Hitting a fairway wood can be tough sledding for many golfers. But, when used correctly, they can make a huge difference in your scores.
For those players who don’t bomb it with their driver, a fairway wood can help make up for some shorter distance of the tee. So, instead of having to lay up on a long par 4 or an even longer par 5, this club allows you to be aggressive and maximize distance.
Of course, that’s assuming you know how to hit it.
10 tips to help you hit amazing fairway woods
Oftentimes, too many players try to swing as hard as they can without understanding the proper swing fundamentals. When this happens, bad things can occur — like chunking or topping the ball.
To help avoid any disaster when using your fairway woods, Tommy Fleetwood is here to offer some tips (courtesy of TaylorMade’s YouTube channel).
Not only will you stop mishitting your woods, but you’ll actually understand how to see more consistency each time you swing it. So check out Fleetwood’s advice below.
Tommy Fleetwood gives his tips to master your fairway woods
In the video above, Fleetwood says he focuses on three main keys when using his fairway wood: ball position, a big turn, and feeling like he’s just brushing the grass.
First, he describes his setup to the ball, saying he grips down on his fairway wood just a bit (as he does with every club).
“I grip down on every [club], so I drop my hands lower on the grip on the fairway wood,” he says. “Ball position will be towards my left heel, which is just for a stock shot. When it gets to manipulating the ball and moving it around, I’ll try and do as much in the setup as possible.”
Next, Fleetwood says the key to avoiding mishits with the fairway wood is both posture and balance. He doesn’t want to take a divot, but he also doesn’t want to hit this shot as if he’s using a driver — something many amateurs may make the mistake of doing.
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“It’s a fairway wood, so even though I’m hitting off the ground, I still don’t really want to take a divot. But I also don’t want to catch it from behind like a driver,” he adds.
“The main focus is just keeping level and, through impact, brushing the grass. That’s something I keep in mind pretty much most of the time in my swing.”
Finally, because a fairway wood has a longer shaft than an iron, Fleetwood always works on having a bigger rotation in the backswing, helping generate power to maximize his distance.
“It’s a wood, so it’s a longer club,” he adds. “So make sure to get a big hip turn on the way back and make sure I get enough turn and energy to get behind the ball in the way back without swaying off of it.”
So, if you’re looking to master your fairway woods, remember the three most important checkpoints from Fleetwood: “Good setup, good ball position, good turn.”