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When do you hit your driver?

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Joshsmit56001

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I have found that as I get better my course management gets better as well. In the past I would pull out my driver on every par 4 or 5 no matter the distance the hole is. I see bad golfers doing the same all of the time. I now work back from the hole as they say and I am always looking at a club that will hit me to around the 150 marker at minimum, or preferable around 120 yards out if possible. This is my money club. I just don't understand the golfers that pull their driver on a par 4 that is a dog leg right over trees that has to be a perfect shot. Most of the time they end up in the trees and it takes 2 shots to get out because they try the miracle shot again. I instead pull my 6 iron and hit to 180-200 yards and leave myself a pitching wedge to the green. I find myself only using my driver on about 3 holes at the 9 hole course I play, with is 2 par 5's and 1 par 4 that is about 400 yards.

So with all of this said, when do you pull your driver?
 
Joshsmit56001 said:
I have found that as I get better my course management gets better as well. In the past I would pull out my driver on every par 4 or 5 no matter the distance the hole is. I see bad golfers doing the same all of the time. I now work back from the hole as they say and I am always looking at a club that will hit me to around the 150 marker at minimum, or preferable around 120 yards out if possible. This is my money club. I just don't understand the golfers that pull their driver on a par 4 that is a dog leg right over trees that has to be a perfect shot. Most of the time they end up in the trees and it takes 2 shots to get out because they try the miracle shot again. I instead pull my 6 iron and hit to 180-200 yards and leave myself a pitching wedge to the green. I find myself only using my driver on about 3 holes at the 9 hole course I play, with is 2 par 5's and 1 par 4 that is about 400 yards.

So with all of this said, when do you pull your driver?
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I am by no means a long hitter so I pull driver on pretty much every par 4 and 5. Dog leg, I aim for the middle of the fairway and hit it as far as I can and hope I get it far enough where I have a line at the hole.
 
Some days (like yesterday) I just hit it on every single hole that I can.
 
DevRickus said:
I am by no means a long hitter so I pull driver on pretty much every par 4 and 5. Dog leg, I aim for the middle of the fairway and hit it as far as I can and hope I get it far enough where I have a line at the hole.
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You are not a long hitter and have to hit your driver to get it to a comfortable distance. That is the key statement. You hitting driver could be like someone else hitting a hybrid to the same distance. That is where it makes sense in your statement
 
Typically I'll opt for 3W over driver if the hole is less than 400 yards. Depending on the terrain (doglegs, etc), I may pull 3W on a hole that is longer than 400 yards.

If the Par 4 is in the low 300 yard range and there is not a lot of imminent danger, I may also pull out the driver and take a run at the green.
 
Mulligan9111 said:
Some days (like yesterday) I just hit it on every single hole that I can.
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Personally I hate those half shots into the green. I would rather have a full swing as I know what my exact distance would be. Sometimes if I pull my driver I will be hitting it from this hated distance. Do you have distances like this that you do not like?
 
14 times a round. I don't hit the ball far enough not to and it's probably my most consistent club in the bag.
 
I hit it when the hole dictates it. There are a few holes where getting aggressive is not penal, other than that I do as you said, try and get myself in the 100-150 range.
 
At my local 9-hole course, I could hit driver on 3, 4, 5, and 7 but I normally only hit it consistently on 3 and 4. I'll hit it on 5 and 7 if I'm playing into the wind.

I'll hit a driver unless there is a hazard (stream, pond, trees, etc) that could possibly swallow up my ball. In that case, I'll hit an iron that will get me to either the edge of the hazard or the best line to the green.
 
Joshsmit56001 said:
Personally I hate those half shots into the green. I would rather have a full swing as I know what my exact distance would be. Sometimes if I pull my driver I will be hitting it from this hated distance. Do you have distances like this that you do not like?
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Not really. I like playing different types of shots into greens though, whether it's throwing it up high, or hitting a low spinning line drive. There are definitely shots that I execute better on a regular basis, but in the end I enjoy playing all of the shots (even if they don't always work out).
 
ATLGolfer said:
Typically I'll opt for 3W over driver if the hole is less than 400 yards. Depending on the terrain (doglegs, etc), I may pull 3W on a hole that is longer than 400 yards.

If the Par 4 is in the low 300 yard range and there is not a lot of imminent danger, I may also pull out the driver and take a run at the green.
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This is a great statement as this will be an option as well. I was on a hole one time that was a 280 yard par 4 that was certainly reachable and I was playing with a golf coach from a local high school (Was paired with him and his buddies that day, didn't know them) and he made some snarky comment about how he "loves that people pull their driver when they should be pulling a different club". I guess you have to figure out how you are swinging that day. On that day I was swinging great and I decided to go for it. Other days I might pull a shorter club because I know that it would not be a good driving hole because I was off that day.
 
For me I am always plays to an number for my second shot into the green. I can be pretty consistant with about 250-260 with my driver. If that puts me somewhere in the 150 to 100 yard range excluding par 5s of course as I will almos always go driver there, Then I pull driver. If I can get a 3 wood into that 150 to 100 yeard range or any other club, thats what I use. It makes no difference to me, I know people like to hit driver and its often the most expensive club in the bag but if it doesnt give my number on the second shot then it stays in its home.
 
I typically pull driver on any hole par 4 that is 350 yards or more and all par 5s. Hazards, dog legs, hole layout, etc definitely wiegh into my decision on whether or not to pull driver on holes greater than 350 yards though.
 
Almost always. My home club has two 18 hole courses, each have only 1 or 2 par 4's / 5's where I don't go with the driver.
 
Castor Hades said:
Almost always. My home club has two 18 hole courses, each have only 1 or 2 par 4's / 5's where I don't go with the driver.
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Is there a reason you always pull driver versus another club?
 
I pull driver 9-11 times usually on my course. Just sets up that way and I can't afford to go shorter
 
While the driver might be the longest club and the lowest loft (outside of putter), it does not always mean immediate issues. People are quick to forget that it also has the largest surface area and many would argue is as/more forgiving than choosing a fairway wood.

Just food for thought.
 
I'm pretty accurate with mine some I usually hit it unless it will put me through the dogleg or the hole is really narrow. If I'm playing well I'm as likely to hit it in the fairway as my FWwood. If I'm swinging badly they all go everywhere. I've been actually using it more on drivable par 4s that I can reach.
 
If the fairway is wide open, or I am hitting it well that day, then it is a green light for driver.

I have no issues taking hybrid off the tee now as an alternative though. I would prefer to be in the short grass.
 
Since I am not a long driver by any means (avg. 220ish), I use it on all par 4/5's. The only time I wouldn't would be if it is some type of weird lay up hole or layout that has a shorter distance.
The good thing is my dispersion is very tight so I hit a lot of fairways!
 
I've recently started to try and be more conservative off the tee as I generally slice the driver. I've been hitting my 3 hybrid thats consistently straight and about 200 yards. Having a second shot from the fairway is better for me than the 60-70 extra possible yards
 
If a hole is longer than 350, I'm pulling driver. Shorter than 350, I need to know how wide the FW is, if hazards are in play, etc.

No need to hit the big stick if a smaller club will put me in scoring range.
 
Miller Time said:
If a hole is longer than 350, I'm pulling driver. Shorter than 350, I need to know how wide the FW is, if hazards are in play, etc.

No need to hit the big stick, if a smaller club will put me in scoring range.
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You really need to find a dependable 3W. It will change your game dramatically.
 
Joshsmit56001 said:
Is there a reason you always pull driver versus another club?
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I don't have anything else to pull, I can't hit a 3-wood for my life, and hybrids are usually too short. 4 iron for a 350-450 long par 4 is just too little.

My driver is the safest choice for me from the tee.
 
ATLGolfer said:
You really need to find a dependable 3W. It will change your game dramatically.
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I was mashing the XH 3W yesterday the few times I hit it off the tee. I think I just need to leave Bertha in car one day and hit 3W off the tee all day.
 
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