When to leave your driver in the bag, how to pick the right club for downhill shots and when to pull the trigger (Part 1)

Q:
I know I don’t need to hit driver on every hole because I hear good players saying it all the time. But I don’t know when to leave it in the bag. What clues should I look for?
Ryan P., Medford, Ore.

A:
You’ll see Tour players opt for fairway woods over driver on short par 4s and holes with tight fairways, and that’s a good lead to follow.
The reason they do this is that the extra loft of the fairway wood makes it easier to hit straight because it puts more backspin and less sidespin on the ball . . .
(Tom Patri)