How To Play Fairway Woods At Golf? Learn The Secrets To Hitting Them Long And Straight Every Time!

How To Play Fairway Woods At Golf? Learn The Secrets To Hitting Them Long And Straight Every Time! With golfers playing well into their 70's and above these days it's become increasingly important to learn how to play your fairway woods at golf. They provide that extra distance that is needed to reach longer par 3's, 4's and even par 5's.

It is a shot though that still troubles even the most seasoned golfer. Because of the distance the ball travels off the club face there is always more margin for error. With this being the case you need to understand the basics of what is required to a hit a nice, solid fairway wood shot off the grass. Here are my 4 most important tips to playing great fairway woods every time: (1) Always ensure you have a good lie, whether the ball is in the rough or on the fairway. On the fairway you need the ball to be sitting on a flat, even spot that makes it easy to make clean contact. Downhill, uneven lies or sitting down in the thick rough are not recommended for fairway woods because they make it too difficult to slide the club underneath the golf ball. (2) Play the ball toward the front of your stance just inside your left heal (right hander). This will ensure you hit the golf ball on the up which will result in a nice, rising trajectory. (3) Aim to the hit the ball about 1 inch in front of it and finish about 2 inches past the point of contact. The best way to play it is to visualise a sweeping action just like you are sweeping the floor with a broom. There is no hitting down on the golf ball like you do with an iron shot. It is purely a smooth, sweeping motion through the impact zone and the club head just gets in the way. Make sure you don't try to lift or scoop the club head through impact. This will result in a lot of mishit and poorly timed golf shots. (4) Lastly, ensure you make a slow, smooth downswing and through the impact zone. Fairway woods are designed to go a long way so you don't need to swing hard to get the job done. In fact quite often, an easier swing with little effort will result in a much longer and straighter shot then a more aggressive one. Give these tips a try and enjoy the feeling that comes with hitting great fairway woods around the golf course. How To Play Fairway Woods At Golf? Learn The Secrets To Hitting Them Long And Straight Every Time!

Which Fairway Woods Should a Beginning Golfer Play?

Fairway woods are a very important tool in your golf bag and there are plenty of different choices as to which ones to play. If you are a beginning golfer you need to be careful as to which fairway woods you start out with. Read on to discover more.

The first thing to consider when choose fairway woods for a beginning golfer is probably price. Unless you are rich and price is not an object, then you can consult a professional and have clubs built perfectly for you. Since most of us are not in that situation you will want to keep your woods within your price range.

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This may limit your selection just a bit, but no need to worry there are still plenty of great options for a beginning golfer. Another thing to consider is which clubs are easiest to hit. Beginning golfers need to build confidence with their swing and putting clubs in their hands that are not very easy to hit is not a good idea.

So which set of fairway woods should you choose as a beginning golfer? There are a couple of choices that work out best for beginners. First, start with the higher number woods because they are easier to hit and can be great stepping stones to the harder to hit 3 wood and driver. Start with a 5 wood and a 7 woods. You will not get as much distance, but it will be easier to build a good consistent swing.

Second, choose woods with a low profile face because they are easier to hit, especially off the ground. This will give you a better chance to get used to the feel of hitting your woods off the ground and the results will be better with the low profile face.

If you are a beginning golfer, then you need to stay within your price range, choose the higher number woods to begin with like the 5 and 7 woods, and make sure to get woods with a low profile design. You might also want to avoid oversized woods, at first, so that you can get used to the feel of hitting the fairway woods correctly.

Which Fairway Woods Should a Beginning Golfer Play?

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Hybrid Clubs or Fairway Woods?

Hybrid clubs keep growing in popularity. And the lofts on hybrids keep getting lower. This gives you more options but blurs the distinction between hybrid clubs and fairway woods.

Some hybrids come in lofts as low as 14*. That's lower than many 3 woods. When deciding on fairway woods or hybrids, how do you know you're making the right choice?

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Hybrids come in two flavors...

Before comparing hybrid clubs and fairway woods, you need to look at the two types of hybrids and decide which suits your game. They're a little different and affect set makeup differently too.

Knowing how to make distinctions between these clubs can help you develop a short list of hybrids and fairway woods to field-test the next time out.

Hybrid irons. These hybrids replace irons, have the same lofts and weights as the irons they replace and come in the same finished lengths and swingweights. That means they'll feel the same as the irons in your current set.

The advantages?

That's simple. Hybrid irons simplify the replacement of corresponding long irons. It also keeps your set's progression consistent. This maintains a predictable 10 yard gap between clubs throughout your set. That makes club selection easier.

Another benefit?

Higher long iron trajectories. The lower center of gravity (CG) in hybrid irons produces a higher trajectory with the same effort. Players with lower swing speeds can take advantage of hybrids to get back the long iron yardages for longer approaches to the green.

If you never thought you'd be able to hit a two iron, hybrid irons deliver the out-and-out perfect solution.

Hybrid fairways. These mimic fairway woods to some extent. They're longer in length than hybrid irons and use different shafts. Hybrid fairways use wood shafts with a .335 tip diameter instead of the .370 tip found in irons.

Hybrid fairways are not as deep from front to back as fairway woods and that affects how they play. Hybrid fairways have the center of gravity (CG) closer to the clubface than traditional fairway woods. This tends to lower trajectory a bit.

How this works...

Fairway woods are a little larger in volume than hybrids, and are wider from front to back. This places the CG farther away from the clubface. During the swing, centrifugal force and gravity push the back of the clubhead down raising the dynamic loft of the club and elevating trajectory. The farter away from the clubface you position the CG the higher the dynamic loft.

Who benefits from hybrid fairways?

My theory is that high swing speed players looking to flatten trajectory do well with hybrid fairways in place of fairway woods. Most fairway woods tend to drift a little higher. Anyone looking to keep the ball under the wind can do that easier with a hybrid.

There are exceptions. An example? The KZG U-Series utility comes to mind. Its very low profile quickly gets the ball up the air. Make sure you know the design characteristics of a utility wood before diving in.

Another advantage? A hybrid fairway's smaller size makes it a better club from difficult or fluffy lies. They simply won't get hung up in the grass as easily as a fairway wood.

Fairway woods have their place too...

Traditional fairway woods are good choices when you want a club that works well from either the tee or fairway. Their slightly larger appearance instills confidence at address.

If your swing speed is about 90 mph or less, a good fairway wood with a low center of gravity helps keep your trajectory a little higher. The lower center of gravity also means you can use stronger lofts for a slight increase in distance.

Putting it all together...

If you struggle with long irons take a look at hybrid iron replacements. They work better for slower swing speeds and integrate easily into your current iron set. Stay with traditional fairway woods with a low center of gravity for an elevated trajectory, better hang time and more stopping power on the green.

Manufacturers are now creating iron sets that progress from traditional short irons to hybrid mid and long irons. The seamless progression from blade-like short irons to hybrid long irons makes more sense for players that have difficulty with long iron distances.

Faster swings and players with naturally high trajectories do well with hybrid fairways. Their higher center of gravity keeps trajectories in check.

Match the right hybrids, fairway woods, or a combination of the two to your swing and you'll have more options when facing long approach shots on par fives, long par fours or tee shots on tight driving holes.

Hybrid Clubs or Fairway Woods?

Ken Lopez writes articles for Pure Impact Custom Golf. If you have questions or want assistance in selecting custom golf clubs, you can contact him here: http://www.pureimpactgolf.com/golf/Default.asp