Driver vs 2 wood

[PJ0146]

Random question,

 

I have been fitted for drivers and fairway woods and always find myself frustrated because the driver profile and size is too big and I get in my head that it makes it easier for me to miss. Thought about going down to a strong 3 or 2 wood and was curious if anyone has any recommendations or same frustrations   And what they did. 
 

thanks for any help!

[Shankster]

Try the Taylormade Mini?

I cannot stand the look of large drivers either.  Good luck.

[BostonSal]

I don't know why they call 2-woods "strong 3's" these days, but they do, and EVERYBODY makes one.

There are no shortage of people who use them as drivers, either.

 

The huge 460cc driver is beloved by many but not by all.  

You have to not mind teeing the ball so high that it's like playing a ball-above-feet  sidehill lie on the tee,

You have to not mind playing the ball a little more forward to make sure you hit slightly on the upswing.

You have to not mind standing that far away from the ball.

And you have to not mind addressing the ball with its toe pointing skyward because the lie is so upright relative to the shaft length.

[ Note:  old timers will remember that 43" wooden drivers had a 55º lie.  Now we have 46" drivers with 58º lie angles.  Lie angles are supposed to get flatter, not more upright, to accommodate extra length, but shafts that long "droop" during the swing so they make the clubheads more upright to compensate. ]

Most players adapt to all of these things and enjoy the positive aspects of the big drivers. Forgiveness. Length.

I can't hit them straight [or predict the direction of the banana if it's not on purpose]  so I play driver off  all of three tees at my club.

My alternative is the driving iron, but more people who shy away from drivers go to that 2-wood called by another name.

Or even a regular 3-wood.

If you hit the 2-wood or strong-3 or regular 3 straight enough, you sacrifice less distance than I do with the driving iron.

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by BostonSal

[Pandaman]

I struggled with Driver so I currently carry two '3' woods...

Originally both identical (Cobra King F7, with the same shafts too).  One is set to 16 deg with the weight in the back position.  The other set to 13 deg with the weight forward and an inch added to length.

I guess I effectively made a 'mini driver', I'm more consistent direction wise off the tee and get it just as far more often.  I usually hit it a similar distance to my driver using pals.