When is driver off the deck a good play?

[CuppedTin]

Hey Iacas, I can keep going as long as you can, you've got my number so feel free to use it instead of posting reply after reply, I'm always free to talk... I'm not saying anyone is an idiot for playing a driver off the deck, but I am saying that you are an idiot if you think it is ever a higher percentage shot than the others available for a higher handicap player which is mainly what makes up the members of this site... Yes it is a nice shot to have in the bag if you are experienced and capable of using it, but for most golfers there are many other higher percentage shots available. If you can't agree on that then we should just call it and be done.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by CuppedTin

Hey Iacas, I can keep going as long as you can, you've got my number so feel free to use it instead of posting reply after reply, I'm always free to talk...

Yeah, because I want to call and talk to you...? Why would you "keep going"? You've been asked and told to stop. This is the final time you'll be asked. You're no longer - if you ever were - adding value to the thread.

Originally Posted by CuppedTin

I'm not saying anyone is an idiot for playing a driver off the deck, but I am saying that you are an idiot if you think it is ever a higher percentage shot than the others available for a higher handicap player which is mainly what makes up the members of this site...

How would you know? You're making general assumptions about specific people, in effect calling certain specific people liars and idiots.

Once again, since you're not grasping this: sharing your opinion about your own game is one thing. You cross the line when you start telling other people you've never met and don't know much about things about their game when they're telling you the opposite.

That's enough from you in this thread.

[jamo]

Anyone hit driver off the deck with success?

I've done it a few times on the range when I've run out of tees, but never on the course. I rarely hit my 3 wood off the deck either, though I've been doing that a lot more this year (and with some success too).

[colnago1331]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CuppedTin

And what real purpose does it serve when a 3 wood can do exactly the same thing with much better results. I understand speaking in absolutes, but it is absolutely unnecessary for an amateur golfer to attempt this shot in my opinion.

I think it's important to note that this is a fundamental flaw in your argument.  A 3 wood cannot "do exactly the same thing with much better results."  A 3 wood has higher loft.  Higher loft = more backspin = less sidespin.  Less sidespin makes it harder to fade or draw the ball.  If you watch that video of Bubba Watson he's aiming well right of where he wants to hit the ball and hits an amazing cut shot, putting massive amounts of sidespin on the ball to get it to where he wants it to go.  I highly doubt (though I won't say it for sure) that a player of even Bubba's level could put that amount of sidespin on a ball and still hit it as far with a 3 wood.  Additionally, a 3 wood has a shorter shaft, which, generally, means less clubhead speed, which, generally, means less distance as well.

[trackster]

I think  by better results he meant  more consistent results.  And I believe that it is ok for him to question what some one says.  If i told you all I was hitting 40 yard flop shots with full swings of my 4 iron I don't think that anyone would believe that.  I'm sure it is possible to play a flop shot with a 4 iron, and I have seen videos of people hitting driver off the deck, but that doesn't mean it is the smartest play.

All in all it is a club designed to be hit off of a tee.  If you can hit it off the deck then more power to you.  I will never be convinced that it is a smart part of anyones game because I cant in my 4 years of golfing think of a time when I would have needed to hit a driver type shot other then off the tee.  I hope I come across someone who can successfully hit driver off the deck because I'd really like to see it.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by trackster

I think  by better results he meant  more consistent results.  And I believe that it is ok for him to question what some one says.  If i told you all I was hitting 40 yard flop shots with full swings of my 4 iron I don't think that anyone would believe that.  I'm sure it is possible to play a flop shot with a 4 iron, and I have seen videos of people hitting driver off the deck, but that doesn't mean it is the smartest play.

All in all it is a club designed to be hit off of a tee.  If you can hit it off the deck then more power to you.  I will never be convinced that it is a smart part of anyones game because I cant in my 4 years of golfing think of a time when I would have needed to hit a driver type shot other then off the tee.  I hope I come across someone who can successfully hit driver off the deck because I'd really like to see it.

Ever play in 40+ mph winds?  I do, every year.  Fall, winter and spring we get chinook winds off the mountains here that can blow up to 100 mph every time a weather front comes over the continental divide from the west.  I've played in winds where you literally can't stand still.  A driver off the deck is one of the most useful shots in my bag on those days.  We have a 410 yard par 4 hole on which I've played driver - driver (both shots ended up in the fairway) and still had a 30 yard pitch left to the green ( which I played with an 8I).  Driver - 3W would have still been 80 to 100 yards short - in that wind a punched 6I or 7I.

[trackster]

yeah it can get pretty windy where I am at.  And since you didn't reach the green in two was there really a point.  I played the 440 yard par 4 hole at my home course Driver, Full 7 iron and I was still 110 yards short.  After playing the 420 yard hole in the opposite direction where I hit driver wedge to pin high.  The wind was pretty strong.  And since I knew on the 440 yard hole I had no chance of reaching it in two i just hit a second shot 7 iron to a good spot.  I played a low knock down wedge on my 3 shot and stuck the ball right by the pin.  If your not going to reach the green in two no matter how well you hit it then I think playing a safer shot is ideal, thats just me.

How many times do you play driver off the deck in a round?  The way the conversation goes I think people have a misconception (my self included) that you play this shot like 5-10 times a round.  But i am going to guess the actual number is closer to 1.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by trackster

yeah it can get pretty windy where I am at.  And since you didn't reach the green in two was there really a point.  I played the 440 yard par 4 hole at my home course Driver, Full 7 iron and I was still 110 yards short.  After playing the 420 yard hole in the opposite direction where I hit driver wedge to pin high.  The wind was pretty strong.  And since I knew on the 440 yard hole I had no chance of reaching it in two i just hit a second shot 7 iron to a good spot.  I played a low knock down wedge on my 3 shot and stuck the ball right by the pin.  If your not going to reach the green in two no matter how well you hit it then I think playing a safer shot is ideal, thats just me.

How many times do you play driver off the deck in a round?  The way the conversation goes I think people have a misconception (my self included) that you play this shot like 5-10 times a round.  But i am going to guess the actual number is closer to 1.

Like any other specialty shot, I use it when I need it.  And you are correct that I don' t play it every round.  It's just one more shot that I have in my bag to use when needed.  The off season winds make it quite valuable.

And on the above scenario, on that day leaving a longer shot would have risked missing the green even on the third shot.  Like I said, at 30 yards it was still a hard chip with an 8 iron. 100 yards would have entailed a punched 6 iron and no guarantee of hitting the green.  In winds like we play that time of year any high shot is like playing with a whiffleball - it can end up just about anywhere.  But it's  kick to test yourself and your arsenal.  Like most who've posted here, in my regular group I'm the only one who hits the driver off the deck, and any of those guys will tell you that it gives me a big advantage on several holes on our home course.

[carpediem4300]

played it once, had great results but cant be arsed to play it regular,....its there if i need it i suppose, rarely need it though

[atanum]

sure, I play the driver off the deck for low flight late fade shots with great results when it is required. One of our toughest holes is a long par 4 dog-leg right. Just at the dog leg is  a huge sprawling tree, with it's branches covering half the fairway.  If you are right of the fairway or on the fringe off the tee shot,  you either 5W over the tree or try the driver under the tree to hit the green - about 210 yards. Have used the driver 9 out of 10 times successfully either hitting the green or around the green. I think the driver of the deck can be a great tool in some situations.

[bkoguy07]

I'm curious, I've never quite figured this out (maybe haven't thought hard enough)  The 6capper I play with fades the ball and plays it off the deck.  Why do these shots tend to cut?  I've seen many people talk about the "natural" (for lack of a better word lol) cut of this shot.  Why would this shot cut?  Even when I tried it, with limited success, the ones I did hit well they had a slight fade ball flight too

[CuppedTin]

Originally Posted by bkoguy07

I'm curious, I've never quite figured this out (maybe haven't thought hard enough)  The 6capper I play with fades the ball and plays it off the deck.  Why do these shots tend to cut?  I've seen many people talk about the "natural" (for lack of a better word lol) cut of this shot.  Why would this shot cut?  Even when I tried it, with limited success, the ones I did hit well they had a slight fade ball flight too

I think it probably has a lot to do with tempo more than anything, but that's just my best guess...

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by bkoguy07

I'm curious, I've never quite figured this out (maybe haven't thought hard enough)  The 6capper I play with fades the ball and plays it off the deck.  Why do these shots tend to cut?  I've seen many people talk about the "natural" (for lack of a better word lol) cut of this shot.  Why would this shot cut?  Even when I tried it, with limited success, the ones I did hit well they had a slight fade ball flight too

I'd say it's just the nature of the club.  It's common for a majority of players to fade the driver, even from a tee, so playing it from the deck would just make it that much more likely.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by trackster

yeah it can get pretty windy where I am at.  And since you didn't reach the green in two was there really a point.

If there's no trouble or relatively little trouble right at the green, the golfer (at every level) is best off closer to the green. In other words, it's easier to get a pitch from 30 yards and in the rough closer to the hole than a shot from 110 yards and the fairway.

Especially when it's as windy as it is to necessitate the shot.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by bkoguy07

I'm curious, I've never quite figured this out (maybe haven't thought hard enough)  The 6capper I play with fades the ball and plays it off the deck.  Why do these shots tend to cut?  I've seen many people talk about the "natural" (for lack of a better word lol) cut of this shot.  Why would this shot cut?  Even when I tried it, with limited success, the ones I did hit well they had a slight fade ball flight too

It has nothing to do with tempo.

We all know that all else equal a draw is hit from the inside and a fade from the outside. So ask yourself this: how many slicers do you see taking big divots? How many hookers?

You see a lot more slicers taking bit divots because an inside path is virtually always shallower. With the ball sitting on the ground and a big headed driver you want to hit down on it, so it favors a slightly over-the-top move. Look at the video of Bubba - he took a little divot with his driver.

Swings coming from the outside will have a steeper angle of attack than swings coming from the inside.

[WUTiger]

It's one of those super shots: Some people can hit it, but most can't. If you pull it off on someone, it can be really intimidating.

Waaay back in the 1960s, some of the pros and single-digit HDCP players would try it. It worked best in mid-summer, if you had a dry, bristly lie in the fairway. Doesn't work well on plush fairways.

Some older players tried it back then, but they often used a 12* brassie (2-wood) off the tee rather than a true driver.

An alternative shot from the era was the toe hook with the 3 wood. You would toe in the club about 10 degrees, line up to the right of target and set up the ball on the toe of the club. If you connected, the gear effect on the clubface gave you a really hot hook that hit and rolled forever. Danger: If you missed, you got a pop-up or a smother hook. Only try this on wide open holes.

I believe the Spider successfully hit a driver off the fairway sometime this season. If you can hit it, you can get some ridiculous roll on 600-yd. par 5s.

[kmr1966]

i play at a course in uk and we have a 75 degree dogleg right and the 2nd part is uphill however the corner right side is deep trees and the carry over the corner is approx 260 with only about 20 yds of fairway then trees again far side of that fairway ...if wind is against and you dont quite make past the corner driver off the deck is ideal....I am off 8 so by no means  PRO at all but I have hit driver off the deck for last 10 years and will use it often....fact is you have to realise it is going to cut....very very difficult to get it to draw...but on the occasion you need a long shot with cut driver is ideal..plus lots of roll...my average drive is not long at all prob only 270 but i have got it on in 2 for this par 5 and its 280+ uphill so the roll is a massive factor..just dont hit down or you will chunk it...sweep it inside left heel ( for righties) but yes essentially you are hitting a massive top....but the faces on drivers have so much more spring than a 3 wood ..plus its harder to cust a 3 wood as more loft..

My drivers a cobra bio cell cranked at 9.5 neutral....

give it a try after all what can possibly go wrong.....lots

.

[tomvk77]

don't go there unless your Bubba Watson.