Here’s the Right Way to Hit Your Driver Off the Deck

While there is a lot of variety in the game of golf, you do see some shots come up more than others.

Obviously, you hit your drive off the tee quite a bit, as many par fours and par fives will start with such a shot. You also use your putter on nearly every hole, and you probably hit plenty of shots with your wedges – both for full swings and for chips/pitches.

It’s important to build your confidence in as many of these common shots as possible, since they are used so frequently.

With that said, you also want to be capable of producing some other types of shots which may not come up as often.

Golf is unpredictable, after all, and you really never know exactly what you are going to face when you begin each round.

One such shot is the sensational (but rare) driver off the deck shot.

To be clear, this is not a shot you should expect to use very often. If you are capable of hitting it properly, however, it just might come in handy from time to time.

When to Hit Driver Off the Deck

Before you bother practicing this difficult shot, it’s worth discussing when you could actually use it on the golf course.

If it isn’t really going to come into play in your game, there isn’t much point in wasting valuable range time on this skill.

We have identified three potential opportunities to hit your driver off the desk, and we’ve listed them below.

1. Going for a Par Five in Two

This is probably the first scenario you imagined when thinking about using your driver from the fairway. If you have a long distance to cover to reach the green, but nothing between you and the target other than short grass, it might be worth giving it a go with the driver.

This is a particularly desirable plan if the ground is firm and fast, meaning you’ll get plenty of bounce and roll after the shot lands.

Rickie Fowler hits second shot off the deck with driver at the TOUR Championship

In the second round of the 2015 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, Rickie Fowler crushes his 226-yard approach with driver then chips up from 68 feet to just 3 feet and makes the putt for birdie on the par-5 15th hole. . SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh Welcome to the official YouTube channel of the PGA TOUR.

Hitting a par five in two and knocking in an eagle putt is one of the best experiences you can have in golf and hitting your driver properly from the deck might make it happen.

2. Playing into a Strong Wind

On a typical breezy day, you shouldn’t need to resort to playing your driver off the deck in order to advance the ball toward the green. However, if you are playing on a day with particularly heavy winds, and you are playing a shot directly into that wind, reaching for the driver could be a smart play.

Obviously, this is a shot you would expect to fly low, so you’ll be able to reduce the effects of the wind and advance the ball nicely toward the green.

3. Getting Out of Trouble

This last option is one that will hopefully not come into play very often.

If you find yourself in the trees with a clean lie, you might be able to use your driver to play out of trouble and back into the fairway (or even up to the green). Most likely, you would not be using a full swing in this kind of situation, but rather an abbreviated swing that ‘punches’ the ball low and out of the trees.

In this case beware of any rocks or roots that might be present in your swing path as they may cause damage to one of the expensive clubs in your bag.

It’s certainly possible that you’ll come up with other opportunities to use your driver off the deck, but these three are a good starting point.

Making the Driver Off the Deck Shot Happen

Let’s get down to business at this point – how do you hit your driver off the deck?

The first thing to understand is that you need to resist the urge to help the ball off the turf. You’ll look down at address and feel like you need to scoop the ball up at impact because your driver has such little loft.

Resist this feeling and commit to hitting through the ball just like any other shot. If you try to help the ball off the ground, you’ll almost certainly top the shot and it will roll weakly along the turf.

Also, it’s usually best to swing across this type of shot slightly from outside-in. This kind of approach will help you make clean contact, which is not an easy task when hitting a driver from the fairway.

To achieve an outside-in swing, try setting up with your feet slightly open to the target line, and the ball toward the front of your stance. Then, as the swing begins, do your best to swing the club back along the line formed by your feet.

Bubba Watson goes driver-driver-putt for eagle at Kapalua (2011)

In the first round of the 2011 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Bubba Watson uses a driver off the deck on par-5 18th at Kapalua to get on the green in two, then holes the putt for eagle. . SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh Welcome to the official YouTube channel of the PGA TOUR.

When all is executed correctly, the ball should start just a bit to the left of your target (for a right-handed golfer) and gentle fade back to the right as it flies.

Making Good Decisions with Your Driver

With some practice on the range, there is a good chance you’ll get somewhat comfortable with this shot. Sure, it’s never going to be the easiest shot to hit, but you will hopefully get to a point where you have enough confidence to use it on the course.

When that happens, be sure not to force it – you don’t want to pull this shot out of the bag just because you have it as an option. Rather, you should turn to easier options first, and only go for the driver off the deck when you are sure it is the best possible choice given the situation at hand.

Is it necessary to know how to hit your driver off the deck in order to lower your scores and play good golf? Of course not.

This is not a skill that is required in this game, and in fact, you’ll rarely see professional golfers turn to this shot.

With that said, it’s always good to have options, as you never know exactly what kinds of situations you’ll face on the course. Give this shot a try on the range sometime and see how it goes. If you seem to be getting good results, add it to your repertoire and pull it out of the bag when the time is right.