How do you hit woods?

[twomey7]

I can't hit my 3 wood or 4 wood good for the life of me. I always seem to top it, or hit it and it just rolls down the fairway for a hundred yards or so. Any tips on how to hit these woods? I've read that you basically hit them similar to your iron, nothing too different, but I thinki it might be wrong. Thanks!

[World Golf Reviews]

What I do is play the ball just forward in your stance, grip down around an inch,
and make a smooth swing, causing a descending blow on the ball.
You want to take a little divot, but not cause the club to get stuck.

Also, in your stance, make sure the shaft is angled a little forward in order to ensure contact with the ball first, and then driving the ball into the ground, causing a divot. Remember not to kill it, but to make a smooth swing, and swing at around 85%.

Hope this helps.

[ks8829]

If you are topping your fairwoods that means that your ball position is too far forward. Try having the ball further back in your stance until you make solid contact.

Once you make contact, let us know how the trajectory of the shot and what direction it goes.

good luck.

[GaijinGolfer]

Like the other said, put it a little foreward in your stance.
I disagree with them about hitting the ball with a descending blow. The way I hit my woods is that I sweep the ball up off the ground. Thats the way I was taught to do it.

[ks8829]

I hit my 3 wood with a high flight or a lower penetrating trajectory by the way I take the club away from the ball.

If I pick up the club immediately from the ball I will get a high flight, but in some wind conditions I want a lower trajectory and I will take the club back lower. both ways you need to make solid contact first.

If you are topping the ball the club is comming up and hitting the top section of the golf ball. The bottom of the arc is already before the ball and the golfer needs to make an adjustment by moving the ball further back in their stance.

[lolzzlolzz]

Life's too short to learn one swing, let alone two for woods and irons (and other swings for other clubs). You should use the same swing for all clubs and all shots.

[GaijinGolfer]

Life's too short to learn one swing, let alone two for woods and irons (and other swings for other clubs). You should use the same swing for all clubs and all shots.

Different situations call for different shots. If you limit yourself by only having 1 swing, you are a pretty 1 dimensional player and you are really cutting yourself short as far as how much your skills can develop and how good you can become.

[King Cobra II]

I use to (sometimes still do) hit my woods the same way. What I focus on now is really keeping my head on the ball, this seems to have helped. Maybe take a bit of your swing and focus on solid contact, and the ball will certinley go.

[montru]

I had the same thing, got myself some Cobras,played the ball about one ball back in my stance and hey presto! never looked back since LOL

[lolzzlolzz]

Different situations call for different shots. If you limit yourself by only having 1 swing, you are a pretty 1 dimensional player and you are really cutting yourself short as far as how much your skills can develop and how good you can become.

Don't listen to me, listen to Ben Hogan. He said this many times himself. Also, one swing doesn't limit you. I can hit half shots, bunker shots, draws, fades, low shots, high shots... all without changing my swing.

If Ben Hogan, who is known to have practiced 8+ hours every day, says that "life is too short to master one swing, let alone two," then why do 80% of amateurs think they should "hit the ball with a descending blow," or "sweep the ball," or whatever else they do for different clubs and different shots.