Luke is an avid weekend-warrior golfer from the East Coast who plays golf more than he cares to admit.
There will be many golfers out there who cannot get the distance that many of the pros do when it comes to their drive, and as a result they may be looking for an alternative.
Therefore, hitting a fairway wood the right way can make or break their golf game.
This is especially true for seniors or women in golf, and if you can master the art of fairway woods – you can consistently improve your game.
What a lot of golfers might not know is that not all golf swings are necessarily the same, so we’re going to explore how you can hit a fairway wood the best way and improve your game.
Read on to learn more!
[1] Watch Your Posture
Your posture will play a critical role in your golf swing and this is definitely the case when it comes to hitting a fairway wood.
The key to getting great contact with the ball will come from the correct posture, so be sure that you bend forward from the hips with your chest over your toes, which can allow your arms to hang.
This makes hitting the ball so much easier than it sometimes is – especially if your setup is all there.
Don’t misunderstand though, hand eye coordination is certainly very important when it comes to your swing, but the posture has to be right first and foremost.
If you’ve got the posture right, after your swing, you will notice that your arms return to their starting position naturally. This is important because it indicates repeatability and that’s the key to consistency.
It also allows you to work on your swing much more easily and effectively because you can rinse and repeat until it becomes second nature.
[2] Check The Ball Position
One of the key factors to a great fairway wood is where you position the ball. Similar to using a long iron or a hybrid, the ball should be positioned slightly forward but centered to your body.
You might at this point be asking yourself – well, why is this important?
Simply put, fairways are usually now very short grass, so in order to hit a very firm and solid fairway wood, you need to make a divot and hit the ground.
This cannot be done if your ball is so far forward, like it might be for a driver, because you will likely hit the ground prior to hitting the ball and this can result in poor distance and it will compromise the impact point – not to mention a poor contact with the ball.
It’s actually a good idea to perform a few practice swings where you hit the ground and observe where the club is making contact with the ground when compared with your stance.
Almost always you will notice the contact will be pretty much centered – meaning that at the point of address, you need to position the ball accordingly.
[3] Listen For The “Thump”
If you’ve got the previous two points down to a tee, then you will be able to hear a slight thump when the club makes contact with the ground. It’s the sound of the club brushing the ground.
If you do not hear this and you’re not getting this contact, then you can ascertain that your club is not low enough to the ground and you will struggle to get the higher launch which you will need.
[4] Respect Your Practice Swing
Many golfers out there will not be too concerned about their practice swing, but it’s something that can really make all the difference when it comes to hitting a fairway wood the right way.
Muscle memory is one of the most crucial things to pay attention to here. As your movement will likely be repeatable for a short time, your practice swing can be very useful to get your swing right.
[5] Watch Your Trail Arm!
While you’re practicing your swing, you’ll want to watch where your trailing arm is going and be sure to straighten it.
While you conduct your backswing, your trail arm will bend – so when it comes time for the club to slowly head towards the ground – straighten it out.
This is similar to a throwing motion, and you will help to create a fantastic fully extended arm which can help to drive the ball with more force and keep the direction of the swing.
One of the best ways to practice this is by doing a few minutes without a club and then a few minutes with the club.
It might also be beneficial to video record yourself doing this and check for any errors which you may not be aware of.
[6] Turn Around Your Body
While it is important that your posture remains the same with your swing, you will notice that you are going to be placed further back from the ball.
This is simply because the shaft length of a fairway wood is longer than that of a driver. As a result of this though, you will feel the club swinging around your body when you’re performing your backswing.
This is when it’s a good idea to turn around your body to create a beautiful curving arc which allows your underarm to lead and provide you with more strength and stability – meaning you’ll get much better contact.
[7] Relax And Keep Your Balance
Finally, it’s important that you relax. Take a breath before you swing and ensure you’re keeping your balance.
If you are shaky, you will likely lose your balance and being off-balance can significantly decrease your efficacy of the swing.
Final Thoughts
If you follow some of our top tips we’ve shown above, you should be able to improve your fairway wood hitting and overall get your game right up!
