A Guide to Drivers and Fairway Woods

Whether you are a professional or an amateur golfer, Drivers and Fairway woods are the words that you must have heard thousand times. In simple words drivers are the commonly known golf sticks especially designed for short shots.

You will find number of golf drivers in the market made up of Titanium, Copper, Carbon, Nickel and some other alloys. These alloys provides hardest look to the golf driver. Almost all golf drivers available in the market are built with an idea of compression golf ball at impact. Golf drivers with flexible face, designed to eliminate energy at impact, are considered better for improvement of game.

Golf Drivers are considered as the longest club. Presently golf drivers with 45 inches length are common. This length factor makes it difficult to control the swing. On the other side shorter clubs are known as fairway woods, generally referred to as fairway metals. Materials used for manufacturing both golf drivers and fairway woods are same. These fairway woods posses the proprietary of progressiveness like irons. There are different types of fairway woods like 3-wood, 4-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood and 9-wood. One may rarely find a 2-wood. These fairways woods may decide the distance the golf club go after hit.

Usually fairway woods have smaller heads comparing to golf drivers. This aspect makes fairway woods easier than drivers when it comes to controlling the swing. It is advisable for beginners to opt for fairway woods instead of trying to use a driver. You can use the fairway to hit the driver if you are a skilled golfer. Greater lofts and smaller heads of fairway woods help in hitting the ball high into the air. Fairway woods are convenient to handle than long drivers and are used basically by amateur golfers and beginners. The main purpose of both drivers and fairway woods is to strike the club. In simple words drivers are used to hit the ball on the upswing and fairway wood is used to hit the club at swing bottom.

Fairway woods consists of large heads, bulging clubface, flattened soles sliding over the ground and are spherical in shape. In the past club-heads were made from persimmon and maple wood. Club heads in the present era are made from metal alloys and hence are termed as metal-woods. Senior players and ladies prefer fairway woods that are higher lofted. It is so because fairway woods give them easier hit to the club while hitting the club high in the air at lower speed.

Shaft length of fairway wood may differ from 40 inches to 45 inches.
The longest version of club is termed as driver. Drivers have bigger club-head. Drivers are mainly used for hit off the tee. Skilled golfers can hit drivers from the turf. The standard length of driver is 45 inches.

You may choose a driver or a fairway wood according to your skills and style. Some skilled golfers prefer shorter shafts which facilitates them to use it easily despite the fact that shorter shafts are likely to reduce the distance. Usually fairway woods are fitted with graphite shafts considering their light weight. This light weight enables golfers to accelerate higher club-head speed and achieve longer distance. The USGA approved length of the shaft is 47 inches. However, you may find some fairway woods with shaft length of up-to 50 inches. These longer shaft woods are used for long drive tournaments but are illegal.

It is evident that success and improvement of your game depends upon the right club may it be drivers or fairway woods.