When To Use Driver Off The Deck (In ONLY 5 Situations)

We all know hitting driver off the deck is very challenging and it's not something you would try and practice every day. But sometimes the shot comes in handy, so when to hit driver off the deck? There are 5 situations and I bet the 5th one is the most common one for all the amateur golfers.

1. Hitting it into the wind to keep it low

There are days when can get very windy on the golf course, especially on the links. In the windy days there are a lot of golfers that with an idea of hitting their driver off the deck. It's great to hit it lower and you can be rewarded for lower ball flight, but you must realise the driver off the deck shot isn't the easier one.

First of all you need to have a great lie, and secondly try it first on the driving range. It's very challenging shot even for the professionals so you need to know what you're doing. It's all about the contact and shallow swing path 😉

2. Reaching a par five in two

If you have more yardage to the green than you can reach with your 3 wood, there's a chance to hit it with a driver. You can hit a second shot off the fairway with your driver on a par 5 or a long par 4, it doesn't matter. Make sure there's plenty of space for a miss around the green. If there are any hazards around the green maybe think twice about hitting it off the deck.

When you go for it, keep in mind that most of the driver shots off the fairway tend to slice a little, so aim a little left of the green (right of the green for lefties).

3. Ball sitting on top of light rough and you need distance

Is there light rough on your golf course? I know some golf courses that have very friendly rough or semi rough so if you find your ball sitting nicely on top of it, you can play with the idea of hitting the driver off the deck. Sometimes it's almost like you have it tee'd up and you just can't help yourself.

For example you can hit your first shot badly and miss it short off the fairway or to the left or right. With a bad shot you've lost distance and the distance to the hole is too far for a 3 wood. In this situation a driver comes in play. But as mentioned earlier - it's a challenging shot, don't force it.

4. Driver off the deck for punching it low out of trouble

You can use driver off the deck when you need a low punch shot out of trouble. Especially if you're behind the tree and you need distance without a high trajectory. In this case driver off the deck is a good choice. Watch out for any rocks that can easily crack your driver.

If you don't need full distance maybe consider punching it with a 3 iron or a 3 wood instead. That's because if you don't make at least 3/4 swing with your driver, you don't have enough speed to get the ball in the air and often the result is just a short bad shot with roll of 20-50 yards.

5. Lol this one is a joke, but the fifth example is: NEVER 😂

For fun, I added a fifth situation when you can use the driver. It's NEVER 😁 You know why? Because an average golfer doesn't have the skills or confidence to hit the driver off the deck.

I would definitely advise you to play strategic and without the aggressive and "hero" shots if you're not at least 70% confident you can hit it well.

When to use driver off the deck - PROS

• it gives you around 20 extra yards if you need them
• great for a "wind in the face" shots
• gives you longer roll, especially on the firm and short fairways

When to use driver off the deck - CONS

• hitting driver off the deck isn't reliable enough
• even if you hit the ball well the dispersion can be to big to land it in a good spot for a next shot
• without regular practice this shot is too demanding for an average golfer

Conclusion

We covered most common situations when to use driver off the deck and also why don't use it.

Tell me in the comments, do you hit it off the deck sometimes and what's the result? I'm really curious how often you decide for this kind of shot...