Lydia Ko hit a perfect driver off the deck. Here are the keys to hitting this difficult, crowd-pleasing shot
· Yahoo Sports
The ninth hole at the Evian Resort Golf Club is a par 5. For the longest hitters, it can be reachable. Lydia Ko is not one of the LPGA’s longest hitters, but she still found a way to get there in two shots during the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship. She did so by hitting driver off the deck.
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Watch in awe.
Getting that kind of height on a driver off the deck is spectacular. We’re not guaranteeing you can hit your driver off the deck as well as Ko does here, but there are a few tips you’ll need to know if you’re attempting this shot at home.
Golf Digest Best Teacher in Illinois, Jason Guss, said to set up like you’re hitting a 3-wood. So, the ball is slightly back in your stance compared to how you’d hit your driver teed up.
“Keep the clubface open a hair, this will help loft it up a bit,” Guss said.
Opening the clubface will keep you from hitting a screamer that only gets about an inch in the air. It helps the ball get into the air and creates better contact.
“Trust to let it go low, don’t try to help it up,” Guss said.
The instinct is to want to help the ball up into the air, which is understandable when you’re looking down at a driver without a tee. But trying to help it up can result in poor impact position and worse contact. Swing as if loft weren’t an issue and the ball will get up in the air better. Just know, even when you hit it well, it’ll still go pretty low—don’t expect to hit it as high as Ko.
Try these tips, and this crowd-pleasing shot might just find its way into your arsenal, too.