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If you can't hit driver, DON'T!

MIKE1218

Top Bloke
Dec 21, 2006
3,485
6
40 putts the other day. I hit 7-8 GIR per round and avg. about 34-35putts right now. Even with no driver I still only hit 4-5 fairways per round... and that's counting the fairways that aren't the hole I'm playing. :D

My putting might stink but it's my tee shots that are really holding me back lately. I won't say my "short game" is my strongest point because that includes putting. My strongest point is my wedge game. I can hit every shot there is with a wedge and do very often. I avg. a chip in about every 27holes. I've holed 3 in the last 3 rounds.

I understand then. We are very alike. When I have a blowup, it generally involves 2 fairways and 40 putts. When I am hitting fairways with the driver, expect mid 70's. Sux 2 B U. :D
 

ezra76

Well-Known Member
Feb 5, 2006
12,412
16
I understand then. We are very alike. When I have a blowup, it generally involves 2 fairways and 40 putts. When I am hitting fairways with the driver, expect mid 70's. Sux 2 B U. :D

Tell me about it. My 2 best rounds this year... 10GIR, 5 birdies, shot 80. 10GIR, 3 birdies, shot 80. A good player shoots about 68-69 with the 1st one.
 

MIKE1218

Top Bloke
Dec 21, 2006
3,485
6
Tell me about it. My 2 best rounds this year... 10GIR, 5 birdies, shot 80. 10GIR, 3 birdies, shot 80. A good player shoots about 68-69 with the 1st one.

5 BIRDIES? Wow. lol. My last round was 13 greens, almost holed out 2 times, 3 birdies, 72. Bad putting, but very solid otherwise.

I have an idea. Move up a set of tees, and take 3 iron/hybrid/something consistent off all the par 4/5's. Break 80. ;) Or you could get one of those 'plane things' that you strap your club on and stand in. Swing your driver on that thing until you can hit it straight. :D
 

nututhugame

Winter Sucks!
Supporting Member
Dec 29, 2008
4,939
1,351
Southeast Wisconsin
Country
United States United States
I don't play for millions. I do try to get better, but it's not death if I shoot poorly. That said I think driver is part of the equation and should be learned the same as every other club. I hit driver whenever I have a chance because to me it can be a scoring club. I view a 305yd par 4 as my chance for a double eagle hole in one. Skip all the b.s. i'm going for it. I don't see why you would play any way else.

Ya'll bes not let Kenny Mayne catch ya teein off wit an iron. He be callin yo punk asses out on tha megafone. Then he be givin ya'll some d2's with dimple in dimple technologee. You know, da same technologee dat's finna put man on da sun dis year.
 

fisher

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2008
1,263
0
Not trying to start an argument but how is it possible to be a 7.7 cap playing as described in this thread. You state your two best scores this season are 80. I would expect a 7.7 to shoot in the 70s fairly regular with an occasional 75 thrown in. What handicap system are you using?

Here are my 10 most recent scores in the official GHIN Handicap system:
81, 82, 79,79, 80, 81, 80, 77, 82, 84 Course rating is 70.4 and slope is 126 I am sitting at a 9.4 right at this moment.
 

ezra76

Well-Known Member
Feb 5, 2006
12,412
16
I don't play for millions. I do try to get better, but it's not death if I shoot poorly. That said I think driver is part of the equation and should be learned the same as every other club. I hit driver whenever I have a chance because to me it can be a scoring club. I view a 305yd par 4 as my chance for a double eagle hole in one. Skip all the b.s. i'm going for it. I don't see why you would play any way else.

Ya'll bes not let Kenny Mayne catch ya teein off wit an iron. He be callin yo punk asses out on tha megafone. Then he be givin ya'll some d2's with dimple in dimple technologee. You know, da same technologee dat's finna put man on da sun dis year.

I hear you but there are no drivable holes on my course. Closest I can come is chip on the 359 hole when the tees are bumped up or a little pitch with 60* on the 360yd. first. Those two I'll take the "risk" because driver flies the trouble by 15yds.. Also, right is no problem. The rough right on those holes is short.
Then there are holes like 365 downhill followed by 331 uphill. Both have way too much trouble for driver. The 331 has a pond next to the green on the left and I've hit it in the pond with driver and into a bunker 20yds. short of the green with 3W. I hit 5W or hybrid on that hole. Then after that is the 460yd. par 5 with OB right. Tee shot up the right sets up a cut to hit it in 2. I've been on in 2 twice, both times with 3W off tee and hybrid once, 5W yesterday for 2nd.
 

ezra76

Well-Known Member
Feb 5, 2006
12,412
16
Not trying to start an argument but how is it possible to be a 7.7 cap playing as described in this thread. You state your two best scores this season are 80. I would expect a 7.7 to shoot in the 70s fairly regular with an occasional 75 thrown in. What handicap system are you using?

Here are my 10 most recent scores in the official GHIN Handicap system:
81, 82, 79,79, 80, 81, 80, 77, 82, 84 Course rating is 70.4 and slope is 126 I am sitting at a 9.4 right at this moment.

Course is a 130 slope 72.7 rating and I've shot 80, 81, 81. My course handicap is 10 and trending to 11. I'm actually trending 8.8 now. I didn't have enough scores in so I was pulling off 5-6 of them before. Now I've got 20 and the highest in the 10 is an 86 or 87. Trust me, I want it higher. I'm hoping it'll be 12 CH in a few more weeks, I need it.

Edit- I actually just looked it up and it was revised to 8.8.
GHIN Lookup by Name or Number#
 

FATC1TY

Taylormade Ho' Magnet
May 29, 2008
2,878
0
You big hitters are welcome to come play this course near me.. 7560 yards, 157 slope..

510 yard par 4.. 620 uphill par 5... Leave your drive at home. :)
 
OP
SilverUberXeno

SilverUberXeno

El Tigre Blanco
Jul 26, 2005
4,620
26
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #54
Abstractly, in regard to some post several posts ago...

If you're driving it 230, why are you playing 400+ yard par 4?! Move up a tee!

I am honored to have inspired so much commotion. It's all good input. Ezra definitely gets what I'm talking about-

IF DRIVER IS COSTING YOU STROKES, DON'T HIT IT.

Until you learn how to.

If you are learning the game, you should not be playing from the blues. Play from the whites, or the reds, and hit a shorter club. I was trying to illustrate that you can put up a hell of a fight even against a LONG course without hitting driver. I was taking the longest club I knew I could hit straight and swinging confidently.

THAT IS YOUR TEE BALL. The longest club you can hit straight.

If you swing the driver inefficiently for whatever reason, you can probably hit a hybrid or fairway wood or even a long iron farther, anyway. And it will stay in the fairway more often.
 
OP
SilverUberXeno

SilverUberXeno

El Tigre Blanco
Jul 26, 2005
4,620
26
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #55
You big hitters are welcome to come play this course near me.. 7560 yards, 157 slope..

510 yard par 4.. 620 uphill par 5... Leave your drive at home. :)

On that 510 yard par 4, I'm probably making 5 whether I hit driver or not. If I was honestly given that hole, I'd intend on hitting the green in 3 and trying to make a putt for par.

As for your uphill 620 yard par 5, WTF. That's brutal.

Since it's DEFINITELY a 3-shot par 5, I'd assess trouble. Assuming there was nothing barring any kind of tee shot, I'd hit the longest club I knew I could put in play. Even if it was only a 200 yard hybrid shot.

420 yard par 4 remains. Hit the hybrid again.

220 yard par 3. Long, but by no means insane.

Might very well be a smarter play to hit 3 medium-to-long shots on that hole rather than 2 long ones and a short one. Either way, they're both easy bogeys. Not bad for a 510 yard par 4 and a 620 yard par 5.
 

nututhugame

Winter Sucks!
Supporting Member
Dec 29, 2008
4,939
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Southeast Wisconsin
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I just try to play the game I want to have, not the game I have. I have played rounds teeing off w/irons and yes I kept it in play, but it just wasn't that fun. It's not the way I envision my game at it's best.
 

FATC1TY

Taylormade Ho' Magnet
May 29, 2008
2,878
0
Sounds silly, but sometimes I play the womens tee's.. with just 4-PW, 56 and 60 and my putter.

I score the same as normal. :)
 

ezra76

Well-Known Member
Feb 5, 2006
12,412
16
You big hitters are welcome to come play this course near me.. 7560 yards, 157 slope..

510 yard par 4.. 620 uphill par 5... Leave your drive at home. :)

Not that it's even close but I played one of the longer courses around here, 6920, with no driver and shot 81. Our long par 5 is 609 and I hit 3W-5W-PW all the time. I biridied it once with 3w-3w and a 60yd. 60* I almost holed. 510 is long for a par 4 but probably playing downhill with a speed slot somewhere. With a 157 slope the coure has to have plenty of trouble. I thought the max slope rating was 155?

That's another advantage to my 13*. If I can hit a downslope the thing runs like mad. I've hit it over 300 a bunch of times with roll.
 

nututhugame

Winter Sucks!
Supporting Member
Dec 29, 2008
4,939
1,351
Southeast Wisconsin
Country
United States United States
Sounds silly, but sometimes I play the womens tee's.. with just 4-PW, 56 and 60 and my putter.

I score the same as normal. :)

You're right... that does sound silly. You've been keeping that in for a long time haven't you? Ya know, we're not all sitting here drunk. What's with the brutal honesty.... next thing ya know you'll be drunk dialing an ex.:D
 

FATC1TY

Taylormade Ho' Magnet
May 29, 2008
2,878
0
Nah, this place is 157 slope, 77.9 rating.

The back nine is friggin' NASTY with a capital N. Rees Jones designed it, and for some odd reason they wanted this place to be hard as hell.

It's just not entirely fun to play. I'm laying up REGARDLESS on a 485+ par 4. It's bogey golf, and thats the name of my game at that point.

240+ yard par 3's also suck ass.

That said.. If your wild with your driver, just swing slower and controlled.. You leave some on the table, but atleast you poke one out there, and have a better chance at some roll out.
 

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