Driver Off the Deck

[GreensDruid]

I was at the range yesterday and watched a kid from the local high school team warming up. At one point, he was showing off with his friends and hit a few shots with his driver - without a tee. Must say I was pretty impressed.

Do lots of people do this? I can't imagine hitting my driver without a tee. Do you risk hurting the club if you hit with it off the deck or can drivers withstand that kind of punishment?

[iacas]

Do lots of people do this? I can't imagine hitting my driver without a tee. Do you risk hurting the club if you hit with it off the deck or can drivers withstand that kind of punishment?

They take no extra punishment. It's not like you're hitting the ground. The idea is to barely touch the ground.

I've done it. I prefer deeper drivers, which makes this more difficult, but I have still done it. A consistently level head and a lot of clubhead speed help. I rarely need to do it (a 3W is almost always fine), but I can do it.

[Jarno]

I actually posted this is another thread, but a kid on the Nationwide tour hits a Hi-Bore off the deck. Hits it pretty well, I think we walked it off at 270ish.

[NM Golf]

Tiger hit driver off the deck last Saturday in the WGC event. He did it on that 636 (or whatever) yard par 5. He got it to about 15 yards of the green.
I can hit it off the deck if I need to but it is a low percentage shot at best so I would never do it in competition. Plus I never practice hitting it off the ground.

[billpar]

Seems like a comfort level thing for the high schooler. It is not as if the kid was abusing an expensive driver with more impact on to the deck than ball.

He may feel without the tee works better for his stroke and distance because every tee is going to be slightly different at different places.

[georgep]

It used to be a lot easier when driver heads were smaller. Hitting a persimmon driver off the deck was not all that much harder than hitting a 3-wood. I've pulled it off in the age of titanium, but I rarely if ever attempt it anymore. It's just a low percentage shot, and I'm probably not going to get good results anyway. If I can't get there with a 3-wood then I'm better laying up anyway.

[cmarkmyers]

I remember Vijay doing it at the Mercedes in Hawaii in order to stay under the wind a bit. He also did it on The Golf Channel when he and Michael Campbell were breaking Big Break window panes.

On TGC they were saying you need to hit ever so slightly down on the ball in order to generate the backspin required to get the ball in the air and take a very minimal divot.

[rembrandt]

Over the years, I have used the driver off the ground alot on par 5s where the punishment isn't too severe. I can reach a bunch of greens on those holes with the driver and most of the time the payoff is better than the pain. Bunkers are no problem so whale away and use it where you can.

[golfchief]

Use to with my old driver a 975D but the big head of the 580XD I just can't hit it farther than my 3wood off the deck.

[SuaSponteMn]

I'm suprised that so many people answered yes...

Personally, I wouldn't ever hit that shot. There's way too much opportunity for error and damage to my driver. If I've hit a first shot that bad or I'm that far out even with a good drive, I'm going to just take my lumps, swing the 3 wood, and hope for a nice easy pitch for my 3rd...

Now, in Tiger Woods on the Xbox, that's a completely different story

[allin]

I think this is to high risk with 460 cc drivers. The orignal Taylor Made burner driver hit off the deck with a fade used to be money. I no longer hit the ball far enough to reach par 5s in 2 so haven't even tried it in years.

[James_Black]

I used to think it was one of those impossible shots to do.
It's really easy and it's more accurate than my normal 5 wood shot!

Anybody try this?
I think it's because driver clubheads are so big now it's hard not to hit the sweet spot.

[Elvisliveson]

I used to think it was one of those impossible shots to do.

I'm with you. It is much easier than it used to be. I use it when 230+ out AND going into the wind because it yields a lower ball flight.

[upah]

I think this depends too on the shape of the face and the loft. Some drivers don't offer much room to hit a ball off the deck (think game improvement styles). Also, too much loft makes it difficult not to hit it thin, while too little loft makes it hard to get the ball in the air. My favorite driver for the short grass was a 9.5 degree Nike 350 from way back when. Shaped almost like a 3 wood but meaner.

What kind of distance are you getting relative to off the tee?

[James_Black]

I think this depends too on the shape of the face and the loft. Some drivers don't offer much room to hit a ball off the deck (think game improvement styles). Also, too much loft makes it difficult not to hit it thin, while too little loft makes it hard to get the ball in the air. My favorite driver for the short grass was a 9.5 degree Nike 350 from way back when. Shaped almost like a 3 wood but meaner.

200-210m (220-230 yards) off the tee

180m (200 yards) off the deck

[Par Fore]

The only time I will try the shot is with a sitting-up, pefect fairway or light rough lie where I need to go 260 plus, there is no concerns about carrying water or a trap, and the reward far outweighs the risk....

Otherwise, aggressive 3wd with a sweeping draw is a better play IMHO.....that, or a lay-up....

I love that shot of Arnie at his invitational that the TGC shows on 18 where he hits driver off the deck to 20 feet.....priceless.....

[clubchamp]

I actually think the opposite I used to hit driver off the deck when the heads were smaller. I think drivers with a 460cc head is harder to hit off the deck. I sometimes hit punch shots with mine but that's about it.

[WUTiger]

Back in ancient times (the 1970s), this was the shot people used to show they had "the touch." All the single-handicappers where I caddied tried to hit the "driver off the deck" (DoD) on long par 5s.

Worked doubly well in hot, dry July: Ball sometimes set up better on dry, bristly grass, and the low shot hit the hard ground and kept going. Didn't work well on plush turf, even if fairway length.

Hadn't given much thought to it until today's post, and I'm not sure if jumbo heads would hurt or help.

I played one summer with a 12* brassie (2W) when I cracked my driver head. Used 2W off tee and off dry fairways. But, didn't try the driver too much.

An alternative to DoD was a toe hook with a 3W: close the face, and catch the ball about 3/4" to right of the sweet spot. Good on more open holes, had distances of up to 280 yds. on dry fairways. But, it was a risky shot if your swing was off that day. (I can't believe how much less adventurous I've gotten the last 10 years)