How to pure your fairway woods, according to a major champion

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back at the July 1979 issue when Raymond Floyd shared his keys for hitting pure shots with fairway woods. For unlimited access to the full GOLF Magazine digital archive, join InsideGOLF today; you’ll enjoy $140 of value for only $39.99/year.

Everyone knows that to win the Masters, you must conquer the four par-5s. If you don’t take advantage and rack up birdies on those holes, you’ve got little chance of slipping on the green jacket come Sunday.

Raymond Floyd knew this fact well — and in 1976 he took full advantage. That April, Floyd blitzed the field at Augusta National, leading wire-to-wire as he won his first green jacket by an astonishing eight shots. And he did so on the strength of his fairway woods in attacking the par 5s.

A few years later, Floyd sat down with GOLF Magazine to share his best tips for hitting fairway woods pure. Listen to his advice and you, too, can start smoking your fairway woods off the deck.

How to flush your fairway woods

Accuracy in golf is similar to shooting a gun: The farther you are from your target, the more precise your aim must be. That’s why the fairway wood to a green is undoubtedly the most demanding shot in the game. Not only must it be long — up to 200 yards or more — it must be straight, extremely straight.

Club selection

The best way to approach these inherently difficult shots is to try to make everything as easy on yourself as possible. The first place to do that is in your club selection. Do yourself a favor and buy a 5-wood, already done so. That’s what I did last winter, and it has added a new dimension to my game.

I practiced with the club during the early spring and then unveiled it on the tour at the Greensboro Open, a week before the Masters. At Augusta I hit the 5-wood a total of nine times on the par-five holes and I’m now convinced that there has never been a better club for that golf course. (Editor’s note: Floyd made an eagle, 12 birdies and three pars for a record 14 under par on the par-5 holes at the Masters.)

The 5-wood is more lofted than either the 1- or 2-iron, which means you don’t have to work as hard to get the ball up in the air. It’s also longer and heavier than the irons, so you’ll get more weight and power behind the ball. In addition, it’s great from the rough, because the small, round head glides easily through heavy grass. I even use the 5-wood from a fairway trap when the conditions are favorable.

Approach Shots

Now that I’ve had so much success with the club, I’ll be carrying it fairly often, instead of my 1- or 2-iron, especially on the long, tight major championship courses. This is a big switch for me to make, because I’ve always considered my long irons to be one of the best parts of my game.

For most amateurs, however, a 5-wood should be one of the cornerstones of the set. You might even consider getting one of the utility clubs, a 6- or 7-wood, if you have a lot of trouble with your long irons.

The second way to make fairway wood shots easy on yourself is to be sure you have plenty of club in your hand. Probably the most common error in long iron fairway wood play is to overswing, and this fault is especially prevalent on the par-5s, where, after a good drive, you often have a chance of reaching the green in two. The typical result is a topped shot, a skittering slice or a whiff. So guard against these mistakes by taking one club more than you think you need. There’s no reason to force a 4-wood because it’s my feeling that if you can develop a sound grip, stance and takeaway, the rest of the swing will take care of itself.

Grip

If you don’t have a good grip now, you can have one in three days. That’s all it takes. Sure, the switch to new hand positions will be uncomfortable at first, but if you work at it for three days of practice and golf, you’ ll be home free and on your way to better golf.

My own grip is a fairly standard one among the touring professionals. My left thumb points straight down the middle of the shaft and the “V” formed by the thumb and forefinger of my right hand points just to the right of my chin.

For most players, however, I’d recommend holding the club so that both the right and left “Vs” point to the outside of the right shoulder. This is a strong, solid grip that you should ingrain and then check from time to time to be sure that you are not “drifting” in one direction or the other.

Setup

At address my stance is just the slightest bit open, with my left foot pulled back about an inch from the target line. This is because I like a hint of left-to-right movement on most of my shots. A better position for amateur golfers is the square stance, where the left foot is even with the right and an imaginary line connecting the toes of both feet points parallel to the target line. Your clubface should also be square to the intended line of flight.

Ball position for the fairway woods should be just inside your left heel. Try to stand so that the club is a direct extension from your left arm to the ball. Your weight should be evenly distributed between your right and left sides and you should be standing comfortably back between the balls and the heels of your feet.

Both knees should be flexed so that you’re in a half sitting, half standing position. The feeling reminds me of a position I used to occupy frequently during the evenings of my early days on the tour — sitting on a bar stool!

Before I discuss my own swing, let me say that I’ve never read a golf instruction book in my life. However, I’ve always been fortunate to have had something better — a father who is a teaching professional.

Takeaway

Ir there’s one concept that my dad instilled in me early, it was an appreciation of the golf swing as one unified movement rather than as a competition between the right and left sides or a race between the top and bottom. The theorists who preach a swing dominated by the one side or the other or a concentration on the upper torso or the legs, are getting dangerously distant from the central idea of a smooth, flowing golf swing.

The sequence here shows a 5-wood shot, but my swing is almost identical for the driver, all the woods and the long irons. The most important part of this, or any, swing, is the beginning — the takeaway. If you can perform that initial move correctly, a good swing will follow. If you make a mistake in the takeaway, the odds will be against you for the rest of the swing.

Backswing

My own takeaway for the long shots is a wide, one-piece sweep back from the ball. The rotation of my left shoulder pushes my left arm and moves the club several inches back and just inside the target line. After the clubhead passes my right foot a natural raising effect takes place. This is purely a function of the continuing shoulder turn. There is no deliberate “lift” of the club, and I do not make a conscious effort to break my wrists.

At the same time that the preceding action is going on, the lower half of my body begins to could. My left knee bends slightly and moves outward, pointing directly at the ball. 

By the time my hands are waist high, the club is exactly parallel to the ground. There has been a small break in the wrists, but the club is still very much an extension of my left arm. My left knee has continued its rotation out toward the ball. 

A friend of mine was kind enough ti rape the television coverage of the Masters. About a week after the tournament, I was able to watch those films I was amazed at what I saw. At the top of my backswing, the club was actually parallel. 

I can’t remember the last time I was taking that big a swing and I’m very pleased to see that I’m doing it. It’s an indication to me that I’ve been able to add power without losing any accuracy.

The only way to develop a long swing that is also a controlled swing is to increase your shoulder turn. I make a turn of more than 90 degrees, which for me is pretty good since I’m built thickly. I was able to increase mu turn to its present size through exercise and through practice swinging with a weighted club. I’d recommend this to anyone interested in more distance. The principle of the shoulder turn is similar to shooting a bow and arrow. The more you can pull back, the greater spring and power you’ll have on the way through.

Note a couple of other things at the top of the backswing. My wrists have cocked fully and naturally, my hips have coiled about 46 degrees and my left knee has rotated to the extent that it is now pointing behind the ball. 

Downswing

It is the return of the left knee to the left side that starts my downswing. This pulling action by the knee is accompanied by an uncoiling of the hips and a downward pull on the golf club with the left hand.

Throughout this uncoiling process I keep my arm, wrist and hand positions about the same as they were at the top of the backswing. I remember vividly my boyhood sessions on the practice tee under the critical eyes of my father. I’d be hitting wood shots and I’d smash one 250 down the middle. My dad would shake his head and say “no good.” I’d hit another one 250 and straight and again he’d mutter his disapproval. Why? My leg action was a bit off.

Ever since those days, I have worked hard to make the proper moves with feet, legs and hips. The right foot is the thrust  point for the leg drive into impact, while the left foot is nailed firmly in the ground, setting up a solid brace up and down the left side of my body. The right knee is as active on the downswing as the left knee was one the way back, and the hips continue their uncoiling as my weight transfers almost completely to my left side.

At impact the club and left arm have formed the same straight-line position they were in during address and takeaway. As I move through the ball my head stays down and my right arm straightens into a full extension. At the finish of the swing I feel well-balanced and comfortably erect, with my hips level, my hands high and my right toe pointed directly into the ground.