Fairway Wood Tips: Improve Your Shots
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Stop! Before You Reach for That Fairway Wood, Read This
By David Thompson
Let’s be honest, golf can be a humbling game. We all want to crush it off the tee and stick every approach shot. But sometiems, the smartest play isn’t the most heroic one. This is especially true when it comes to fairway woods,a club many of us,particularly high handicappers,women golfers,and beginners,rely on heavily.
I recently came across some incredibly insightful advice from top instructor Heather Angell at GOLF’s Top 100 Teacher Summit at Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida, and it’s something I wish I’d internalized years ago: Just because you can hit a fairway wood, doesn’t mean you should.
Angell’s point is simple, yet profound. We frequently enough get fixated on distance. We see a long shot to the green and promptly grab the longest club in the bag,often a fairway wood. But what if you’re not in the fairway? What if you have a less-than-ideal lie?
“I always tell people, don’t hit your fairway wood unless you’re in the fairway with a really good lie,” Angell says. “I have so many amateurs that come out and they’re like, ‘Well, I can’t reach the green. I’ve got to hit the longest club in my bag.’ And they’re standing in the rough or in a sunken lie in the fairway, and they’re pulling up that fairway wood and I’m like, what are you doing? don’t hit that!”
Think about it. A fairway wood is designed to be swept cleanly off a tight lie. Asking it to perform miracles from the rough or a divot is a recipe for disaster. You’re far more likely to chunk it, top it, or send it careening sideways.
The Smarter Play
So,what’s the choice? Angell suggests swallowing your pride and opting for a more manageable club. A hybrid or even a long iron might not get you all the way to the green,but it will allow you to advance the ball back into the fairway,setting up a better approach shot.
Think of it as a strategic retreat. Sometimes, the best way to win the battle is to live to fight another day. Don’t let ego dictate your club selection. Assess the lie, consider your options, and make the smart play, not the heroic one.
Bonus Tip: Nail Your Ball Position
Beyond lie assessment, Angell also offers a crucial tip on ball position with fairway woods: play the ball slightly forward of center in your stance.
“Most people want to either put it back in the middle of their stances, like an iron, or they put it up there with their driver. I think the key for amateurs is to make sure that they have their ball position forward of center so they get that ideal kind of sweeping up motion on it that they want to hit, and then making sure that you’re making a nice smooth swing.”
This promotes that ideal, sweeping strike that maximizes distance and accuracy. avoid the temptation to treat it like an