September 1, 2019- by Steven E. Greer, MD
The worst things that a bad golfer can do are the following:
- Only remember the rare good shots and develop a delusional sense of playing ability
- Play from the farthest tees because they think it builds character
- Try to kill drives
Yet, these three things are what virtually every male golfer does. As a result, they never get better.
A funny thing happened to me recently. My Ping driver cracked. As I was waiting on the replacement, I was forced to use my Ping 3-wood. I decided to move up to the normal tees to compensate for my 30-yards loss of distance.
This random series of events led me to a great discovery. Staring down at a 3-wood is a totally different psychological situation. There is no longer the need to hit it far. No one cares how far one hits a 3-wood. Using shorter tees builds confidence. Approach shots are more realistic. Also, it makes one better on Par-5’s, since the 3-wood on the second shot is more comfortable.
Playing with a 3-wood, removing the driver from the bag, is a great exercise. You should try this.
I hated my 3-wood and had it out of the bag. I now smack 260-yard shots to Par-5s and routinely birdie or eagle.
Most golfers should have their driving privileges revoked until they can master the 3-wood.
