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 observe 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 watch in full right here — and he’s in his component. He’s equally pleased enjoying as he’s educating, and the topic is one in every of golf’s extra daring pictures. Driver is supposed principally for tee pictures, however, if accomplished proper, enjoying it away from the tee field may give a participant additional pop.
If accomplished proper, although, and Harrington mentioned there’s a bent to make not less than this error:
“If something,” he mentioned 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 mainly mis-hit it.”
That mentioned, the DOD is a hoot, although, and he gave it a go on the video, with the following tips:
— “If something,” he mentioned, “I’m going to attempt 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 mentioned it was good, although he mentioned he “hung again a little bit bit.”
“Once more, that’s the issue if you’re hitting the motive force off the deck — you’re at all times anxious to get it up within the air and for those who do any hang-back, it’s tougher to get strike,” he mentioned on the video. “Clearly for those who 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 match.”
Let’s maintain 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 may all use some additional distance, not solely off the tee, however as soon as we get to the golf green too.
However many people go away the longest membership in our bag — the motive force — on the sidelines once we’re confronted with an extended 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 is advisable achieve success.
Learn 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 same old upswing you utilize if you hit the motive force off a tee.
3. Transfer the ball again in your stance a bit, so it’s according to 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. This can make the shaft extra upright and transfer the toe of the membership down, making it extra stage.
You possibly can anticipate to have a decrease ball flight utilizing a driver off the deck than you’d 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 best, so ensure that 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 attempt, and benefit from the outcomes.
