The "What would you have done differently thread"

[ShankyBoy]

I know we're mere plankton compared to the tour pro's so have zero right to question them...but hey it might be fun to discuss scenarios.

So, you are Kevin Na in the first PGA event of the year in a play off with Emiliano Grillo, and have been gifted a 2nd play off hole after making a mess of the first, and your pp has missed a three foot put for victory.

You both t-off again on the par 5 18th, this time your pp goes into the sand on the right, with 275 to go. Your pp hits it fat, and comes up 135 short in the first cut on the right. You also have 275 to go but you are on the fairway, what do you do?

As it turns out Kevin pulls a driver off the deck (which to his testament in the interview after, say's he's used perfectly 5 times that week) and catches it fat, and hits a nasty low hook to the left in the rough behind a tree. He gets it on the green, but three puts where Grillo hits the green and birded for the win.

So what was the right play here? Kevin said after he would do the same again next time...but would he really? Surely it's about layering on the pressure in that situation, driver off the deck has to be the hardest shot in the book?

So what wold you have done in that situation? Green in 2 for glory, or play up to your favourite distance for a controlled 3rd for birdie?

 

[Duckster]

If he's comfortable with driver off the deck then there's no reason not to play it.

It's not just what he feels confident with either, as it's a play off, it matchplay so if he feels that Grillo is strong from 135, then he might just want to get either on or as close as possible to the green as he can to put the pressure on, which he may not have been able to do with his 3w.

Personally, as there's no way I can hit driver off the deck or even 3w 275, I'd be choosing an iron to try to lay up about 100-120 short.

 

[Curls]

Nice hypothetical, I'll answer it two ways.

1. I'm Kevin Na.

Take 12 minutes over it and smack that on the green. Chances are I have a putt for victory (might be very long or makeable depending on how good this shot it), perhaps even two if it pressurises him into making a mistake. Just cos Grillo was 135 short in a first cut doesn't mean he couldn't get down in two - which of course he did!

Soren Kjeldson at the Irish Open was in a par 5 playoff against two big hitters and was well behind them both off the tee. However, positioned in the middle of the fairway he nailed a 3 wood onto the front edge of the green. It was a good 50 feet shot plus, but the point was he was on. Weissberger and Pepperell both messed up their approaches from closer but slightly out of position. A good lag and nervy short one later and he was champ.

They're all going for the green if it's remotely possible in that situation, when he says he'd do it again I don't doubt it.

2. I'm me.

And lets be realistic I can neither hit a green from 275 nor hit driver off the deck, so lets imagine I'm 220 out. All things being equal I'll get as close as I can to the green without inviting trouble. Maybe a soft 4h or good 4i to 50 yards or so short to give myself a good pitch on. At our level I'd fancy my chances of getting it closer than a guy 135 in the rough.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Does anyone on here ever hit driver off the fairway?
If so what would you gain over hitting a 3w?

 

[bladeplayer]

Personally Id be playing for green in regulation play for par possibly birdie putt keep the pressure on him & dont give the hole away ..

 

[Curls]

Does anyone on here ever hit driver off the fairway?
If so what would you gain over hitting a 3w?

150 yards+


Depending on how badly I topped the 3W

 

[Duckster]

Does anyone on here ever hit driver off the fairway?
If so what would you gain over hitting a 3w?

Bro-in-law does it quite regularly on nice flat straight par 5's - he gets it about an extra 30-40 yards on his driver as it gets a lot more run, but he's not the biggest of hitters

 

[FairwayDodger]

Does anyone on here ever hit driver off the fairway?
If so what would you gain over hitting a 3w?

I've never even attempted it but I'd guess that even if I got a good strike on it it'd be unlikely to go much further than a good 3w anyway. Maybe one for the next bounce game!

 

[Slab]

Personally Id be playing for green in regulation play for par possibly birdie putt keep the pressure on him & dont give the hole away ..

Yup a GIR always provides a birdie putt, no need to muller it

As for a pro then most of their par 5's are really par 4.5's so I'd play it that way (so a three needed to win and a birdie will likely half the hole then move on to the next one) So if you've got a consistent 275 shot then take it if not make sure your third will be from a position you can get very close to the hole

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I've never even attempted it but I'd guess that even if I got a good strike on it it'd be unlikely to go much further than a good 3w anyway. Maybe one for the next bounce game!

A guy I played with has done it more on links courses - he gets good connection and it goes about 200 in the air but then because the ball flight is that low gets a lot of run from it

I have done it once when the ball was teed up very high on rough and had a feeling that a 3 wood would slide under the ball

 

[chrisd]

I'd treat it very much as matchplay and take the safe play and hope he doesn't pull one out of the bag

 

[ShankyBoy]

It probably comes down to that winning mentality of just going for it and these guys have that skill level to achieve these shots I suppose. But he effectively threw away his chance of winning by hitting that shot, he lost the tournament in my eyes. I can't imagine a harder shot though, 2nd play off hole with a driver off the deck, it's a low % shot in those circumstances I would assume.

Had he belted a shot to 75 yards for a 3/4 gap wedge left, Grillo would have been under much more pressure for his next shot.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Didn't see any of this but from the description, I think Na will be expecting Grillo to make birdie from that range. He thinks he has a chance of eagle and the win if he can pull off a shot he's already hit successfully a few times that week so takes a chance and goes for it. Bad execution doesn't necessarily mean it was the wrong option.

Me? At that distance I'm hitting 3w to leave a decent wedge into the green. Even take it to just outside my 3w range and I'm not even thinking about hitting driver - I just don't have that shot.

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Don't think anyone is good enough to consistently hit a driver off the deck in a high pressure situation like that. Pretty foolish from Na and evidence of what separates him from the upper echelon pro's. Great if you are Rory or Henrik and can lump a 3/4 wood all the way but there's not many folks like that. Layup to a preferred position and distance (anything from 100-30 yrds) and make birdie from there.

 

[garyinderry]

I used to hit the odd driver off the deck with my 910. Could pretty much guarantee a low fade or if I got it wrong a slice with a fair bit of run so conditions would have to allow for this.

I didn't have a 3 wood in at the time so it only came out on bounce games and times of need.

Recently tired it with my jpx driver and pulled it clean oob when hoping for a cut.


I am usually too cautious and would rather hold back and wait for a better opportunity than go all in with this shot. even if it might get you there, the run can be impossible to control so I wouldn't bother.

 

[ColchesterFC]

Does anyone on here ever hit driver off the fairway?
If so what would you gain over hitting a 3w?

I used to carry two drivers in my bag. One that I would hit off the tee and the other that I would hit off the deck. Hit my SLDR off the deck for the first time on Sunday. Prefer that to hitting a 3 wood.

 

[Crazyface]

Does anyone on here ever hit driver off the fairway?
If so what would you gain over hitting a 3w?

I did in a scramble on a par five. We had three in perfect positions so it seemed pointless to add a fourth. I took out my driver, to much amusement, and lashed my ball on to the green. I tried the same trick again two weeks later in a mixed betterball. Lost my ball.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Easy - you go for it. If the shot you need to hit is one you are comfortable with (and it sounds like he was) you back yourself and hit it.

 

[pokerjoke]

I saw the shot and I saw the interview and Na was quite sure he would play the same shot again,but as the interview continued he happened to mention his 3 wood.
As the OP stated he had done this on 5 previous occasions during the week and pulled it off every time he used the driver off the deck so it wasn't as if he had no confidence or no previous.

Well done Grillo though a great start to his PGA career.

 

[Jates12]

For Me, in this situation you want to make sure you dont lose the hole. Youve gotta keep yourself in it all the way, the driver off the deck is too risky, ease a hybrid or 3wood up there, chip it close, tap it in and walk onto the next hole if he makes 4. But through that whole process the pressure is on your opponent as well.