Drivers

The Driver: Friend or Foe??

By: Bruce Munch

Head Professional, White River Golf Club, Rochester, Vt.

Have you ever noticed, especially with men, that when you take out your driver, your swing changes? Your once rhythmic natural swing turns into a slashing demonstration of Testosterone. This is a very common situation and one that leads many golfers to leave their drivers in the trunk of the car. There are even many instructors out there who will encourage this practice. I don’t agree with this. The driver is a fun club to hit and when used wisely, can lead to enjoyment and success in a round of golf.

What do I mean by use it wisely? Most players, when approaching the tee of a par four or par five hole, immediately pull out the driver. This is not necessarily the best move. Tour players, who play the mental game of golf from the green, back to the tee, will often use clubs other than driver in order to set up the approach shot they want. For example, on a short par 4, a driver might leave less than a full shot into the green, not usually a desirable result, or on a narrow driving hole, a long iron might ensure a second shot from the fairway rather than a shorter shot from deep rough. Most par 72 courses have 14 par fours or fives. As a rule of thumb, if you are using driver 14 times, you are probably using it too much.

Choosing a driver wisely is also important. Drivers come in many lofts. Just because your favorite player on tour hits an 8.5 degree driver, doesn’t mean that you should. The more loft your driver has, the more forgiving it will be because more of the energy is directed up, so this will lessen the effect of your slice or hook. Unless your normal ball flight is very high, an 11 degree driver might be a great choice for you. Contrary to popular opinion, that low driving shot, with lots of backspin, which rises at it goes will usually not travel as far as a drive launched at a higher angle, similar to an artillery shell. Studies have been made and one of the reasons Tiger Woods hits the ball so far is that his drives have less backspin so they bore through the air rather than ballooning up and dying.

Now that we have the proper equipment and the proper mental mindset, lets talk about hitting the drive. As in all shots, setup is critical. The ball should be teed up inside of the forward heel. Since the ball is in this position, the rear shoulder must be dropped more than normal to allow the forward arm to remain relatively straight at address. The spine angle will be slightly more upright and the stance slightly wider than with other clubs to accommodate the length of the driver. The longer the club, the slower the backswing is a good rule to live by. Therefore the backswing with the driver should be controlled. In the forward swing, your body should move at the same rate as it does when hitting a seven iron. If the body move is the same with both clubs, the extra length of the driver means that the club head is traveling a LONGER distance in the SAME time, resulting in greater clubhead speed. This, combined with the flatter face will give you the distance you desire.

To learn this novel idea, here is a great drill for you to do next time you go to the range. Take out your 8 iron, 6 iron, 4 iron, 5 wood and driver. Hit a few shots with the 8 iron and focus on tempo. Take the 6 and duplicate the tempo, and so on up to the driver. Then back to the 8 iron and do it again. You will see that with the same tempo, the distance of your shots will increase due to the increased length and decreased loft of successive clubs. You will gradually learn to swing your driver like your other clubs and you will find the short grass more often.

So, don’t leave the driver in the trunk. Pick the right club for you, use it wisely and well and it will become a lifelong friend!