it all you want.
 
Okay guys, thanks for chiming in. If I want to gauge where I am, as JB says, I need to do this right. My score will suffer, but it will be a more accurate view of what I need to do. So I guess I play them all and see how it goes. Should be exciting...especially for people on the adjacent fairways.
 
Play the whole bag! See where you are at with different shots then work on what you need to post round.
 
if that's what you want then who is to say. Only you can know what you wish to do. But its kind of contradicting to your other thread. If you are not going to worry much about score than whats the difference if the driver costs you? if your concerned with that then that perhaps means you are indeed looking at score which may not be the best approach right now. But just an observation on my part.

I personally never could really understand leaving clubs out. Especially if you want to see where your at. Of course some people never use a driver and only carry a 3wood but obviously that's not you. Some may also wish to practice a certain specific club or two as much as they can. I've done that too but I don't think that is your goal either right now. So To me we should use all our clubs we chose to carry whenever they may be needed. Especially if you want to see where your at with your whole game and practice and get a feel for your whole game.. But this doesn't mean you have to drive on every hole anyway. Shorter par4's and doglegs may offer plenty of non driver tee shots but that's a matter of how one wishes to manage ones game which is also very much part of seeing where your at imo just as much as actually hitting shots.. If I wanted to use my irons and short clubs only then I would simply go to an executive course, par3 course, pitch and putt whatever. not dictating but just offering an opinion.
 
rollin said:
if that's what you want then who is to say. Only you can know what you wish to do. But its kind of contradicting to your other thread. If you are not going to worry much about score than whats the difference if the driver costs you? if your concerned with that then that perhaps means you are indeed looking at score which may not be the best approach right now. But just an observation on my part.

I personally never could really understand leaving clubs out. Especially if you want to see where your at. Of course some people never use a driver and only carry a 3wood but obviously that's not you. Some may also wish to practice a certain specific club or two as much as they can. I've done that too but I don't think that is your goal either right now. So To me we should use all our clubs we chose to carry whenever they may be needed. Especially if you want to see where your at with your whole game and practice and get a feel for your whole game.. But this doesn't mean you have to drive on every hole anyway. Shorter par4's and doglegs may offer plenty of non driver tee shots but that's a matter of how one wishes to manage ones game which is also very much part of seeing where your at imo just as much as actually hitting shots.. If I wanted to use my irons and short clubs only then I would simply go to an executive course, par3 course, pitch and putt whatever. not dictating but just offering an opinion.
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You bring up some good points. In reality, Rollin, this is going to be a bit of a "contradiction" round. On the one hand, I absolutely want to have that benchmark round that I can gauge the rest of my year by. So I am going to take this serious. On the other hand, I have my wife with me, and she might get turned off of golf if I wrap a club around a tree. I guess I am going in to see where I am at, with very low expectations. So that, along with 30 years of rust should make it easy not to get frustrated. Really, I think it is going to be a blast regardless how I play.

So I think the guys are right when they say bring all the clubs and play them when it makes sense. But it will be an assessment of my game, and to do that I need to play exactly as I plan to 3 years from now. Otherwise I haven't really accomplished what I set out to do. I am playing this course every Thursday for pretty much the rest of the year. I need this one to be realistic, which is what JB and others (including you) have said. In conclusion, fore!?
 
might as well give it a go if it is not working don't pull it out
 
I agree with the others who said to play it. The only way to gauge what you need to work on, is to do it at the course. I know that I tend to hit different/unexpected shots on the course than I do at the range, so better for you to see how you play certain clubs in certain situations.

I think moreso than the clubs, it's going to be the course itself. How are you going to react to hazards? How are you going to play uneven lies? THAT, I think, will give you a better idea as to what you need to work on, vs whatever score you might card.
 
russtopher said:
I agree with the others who said to play it. The only way to gauge what you need to work on, is to do it at the course. I know that I tend to hit different/unexpected shots on the course than I do at the range, so better for you to see how you play certain clubs in certain situations.

I think moreso than the clubs, it's going to be the course itself. How are you going to react to hazards? How are you going to play uneven lies? THAT, I think, will give you a better idea as to what you need to work on, vs whatever score you might card.
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That highlighted part reminds me that there is one advantage to being a higher cap player. Althought its really not an advantage at all but it does allow for a lot more unexpected shots from all kinds of places much more often to practice. For example - being errant at times has lead me to become much better at hitting out from wooded areas, fairway bunkers, etc, and all kinds of situations lol. funny and unfortunate really but also true.
 
What exactly are you hoping for after a long winter layoff? Play the driver and don't take it too seriously until you've had a little more time back in the driver's seat.
 
rollin said:
That highlighted part reminds me that there is one advantage to being a higher cap player. Althought its really not an advantage at all but it does allow for a lot more unexpected shots from all kinds of places much more often to practice. For example - being errant at times has lead me to become much better at hitting out from wooded areas, fairway bunkers, etc, and all kinds of situations lol. funny and unfortunate really but also true.
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Hey, my old banana slice is what directly led to me learning how to hit a low punch shot to get out from the trees! :)

Back on topic, like the OP said he wants this to be a "measuring stick" round. So go for it - pull the driver, and take the good and bad that comes with it to see what needs to be worked on for both shots as well as course management. Management is something I really neglected when I started, to my detriment.
 
I say use the driver, but don't be opposed to using some irons too. The driver seems to be the most volatile club in my bag, but I have learned to stick with it in most cases and it's slowly becoming more of a weapon than liabilty.
 
gatoreric said:
I say use the driver, but don't be opposed to using some irons too. The driver seems to be the most volatile club in my bag, but I have learned to stick with it in most cases and it's slowly becoming more of a weapon than liabilty.
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Hey Gator, thinking the same thing. It's there. I will use it. But I am going to determine when and where it makes sense. On the first hole, I may go iron just to get the ball out there. But that is something I may do regularly until it becomes reliable, as I would rather not start a round out of bounds. So it depends on how wide the fairways are, too. I am pull it out when the risk/reward makes sense.
 
robmypro said:
Hey Gator, thinking the same thing. It's there. I will use it. But I am going to determine when and where it makes sense. On the first hole, I may go iron just to get the ball out there. But that is something I may do regularly until it becomes reliable, as I would rather not start a round out of bounds. So it depends on how wide the fairways are, too. I am pull it out when the risk/reward makes sense.
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That's a good plan to me. I think total removal ruins your confidence with it. But continuing got use it when it is brutalizing your score can be just as devastating. I've found hitting my 3W or Hybrid can help my driver swing. Maybe a couple of confident iron swings can get you in a good place with the driver. Just based on your comments, you seem to have lost confidence in your driver. I do that at times too. But remember that we all (even pros) typically struggle with the driver so start believing you can hit it better and it will improve.
 
I definitely agree with the confident iron swings, Gator. I wouldn't say I have lost confidence in my driver, but it is the least consistent. I really just don't have enough time with it on the range. Now my fairway woods are another story. I am not bringing them. I just can't hit them yet. One issue is the fairway "boundaries" I have been using at the range. I have a feeling it was too wide, so the driver might yield 50% out of bounds (or more), where the irons are maybe 10%. I will dial it in eventually, but I need to have some room to use the driver until I can settle it down. I guess I will see once I get there how wide these fairways are.
 
Show no fear.....hit'em all.
If you don't play all your clubs, how will you know what to work on ?
 
bottom line here to me. Is go out and just play and have some enjoyment. That doesnt mean you cant take it serious. Just means get out there and do it and see what happens. dont expect a whole lot and just relax and enjoy. If the driver and long clubs are that bad or have you that conserned then work on them at the range and perhaps play an executive course a couple times or so while your doing that longer club work at the range. Work on them and then head out again. What can you do? Enjoy the day, enjoy the company, you've played before so you already know what to do. Hope you have a nice day.
 
I would say at least play the first nine with the driver, then you will know if the driver needs some work on the range. If the driver isn't working, play the back nine with what you think you can hit the fairway with.
 
I say it depends on what your goals are. If you are trying to improve you iron play, by all means, play with your irons only. If you are trying to get driver back in the game, hit it on every tee box you can. (if it is slow, even hit 2) I find when I am scuffling with my irons, I like to go out and leave the driver in the car. It tends to get my mind thinking more strategically and more out of the grip it and rip it mentality. I did it 3 times last year, and each time, I found that I made huge strides in how my contact was and how my game management was.
 
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