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  • How To Hit It Off The Deck

    • How To Hit It Off The Deck

    There are a few par fives that only a long hitter can reach in two, and even then that long hitter has to crush two shots back to back. In such situations, I love to hit my driver 'off the deck' (i.e., off the turf) for my second shot.

    It's not as tough as it seems, particularly with today's generation of low-profile metal woods. But before you consider this shot, take a hard look at your lie. The ball doesn't have to be in the fairway. Indeed, if you have a tight lie, you may not want to hit it with the driver. But if the ball is sitting up, in either the fairway or light rough, so that at least part of it is higher than the top of your clubface, then you have an opportunity to go for it.

    Control is Important, so grip down Just a hair - this will help ensure against a fat shot. On the other hand, you don't want to swing above the ball and thin it, so put a bit of extra flex in your knees.

    The most Important element of this swing is a smooth, long takeaway in which you keep the clubhead low to the ground. If you can take the club back this way, you'll have a good chance of returning it smack into the back of the ball for a clean, strong hit. So widen your stance a bit by moving your right foot back (keeping the ball in its usual position in your stance). As you widen your stance in this way, you'll tend to add a bit more weight to your right side so that instead of a 50-50 distribution it will be 60-40 in favour of the right. This adjustment will set you up for that long, low takeaway.

    Don't worry about any other adjustments. Simply trust your swing, trust your lie, and trust your driver to do the work. Remember that you have a powerful club in your hand and clean contact is all you want - you don't need to attack the ball. Quite the contrary, on the downswing you should feel as if your upper body is hanging back as your legs drive through impact. If you can stay behind this ball, you'll have the best chance of pushing it forward.

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    Part I: Before You Swing

    • Clap Hands For The Grip
    • The Short Thumb
    • Look High, Look Low
    • Aim The Clubface First
    • Your Feet Can Fool You
    • Don't Toe The Line
    • Posture Is Natural
    • The Root Of Many Evils
    • One Spot For Every Shot
    • Suit Yourself
    • Get The Picture
    • Consider A Bit Of Flare
    • Open Up On Short Irons
    • The Right Height
    • Why Jack And I Hover The Club
    • A Game Of Inches
    • Get A Countdown
    • Step All The Way Back

    Part II: The Long Game

    • Pulling The Trigger
    • The Left-elbow Lead
    • The Extension Bench
    • R.P.B. For Long Drives
    • My Swing Doesn't Change
    • Three Wrongs And A Right
    • Read Your Wrists
    • It's A Horse Race
    • Hit The Second Ball
    • Tempo And Rhythm
    • How To Hit It Off The Deck
    • On Long Irons
    • For Battles In Britain
    • The High Shot
    • How To Make It Suck Back
    • The Spinless Shot
    • Shotmaking Made Easy

    Part III: The Short Game

    • Throw Yourself Into the Short Game
    • They're Just Shorter Swings
    • Fit The Swing To The Shot
    • Hit Your Short Shots Hard
    • One of the Few Laws
    • Master The Method, Vary The Clubs
    • Chipmaking
    • Blast from Bermuda, Putt the Rest
    • Deaden Impact with a Putter Grip
    • How To Miss It Close
    • The Knockdown Punch
    • The Seven-Fingered Shot
    • The Sand Wedge Putt
    • Putters Aren't Just For Putting
    • Why You Should Putt Aggressively
    • I'm An Apex Putter
    • Trust Your Technique
    • Keep Your Eye on the Back
    • Hold the Hold in Putting
    • Know The Breaks
    • The Ultimate Nerve Test
    • Part IV: Bunkers And Trouble Play

      • Four 'Musts' In Bunkers
      • It's Just a Splash
      • Play Detective
      • Double the Distance in Sand
      • The Long Distance Runner
      • How To Make It Sit
      • Take a Stab at Short Shots
      • Seve's Softee
      • Slice An 8-Iron
      • How to Play the Hardest Shot
      • The Best Two Hours You Can Spend
      • Slash Your Way Out of Jail
      • Grass Knowledge
      • Debunking Flyers
      • How's It Growing?
      • The Lazy Lob
      • Living With Divots
      • Go Ahead, Have A Blast
      • Lean Against The Slope
      • Tips For Playing In Rain
      • Into A Hard Wind, Take A Light Grip
      • Don't Fight Crosswinds

      Part V: Managing Yourself And Your Game

      • Know Thyself
      • Pace Yourself
      • Get The Stiffest Shaft You Can Handle
      • Be Bold with Your Strengths
      • Pep Talks
      • Go To The Movies
      • Why I See the Apex
      • Suit Your Shot To A Tee
      • The Secret Weapon
      • Look For 'Bad' Lies
      • Play The Hole Backward
      • On A Tight Tee Shot, Get Loose
      • Walk Smartly
      • 3-Way Yardage
      • Yardage Is Only the Beginning
      • Between Clubs, Go with Your Tendency
      • Gauging the Greens
      • Don't Be A Sucker
      • Read Greens From Afar
      • My Practice Practices
      • Have A Post-Round Agenda
      • Shake It Off
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