Tip #2: Hit Off the Deck

There are a few par 5s 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 -- or off the turf -- for my second shot.

"[Hitting off the deck] is not as tough as it seems."

It's not as tough a shot 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. In fact, if you have a tight lie, you might not want to pull out the driver. What you want is for the ball to be sitting up, in either the fairway or in light rough, so that at least part of it is higher than the top of your clubface. If so, you have an opportunity to go for it.

Control is extra-important on this shot since there isn't a lot of margin for error. Grip down just a bit to help ensure against a fat shot. On the other hand, you don't want to swing above the ball and top 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 close 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.

To help do this, widen your stance a bit by moving your right foot back but leaving 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 50-50 distribution it will be 60-40 in favor 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 hands, and clean contact is all you want -- you don't need to try to kill 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 the ball you'll have the best chance of pushing it forward.

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