The DOD.
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Padraig Harrington says he’s 276 yards out, the carry to security is 240, and there’s a breeze. Seemingly winking at him is the DOD.
Driver off the deck time, proper? Time to tug the pinnacle cowl off the 1-wood, proper?
Possibly on a follow day, the three-time main winner says. He has a priority.
Harrington is speaking on a video not too long ago posted on the PGA Tour Champions social media feeds — which you’ll be able to watch in full right here — and he’s in his aspect. He’s equally glad taking part in as he’s educating, and the topic is one in every of golf’s extra daring pictures. Driver is supposed largely for tee pictures, however, if performed proper, taking part in it away from the tee field may give a participant additional pop.
If performed proper, although, and Harrington stated there’s a bent to make a minimum of this error:
“If something,” he stated on the video, “you don’t need to assist a driver up since you’re going to get behind it and hit it fats and principally mis-hit it.”
That stated, the DOD is a hoot, although, and he gave it a go on the video, with the following pointers:
— “If something,” he stated, “I’m going to try to pull my driver a bit;
— “Get a little bit steep;
— “However I’m not going to maintain the face — I’m going to maintain the face fairly sq. in order that it doesn’t slice an excessive amount of.”
At this level on the video. Harrington performed the shot. “So slight pull on it,” he reminded himself forward of the stroke. “OK, so a slight little bit of pull throughout.”
He hit. He stated it was good, although he stated he “hung again a little bit bit.”
“Once more, that’s the issue whenever you’re hitting the motive force off the deck — you’re all the time anxious to get it up within the air and if you happen to do any hang-back, it’s tougher to get an excellent strike,” he stated on the video. “Clearly if you happen to can, keep ahead and canopy it; that’s what you’re attempting to do. It ended up a really good shot — simply within the left-hand hole.
“I did get the 270 out of it, into a chilly wind, however I ain’t doing that within the event.”
Let’s preserve the DOD dialog going. In 2022, GOLF.com’s Jessica Marksbury wrote a narrative headlined “The 4 keys to hitting a driver off the deck,” and you may learn that story by clicking right here, or by scrolling under.
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Let’s face it — we might all use some additional distance, not solely off the tee, however as soon as we get to the green too.
However many people go away the longest membership in our bag — the motive force — on the sidelines after we’re confronted with a protracted method or a second shot on a par-5.
Because it seems, hitting driver off the deck is simpler than you assume, and GOLFTEC teacher Brad Thorberg — with an help from PGA Tour participant Jim Knous — has the keys it’s essential to achieve success.
Tips on how to hit driver off the deck
1. Arrange such as you would with a 3-wood.
2. Take into consideration using a downward or flat-attack angle — that is completely different from the standard upswing you employ whenever you hit the motive force off a tee.
3. Transfer the ball again in your stance a bit, so it’s consistent with the within of your heel in your lead foot.
4. Choke up on the membership — about one inch — and transfer a half-step nearer to the ball. It will make the shaft extra upright and transfer the toe of the membership down, making it extra stage.
You’ll be able to count on to have a decrease ball flight utilizing a driver off the deck than you’ll with the ball on the tee, Knous says, and for a right-handed participant, the ball could need to work a little bit bit to the precise, so make certain to plan for that.
Lastly, driver off the deck works finest when you may have loads of room in entrance of you to run the ball as much as the inexperienced. Give it a strive, and benefit from the outcomes.
