Struggling to hit your woods off the fairway? Here's how it's done with Lauren Blease, Women & Golf instructor
Fairway woods are great clubs and can be extremely useful, especially on long holes, so follow this instruction to ensure that you can pull it out of your bag with confidence.
Fairway Wood set up
Ball position is crucial and should be just forward of centre, in between the middle of your stance and a driver ball position.
This will help you to get maximum loft on the ball whilst also compressing the ball at impact.
Smooth operator
👈 Make a smooth takeaway and don’t try to hit the ball too hard just because it is a longer club.
Don’t get too steep on your takeaway as you do with an iron, you’re aiming for a slightly flatter swing.👉
Keep on moving
👈 A common fault with woods is similar to irons, in that players tend to hang back on the shot and not complete the forward swing, which results in tops and thins.
It’s really important to move
your weight forward on the downswing and hit down on the ball to feel a solid and well struck shot. 👉
Feel the shot
👆 When taking a practice swing, ensure you hit the ground and sweep the grass.
Confidence builder
A lot of people struggle to hit their woods consistently from the fairway- so you're not alone!
By using the drill in the video above, you will be able to make sure you transfer your weight correctly and hit your fairway woods properly
Here's a look at the drill:
To make sure that you stay down on the ball, place a tee in front of the ball a clubhead width away. The aim is to hit the ball and then the tee, moving the tee forward. This is a great way to keep the clubhead closer to the ground longer through impact and prevent any upward movement.
Choose wisely
Finally, a common mistake is when players try to use a fairway wood from the rough. It’s rarely a successful outcome and just causes disheartenment. A fairway wood should only be used from a nice lie on the fairway or off the tee. When you are in the rough, a hybrid or an iron is the best club to use, as it can slide through the rough easier, whereas a wood will often get caught in the grass.
The above Instruction article was taken from the Mar/Apr 2019 issue of Women & Golf magazine and the video was filmed at Foxhills in 2018.
