fairway wood off the deck

[Jimc11]

Actually I havent practiced it with my new driver yet..my old driver (Hibore XL 9.5) I could get about 15-20 more yards off the deck versus my 3 wood. I say once every couple rounds but that might be an exageration...depends where I play...one course I play very often has a VERY long par 5 but it is WIDE open...if I hit a very good tee shot I will hit my driver off the fairway to that hole...Id say in 20 attempts to that green with driver I have hit the green probably 10times...5times just off the green...and 5 shots that either dont have the distance or I just plain screwed it up royally...but even the screw ups on this hole are not that bad...I used to use it ALOT when we played captain choice tourneys...although I have started to lay up more often..I used to be bomb...find it...go for it at all cost...find it...repeat and so on...Ive started to get a little smarter with age...

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

I honestly have NEVER been in a situation where hitting the driver off the deck was necessary...

I used to be able to do this well with my old driver that had a smaller head. There were two situations where I would use it on occasion. At the time I hit primarily a draw, and while I could regularly fade my 3w, with my driver off the deck I could hit a controlled slice with a very consistent outcome. It was shorter in distance than my 3w, but when there were times where I absolutely had to hit the ball a good deal left to right, the driver was a good choice. The other circumstance was hitting underneath tree branches, where again I could accomplish the same with a 3w, but because I was hitting the driver off the bottom of the face it provided must less chance for backspin and more reliable would keep the ball low even with a stinger type shot, again with less distance but better result.

I can't say I have the same success hitting a 460cc driver off the deck and don't try. I tend to believe in the first scenario, it is not high enough on the face to generate side spin, and in the second scenario it will just not get the ball up in the air enough to go any reasonable distance. Just makes a large Thwaking noise and dribbles about 100 yards.

Also like to use it in scrambles (and will use the current ones on occasion) where you could place your ball, like on the first cut or edge of the rough on a dogleg or similar, like on a tee. Usually currently only on the edge of the rough.