The 4 keys to hitting a driver off the deck

Let’s face it — we could all use some extra distance, not only off the tee, but once we get to the fairway too.

But many of us leave the longest club in our bag — the driver — on the sidelines when we’re faced with a long approach or a second shot on a par 5.

As it turns out, hitting driver off the deck is easier than you think, and GOLFTEC instructor Brad Thorberg — with an assist from PGA Tour player Jim Knous — has the keys you need to be successful.

How to hit driver off the deck

1. Set up like you would with a 3-wood.

2. Think about employing a downward or flat attack angle — this is different from the usual upswing you use when you hit the driver off a tee.

3. Move the ball back in your stance a bit, so it’s in line with the inside of your heel on your lead foot.

4. Choke up on the club — about one inch — and move a half-step closer to the ball. This will make the shaft more upright and move the toe of the club down, making it more level.

You can expect to have a lower ball flight using a driver off the deck than you would with the ball on the tee, Knous says, and for a right-handed player, the ball may want to work a little bit to the right, so make sure to plan for that.

Finally, driver off the deck works best when you have plenty of room in front of you to run the ball up to the green. Give it a try, and enjoy the results.

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Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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