Using A Fairway Wood

Fairway woods consist of 3, 4, 5, 7, and even a 9 to provide you with a different degrees of loft.  The fairway wood was designed to produce a range of long shots at various height and lengths.

The 3 wood gives the longest shot because of the loft and is typically the hardest to use.  It is more common for a golfer to use a 4 or 5 wood in the fairway than a 3 wood.  3 woods are more commonly used in place of a driver off the tee box. The 7 wood is even easier to hit and provide much more loft on your shot but won't carry as long.

The shaft of woods are much longer than that of irons so your stance needs to be adjusted and your swing needs to be flatter.  The sole of a wood is also different than an iron. Instead of cutting through the grass like an iron, the driver is designed to bounce off the ground. When you use a fairway wood, it is important to sit the club absolutely flat to the ground to take advantage of the bouncing.  If you wrongly push your hands forward in your swing ahead of the club head, the back edge of the club will rise and lose the forgiving effect of a wood.

3 Steps to Hitting Better Fairway Shots with a Wood

1. When you address your ball, the club-face needs to sit flat and square to the ball.  Your arms and club-shaft should form a natural 'Y' shape.  You will want to change the ball in your stance according to the lie of your ball.  If you are hitting in grass, place the ball just inside of your front foot. If you are hitting on a flat fairway, place the ball just ahead of center.
2. Hitting a good fairway shot really comes from the contact your make with your wood.  The goal is to have your wood bounce on the ground right before you make contact with the ball.  Before any fairway wood shot, take a few practice swings and make sure the front edge of your wood doesn't make contact with the ground.  You really shouldn't leave a mark on the fairway with the right type of contact. 
3. Your swing should resemble the same as a driver off a tee box. Your swing should be round with the goal of brushing the ground with your wood instead of picking the ball off a tee.  

The most important thing you can do to improve your fairway wood shots is to practice.  Go to your local golf course and hit 40 shots to find the right stance and ball placement.  Practice will allow you to feel confident with your fairway wood shots so when you get on the course, you can 'let the club do the work'.