Fairway wood off the deck.

[TTH83]

In short, how?

I typically leave my fairway woods untouched during a round because it's just a comedy of errors when I try to swing them. I'm not much better with my long irons, though, and I'd like to have one semi-reliable shot in my bag for the second shot of a par 5. Any tips? (Will post a swing video when I get the chance)

Also, how do you practice hitting woods off the deck? Hit off the carpet at the range? The grass tee areas at my range don't really reflect fairway conditions.

[TWG50]

I learned by teeing the ball very low to the ground and gaining confidence in the club.  Once I had a bit of confidence, I would lower the tee until it was even with the turf.  Then I removed the tee altogether.

I follow the same process today if my fairway woods are getting surly.

Good luck.

[B-Con]

I almost always use a 3-hybrid for those second shots. Usually there's very little to no chance of getting pin-high on the second shot, but a solid strike will leave me with a full PW, which isn't bad. The 3-wood introduces the potential for another 30 yards of distance under perfect conditions, and 15 to 20 under decent conditions, but it also introduce the potential for -50 yards. That said, I occasionally use the 3-wood off the deck and I do practice with it. The problem is that it has the length, and to some extent the feel, of a driver, but off the deck it doesn't have that same level of up-down forgiveness that a tee'd up ball gives you. So typical misses with the driver aren't as easily forgiven with the 3-wood. Good weight transfer is usually key for hitting it well; locking up and swinging "around" at it is a recipe for disaster. I try to hit it with a slightly descending blow and I play it a bit farther back in my stance than I would suspect is average, pretty close to a long iron's ball position. I usually practice off the matts.

[hammerhead]

I used to have the same problem with the fairway woods and the long irons. once I learned that I didnt have to overswing to make them go far everything got better. dont swing the woods like a driver swing them the same speed as a 7 iron. same with the long irons.

It heloed me alot .hope it does the same for you.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Learning to "hit down on them" helped me.  I put that in quotes because I'm sure I'm not actually hitting down on them, but it feels like it.  Some times I do take a divot, if the conditions are soft.

[inthehole]

Learning to confidently hit a fairway wood off the deck has been my primary focus for the last year.   I struggled with this an unbelievable amount when I first started playing - hated my 3wood.      I'm money with my 3 wood now- it's actually more accurate than my hybrid & it's my go to club for the short grass.

I've learned three things:

1. Choke up about an inch and a half - hitting a club almost as long as your driver off the deck is a failed concept for most golfers - choking up makes it feel like a big headed hybrid.    Grip it normally off the tee, but choke up on the deck.

2. Swing easy.   For me, nothing good EVER comes from swinging hard when hitting a fairway wood off the deck.     Furthermore, you don't have to swing hard to get surprisingly good length out of a well struck 3w.

3. Swing easy.

[Mattplusness]

Swing easy and make solid contact.

Can't tell you how many time's I've topped one... gosh

[TTH83]

The way I finally learned to make decent contact with a driver off the tee was to flatten my swing arc a bit (apparently I was trying to swing the driver like an iron, I guess?). Is this flatter arc the approach I should take with a fairway wood?

Also, does a fairway wood depend on hitting down as much as an iron? Say, if a ball is fluffed up on the first cut of rough, is that an opportunity to treat it like a tee and go ham on it?

[Shaggie13]

Like others have said, you still have a descending blow with your 3 wood, don't be afraid to take a little turf.  Also, what I find that helps is to not over swing or over rotate, keep your head/eyes as steady/still as possible, and focus on making solid contact and a balanced finish.

[GaijinGolfer]

Like the others said, swing easy, grip down, hit down on it and trust the loft.  A lot of people get in trouble with a FW because they try to play it forward in their stance and help the ball into the air.  That doesnt work when hitting it off the deck.

[NCSU_MSE]

In my experience you also have to be very picky about when you choose to go with the 3 wood off the deck.  If the ball is sitting down a little bit, I'll leave the 3W in the bag and go with a 3H.

[TTH83]

I desperately want to add a 3H to my bag, but it's going to be hell convincing the wife to let me buy another club.

[DocParty]

hitting down on them 'to an extent' is a good method. you are not really doing that however. you are just taking the extreme sweeping swing you use on your driver with a high tee'd up ball and making it more of a U shaped swing. an iron is more of a V shaped swing, a driver is more of a C shaped swing if you could put the C on its back to take a look see. hope I've confused you all.

I took my three wood and had it cut down to the same length that my well hitting clubs are at (5h,4h,5w) and it helped a lot.

people just have to remember that you are not going to get the distance with a well struck 3 wood as you will with a well struck driver. then again you'll get a lot more distance from a well hit 3 wood than you will with a poorly hit driver, which is what most weekenders end up having as a number one complaint.

gotta choose a club you have confidence in and then trust it to do the work.

Doc

[DocParty]

iron is more of a V swing

fairway wood is more of a U swing

driver is more of a C swing if you can put the C on its back to have a look see at what I mean. (an O with the top 25 percent removed)

Doc

[Lihu]

I desperately want to add a 3H to my bag, but it's going to be hell convincing the wife to let me buy another club. :no:

It's well worth it. You can get the older model to rescues at Dicks for $69.99 to $129.99 for last year. She should not complain too much about $70? If so take her out to a nice dinner.

[Spudmonkey]

Originally Posted by NCSU_MSE

In my experience you also have to be very picky about when you choose to go with the 3 wood off the deck.  If the ball is sitting down a little bit, I'll leave the 3W in the bag and go with a 3H.

Good advice, if its even a slightly cuppy lie leave the fairway in the bag, A hybrid is a much better choice.

[Beachcomber]

This is something I've been playing around with a lot at the range... Trying to master the fariway wood off the deck.

Mainly I've found that I really have to focus on the following setup changes:

1.) Ball position (near left armpit).

2.) Get my weight shifted a little more toward my right side at address (40% on my left foot, 60% on my right foot)

3.) Bump or preset my left hip at address forward - or toward the target

4.) This moves my head a little more behind the ball

5.) Ensure I have the proper waist bend and knee bend (inclination to the ground)

Once I get the proper setup, and make a controlled swing... I can hit decent 3W's off the deck.  Not 100% of the time... This is what I'm working towards.  But more consistent.  I've pretty much nailed the setup routine with my 5 hybrid though.  And can hit it with not issue.  So I believe it will only be a matter of time until I can get the same consistency with my 3W from the deck.

[cooke119]

Fairway woods are my 'go to' clubs. I have a 3,5, and 7. I use them versus hybrids in most situations. I've always had trouble with long irons so I have learned to hit them. I don't think I hit down on them, it is more of a sweeping stroke. I never take a divot with them, I envision the club flattening out on the grass just behind the ball. I hear the 'click' and I know I'm in business. I do practice a lot at the range hitting off the mat as you would an iron. If I am not hitting my driver that well on particular day I will use my three wood off the tee but not off the deck, I use a tee but keep it very low. Keep at it, they are well worth the effort.