The No-Driver Nine
Why this drill
One round without the driver answers golf's most expensive question with evidence: what does the big club actually cost you? Hybrid off every tee trades distance for position — and the scorecard reports whether the trade wins, which for most bogey golfers it emphatically does.
Setup
Nine holes, normal bag with the driver left in the trunk (truly in the trunk). Longest tee club: hybrid or fairway wood. A recent normal-nine score for comparison.
The drill
Play the nine at full seriousness, hybrid or less off every tee. Approaches will be a club or two longer — that's the tuition. Compare the card with your driver rounds: most mid-handicaps score the same or better, having exchanged two blow-up holes for nine longer approaches. The lesson is not "never hit driver"; it's a measured map of which tee shots the driver earns its risk on — usually three or four per nine, not eight. Bring the driver back next round with its new, shorter job description.
One thought to take with you
Position beats distance until the scorecard says otherwise — make it say it.