Have you ever noticed that one of the most demanding shots in golf, the fairway wood shot, is most commonly used in women’s golf? To score well, you will need to be consistent with your fairway woods.

Here are my three favorite and most effective tips for hitting pure fairway wood shots

Key 1. Check your ball position

For right-handers, your ball position for a fairway wood should be just left of the center of your stance, or in line with the left logo on your shirt. Notice this is not as far left as your ball position would be if you were hitting a wood from a tee. This places the ball in the flatter part of the golf swing and will make it easier to sweep the ball off of the turf.

Key 2. Use a more lofted fairway wood

5 or 7-wood are very friendly fairway woods that should still provide you with respectable distance, but the club’s added loft and not overly long shaft make it easier to experience more success.

Choose a fairway wood that you can actually have success and for the little bit of distance you might sacrifice; you will probably gain right back in your increased consistency.

Key 3. Be sure that your practice swings sweep the grass

Your practice swing should sweep the grass. If your practice swing does not sweep the grass, you are in essence practicing topping the ball, and you should take another until you do brush the turf. My preference is that if you do take a practice swing, you only take one. So if missing the turf and having to re-swing becomes a constant occurrence, actually practice your practice swings. A great goal is to be able to take 10 practice swings in a row that sweep the grass.

Good Luck in the Fairways!!!

Susan

Feature Photo: Danielle Kang playing a fairway wood at the 2018 KEB Hana Bank Championship. Photo by Ben Harpring