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Can I hit a driver off the deck

• PeteBolte 172 Posts

  Wed, Apr 22 2009 12:02 PM

  Thanks for the input Nivlac.  I too think it might be a bug.  I just want to know for sure.  Why?  Because I'd LOVE to be able to hit the driver off the fairway.  Gives me another weapon to attack the hole and lower my score.  If I can hit it in real life, I'd like the option to be able to so here and if I screw up the shot, that's on me.

  In my instance I just had a regular starter 3 wood in the 3 wood position so it's a little bit different but the premise is essentially the same.

  Regards, Pete

• PeteBolte 172 Posts

  Wed, Apr 22 2009 12:03 PM

  HI Alex,

  Thank you.  That's all I ask.

  Pete

• WGTalex 2,087 Posts

  Wed, Apr 22 2009 1:23 PM

  Hi Pete, the next time you are offered a driver for your second shot, please right-click and submit a bug to us. We will then school your caddy.

• PeteBolte 172 Posts

  Wed, Apr 22 2009 1:56 PM

  Thanks Alex.  I will indeed.

• Nikullis 8 Posts

  Fri, May 1 2009 12:36 PM

  J Bowles i hit it off the deck all the time when I need to play a fade.

• PeteBolte 172 Posts

  Sun, May 3 2009 12:15 PM

  Thanks niv.

• Pressto 56 Posts

  Thu, May 21 2009 7:09 AM

  This is definately a bug they need to fix because yes you can hit a driver off the fairway.

  I can understand if they did this if you are in the rough, but not if you are on the fairway.

• Thetruth67 158 Posts

  Thu, May 21 2009 8:09 AM

  There used to be a few players who were handy with a driver off the deck back in the days when you could actually get them to fly and carry like a 3 wood. Mike Mclean and Jamie Spence were both dab hands on the Euro Tour and Mark Calcavecchia also used to hit a few drivers off the deck that were things of beauty.  Seve was another man who would rip the driver off the fairway, and get a tremendous flight on it that could pitch, and stop, on a green.
  
  For me, it's a bit of a white elephant shot these days. I've tried it, but even my best efforts don't fly well enough to be usable. The only way to get any sort of flight that's more than 20 feet off the ground is to get a sort of thinned, highly spinning shot that just scoots out low and then runs a mile after a weak, floaty flight of about 200 yards or so.  Add to the fact that I hit my 3wood very well (250 - 260 yds), I see no point in the shot. 

   With the depth of the modern driver faces, it's is not plausible for the average golfer to get any sort of solid contact.  Today's drivers have a sweet spot higher on the face, making it next to impossible to hit the sweet spot from off the deck.  Let's face it, this may have been a regular occurrence a couple of decades ago but with todays technology balls don't climb like an old balata used to when you middled it with a persimmon or 150cc metal driver. 
  
  I've seen Els and Garcia hit shots with a big 460cc driver and even they don't get what I would call a 'proper' flight on them - albeit it goes a long way and is certainly a usable shot in strong winds.  Think about it, if this was an easy shot, the pros would do it all of the time.  Honestly, the only person I have ever seen do it with any consistency and accuracy is Vijay, and we all know how much time he spends on the range.  For anyone  who can do it, my hats off to you. It's an impressive talent to have and hints at some tremendous striking, but for the purpose of reality they should not make this shot an option 

• jakestanfill7 949 Posts

  Fri, Aug 7 2009 7:10 PM

  Please don't misconstrue this as griping of whining but driver off the deck should by all means be a legit option.  It's allowed in closest to contests so why not stroke play?  I agree that if you mishit it you should experience disastrous results but if you square it up it should fly + or - 10 yds of your intended line.

  I am a 6 handicap in real golf and very capable of hitting my driver from the fairway farther than I can from the tee in WGT.  I'm considered a pro (68.8) in WGT land but am incapable pulling off a skill shot like this.  Maybe a solution would be to not allow driver from the deck for hacks and amatuers as I can't recall 16 handicap in my experience executing this shot, but for a pro (especially a + hdcp) this seems very viable.

  I also average about 290 from the tee in real golf,  though a bit squirrely at times and would love to purchase a driver capable of achieving such distances so I wouldn't ever have to hit driver from the fairway.  :)

• PeteBolte 172 Posts

  Sun, Aug 9 2009 2:19 PM

  Hi Jake,

  I misconstrue nothing and agree with you.  Just give me the option and if I screw it up, fine.  But to deny the option when in real life, it's possible is not at all fair in WGT.  WGT purports to be a great online golf game and in many respects it is but it doesn't mimic real life. 

  About 12 years ago before my infirmity I was hitting about 275~280 on the drives.  A wee bit of a hook.  Just a bit and sometimes a fade, just a bit but I didn't really care if it went the distance and was in the fairway. 

  Here I'm a pro too (76 point something) and not as good as you and I feel I was promoted way ahead of time but it allowed me to purchase clubs worthy of a pro so I can't complain.  I don't play that much anyway so my average is accurate.  You don't practice, you don't get good.  Period. 

  I too would like a 280~290 driver here and be able to take a bit off depending on the hole but I ain't got it so I do the best I can just like everybody else.  You're right.  If I had a driver of that sort, I wouldn't need to hit another off the deck but that doesn't say that NOBODY can no matter who they are or what their rank is.  It should be an option because it's possible in real life and I think WGT should remain true to what's possible, not what they decide as a 'rule' within the programing.  Change the programing to allow the possible.

  Thanks for your post bro.  It was a good one.

  If I didn't have a fucked up foot, I'd challenge you in real life.  I'm gonna take some lessons from a teaching pro for the handicapped.  After that, I'll let you know. 

  Best regards,

  Pete