Hitting driver off the fairway

[niumaiat]

I've just started using my driver on the fairway for more distance. I place the ball close to the middle of my stance perhaps a bit more towards my front foot. I find I slice the ball all the time, even when adjusting my alignment towards left of target (right-handed). The ball would start straight and then move right. I've tried all the measures of curing the slice but nothing worked. Also I choke down a little (not much) on the shaft. Is there anything special about hitting the driver (loft 10*) off the deck rather than teed up that I should watch out for. Grateful for any advice.

[GreeBoman]

Re: Hitting driver off the fairway

If its a "newer" driver, with a big head (> 400cc) then they are not really designed to be hit from the deck.
The sweetspot is towards the top of the club which means you need the ball to be off the ground.
The driver is usually played off the front foot, if you move it back you will not have the same amount of time to square the clubface so you are probably coming in open, hence the slice.

1) Does it actually go much further than a 3/2 wood does?
2) Are the extra yards worth being out right every time?

Think about 1 and 2 next time you are going to hit the driver off the deck.

[gord962]

Re: Hitting driver off the fairway

Why move the ball back?? Just leave it forward in your stance. You do need to move the ball back, but no more than about 1 - 1 1/2 ball widths back. If you are still having problems with the ball slicing, try closing your clubface a bit.

As Gree said, if you have a deep face driver, you are better off hitting a 3 wood. A 10* driver won't give you an optimal launch angle and the sweet spot is too high in the face to hit your driver off the fairway. Rarely is there ever a case when your driver will consistantly hit longer and straighter (with consistancy) than a fairway wood solely because they aren't designed to do that.

For example (quite a bit more of a stretch) I can putt really well with my PW (hitting the ball at the equator) and I can sink quite a few balls on the target green when we are messing around. No where does it state I can't do this, the club can perform the task, but it wasn't designed to putt. If I hit 100 putts from the same place with each club I may sink some with my PW, but I will consistantly be closer to the hole with my putter.