Fairway Woods Instruction-Tips for Success

Striking a three-wood from a tough lie can be very challenging, but don't avoid this club for this reason it can only hurt your game. After your driver the three wood is the longest club in your bag, so you'd be sacrificing some distance and the chance to hit shorter iron shots into the green if you leave it out of the bag.

Unlike irons, which are most effective when the ball is struck with a downward swing, Fairway woods instruction requires a sweeping motion that strikes the ball as the club head moves parallel to the ground.

On practicing this, position the golf ball similar to that of the driver,(opposite the inside of your left or lead heel), then spread your weight evenly and comfortably on the balls of your feet, taking a wide stance.

Start the takeaway of your swing on a low path that almost shaves the grass, remember to keep your right shoulder level with the ground and begin to pull through with the left hand. Repeat that shallow path on your downswing.

Keep your upper torso behind the golf ball, maintain head position, and be sure to extend your arms toward the target in your follow through.

The three wood is not meant to go sky high, so don't feel like you need to assist it to get it into the air, just try to keep the club head on a level track through impact. Your three-wood and fairway woods have more than enough loft to send your golf ball on it's way.

For more advanced players, if you need to develop more loft in a shot, try playing the ball a little further back in your stance, drop your hands slightly at address and position a little more weight over your back foot, this will encourage your spine to lean away from your target.

Utilize these position alterations to enable a better swing to sweep the ball off the fairway, and at the same time add some loft to the shot.

Hitting a shot with a more piercing flight and lower trajectory can be achieved by trying to do the opposite, meaning, putting the golf ball in a position you normally hit your irons from, which is about 2 balls width back towards the centre of your stance. Then, adjust your weight to move a bit more onto your front foot.

Changing your set-up in this way will help you to take the loft off the club at impact and produce a much lower ball trajectory which will assist the golf ball to run up to and onto the green

It is much more preferred to adjust your stance, than to alter your swing to hit different shots with your fairway woods, especially when trying to produce different ball flights. Changing your stance is simpler, safer and more beneficial than trying to alter your swing for every shot.

Fairway Wood Instructions-From a Tight Lie:

1. Play your ball back of your stance

2. Sweep your golfball from the fairway

3. Strike your ball with a descending blow

4. Adjust your weight to your lead side

5. Swing through your golf ball

To hit different shots and achieve the lofts you require to drop strokes off your game, the key is to adjust your stance not your swing with your fairway woods.

It pays to remember one thing, don't just assume you are going to hit the perfect shot. Release the tension. Don't let stress and tension slip into your set up. Usually it's a lot better to tee up the ball on the side of the trouble, this can guard against a possible bad shot. Always aim for a clear definite target in the distance and within reach of the club your using, And don't worry about distance, It is more of a priority to have accuracy.