Joost Luiten about the driver in his bag

Amateur golfers not infrequently see the driver as the most important club in their bag. But does the same apply to two-time winner and KLM Open ambassador Joost Luiten? ‘Actually, you have to reassess that on every hole.’

Is the driver the most important club in golf? It is a question that is hard to answer. Because, says Joost Luiten, so many factors play a role on the course that you can actually only determine on each individual hole whether the driver is the most important club in your bag at that moment.

‘But in general you can say that on the tour the driver is the most important club. Because actually that’s where it starts on many holes. Especially compared to a lot of years ago. The courses have become much longer. You do have to make distance from the tee to avoid having a much too tricky second stroke to the green.’

Choice

Especially the new courses on the DP World Tour are characterised by length and wide fairways. ‘There, you can’t get around the driver. But fortunately, we also still play on more old, traditional courses where you are much more often faced with the choice of whether or not it would be better to grab an iron for safety.’

That also makes golf a bit like chess. You have to figuratively look ahead, contemplate the next moves. ‘When you miss fairways on the tour, it becomes difficult to hit greens and get closer to the flag. So it starts with your drive. If that doesn’t run, you keep running behind.’

Best material

Luiten wants to be free in his choice of driver and ended his latest contract with the Titleist brand for that reason. ‘I want to be able to play with the best material for me. With a contract you are bound to one brand. But if Srixon comes out tomorrow with the very best driver for me, I want to be able to use it straight away.’

For now, the Callaway Smoke AI, a model that is already a few years old, is the best choice for him. ‘I do try something else sometimes, because with today’s Trackmans you can tell after just ten balls whether a product is better for you.’

Watts

Sticking to one brand may prevent a restless search for a driver with slightly more pluses over and over again, Luiten agrees, but it is still his preference. ‘It’s not that I just try everything. With this driver I am satisfied. Besides, we can let tour players adjust much more than the average golfer when fitting in the shop. That goes a long way, from using cotton wool to muffle the sound more to hot glue to adjust the sweet spot a bit if the data shows that you often hit the ball in that spot. We also have more driver heads to choose from than the amateur golfer. Tuning listens closely. Manufacturers are allowed a margin, so even if a loft of 8.5 is specified on a driver, it could be 8.3 or 8.7. As for the shafts, all brands can have all the options, so it is mainly about the adjustments to the head.’

The International

This year’s KLM Open will be played at The International for the second time. Asked if this is a course for drivers, Luiten does not have to doubt for long. ‘That’s The International for sure. I expect a bit of the same layout as in 2019: narrow fairways and high rough. You won’t get away with a swerve. It doesn’t apply to every hole, of course, but on many holes you have to make length anyway. Yes, you could say that on a narrow course with high rough you should opt for a club that you hit straight through with more certainty, but if you opt for an iron or a wood-3 it makes a difference of three, four clubs with your stroke to the green. You definitely don’t want that.’

Factors

That’s the ‘general’ theory, stresses the six-time winner on the DP World Tour. Much becomes different when the wind comes into play. ‘Not only the shape and length of the hole determines your choice. Weather conditions are also a big factor, as are pin positions on the green. If you have a headwind, you often do need to use a driver. But if you have a tailwind, then an iron-4 may suffice to make that length. Again, you’re looking at the next stroke after that. You’d rather have a full wedge to the flag left, than a three-quarter stroke.’

To conclude with a smile, ‘You see, golf is not such a fun game at all. You have to think about it way too much…’