Golfers: True or False - You can hit a Driver if you can hit a 3W

[viman96]

Without seeing his swing, setup and grip it is difficult to say. How bad is the slice? One thing he can do (assuming he is right handed) is to tee off from the right side of the tee box and aim down the left side of the fairway. This will give him the entire fairway to work with.

There is a difference between hitting a 3wd and a driver. The 3wd is meant to be hit off the deck so you are still hitting down on the ball so to speak. Not sure what driver he is hitting but modern clubs have a deep face (tall) and requires the ball to be higher and usually further up in your stance. I usually tee the ball up just outside my front left toe.

 

[CowboyDan]

Without seeing his swing, setup and grip it is difficult to say. How bad is the slice? One thing he can do (assuming he is right handed) is to tee off from the right side of the tee box and aim down the left side of the fairway. This will give him the entire fairway to work with.

There is a difference between hitting a 3wd and a driver. The 3wd is meant to be hit off the deck so you are still hitting down on the ball so to speak. Not sure what driver he is hitting but modern clubs have a deep face (tall) and requires the ball to be higher and usually further up in your stance. I usually tee the ball up just outside my front left toe.

Just to be clear for everyone, he is SLICING it, not Pushing it. It goes out about 200 yards and makes a nasty right turn. I know that everyone says "without seeing his swing, etc." but a 3w and Driver are close enough, that if you can hit the 3 straight but not the driver there are a few specific things that should be looked at first.

 

[viman96]

Has he always sliced with the driver? Does he hit 3wd-GW fine? If so then maybe he is over swinging and swing path is messed up. Club head and shaft can play a role in this as well. Has he been fitted for a driver? Next time you guys play stand behind him to see if he is coming over the top. And see if he swinging outside in and crossing over his body producing side spin.

 

[KJJ]

I want opinions on this statement in order to help out my nephew. He strokes a 3W straight and long consistently but can't keep from slicing his Driver. I'm under the impression that he needs to put the ball a little further out in his stance.....off his left big toe. But I want your opinions as well.......

Drivers are easier to hit more than ever now because of the bigger sweet spots and the technology advances but some still struggle with them. One reason a lot of golfers struggle with a driver is they swing out of their shoes when they get one in their hands. They're more under control with a 3 wood because they're not thinking 300 yards they're thinking hit the fairway. A 3 wood has a shorter shaft than a driver which can make them easier to control for some players.

 

[KJJ]

He strokes a 3W straight and long consistently but can't keep from slicing his Driver. I'm under the impression that he needs to put the ball a little further out in his stance.....off his left big toe. But I want your opinions as well.......

He probably needs to stand a little farther away from the ball because most driver shafts are 45 inches. Standing too close can cause the ball to slice because the head is open at contact it doesn't have time to square up.

Standing farther away allows the head to square up. He also might need to square up his stance and make sure that's not open. The best way to cure a slice is to close your stance to promote a hook. Strengthening his grip can also help.

The problem with players who slice is they keep opening their stance which causes them to cut across the ball and slice even more. If there's trees on the right they aim their body way to the left and cut across the ball which naturally causes the ball to slice into the trees.

 

[Doomsday101]

Drivers are easier to hit more than ever now because of the bigger sweet spots and the technology advances but some still struggle with them. One reason a lot of golfers struggle with a driver is they swing out of their shoes when they get one in their hands. They're more under control with a 3 wood because they're not thinking 300 yards they're thinking hit the fairway. A 3 wood has a shorter shaft than a driver which can make them easier to control for some players.

I agree I think that tends to be biggest problem I see with most people I play with. Funny when they slow the swing down a little they find more distance and better shots then they had when the were coming out of their shoes.

 

[Stautner]

A lot of people feel a more comfortable with one club over another, but the truth is that there is no physical reason why a person who can hit a 3W well cannot hit a driver well.

 

[viman96]

Your typical 3wd today is 43". Driver 46". There is some thoughts now though of moving to 47" with a light weight shaft and club head.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

A lot of people feel a more comfortable with one club over another, but the truth is that there is no physical reason why a person who can hit a 3W well cannot hit a driver well.

If the driver is too long, they'll lose any waist bend at address. That's unless they stand a mile away from the ball which can cause other physical issues with being able to hit a ball well.

Also, attack angles differ. With the driver, one can hit down, hit upward or hit 'flat' (neither down or upward) on the ball because it's teed up. Typically a driver needs a downward hit on the ball...even if it's teed up.

Part of the issue with the modern driver is that the sweetspot is up towards the crown and more towards the toe of the clubhead. That differs from the persimmon and metal woods where the sweetspot is in the middle.

Because of that, if you look at the radar data of PGA Tour players, it's pretty obvious that you can't hit too much down on the driver and hit it consistently well. You need to probably keep it at about a 'flat' hit or no more than -2* down (whcih ain't much). In fact, a lot of the best drivers on Tour hit up on the driver by about +1 to +4*.

So really, there are some different swing dimensions going on.

My belief is that the driver shaft is way too long for the nephew. I'm sure there are other things in the swing that need to be cleaned up.

I recently cut down a driver from 46 inches to 45 inches and it's much much easier to swing and keep my balance.





YR

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Longer shaft plus less loft = harder to hit.

I bet he'd have a lot more luck with a 12* or so driver with a shorter shaft.

 

[MapleLeaf]

...is going to have a self developed swing at this point.

If you are trying to find out why he has success on one club over another, test his swing on the 3, 5, and 9 test of the irons.

You have some initial results on the driver versus 3. My guess is the club is too long for him to handle and do the fundamentals required to hit it long and straight.

I played scratch golf for many years and the foundation of that game I developed was based on hitting the 3 wood off the tee. I did that for many years as a youngster until I developed the control and strength to handle the driver.

My rule to test the standard of any youngster or adult was to hand them a 2 iron and see them hit one off the grass, no tee.

I call it "God's club" and it exposes the fundamentals of your swing if you haven't got them down.

My guess on your nephew is the club is too long for his swing and he doesn't need the headaches of a driver at this point in time.

 

[Stautner]

If the driver is too long, they'll lose any waist bend at address. That's unless they stand a mile away from the ball which can cause other physical issues with being able to hit a ball well.

Also, attack angles differ. With the driver, one can hit down, hit upward or hit 'flat' (neither down or upward) on the ball because it's teed up. Typically a driver needs a downward hit on the ball...even if it's teed up.

Part of the issue with the modern driver is that the sweetspot is up towards the crown and more towards the toe of the clubhead. That differs from the persimmon and metal woods where the sweetspot is in the middle.

Because of that, if you look at the radar data of PGA Tour players, it's pretty obvious that you can't hit too much down on the driver and hit it consistently well. You need to probably keep it at about a 'flat' hit or no more than -2* down (whcih ain't much). In fact, a lot of the best drivers on Tour hit up on the driver by about +1 to +4*.

So really, there are some different swing dimensions going on.

My belief is that the driver shaft is way too long for the nephew. I'm sure there are other things in the swing that need to be cleaned up.

I recently cut down a driver from 46 inches to 45 inches and it's much much easier to swing and keep my balance.





YR

Again, there is no physical reason why someone who can hit a 3W well cannot hit a driver well. I never said that he may not need different equipment or to adjust his approach with the driver.

Of course a shaft that is too long can be countered by choking up on it a little, or obviously some length can be cut off. The bottom line is the guy should have a session (or more) with a pro to check out all the angles.

 

[notherbob]

Again, there is no physical reason why someone who can hit a 3W well cannot hit a driver well. I never said that he may not need different equipment or to adjust his approach with the driver.

Of course a shaft that is too long can be countered by choking up on it a little, or obviously some length can be cut off. The bottom line is the guy should have a session (or more) with a pro to check out all the angles.

This I agree with. If a person is going to play golf they need to have a pro help them because they can see thing we are only guessing about.

My drives improved immensely after taking a lesson from a pro.

My problem was a banana slice and I attended a Lee Trevino seminar and learned to slow down my backswing and take a higher backswing at a steeper angle than I had been using and, Voila! my slice is gone. I had been using a too-long driver also and swinging flatter to compensate, imparting outward spin on the ball, ergo, the slice.

My ultimate problem was putting all parts of my game together at the same time and dealing with the wind, even after the lesson.

When I lived in town, golf was my way of getting away from the city for a few hours but now that I live way out in the country I no longer feel the need to escape. Though just for fun I might put in a few holes in one of our pastures like Willy Nelson did, only mine would be a lot more crude than his. Finding the time to play would be difficult.

 

[CowboyDan]

Your typical 3wd today is 43". Driver 46". There is some thoughts now though of moving to 47" with a light weight shaft and club head.

He measured them and his Driver is 42" from hosel to the end of the handle
3 wood is 39". So now I'm really confused.

 

[MapleLeaf]

He measured them and his Driver is 42" from hosel to the end of the handle
3 wood is 39". So now I'm really confused.

...the manufacturer and the product line. You can help your game by trying out some clubs before you buy.

Based on body types you can select different lie angles, shaft lengths, shaft stiffness and grip sizes.

Many of the original standard measurements for clubs originally came from one company - RAM. Standard club length, shaft stiffness, grip size and lie angles. Since those days in the early 70s many manufacturers have reinterpreted to a marketplace of customization.

Best bet try out the club or another to see what fits. Club customization is a small part of the equation for hitting a better ball.