Need drills to hit my fairway woods higher off the ground

[Golfman91]

Hi everyone,

I have recently gotten my handicap to drop a couple of strokes since the beginning of the season. One thing I am still having troubles with is hitting my fairway woods off the ground on the par 5's or long par 4's.

Do you guys know any good tips or drills to help me get this problem fixed?

Thanks!

[powerfader]

I just concentrate on sweeping the club back very low for about 12 inches to start my swing, that stops the natural impulse we have to emulate our iron swing.

[cirem22]

hitting it out of the rough or on the fairway? I know that when the ball is in the rough my 3hybrid is much easier to hit than the 3 wood.

[ks8829]

1) What I found to help is to break your wrist on the backswing and take the club right up.

2) Or aim slightly left of your intended target and slightly open the club face and this will get the ball up in the air.

3) Finally get a more lofted fairway wood.


If you are getting the fairway wood up in the air the ultimate test or final exam, if you will, is to try hitting your driver off the fairway.

[Zeph]

Don't try to hit up on the ball. Strike it at the bottom of the swing or a bit downward.

[Golfman91]

Thanks guys these tips are very helpful.
I going to the range tonight and I'll work on my woods then.

Thanks!

[Lou Reed]

a) your posture is needs to be correct and your muscles loose
b) rhythm is key - let the club do the work

hope these tips help

[rothkin]

I once struggled with it but soon fixed it with this very easy drill at the Driving range.

First warm up your swing until you feel comfortable enough to swing a fairway wood.
Second, hit about 10-15 balls off your normal tee height.
Third, move down the tee a little bit (an inch to half an inch should be sufficient) and hit 10-15 balls or as many until you feel comfortable at that tee height.
Fourth, hit 10-15 balls with your fairway wood off the turf. This gradual change in height will help you hit it off the turf with ease. Hope I helped.

[blcorn80]

I've been hitting my 5-wood better than ever this year and it's due to one change that I've made - I concentrate on swinging at about 70% of what I used to. Not revolutionary, I know...

I finally realized that with the longer shaft, my hands don't have to be going very fast for the clubhead to really be moving. Add to that the (relative) ease of hitting the ball pure with a slower swing and I've been consistently getting 225-235 with a nice little draw off the deck with my 5-wood. Very satisfying!

[Thaddy]

  powerfader said:

I just concentrate on sweeping the club back very low for about 12 inches to start my swing, that stops the natural impulse we have to emulate our iron swing.

Along with doing this, I make sure my back swing is slow and controlled. It's been working well so far this year.

[Golfman91]

Thanks guys, I played yesterday and I was hitting my woods much much better than I used to. Im going out again tomorrow and will try those drills you have talked about.

Thanks so much!!

[Thaddy]

  Golfman91 said:

Thanks guys, I played yesterday and I was hitting my woods much much better than I used to. Im going out again tomorrow and will try those drills you have talked about.

If you have a range with a grass hitting area, that's another great way to get in some practice. I've stopped hitting off of the mats completely, even with my driver. You'll rarely get a perfect lie on the course (sometimes even the tee box) so why practice that way?

I used to have the same problem, but I spent a lot of time practicing the shots I was missing on the course and now I'm just as confident hitting my woods from the fairway as off the tee.

[hawkbirdie]

I followed the tip for sweeping the club back, and it worked for me on the range, so now I have to see if it stands up on the course.