I know this is an old video but very relevant for me today. Played irons only and shot my best score to date. Shot 84 on a par 66 where I’m usually anywhere from 95-105. I’ve worked on my swing a bit since my last round and have also changed irons so I’m not 100% the irons only approach can take all the credit, but I actually really enjoyed it. It was a nice change and I think I’ll be doing the same for my next round 👍
I'm very much a golf newby, I've been playing for 6 month now and only just started using my driver. This approach has certainly helped me to concentrate on using the irons, dialing in my swing before even thinking about my driver swing. I'm now putting extra time into the range with the driver.
My brother gave up on drivers and woods a long time ago. Recently he has been experimenting with hybrids, though. I was having such difficulty with my driver and 3 wood that after cracking my driver head I started doing the math on my local course to see if I even needed a driver or woods. Turns out I don't _need_ anything more than a five iron considering I hit it 185-190 yards. Assuming perfect shots, I would only lose a couple shots per round. The yardage lost by using only irons would probably cost me less shots than lost balls and serious miss hits with the driver and woods.
I was sick for several years and couldn't play. So when I started back, I didn't have the strength to control my driver, so I was hitting my 2 iron. It took several months before I could started introducing the driver back into my game. 2 iron is still one of my favorite clubs. I even had a couple of guys complain I was putting my drives about 30 yards past their drivers. LOL!
Going back a fair few years. I decided to play my nightmare course without my woods, opting for 1 and 2 irons in my bag in their place. From the back tees I managed to break 80 for the first time on that course, holing a downhill right-to-left 15 footer for a 79. My 1 and 2 irons were awesome off the tee, increasing my accuracy many times over. The following day I injured my wrist during warmup and never managed to reach that kind of play for that 4 day tournament. My 1 iron is still my favourite club after all those years.
fezzer I’m talking about carry distance. Not total. And anyone can get a lucky 350 yard drive once in a while. He’s not consistently hitting over 310 yards. If he did he would be on tour.
You sir are just plain out wrong. distance=/=tour performance. just look at golfer like søren kjeldsen. that man does not hit far, but i'll you bet you 100 quid he will win over pete any day ;) (no offense to pete ofcourse haha)
Hi Pete, not sure if I have seen your vid's in this type of format before, Strange as I have been watching them since the beginning. Irrespective of the Topic, "Do I need a driver" This has to be the best course management video I have seen. I'm a long time follower and always look forward to your vid's especially when your playing. So impressed that I wrote this before you finished. If it al goes all wrong disregard above comments.....
Good stuff Pete...great advice for any golfer. When my confidence in ANY club starts to fade, I play a round with no woods in the bag. Birdie-ing and Eagle-ing par 5's feel great when you're on...but not as good as having a go-to club that's part of a reliable plan when you're off. Confidence comes right back knowing I can still have a birdie putt on a par 5 after three 5-irons.
for the first time in a long time i'm averaging over 300 yds with my driver and it's become so straight with a butter fade and reliable when i hit it well. this is going to be a great year for golf and looking forward to watching this channel for tips and motivation.
Great video Pete. I'm very often playing without my driver... And I don't have a 3 wood ("replaced" it with a 2 hybrid... doesn't go as far, but is more versatile, for me). I often find that without the driver, I play more "intelligently" and that more than makes up for the distance. And, to be honest, the real reason is that I need to take the driver out of the back to even load the stuff in my car's boot. Being lazy (and playing a tight but short course) that means : driver's out!
Hi Pete, Loved this video, its similar to how I had to start playing when I developed a mental block with my woods, the driving iron is a godsend. Was thinking you and Rick should do a 14 club challenge video like the ones on the European tour channel. Keep up the good work
I took the driver out of the bag 2 years ago and havnt looked back. I get plenty of distance out of my 3 wood and driving iron and i dont miss the driver at all. I also dont miss the fairway as often either!
HI Pete, I don't often comment much, but just wanted to say that this was an excellent video - can't have been easy to put together (the line with the putter, the zoomed in shots from further back). Not only is something like this very entertaining, but it is actually really valuable to hear your thought process as you play on your own. While we do get to hear this a bit when you do the course vlogs with others, I think its more detailed and interesting when you're solo. Cheers!
Hit my 3 hybrid 240 yards and my driver 300. Can’t keep my driver straight though and I’m not keen on 3 woods off the fairway so I think I’m going to take my driver and 3 wood out the bag and introduce a 4 driving iron and keep a spare putter in my bag as i flip between 2 putters. Still have 14 clubs in my bag but my accuracy with my irons will definitely keep me on track and a choice of putter would be ideal as like I said I can flip between. Would like to get the new 2 ball putter though. Just can’t afford atm lol
My "Summer of Glory" was when I won two medal rounds off a 14 h'cap I didn't use my driver on either round. One round was 7 over par gross, the other was 11 over. In fact on the better round I was on the 11th tee at level par. The courses were under 6,500 yards long & between both rounds I only hit my 3-wood 4 times. I think that Drivers have a place, but for me if I really wanted to score well rather than stroke my ego, not using the Driver is the way to go.
I don't even own a driving iron, longest iron is a 5 that I hit about 200/210 yards, so I'm sadly bound to use a driver which sometimes gets me out of the fairways, and that's where bogeyland begins for average golfers like me. When I play alone I often play two balls: one with driver, one with 5 iron, and at the end I noticed that I usually lose less shots only using 5 iron. So hell, yes, I maybe should consider trying a driving iron, but in the back of my head it's frightening... Great blog
I played this course yesterday and after hooking my first two drives onto fairways two away from the hole I was on, I decided to not touch my driver again in the round. I found more success using my 4 iron off the tee. Some holes on this course are very short par 4's and I found it better for me to hit a 200 yard shot off the tee then leave a full wedge shot into the greens. Great video Peter!
After watching this video, I am excited to give this test a shot. My iron play is by far the strongest area of my game. I am fairly long with driver but can get a bit squirrelly with it from time to time. Thanks Pete!
Great video. Where I play I don't need to hit driver but on one hole. Shot 80 on Friday using 3 driving iron. For fun Sunday I pulled driver on several holes I normally would not hit driver and it cost me 5 strokes. Smooth 85. All for iron off the tee!
I have been playing golf for about 9 years now.....unfortunately, I started way to old (45) to be very good. In those 9 years, I have never been able to tame a driver. No matter what I try, it just feels like I am swinging a 2x4 instead of a golf club and I spray it everywhere. I spent one summer counting how many strokes each round my bad drives cost me.....I was averaging 8-10 strokes per round. Two years ago, I took the driver out of the bag and my scoring got better. Last summer, I finally broke 80 (79) with the driver sitting in my closet. I currently tee off with a 2-hybrid that I can reliably hit 200-220 yards straight almost every time. It does make longer holes a challenge, that's for sure. I would love to be able to put the driver in my bag. On the few occasions I have driven the ball well, it is in the 240-250 yard range. It would be nice to be hitting 7 or 8 iron into greens instead of 5 & 6 iron.
Nicely done, Several years ago before my Knee Surgeries, I played an entire Spring , Summer and Fall with only irons. At the time it took my game to the next Level.
Enjoyed that Pete. My driving is usually worst part of my game so have done this only using hybrid & irons. Amazing how well you can score playing like this. Could be a good tactic on links courses if the wind isn't too bad.
My lowest score ever was made on a baked hard course with me only using a 2 iron off the tee. The ping two iron was my favoured club, i had a certain way of swinging to hit it with a around a 10 yard fade every time, the ball would land and roll forever.......i was a 12 handicap and scored 68, however it was a pretty easy course.....Bellfairs in southend in essex.
If you have the length that you do then it is an excellent idea to take as little club as needed on each hole. It would be interesting for you to play a few holes where you play an “iron only” ball and a “driver” ball at the same time to see how the results differ. For me, a couple of 4 hybrids would only get me to about 350 yards so I need a tee shot of over 200 yards and that is only possible with driver or 3 wood. Very interesting vlog
This is my normal game, I dropped my driver 2 years ago as, after driving, the ball could be anywhere and too far for my poor sight to see where it might have gone. I was losing a box of balls a month. Instead I use a Mizuno MP-H5 1i driving iron which gives me 180 yards dead straight; which is still further than any of the other ladies can drive with a driver, as well as a lot of the older men I have noticed, they seem to be driving no more than 180 yards or less. I also carry a Bertha mini 1.5 wood which I rarely use and a covert 3 hybrid but, I mostly just use irons. The H5 is a perfect match to my Nike VR Procombos 4-9. I also have a MP-H5 3i for when I am too gaga to hit the 1i; cant be long coming at my age. I am better with long irons than I am with short ;-)
I don’t carry a driver, just a 3 wood. On some long par 4s I struggle to reach the green in regulation, but being a 20 handicap I keep telling myself I don’t need to. Getting it somewhere close and safe on the approach, try to chip it close and then aim for two putts. If it only takes one putt then great, if not I’ve got ‘my’ par. I’m sure when I get down to low teens I’ll probably need to master the driver, but not for now!
People don't realize that the driver exaggerates your swing misses, because there is so much less spin the ball flight is also less stable. Beware before you buy low spin drivers - backspin is your friend , don't let marketing tell you otherwise
Pete, I have been playing 3 years consistently, and I don't use a driver or any fairway woods. I can't hit them well and using only irons forces me to be more strategic with my course management. I'm around a 20 handicap now, but three years ago I was a 30+ handicap, so i'm happy with where I'm at. I'm hitting irons much more consistent and short game is improving. Hopefully with some range time I'll be introducing driver and 3w. Thanks for the video. Makes me feel like I'm on the right track learning to play consistent with what I can hit instead of getting frustrated with slicing a driver every tee shot.
Great video, Peter. I'm so glad you were mic'ed, so many course management vlogs aren't and it's impossible to hear. I find your insights to be very valuable. Thank you.
Great video Peter. When I'm struggling, I lose the woods for more composure and accuracy for a few holes, but the downside is I play for bogey due to forgoing distance.
Love the video Pete. So happy to see great golfers like you chip into bunkers as well. Whenever I have those shots, I always end up in the bunker or on the next fairway. Cheers.
HI Peter, the lesson here is that you really need to improve your driving iron- it should be 95 % in play in good position ie, teh most important club in your bag is a shot you can hit 240 ish off a tee and hit the fairway- maybe a 3 wood would be a better choice. Perhaps a video- the pros and cons of a driving iron versus a 3 wood. Get the ball in play and pitch and put well you will score well. I had a teacher that commented spend all your time on piching and putting and getting the ball reliably on the fairway- sure enough I scored great. Great advice- but it does mean that you are very conservative in your play. Sometimes you just want to be that more aggressive....... :-)
Love the vids Pete! I play high school golf and these videos with the tips and explanation help a ton when it comes to the little things in a match. Keep up the great work!
I play at Whitefield, so this is great to see. I have seen many a card ruined on the 18th over the years..... left is the line. Those last 3 holes can be very tough with a card in your pocket!
Took my driver out of my bag and hit 82% fir. But not surprising as the longer clubs tend to increase swing flaws imo. Scrambling is where its at though. Clearly demonstrated by your excellent game. 👍👍
i've been playing without driver for a year. developed a bad slice last year and my drives became unplayable. i do use a hybrid though. on a good day i play a 20 hcp.
@@liamclancy9955 I bought a pine meadow offset driver for 50 dollars new on Amazon, and it goes absolutely dead straight for me. I went from an m4 with horrible slices to a cheapest on Amazon, and makes par 4’s and 5’s fun again. Highly recommend trying it out!
I played 9 holes this afternoon doing this very same test, shot 2 over. Used my 2 iron off tee and and my 60 degree wedge almost every hole. Probably shaved 5 strokes off my normal round. May start playing like this more often.
I dropped driver this year Pete, however not as drastic as going all irons. I like to take 3 wood or 5 wood. Still hit past most of my mates eratic drives with these, and 8 or 9 times out of 10 hit fairway. Makes golf sooo much easier.
Peter Finch Golf, definitely, my handicap has finally started to drop. So i don't think my driver will make an appearance back in the bag in a competitive game until I am more confident.
I had a period where I could not hit a drive to save my life. My home course is quite narrow and long. And I have a great iron rotation. I went from 20 down to 15 using irons only.
Hi Pete. I tried it once. With driver i played 36 and without driver hitting 3iron from tee I played 39. Just the par 5's where i bogey because ours are like 550 meters. Lol. I agree your sand play was always phenomenal. Need to get it back
Played for 30 years with my Persimmon driver left at home. Could hit the three wood further and straighter often winning the longest drive. Now in my dotage, I need every bit of luck and technology. Maybe the courses need Zimmer carts? and driver walking stick conversions?
I'm glad you did this, the driver can be so demoralizing most of the time, this is the entire approach I intend to take this summer, by forcing myself to play irons, I'm forcing my self to get better at the shots I'll need. I think this was wise for you to do, it also takes more effort to hit an iron and that only increases your stamina. Perhaps you should think about playing with a 3 wood or 5 wood off of the tee and see how that works out, a little more distance and a little more accuracy with a little less effort.
Me and buddies have iron only Friday. We play 9 hole iron only challenge... Surprisingly results is either better or equal to our normal game (with driver and woods). Iron only we tend to play more with brains than strength. Nice video .
Hi Pete great video as usual. Could you make a vlog about how best to keep up energy levels and concentration as these go together especially when the weather is hot,I really struggle with this and havd had a good round spoilt because of fatigue. Cheers! Matt.
Great video again. With my handicap I at least get a shot a hole. Perhaps smart play would be not to use the driver as often. Thanks again, keep them coming.
Tried this loads of times in practice and a couple of times in comps and score similarly. However, WARNING if you don’t carry a driver/3wood in competition and you 3 putt a few times and have a bad front 9 then wow it makes for a very very boring back 9 and without a Driver to smash you will feel like killing yourself...
fezzer In practice because it’s nice to carry a half set - 2 iron, 4, 6, 8, PW, 52, 58 and in competition because of lack of discipline. Very hard not to hit driver if it’s there. To hit 2 iron on a long par 4 and par 5 needs full commitment without any thoughts of maybe I should hit Driver.. 🤔
What a coincidence, I did exactly this tonight for 9-holes in preparation for medal on Sat - driver has been too unpredictable of late wanted to see if I could reach the holes with nothing more than a 3-hybrid...probably scored better than normal, keeping the ball in play certainly makes a big difference
This was a great video!!! really enjoyed and it def shows that sometimes the long clubs may not be needed. actually playing a round tomorrow and thinking about doing something similar....difference is your a much better player than I while im a 17.
I took driver out of the bag just use 3 wood 4 wood and hybrid months ago. Hit a larger portion of fairways and dropped several strokes on average because of it.
Played an excellent round of 80 shots yesterday (8,1 hcp). Hit almost every fairway and never even touched the driver. The 3 and 5 wood just give me so much more confidence when it comes to accuracy and I can still get the distance. I can basically reach every par 5 under 500m in two shots (500m is pushing it but say I hit my 3 wood 250m and then I'd have something between 200-220 to the green). Sure I can hit longer with a driver but considering I can hit almost every par 5 in two shots with my 3 and 5 wood, I really see no point in using it.
Loved the video Peter! You played my game! lol I slice my driver & 3 wood...but always rip my 3 iron. So by the 3rd hole, it's 3 iron only haha Liked the lapel mic too.... great audio, no wind noise
Peter Finch Golf hopefully you can get it figured out. A 4 ball vlog would be so much better with these mics.....could hear more than just the camera man lol
ive done this before and fine it great - one it helps practice your long game and two you sometimes realise that hitting a long iron off the tee is better option on a certain hole
That’s my game in a nutshell. I’d rather use my two hit it down the middle and play an extra club or two into the green than spend time looking for a ball 300 yards in the woods. People think you need to hit the ball a mile and hit wedge into every green. I do just fine without one. Great video and thanks for talking more about course management. A lost art for the new wave of golfers.
Your short game saved you. You had some quite long approach shots to the green using an iron off the tee. Obviously it’s better to be shorter and in the fairway than long and in trouble. But if you can be long and in the fairway it’s better than short in the fairway. 🤪😎 Good vid mate...
This would get even more interesting on a long time base, because one would get used to hitting irons more, also it's possible to take many wedge in the bag too
Nice idea, but most amateurs aren't long enough to leave Woods out of their bags. Golf Digest reported that the average amateur distances for Driver and 3 Wood at 220 and 190 yards respectively. Reaching the 13th hole in regulation is going to be a struggle for many amateurs even taking Driver then 3 Wood? In addition they're probably not that much less erratic hitting 3 iron versus Driver. I'm thinking a more viable strategy is to go to your PGA pro and learn how to hit your Driver consistently well?
Amateurs probably should stop trying to reach long holes in regulation. If you’ve got a handicap the chances are you get an extra shot on those long par 4s with a low stroke index anyway. Use that extra shot, don’t try and murder a driver. It sounds stupid but if amateurs use those extra shots wisely they’d probably play much better!
Ashley Bennett You're probably right but that pretty much guarantees the best you'll score is high 80s - low 90s most of the time unless you've got a fantastic short game? Better than a few bad driving blow up holes taking you into the low 100s I suppose.
A single figure handicapper at my club shot 1 under net using only irons at the weekend.If you learn when to use your shots it Is possible aslong as you don't 3 putt too many times using hybrids (know they're not irons but still)
Another great video Pete.... (need to cut that belt to size). Irons only is something I try to do when the course is empty as well. Played seven, wedge, putter one day and sadly I was no worse than with a full set. Crazy how that works some times.
I actually played the second round in our club championship with only one iron club. First round was a disaster. (84) The second one, I chose to play with the 6 iron (and the putter) It ended up slightly better (79) (3 putted on 5 holes.) So, well... I really don´t need a driver. (Played the second round like that because I made a bet that I could go under 80 (Par 72) Wanted to have some fun... And it was quite amusing.) :-) Earned a pretty penny from most of the guys in the field. (Around £ 250 altogether) :-) As a side note: The first ten year I only used the woods on the range. Back then when all people at least had 3-SW in their iron-set That was all we needed. (But to be honest - I had a number 1 iron too.) It´s a pity the brand filed for bankruptcy and stooped making that set of clubs. If they started to manufacture the same set (Tommy Armour Silver Shot 845s) again I would buy them immediately! (They was by far the best clubs I have had.) The workability and the distancecontrol was in the same class as my blade clubs are today. (The durability and the perfect 4 ° increment between the different clubs is also something I really longing for today.) If you have played them you probably know exactly what I am talking about!
I spent 10 yrs without a driver. Broke the face on my driver, had a 2 iron that I could reliably hit 240 so I just never bought another. Now with the forgiveness of some of the tech you can be long (ish) and remain safe
