5 wood help

I've only recently just got a 5 wood after playing for a year and a half with only a driver being the wood in my bag.  I'm having trouble swinging it though and read to sweep it off the deck/tee and to also aim to try and take a small divot.

At the range tonight, I found that when I tried to sweep, I ended up topping every one badly or hitting a daisy cutter which leaked out to the right, however, when trying to swing like an iron it went ok but not brilliant.  Which is the correct option and any tips on how to avoid topping it so much?

It has to do with your swing characteristics.

Advice for more than 20 years has been to sweep the FWs off the fairway.

But, if that doesn't work, hitting down on the ball slightly may help. You don't want to chunk a wedge-like divot, but a little downward strike may help.

This year, hitting down a little has greatly improve my contact after a couple of iffy seasons with the FWs.

One way to do this without messing with your swing is to "move the ball back" in your stance (away from the front foot). Try small adjustments until you find your best position.

Also, swing smoothly - everything longer than a 5i is a tempo club.

Sweeping fairway woods is the correct method you should learn.

It is no different than hitting a driver off a tee.

A good tip: practice at the range by dragging the club along the ground in you take away for as long as possible, before you lift the club as you make your shoulder turn.

An important key: maintain the club perpendicular to your shoulders in the back swing / takeaway until your arms lift the club.

Low and slow tempo will help create a good basic arc for hitting your woods.

Rule of Thumb - Long clubs = Long sweeping arc..........

Club Rat

Not a bad time to invest in a lesson....  You've invested in a new club.  The expense of practicing and the potential for poor shots on the course can greatly offset the cost of a lesson.  If the pro gets your fairway wood swing sorted out pretty quickly, have at least a short list of other issues you might like to work on handy.

I know you're supposed to "sweep" a fairway more than a hybrid, but for me it really feels about the same.  Definitely hitting down on the ball, but I am more a "picker" than "digger" most of the time anyhow, so maybe that's part of it.

Here is a great lesson / practice with a 5 wood or hybrid.

Take a small bucket of range balls over to a practice sand bunker where one can practice hitting your woods or hybrids.

IF one tries to dig this shot, they will have difficult executing this practice.

IF you sweep the ball, one should have better results.

If you are having difficulties with this practice, use a tee and tee up a few shots and then place the ball on the sand surface and try again.

Also, if you can practice these shots in different areas of the bunker where it is required to get the shot up quickly to carry the lip, one will develop the ability to hit a higher trajectory.

Club Rat

I hate giving advice because I have such a high handicap, but the 5 wood is the most consistent club in the bag - even off the fairway (don't know why).

I don't think about sweeping it, I just try to swing easy (it's a 5 wood, it'll carry) and I concentrate on making contact with the ground and ball at about the same time (shallow angle of attack). Really try to control your speed until you get a feel for what works. Good luck.

There are two sides to this story. Yes and No.

Yes players having too many swing thoughts can lead to executing improperly and lead to confusion when confronted with the need to play the club mentioned over the course of the day.

No, Don't think about it. This forum is a great place for player's trying to learn by asking advise.

Yes they should make their own decisions on suggestions and use the advice during their practice time on the range.

Set up and tempo are strong keys to proper execution in every golf swing.

The game drives everyone "Nuts" that's one of the many reasons why we love the game of golf.

"Just hit the darn thing" is usually followed with a player yelling "fore", then followed by reaching in the bag for another ball to put into play.

And, sometimes often followed with a sincere apology to a stranger as you walk over in the adjacent fairway, looking for the first ball you had just given a good wack!

Club Rat

The point I was trying to make is if you concentrate on setup and tempo, and with a decent swing, you won't be yelling "fore."

I've seen all of these threads on how to hit a hybrid, how to hit a fairway - but if you don't have a swing, you won't have a "thing."

When I hit any typical shot (not specialty) with a ball on the ground, if I've set it up and execute correctly, I'm taking a small divot in front of the ball.

I'd advise the OP to work on swing fundamentals - thinking too much of sweeping can lead to topping, thinking too much of going steep and you can take a deep divot before the ball.

I had trouble with my 3 wood off the ground for quite awhile.  What I learned for me was that hitting a fairway wood off the ground requires 1) Low and slow like mentioned above, and 2) a slightly flatter swing than any other club.  Consciously taking the club back slightly farther inside helped me rip my 3 wood, and I quit chunking it or hitting heel fades off the fairway.

Another thought on your post about "topping the ball" indicating you have been playing only a driver and your tendencies are to hit your five wood may be similar to your swing with a driver.

You most likely are trying to hit your driver on the "up swing" which is common and OK.

But when hitting fair woods with an upswing, it will produce a result of "topping the ball"

Suggestions to take a small divot after impact, will improve two fundamentals which are good practice. As per Dr Desmond.

A divot after the ball strike with a fairway wood will help you "stay down during the swing" as opposed to coming out of a swing which will usually produces a big slice or "daisy cut".

A divot after the ball strike with a fairway wood would be the result of a player attempting to hit a low stinger off a fairway lie or the ruff.

For a player to obtain good results of hitting a 5 wood to ones potential, which produces a long high shot, requires flush contact.

The 5 wood, like every club can be used for multiple options on various shots during ones round.

A 5 wood's in ones hand gives him the potential to play an abundance of shots, pending on the skill level of the player.

As a suggestion to a relatively new player, practice an abundance of shots from various conditions with every club.

You will then reach a median of skill and potential and improve.

When you become deadly accurate with a 5 wood into a green, as a pitching wedge, the you will truly understand these comments.

Enjoy the journey, Club Rat

I think you should go to where you can hit balls into a net, so you don't have to spend a fortune on range balls.  Start with real short swings - like a chip shot -or- pitch shot.  Get that good feeling of contacting the ball in the center of the clubhead.  And then gradually work up to a full swing.  Yes, you want to hit slightly down on the ball - but don't overdue it.  But if you start with short swings, I think that solid feeling will start to happen on full swings.