I can’t hit fairway woods off the deck

[iacas]

2 hours ago, WUTiger said:

I own an older Callaway stiff-shafted 3W that I can hit consistently about 180 yards. But, it doesn't go very high; plus, I can match that yardage with my 4H.

Of course it doesn't go very high. You're swinging at ~75 MPH. Next up… your old 2-iron doesn't go high either. And that's why you have a 4H, because even your 4I doesn't go very high.

My daughter has a 3W. It has 16° loft, and… the biggest trick… a pretty flexible shaft. That alone adds a few degrees of dynamic loft, and helps get the ball launched high enough that it's still a worthwhile club for her to use.

If you can get the ball high enough, the idea that you have to swing it at 100 MPH+ is bogus.

[mvmac]

On 11/13/2017 at 7:14 PM, John1974 said:

Hey guys I need some help. I've recently started playing more golf more often as of late. I have issues with hitting fairway woods off the deck,always been my Achilles heel. I've recently been considering going just with driver and irons only. I hit my driver fairly consistent,not perfect with it by no means. I play with Ping Eye 2 2-lw. Do you think it's a wise move. Thank you for your help

Hi @John1974, while not specific to hitting a fairway wood, these would be good threads to check out. Setting up with some "reverse-K" could be a big help.

 

[Lihu]

18 minutes ago, iacas said:

If you can get the ball high enough, the idea that you have to swing it at 100 MPH+ is bogus.

Agree, they sell so many 3W, I would think something the average male golfer can achieve? Maybe I didn't hear something like "with a stiff shaft" or some other qualifier?

[Marty2019]

I don't carry a 3W.  I carry a driver and a 5W.  I can hit my 5W about 210 off the fairway, if I hit it well, which lately is about 80% of the time.  I don't see any reason the carry a 3W.  I really have no use for it. 

I guess I have a fairly "senior" type of set.  12 degree Driver, 5W, 3H, 4H, 5H, 6i, 7i, 8i, 9i, PW, UW, SW, 60 degree wedge, and putter.  That's 14. 

Like I said before, the thing that helps me hit my 5W off the fairway is to keep my head really still, and take a fairly easy swing at it.  Just make solid contact.  It's amazing how far and straight the ball will go if you just hit it squarely. 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2017 by Marty2019

[JonMA1]

Hitting any of my clubs "like a pro" or swinging 100mph isn't even on my radar. 

The longer the club, the more difficult it is for me to control the shot. But the longer the club, the farther the ball can be advanced. So there's the trade off.

If I felt like this was something I could never get, I would go with a 5w and never look back. But when I do make good contact with a 3w, I get plenty of height and more distance than anything else in the bag (from off the turf). Even with poorer contact, I still get more distance than a good shot with a mid-iron.

Because advancing the ball is so important, I think for me it's worth investing the time trying to reduce the shot zone with a 3w. At some point I'll know whether or not to give up.

I'm still amazed at those who can regularly hit tight greens with these clubs. That might be something I'll never get any good at, but I'd at least like to get to the point where I'm confident of keeping the ball in play.

5 hours ago, WUTiger said:

I own an older Callaway stiff-shafted 3W that I can hit consistently about 180 yards. But, it doesn't go very high; plus, I can match that yardage with my 4H.

Just for fun - and because of this thread - I took my oldest son's 3w (S-Flex) out to the field and hit some from off the turf. 

Man, that club was hard to hit!

I might have taken 20 shots and only 2 or 3 of them ended up being decent (long, straight and somewhat high). Some had a good launch angle but sliced, others were low line drives, and a few were just duffs (can't really blame the club on those).

I think I'll stick with my regular flex clubs.

[WUTiger]

Clarification: The older stiff-shafted Callaway 3W I mentioned is not a club I play with. I carry R-shafted 815 Alphas set to 4W and 7W lofts.

[Lihu]

17 hours ago, JonMA1 said:

Because advancing the ball is so important, I think for me it's worth investing the time trying to reduce the shot zone with a 3w. At some point I'll know whether or not to give up.

I might be wrong on this, but to me a 3W is just like a driver for the fairways and that maximizing distance should be a good priority rather than improving accuracy with the potential side effect of reducing distance?

My next longest club is my hybrid, and that is a club where I try to improve my accuracy. I might be wrong on that as well, but that's my strategy.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Lihu

[JonMA1]

3 hours ago, Lihu said:

I might be wrong on this, but to me a 3W is just like a driver for the fairways and that maximizing distance should be a good priority rather than improving accuracy with the potential side effect of reducing distance?

You're probably right @Lihu, but I've given up on adding any distance to each of my clubs. Whatever distance I get from decent contact is good enough to play up to 6,000 yards. Working on improving distance without improving accuracy has never made sense from my perspective. But gaining distance because I'm confident enough to pull more club is kind of how I look at it.

Of course if my opinion was worth anything I wouldn't be struggling to break 100 all the time..

---

My apologies if this is too far off topic, or so over-the-top obvious that it shouldn't be posted... 

(not to scale)

If the center cone represents the current game of a 56 y/o high capper, and the cone on the left represents a low single digit player, the cone on the right seems more doable. Any ambitions of hitting as long and as accurately as a good player are unrealistic (for me). I'm happy to play from shorter tees.

For me, the number one objective is to get to the point of simply keeping those clubs in play. Next would be to tighten up the shots zones to the point where my woods would match the present zones of my long irons. Currently, I'll sometimes go after larger greens with my long irons but rarely will with my fairway woods. Even on some par 5 2nd shots I'm hesitant to use woods. While that choice leaves me with a longer approach shots, it's logical choice due to my inability to control the longer clubs.

This is why I don't want to give up on those clubs.

[iacas]

21 minutes ago, JonMA1 said:

Of course if my opinion was worth anything I wouldn't be struggling to break 100 all the time..

---

My apologies if this is too far off topic, or so over-the-top obvious that it shouldn't be posted... 

And yet…

Looks like you stand more to gain by hitting it 20 yards farther than increasing your accuracy 1° (which is quite a bit, really).

2.3 vs. 1.0.

[JonMA1]

Not trying to be argumentative @iacas (I really want to understand this), but an improved swing would provide both accuracy and average distance. Better contact and a decrease in hooks and slices would reduce the shorter drives. But then that would also increase my average accuracy. Correct?

When I read that thread, all I can think is that my longest drives are what they are... I don't see that improving. The frequency of better contact? Hopefully. Is that what is meant by gaining distance?

I just don't understand the extra distance without any improvement in accuracy gaining 2 or more strokes. I know Broadie has done the research and it has to be true. And I understand how 20 yards would save some strokes (by leaving 2 clubs less for my next shot). But stroke and distance from penalties are killing me.

I just have trouble wrapping my head around improving my scores without decreasing the penalties.

Edited November 18, 2017 by JonMA1

[JonMA1]

Well, getting back on topic... developing the ability to control a fairway wood off the turf instead of having to club down to an iron would allow for a subsequently shorter approach shot. That's all I was trying to convey.

[iacas]

3 hours ago, JonMA1 said:

Not trying to be argumentative @iacas (I really want to understand this), but an improved swing would provide both accuracy and average distance.

Sure.

3 hours ago, JonMA1 said:

Better contact and a decrease in hooks and slices would reduce the shorter drives. But then that would also increase my average accuracy. Correct?

Yeah.

3 hours ago, JonMA1 said:

When I read that thread, all I can think is that my longest drives are what they are... I don't see that improving. The frequency of better contact? Hopefully. Is that what is meant by gaining distance?

I don't know how long they are now. If you're maxed out when you hit them well, then yes, you're maxed out, and solid contact with accuracy is your goal.

3 hours ago, JonMA1 said:

I just don't understand the extra distance without any improvement in accuracy gaining 2 or more strokes. I know Broadie has done the research and it has to be true. And I understand how 20 yards would save some strokes (by leaving 2 clubs less for my next shot). But stroke and distance from penalties are killing me.

Having two clubs less into EVERY green is worth 2.3 strokes per round. To the average 100-shooter.

3 hours ago, JonMA1 said:

I just have trouble wrapping my head around improving my scores without decreasing the penalties.

20 yards is not necessarily going to cause a big rise in penalties.

[MarvChamp]

I have 16* 3W, 19* 5W, and 22* 7W. Most of the time, if I carry any FW, it's the 5W. It is shallow faced and I can hit it pretty consistently. I would like to use the 3W because it is pretty close to a 4W I used to have. Oddly, I've been told the shaft is too flexible for even my slow swing. But it may be that I have a tendency to tense up and get a "hit it hard!" mentality with that club. After reading this thread, I think I will work on my tempo with the 3W. Thanks, -Marv

[Yff Theos]

The smaller the loft is the higher should be the swing speed. Recently, I have started to use my 19 degree hybrid as the longest club from the fairway. My #3 wood is just a shorter but tighter equvalent for my driver off the tee.

[Jackal1966]

I have  a weird set-up.

9° XR -16 Driver 

BB Alpha 3 wood 14° set to 13°

BB 2014  3 wood 15° set to  16°

BB 2014 5 wood set to 19°

 

The Alpha  3 wood is used as a mini driver,  off of fluffy lies, and to make up distance from a bad drive.

 

[Hardspoon]

On 11/18/2017 at 12:55 PM, Yff Theos said:

The smaller the loft is the higher should be the swing speed.

FWIW, swing speed is related to shaft length, not loft.  If you have a 20-degree hybrid and a 20-degree 5-wood, and the 5-wood has a longer shaft, it will have a higher swing speed.

[Yff Theos]

2 hours ago, Hardspoon said:

FWIW, swing speed is related to shaft length, not loft.  If you have a 20-degree hybrid and a 20-degree 5-wood, and the 5-wood has a longer shaft, it will have a higher swing speed.

You have misunderstood my intent. What I was to say is that in order to hit a club with small loft correctly from the deck one needs to have high enough swing speed. Hence a 19 deg. club shot will most probably go further than a 13 deg. one in case of golfers with smaller swing speeds (despite the clubhead speed numbers that are dependent on shaft length, as you said).

Edited November 20, 2017 by Yff Theos
sp.

[rehmwa]

I think I'm understanding the 'higher swing speed' comments better now.

The speed has nothing to do with getting a good hit - that's about contact, not speed.

I think it is more about just a lower lofted club launches lower (no kidding) so getting to max height certainly would take more travel.

In that case, the "hit it harder" type of feedback is quite misleading.  One can misinterpret it as hitting it harder is needed to get it up off the turf right away, rather than eventually.  Launch angel and elevation path are related, but not pertinent to this context.  Contact is important, getting it 'high enough' is fine.

just guessing here, having a hard time verbalizing half of this...