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Grip It And Rip it Or Change Your Approach

fairwaynut

fairwaynut

Bettinardi Aficionado
Albatross 2024 Club
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Have you ever played a hole that when you get to the tee that has a very narrow opening to hit through do you still do the grip it and rip it approach like always or do you play it safe and hit less than driver assuring that you can make a good shot off the tee to get yourself out into the fairway. I know that there are many factors which determine you're approach but which would you generally do?
 
The 9th hole of my home course is around 300 yard par 4 from the short tees I play. There's a ravine in front of the tee box that is a short carry, then a narrow fairway with little hope of finding your ball should the tee shot go offline.

The driver will leave me a partial gap or sand wedge, the 5w a full wedge, and an iron off the tee will leave me another iron for my approach. The green isn't protected so a mid iron approach isn't crazy.

This may be where lose strokes... most of the time I'll pull the driver, and for two reasons.

The first and obvious reason I pull the driver is having that partial wedge shot to hold the green. Within 75-100 yards my chances are 65%, vs 55% from 100 - 125 yards. From 125 to 150 it drops to 50%. However, as mentioned above, this green is little easier to hit and a slight miss not as costly.

The second, perhaps not-so-logical reason is that I want to get better at using the longest club in my bag. The philosophy of advancing the ball as far as possible had been hammered into my head from another golf forum. I'd have to dig for the stats, but there have been plenty of rounds when I've gotten penalties from missing right, left and, sadly, even consecutively from both sides with the driver on this hole.

It's not that I'm convinced the driver is 100% wrong, but I should at least explore the option of playing a little safer - even if the results mean using a short iron for my approach. If this was a dogleg that required driver to get a look at the green, that would be different. But this hole is basically a long par 3 with a narrow fairway being the main challenge.
 
I’m pulling something less 100% of the time. I want to keep the ball in play, if that means a 7i off the tee to a 3h approach, so be it.
 
I usually always hit driver. I have as much confidence in that club than I do any other off the tee.
 
Predominantly my days of tee box club choice are over. I need the length of my driver. If clubbing down my 3Hybrid is low and pure often. But maxs out at 190. So what would be left after that? My driver is hit about as well as just about any club in bag so yea grip & rip mostly.
 
If I Have been hitting ok off the tee I’ll hit the driver. At most I’ll drop down to a 3 or 5 wood.
 
My driver has been more reliable than my other woods off the tee, so I would go with that. 3 wood and 5 wood tend to get pulled or drawn.
 
I’m swinging more efficiently, not harder.
 
It depends on the length of the hole. I would be more comfortable with driver and super long tight holes. It is as accurate as my 3 wood and if I do miss, getting to the green is a little easier. Having more options high or low.
 
If I have been driving the ball well previous to that hole I will continue with driver, if not than I will generally club down to a 3 or 5 wood.
 
There’s one hole that I’ve changed my approach to it. My average score has probably gone down a stroke playing it that way. It’s a slight dogleg left short par 5. There is OB left and right. The only tee shot that will work with driver is a hard draw that will have to flirt with the right treeline. Even hitting it dead straight will leave you OB right as you have to hit it in a gap in the trees and you run out of real estate somewhere in the 240 yard range. At about 200 yards it dips sharp downhill before going back uphill to the green. Any tee shot over 200 yards and you are likely going to have a bad stance.

So now depending on wind conditions I’ll hit my 190 club, usually 7i, sometimes 6. I try to be on the right side of the fairway. I then hit that club again, this time trying to be on the left side of the fairway as it gives you the best look at this 2 tiered green. Third shot is usually from around 100 yards.

Since deciding to leave driver in the bag, my worst score on this hole is bogey. Most of the time i par it. It does get to me to have a par 5 and hitting a 7i off the tee. But even though I’ve taken eagle off the table I also have taken the dreaded “other” off too. That hole has ruined so many good nines. Made a couple of them better, but it’s just not worth the risk.

Now if it was match play......
 
I tend to play to the fairway on all Tee shots and don't really grip and rip except there is one course I play that on the 18th hole I grip and rip and swing outta my shoes. Looking down the fairway is wide open from the Tee box and long downhill shot with the driver. I simply try to kill it there and love it! Last time I hit my furthest drive with rollout on that hole. It was a great feeling for an old timer.
 
fairwaynut said:
Have you ever played a hole that when you get to the tee that has a very narrow opening to hit through do you still do the grip it and rip it approach like always or do you play it safe and hit less than driver assuring that you can make a good shot off the tee to get yourself out into the fairway. I know that there are many factors which determine you're approach but which would you generally do?
Click to expand...
Will depend how I Am swinging the driver that day for one. If I am playing a good round of golf I will play the higher percentage shot to give me the best 2nd to score. 8 times out of 10 i would pull a different club than driver.
 
I'm pulling 4i and not even thinking twice about it. I do this normally anyway as I struggle with the driver on all but the most wide open holes. It's my goal this year to get that club more consistent but, until then, I'll pull the 4i. I can typically pipe the sh!t out of that thing.
 
My grip it and rip it days are ancient history.

However, back in the day, I went for everything. Swung the club as fast as I could in a risk/reward fashion. Didn't matter what club I used, it recieved my best effort

The rewards were mostly just being able to find the ball after I hit it. Had a decent driver swing. Scores were decent.

If I tried that today, I'd probably break a needed body part.

The surprising thing is, my scores today are not too much different (higher) than my swinging for the fences days.
 
robrandalgz said:
I'm pulling 4i and not even thinking twice about it. I do this normally anyway as I struggle with the driver on all but the most wide open holes. It's my goal this year to get that club more consistent but, until then, I'll pull the 4i. I can typically pipe the sh!t out of that thing.
Click to expand...

I posted a very good score in 2018 hitting 4i only on all par 4’s and 5’s. It helped that it was a really short (5900 yards) course. I didn’t make as many birdies but with its narrow tree lined FW’s I didn’t have to try to play any from the wrong side of the trees either, which as tight as that course is on most holes, I almost always have a couple even when I’m driving it well.

I couldn’t hit the center of the clubface with anything in 2019, but that wasn’t really golf related, so it mattered not what I used. I came very close to whiffing completely with a 445cc driver, lol.
 
On my home course the 3rd and 4th home are VERY short par 4’s, under 300. The 3rd hole I usually use no more than a 5iron to put myself between 70 and 80 yards out to use my lob or 56. On the 4th hole I will use 3W or 3H depending on if the wind is into the tee, that will leave me anywhere from a 52 to a lob wedge in. Now on the 5th hole it is a long dog leg right par 5 that requires driver, 3W or 3H to the 100-150 yard range. The difference is this green is wide but very narrow so you want to be in the 52 or 56 range to be able to hold the green.
 
All comes down to the value/importance of the round versus eagerness to best that challenge for me. Winner decides the club. If I care about the score, safe tends to win. If I don't, you just try to keep me from piping a driver through that little opening, and I'll hurt ya. You're free to laugh if I fail though. :D
 
I love playing the hybrid or the long iron off the tee. Especially love to see my hybrid outhit more aggressive yahoo’s drives.

To take it a step further I play “irons only” rounds often.

To me the driver is simply not needed in many scenarios especially when playing shorter courses or from the whites.

If I had to choose between being a great driver of the ball or excelling with irons I’d choose the later, hands down.
 
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robrandalgz said:
I'm pulling 4i and not even thinking twice about it. I do this normally anyway as I struggle with the driver on all but the most wide open holes. It's my goal this year to get that club more consistent but, until then, I'll pull the 4i. I can typically pipe the sh!t out of that thing.
Click to expand...

x2...it has worked out pretty well for me. not perfect...but better than trying to rip the driver.
 
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