Two Driver Setup? Overthinking it?

[vandyland]

So, I have a good problem in that I have found a dependable driver that does what I want...but I know I am leaving distance on the table. I am currently playing a Cobra SZ 12* driver in a Aldila Rogue Silver 110 MSI stiff shaft and the last few rounds I have hit it, consistently, 245-260 yds down the middle. Ball flight is very high but also VERY straight aside from 1 high hook that stayed in bounds but scared me a tad. Compare that to my other driver setup which is a Cobra SZ 9* driver which is significantly wilder off the tee BUT will go about 270-290. I play courses that have a lot of variability in the width of the fairways, some landing zones are 40 yds wide and some are as much as 80 yds wide. I am thinking I might try carrying two drivers since I currently only have 13 clubs in the bag. 

But, am I just introducing indecision into my game? I have a ton of confidence in the 12* driver so should I just continue to hit that everywhere? Maybe I was inspired by David Carey who played in the Open this past weekend with two drivers? The flip side is I have the potential to get a total distance of 300+ (in dry conditions) with the 9*. This is so typical me. Have a career driving day (from an accuracy and confidence standpoint) and immediately start thinking about what I need to change. 

[PBH3]

Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.  Have you tried adjusting the loft to somewhere in the middle and see how that works?

[vandyland]

@PBH3I have lofted up the 9* with minimal effect but have not tried lofting down the 12*. That's probably a good shout. As a side note....anyone want to buy a 9* Cobra SZ head 

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 hours ago, vandyland said:

So, I have a good problem in that I have found a dependable driver that does what I want...but I know I am leaving distance on the table. I am currently playing a Cobra SZ 12* driver in a Aldila Rogue Silver 110 MSI stiff shaft and the last few rounds I have hit it, consistently, 245-260 yds down the middle. Ball flight is very high but also VERY straight aside from 1 high hook that stayed in bounds but scared me a tad. Compare that to my other driver setup which is a Cobra SZ 9* driver which is significantly wilder off the tee BUT will go about 270-290. I play courses that have a lot of variability in the width of the fairways, some landing zones are 40 yds wide and some are as much as 80 yds wide. I am thinking I might try carrying two drivers since I currently only have 13 clubs in the bag. 

But, am I just introducing indecision into my game? I have a ton of confidence in the 12* driver so should I just continue to hit that everywhere? Maybe I was inspired by David Carey who played in the Open this past weekend with two drivers? The flip side is I have the potential to get a total distance of 300+ (in dry conditions) with the 9*. This is so typical me. Have a career driving day (from an accuracy and confidence standpoint) and immediately start thinking about what I need to change. 

The total distance of a driver or any club really doesn’t tell a compete story. Having launch monitor numbers that give launch, spin, peak height, descent angle, dynamic loft, aoa, maybe even face to path and path would be needed to really understand what’s happening and why.

20 yards is a pretty big front to back dispersion so again numbers would need to be seen here for a better understanding of what’s happening, as well as if this is in the same course and in same conditions.

With that out of the way consistent distance and balls on play will equal better scoring chances from 240-260. I know single digits who play 6000-6300 yard courses who hit it shorter than that so distance but wild can be sacrificed for accuracy and consistency.

Typically a two driver setup is used when the first driver is consistent and gets some good distance and the second driver is more a fairway finder and to handle holes where going long off the tee causes trouble. You have the opposite. Your long driver only provides inconsistency in the accuracy department. 
 

In todays world with the shaft and heads available along with launch monitor technology one doesn’t have to sacrifice one aspect for the other. A good fitting will get you in the setup that gives you your most optimal ball flight and consistency 

[vandyland]

One more question on this @RickyBobby_PR and anyone else that wants to chime in but, from an accuracy standpoint, is there much to be gained from newer drivers?

[Side note: I know this can come down to club fitting and such but I have one major issue that I have run into with doing fittings that I haven't been able to solve -- I play with a driver shaft that is 43.5". The two times I have gone through a driver fitting they only have standard length (45"+) driver shafts. Yes I can just grip down but isn't quite the same in my experience.]

What I am getting at is that I have built up an old Nike Sasquatch Sumo driver as a "ultimate accuracy club" and it is a 13* driver with a 43" shaft with a low kick point and a somewhat higher torque (6.0) shaft that just feels easy to swing. I don't care much about distance at this point (to an extent) and I am happy with the 240 carry I get out of it. But that driver is now 15 years old. Am I giving up anything in the accuracy department by staying with such an old driver or have most of the "gains" been made in distance on newer drivers (and spin optimization which I am not really chasing since low spin can be my enemy at times). 

[RickyBobby_PR]

14 minutes ago, vandyland said:

One more question on this @RickyBobby_PR and anyone else that wants to chime in but, from an accuracy standpoint, is there much to be gained from newer drivers?

[Side note: I know this can come down to club fitting and such but I have one major issue that I have run into with doing fittings that I haven't been able to solve -- I play with a driver shaft that is 43.5". The two times I have gone through a driver fitting they only have standard length (45"+) driver shafts. Yes I can just grip down but isn't quite the same in my experience.]

What I am getting at is that I have built up an old Nike Sasquatch Sumo driver as a "ultimate accuracy club" and it is a 13* driver with a 43" shaft with a low kick point and a somewhat higher torque (6.0) shaft that just feels easy to swing. I don't care much about distance at this point (to an extent) and I am happy with the 240 carry I get out of it. But that driver is now 15 years old. Am I giving up anything in the accuracy department by staying with such an old driver or have most of the "gains" been made in distance on newer drivers (and spin optimization which I am not really chasing since low spin can be my enemy at times). 

Accuracy is hard to say because as you note it comes down to the fitting but also the swing. For you it seems that the swing itself doesn’t hold up to longer build.

What you are giving up is better design in the club from weight management, adjustability if going with a non molded driver. You are giving up better face technology and the ability to maintain ball speed and launch characteristics when mis hit. Obviously there are going to be certain types of bad shots that no matter the driver are going to be unplayable. This ability to maintain ball speed and similar launch characteristics are going to improve the chance for better accuracy over what you have on mishits.

What’s important is to find a driver head that first you like the looks of and sound of but that also gets you in the right launch window for your swing and what it produces ie ball speed, launch, etc.

Then use a shaft to fine tune it and one that gives you a good feel and let’s you swing your swing.

You will have a hard time finding anywhere to hit a driver that’s plays 43.5” at a demo day or local shop unless it’s someone like bryangolf who may carry some shorter shafts. But more than likely you will have to go to a higher end fitter like TruSpec, txg, coolclubs, club champion. They may not have a playing length of 43.5 but it’s possible they could have some at 44.5 which from a choking down standpoint could be a little better than one that’s built to 45” or longer.

Another option would be to find a driver head you like with a shaft you like and cut the shaft down then build up the swing weight to what works for you.  Instead of buying 2022 release buy a something from 2019-2021 to save some money on the experiment 

[Hacker Rod]

9 hours ago, vandyland said:

One more question on this @RickyBobby_PR and anyone else that wants to chime in but, from an accuracy standpoint, is there much to be gained from newer drivers?

[Side note: I know this can come down to club fitting and such but I have one major issue that I have run into with doing fittings that I haven't been able to solve -- I play with a driver shaft that is 43.5". The two times I have gone through a driver fitting they only have standard length (45"+) driver shafts. Yes I can just grip down but isn't quite the same in my experience.]

What I am getting at is that I have built up an old Nike Sasquatch Sumo driver as a "ultimate accuracy club" and it is a 13* driver with a 43" shaft with a low kick point and a somewhat higher torque (6.0) shaft that just feels easy to swing. I don't care much about distance at this point (to an extent) and I am happy with the 240 carry I get out of it. But that driver is now 15 years old. Am I giving up anything in the accuracy department by staying with such an old driver or have most of the "gains" been made in distance on newer drivers (and spin optimization which I am not really chasing since low spin can be my enemy at times). 

With a driver that old I'd be surprised if you're not giving up something.  But there's nothing wrong with continuing to use it if it's working for you and you're happy with the distance.

I've been playing a modified two-driver bag for a while ... one traditional driver and a mini driver.  I'm thrilled with my current setup - a 2019 9.5* M4 with a 43" mini driver shaft and an 13.5* Original One in the stock 43" length.  It's unusual, but it works for me.  

      

[vandyland]

13 hours ago, Hacker Rod said:

It's unusual, but it works for me.

I'm big into unusual. I have done one length, 1/2 bags, multiple drivers, etc. Now I am looking at that huge LAB putter as well. I would love to be the guy that had the standard bag but I just like to tinker too much. 

[Middler]

One of the guys I play with always carries his old and new drivers, and uses both - but it's more a matter of which one he has confidence in on a given day.

If there are only 13 clubs you really want in your bag, what you choose for a 14th club can be anything...and what anyone else thinks is immaterial, again if you really only want 13 clubs. I carry a 60º low bounce wedge for short sided tight lies, very rarely use it, but there are only 13 other clubs I consider must haves.

[vandyland]

22 minutes ago, Middler said:

If there are only 13 clubs you really want in your bag, what you choose for a 14th club can be anything...and what anyone else thinks is immaterial, again if you really only want 13 clubs. I carry a 60º low bounce wedge for short sided tight lies, very rarely use it, but there are only 13 other clubs I consider must haves.

Yeah for me, I only carry 12 clubs. 

Driver
4hybrid
5i - PW
GW, SW, LW
Putter

[Middler]

2 hours ago, vandyland said:

Yeah for me, I only carry 12 clubs. 

Driver
4hybrid
5i - PW
GW, SW, LW
Putter

Then don't let anyone talk you out of carrying two drivers as you see fit. Any 14 clubs you want...

[Cryss]

I'd say carrying a second tee club for tighter holes - or rather a 'situational' club in general because your gapping is fine without it - isn't unusual at all, it's getting more and more common. Phil has bagged two drivers at multiple events, strong 13,5* 3 woods are getting more and more popular on tour and are almost exclusively used as shorter and more accurate alternatives off the tee, Cam Smith is bagging a driving iron that has some distance overlap with his 7 wood and pretty much 'lives' outside of his gapping as a tee club/low launching option with lot's of roll, DJ bagging a 22* hybrid on top of his 21* 7 wood and 24* 4 iron as a pure utility club for certain situations even though the distance is already covered (meanwhile he swapped the hybrid for a 9 wood but you get the point).

Especially amateurs tend to obsess over gapping, the 'perfect' bag makeup, stuff like that and undervalue the club that's just very helpful in situations that are otherwise challenging. Also very rarely will less-than-tour-swing speed players even be able to space out 14 clubs properly. Bag whatever you want that helps your score, be it a shorter but more reliable second driver, a chipper, a hybrid/driving iron that goes the exact same distance as one of your woods but has a lower/different flight, it doesn't matter. The tour guys do it, we should as well.

 

Tldr; don't overthink it, bag two big sticks like a player and enjoy what they're doing for your game.

[garyt1957]

I'll  often carry 2 drivers, one a straight/draw driver and one a fade driver. I choose which to hit based on the way the hole sets up.

[Will_Mac]

I currently play two "drivers" but one is a TM 300 Mini driver, the other a 12.5° Big Bertha B21 with Fuji Pro 2.0 6X.

Both were high loft experiments but both have performed so dang well that I kept them in the bag. Was only looking for better dispersion, didn't expect (wrt the B21) better dispersion with similar distance as to my lower lofted drivers of the very recent past.

I don't think having two drivers is necessarily bad but I wouldn't want to have them strictly due to any distance expectations. Prescribed ballflight and dispersion will always be my determining factors. I hit it far enough, not looking for more, hence the higher lofts. But finding the short grass is king. Hence the higher lofts.

That all said, the Mini driver hasn't even been pulled for more than a few rounds now. A few more and I'll likely pull it, maybe for another wedge. I mean, the 64° has been on timeout for quite a while now, it's bound to have learned its lesson by now, no?

Probably "no." But I'll probably invite disaster again, just the same.