To hit fairway woods, start by taking a wide stance with your shoulders squared and the ball slightly to the left of center. Well, for average swing speeds, more loft means its easier to get the ball off the naked turf in the fairway and into the air to carry longer distances. Scratch golf academy is your premier destination for online golf instruction. The longer shaft and broader sole of the fairway metal better suits a shallower angle of attack and more of a sweeping swing shape. Now that you know the best strategies for playing it off the tee, lets talk about hitting a 3 wood off the fairway.
While top speed golf director of orlando instruction robin rosado demonstrates the swing tips. Check availability on amazon the m6 fairway woods feature taylor mades twist face technology which helps to keep the ball headed straight even on offcenter hits. Jordan spieths keys for hitting the fairway with driveragain and. Sometimes, you need to hit a long shot over a hazard or to reach a long, tough par 4 in two strokesor even to hit a par 5 in two and have the exciting opportunity for an eagle. Another rookie question for you, is it normal for fairway woods to have a slightly heavier shaft than a driver even if it is the same shaft. Should i play a fairway wood or driver off the tee. Head pro adam bazalgette a twotime pga teacher of the year in florida. The driver from the fairway is not a shot you will ever use with great frequency, but it can come in handy when you really need it.
Fairway woods are versatile clubs that help you cover long distances on the golf course. When youre teeing off with the 3wood and you put the ball on the tee do you hit it the same way as a driver or do you hit it as if youre just hitting it off the ground thats what were going to. A beginners guide to striking a fairway wood off the tee in. If your golf ball is nicely on the grass on the fairway or first cut, you might choose to play with your driver. When and how to hit driver from the fairway golf tip pulling out the driver for a shot from. In this installment, marty jertson, vp of fitting and performance at ping, discusses whether or not some people would be better off hitting a fairway wood off the tee instead of a driver. One thing that driver cant do well is hit the ball directly off the deck. In his book how i play golf, tiger woods recommends using a fairway wood from light rough, rather than a long iron.
The fairway wood is categorized as wood club and originally made out of wood, but to be able to minimize damage, metal is now incorporated. Learn how to hit your driver off the fairway instruction, like so many tour players are doing these days, from pga professional derek sanders. The taylor made m6 fairway includes all the technology of the m6 driver into a fairway wood, making it a forgiving club that should be great for high handicappers. How to hit your driver off of the fairway on a par 5. Both fairway wood shots require similar techniques with only a few alterations. Maybe the average players lowestlofted fairway wood shouldnt be a 3wood anymore. Fairway woods can be utilized both off the tee and off the fairway when faced with a long approach shot into a green. This drill really helps the golfers who have a struggle with falling off the driver. Thats the club i started playing with, and its the one i always pound. They make the mistake of trying to sweep the ball off the ground, sometimes even trying to lift the ball with the club. You may be wondering how a 3 wood with a smaller face is easier to hit than that giant driver face. This is the first time that jailbreak technology has been implemented in a fairway wood. Im hitting my driver just as far as my 3 wood golf.
If it isnt really going to come into play in your game, there isnt much point in wasting valuable range time on this skill. Tight fairways require the control of a fairway wood off the tee. Off the tee, hit fairway woods basically the same as a driver. How to hit your fairway woods off the ground duration. When you find a narrow fairway that requires a deadly accurate driver, tee the ball lower and make a solid swing. Just tee the ball up a bit lower because the fairway wood is more lofted.
Tee the ball lower to the ground than you would when using a driver. I know im not the only one who hits lots of drivers, irons, and wedges on the range. Not to shill for a golf company, but i recently bought a used tour edge exotics xcg 15. Hitting driver off the deck is obviously one of the hardest shots in the. Now that you have the proper setup for your woods, its time to evaluate the lie. Indeed, if you have a tight lie, you may not want to hit it with the driver. Aug 12, 2014 not as far as your normal drives but you wont loose much yardage and you have a higher percentage of fairways hit. Hitting off heel of driver instruction and playing tips. When and how to hit driver from the fairway golf tip pulling out the driver for a shot from the fairway might seem like a risky play, but if the. Check out this index for easy access to all of our coverage of golf news, instruction, equipment and courses.
The percentage of time a tee shot comes to rest in the. How to hit a driver off the deck driver from the fairway. You cant hit the sweet spot because you are swinging too hard. There are two parts to the equation of this shot that you need to understand before it can become a reliable piece of your game. How to hit more fairways with your driver golficity. Michael breed, host of the golf fix breaks a tee to show you how to hit a fairway wood off tee. If a player hits positive on the driver on a tee and hits positive on the 3 wood off the turf we see a good driver of the ball, but a poor 3 wood player as the 3 wood does not. Hitting driver from the fairway also known as hitting driver off the deck is a specialized golf shot that you dont see much anymore even. The secret to hitting your driver better the left rough. Tight treelined fairways can cause second thoughts in even the most skilled of golfers. Watch vijay driver set up and he doesnt set up ball and driver club face on center but the end result is center solid contact. Phil mickelsons third round at the masters got off to an inauspicious start. Becoming proficient at hitting fairway woods can help players who are shooting in the 90s to bring their scores into the 80s.
Many players find hitting a 3 wood off the tee easier than the driver but much more technically demanding than an iron when hit from the fairway. Here is a list of the top 5 easiest to hit fairway woods for high handicappers. Many players find striking a 3 wood off the tee easier than the driver but much more technically demanding than an iron when hit from the fairway. First, you need to understand how to hit the ball off of the fairway with your driver. I finally decided to see if i could increase my fairways hit by using some of the physics involved.
When hitting fairway woods, players tend to swing up on the ball and end up topping the ball or hitting it fat. Ill discuss the checkpoints of hitting a high and long 3 wood off the tee. But if the ball is sitting up, in either the fairway or light rough, so that at least part of it is higher. Heres the right way to hit your driver off the deck golficity.
You can see in the graphs that scratch golfers hit 63% of fairways 9 fairways while beginners hit around 48% 7 fairways. Which means that the golfers might have hit the driver or any other club in their bag. Phil mickelson hits driver off fairway at masters, makes. Today, one of the types of woods is 1wood or also referred to as the driver wood and is much more shorter compared to the other group of fairway woods. Thankfully hitting fairway woods off the deck hasnt been an issue for me, in fact i got to the point at the end of the summer where i was even hitting driver off the deck with surprising success. Hitting driver off the deck is obviously one of the hardest shots in the game to master, but if you can make it happen youll open up a range of. What is the difference between fairway woods and rescue clubs. However, a well hit fairway wood shot feels solid, and the loft of the club does all the work of getting the ball into the air.
How to hit your fairway woods and hybrids todays golfer. Many players struggle to hit their fairway woods solidly. The small 7 ironish front blade if you can call it that digs into the ground if you do hit it fairly well and you sure just cant sweep the grass like you do with a 3,5 or 7 iron wood or your hybrid. Then, when you swing, use a smooth, even motion, and keep the club low the ground as you go to hit the ball. The tendency to scope the ball will also cause slice. Despite the name, you can tee off with a fairway wood.
For most, that might mean a 3wood off the tee, but i see too many golfers club down and then amp up their swing because of it, and still hit it crooked. Instead, work on the more sweeping, level attack youd use with a fairway wood. I strongly recommend that you spend some time on the range learning that goto bunt driver or other shot that you can rely on when things are demanding, or your full swing gets a little. In such situations, i love to hit my driver off the deck i. There are plenty of holes that call for a fairway wood, hybrid, or iron off the tee, but overall the driver is the best club off the tee. A beginners guide to striking a fairway wood off the tee. In fact, the first step when considering the driver off. A driver is engineered to be hit more neutral, and the 3 wood is engineered to be hit with a more descending blow to reach the center of percussion on the face. Apr 22, 2009 when i tee up the ball with my driver, i dont line up center square with the driver head. Promote a level blow play the ball an inch or two inside the lead heel just slightly further back than your regular driver. Plus, im typically only hitting my fairway woods off a tee. If an upward hit is desired, as with a driver, the ball should be placed up in the stance and the golfer told only where the swing is to bottom out.
Pick a three wood better designed for being hit off the deck fairway. Apr 01, 2019 tee the ball lower to the ground than you would when using a driver. How to hit 3 wood off the ground fairway woods can be the hardest clubs in the bag to strike well. Keep in mind that the data we capture is fairway accuracy. A well struck fairway wood should always feel solid at the point of impact. Whats the best driver to buy to maximize your chance. How to hit fairway woods fairway woods can be utilized both off the tee and off the fairway when faced with a long approach shot into a green. The leading edge is pretty sharp and the sole plate allows for good turf interaction.
So, why in the world would you ever want to hit your driver off the deck. Some better golfers use their drivers off the fairway when they need a huge shot, and can master that rare feat with ease. Mar 29, 2019 to hit fairway woods, start by taking a wide stance with your shoulders squared and the ball slightly to the left of center. When and how to hit driver from the fairway golf tip pulling out the driver for a shot from the fairway might seem like a risky play, but if the circumstances are right, its actually quite safe. In irons, the swing bottoms out just past the ball, the evidence is the divot. The main difference between hitting a fairway metal and a hybrid is the angle of attack. Pick a spot on the fairway that is that distance away and try to hit it like its a green rather than trying to hit it as far down the fairway as possible. Of course, if 3woods get bigger heads and longer shafts, they would get even harder to hit off the fairway. I am a firm believer that you can get into the mid teen handicap with nothing more than a fairway wood and hybrid, but if you do want to get some more distance off the tee, for some more in with the crowd feeling, make sure you can hit it well at least 7 out of 10 shots before bringing it to the course. I cant hit fairway woods and hybrids dont give me enough distance. Heres top coach andrew jones on how to hit 3wood off.
How is bubba watson able to hit his driver off the fairway. A driver off the turf is a shot that few pros even attempt so stick to it being teed up. Lets say youre on a long par 5 with around 280 yards to the green. What would you say is the easiest and most forgiving to hit out of the fairway. Driver clubheads have gotten much larger today than they were in the golf era when hitting driver off the fairway was a more commonly scene shot. So instead of trying to scope the ball, feel like you are going to sweep the ball off the turf. To help your mind focus, pick out a very specific target in the distance to aim your driver at. If the hole is a distance where if you hit the fairway with a driver youll have 7i, but if you hit the fairway with a 3w youll have 4i, its not super tempting to hit 3w.
While golfers typically use hybrids to replace their 14 irons, and to fill that awkward gap between a fairway wood shot and midtoshort irons, you can hit hybrids off the fairway, from the rough, or off a tee. If you have hesitation when you pull out the driver, you may want to put it back in the bag and opt for a fairway wood. How to hit fairway woods correctly, 3 and 5 wood golf tip. On a long par five with a wide fairway, feel free to tee it high and let it fly. While you can hit it off the deck, i dont recommend it for most amateur players. Trust me, it will make you much more comfortable over the ball after you hit some solid ones on the range. Nov 28, 2018 in this installment, marty jertson, vp of fitting and performance at ping, discusses whether or not some people would be better off hitting a fairway wood off the tee instead of a driver. The teeless driver as easy to hit off the ground than it is off a tee. Apr 24, 2019 when to hit driver off the deck before you bother practicing this difficult shot, its worth discussing when you could actually use it on the golf course. I am an old guy 72 with a slower swing speed so this plan may not help everybody. Another huge difference is that your driver is hit off a tee. When and how to hit driver from the fairway golf tip. With most fairway woods, it either bounces up or digs, resulting in thin or fat.
Im not suggesting hitting driver off every tee which i mentioned in the article. Its not as tough as it seems, particularly with todays generation of. How to hit a fairway wood off a tee golf fix golf channel. But for the other 99 percent of us, we dont even put that option in the realm of possibilities. The smart play on any given hole takes into account a lot of things. Remember that the original big bertha driver was only 190cc in size. Jun 10, 2014 however, off the tee, you can just fall into the trap of aiming down the fairway and not getting more specific than that. I had a bridgestone xdrive aka j38 driver that i swear i could hit further off the ground than a tee. Apr 07, 2018 phil mickelsons third round at the masters got off to an inauspicious start. Instead, i line up the ball at the heel of the driver because when i hit the ball thats how i make contact center of the club. Thats not bad advice from the fairway, but with the ball teed up a downward strike is less effective.
The best fairway woods combine hot faces and ultralow weighting to maximize distance. If thats the case, you might as well shell out the money and get the cream of the crop. This months on course tip shows how to hit the driver off the deck. Higher lofted woods are the most forgiving fairway woods in a similar way a pitching wedge has a higher loft than a 4 iron and is easier to hit. Top 5 easiest to hit fairway woods for high handicappers. After all, even the best professional golfers dont always use the big.
Turn your 3 wood into a secret weapon the left rough. Hybrid clubs are designed to hit balls directly off a fairway, so youll struggle to hit the sweet spot if the ball is up too high on the tee. If youre teeing off with a hybrid club, make it so that the bottom of the ball is just off the top of the grass and no higher. But if the hole is not that penal, laying back to hit the fairway will likely cost you more strokes than you will gain because golfers are not as accurate as they think with shorter clubs off the tee. Bubba watson driver off the deck compilation duration. Ill typically hit a couple fairway woods, but not many at all and not even half as often as i practice other parts of my game. Back when driver clubheads were below 200cc in size, the odds of making good contact with a driver off the fairway were much better. In this video, youll learn how to hit a driver off the deck. Additionally, if youre interested in what makes a fairway wood easy to hit, please continue reading below top 5 easiest fairway woods for beginners and high handicappers to hit. Check availability on amazon the m6 fairway woods feature taylor mades twist face technology which helps to keep the ball headed straight even on off center hits. This is called hitting it off the deck and is extremely difficult and unless you are a single digit handicap and know how to do this shot, you should not attempt it. His drive on the 1st hole found the bushes right of the fairway, and he legitimately whiffed when trying to hit a. Lots of players start swinging harder if they couldnt hit it far. It is likely to be chunked, skulled, or otherwise mis hit and the vast majorit.
In this video, youll learn how to hit a fairway wood off the tee. Heres the right way to hit your driver off the deck. You may not hit your driver quite as far when it is teed lower, but the accuracy you gain will be more than worth it. How to hit driver from the fairway off the deck liveabout. How to hit a fairway wood off the tee high elbow drill.
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