3 woods?!?

[justinmill14]

Well when i was at the driving range last week i put the ball down without a tee and i hit great with it, but then today i got out to the course and i attempted it about 3 or 4 times, and every single time i hit it oh about 10 feet or so! i think is that im just not getting under it any, is there anything that i should do to get better at it or something that i should do different.

[mochila]

I stuggle with a three wood too, mainly because I have a steep angle of attack that makes it hard to hit the three wood without a tee. Try to just sweep the ball off of the grass and not hit down as much as with an iron.

[titaniummd]

At the range, one tends to hit with compensations for poor swings. After 10 or so swings, you are hitting like a pro. However, when you are actually playing, you don't get those 'adjustments'. Learn to set up your shot the same way, as you would play.

Work on hitting the 3 wood off of the tee, then progressively push the tee further into the ground until you are hitting without a tee. It is a sweeping move to get the ball to fly.

[justinmill14]

alright thanks titaniummd, i never thought of that before

[Stacey_E]

I don't carry a 3 wood. By my calculations IF i hit a 3 wood off the deck it would need to go 210+ to be in the bag. If I'm 210 from the green either it's a par 5 and I can't get home in 2, or a par 4 with a terrible drive, and I should just take my lumps and try to get up and down.

[Treemagnet]

Well when i was at the driving range last week i put the ball down without a tee and i hit great with it, but then today i got out to the course and i attempted it about 3 or 4 times, and every single time i hit it oh about 10 feet or so!

You really want to hit down at a 3wood, like your iron shots , and not get under the ball. Let the loft of the club do the work at getting the ball in the air. When I use a 3 wood at the tee box I'll tee the ball no more than 1/4" off the ground any more than that and your asking for a sky rocket. Just play your woods a little more foward in your stance and make the same swing as you would with your irons. Practice ,practice,practice. Hope this helps.

[GaijinGolfer]

How do you hit down at the ball if you are playing it foreward in your stance? Personally, I tee the ball high and high when Im going to hit 3-wood, so that half of the ball is above the crown of the club at impact. I almost never get a sky rocket shot.

[Treemagnet]

I hit my woods just like my irons, just move the ball a little more foward than center in my stace, But Thats something a pros lesson could tell you better than I could. And to tee the ball high for 3wood Is'nt right. How many pros do you see tee there fairway woods up high. Just want to help you so you don't teach yourself bad habits.

[jambalaya]

Definitely do not try to get the club under the ball. That is why you are hitting those bad shots. Fight the impulse the give it that little extra as the club comes into the ball. Just let the the club accellerate smoothly through the ball. The loft of the club will get the ball in the air. No need to try any lift action or dig under the ball.

[justinmill14]

alright thanks, and im not talking about teeing off with 3 wood im talking about hitting it off the ground on like my second shot when im still 150/200 yards away

[jambalaya]

alright thanks, and im not talking about teeing off with 3 wood im talking about hitting it off the ground on like my second shot when im still 150/200 yards away

That is where I was coming from with my answer. I have to tell myself almost every time I use my 3 or 5 wood to hit a ball off the deck, to swing smoothly. The impulse try to hit the ball a little harder to get it off the ground is strong with most of us. Imagine the club coming into the ball and the bottom of the club clipping about a 1/4" inch off the top of the grass as it makes contact with the ball (you don't want to hit way behind the ball). Imagine the bottom edge being very sharp and require little effort to cut through. Your ball position should be between the middle of your stance and the front heel. Good luck.

[kafka01]

I think the simplest solution is - practice your 3wood.

I just love my 3wood - and i learned to hit it from almost everywhere (tee, fairway, semirough, bunker, uphill, downhill, sidehill) and also to manipulate shots very well - but i hit a gazillion balls with 3woods (i destroyed 2 woods in the process) so far and i saw the progress and reward over the time - dont expect to hit 100 balls with a 3wood off the deck and expect to master it on the course.

Personally i always practice it from the deck - never using a tee, since i dont really have a tee under it when hitting it on the course.

[justinmill14]

alright thanks to both of u guys, and i worked with it a little today and i finally got it off the ground and hit it a good 175 yards to right beside the green which lead me to a chip and then a 15 foot put for my first birdie ever! and it was on a par 5. i was so excited