If you regularly catch thin fairway woods, your instinct might be to blame your impact and try to create more height – lifting the ball, trying to “pass under” or even making a steeper swing. Ma GOLF Top 100 Master Debbie Doniger says the best place to start is very early in the sequence: your configuration.
One of the most common mistakes is to place the ball too far forward. Many enthusiasts move toward their lead foot because they assume that a fairway wood must be hit on the upswing, like a driver.
The problem is that this can move the ball in front of the low point of your swing, making it more difficult to make the first contact of the ball. The result is inconsistent contact — and, for many golfers, the dreaded thin shot.
Ball position in the lead heel
Doniger’s first set-up key for better contact with the fairway woods is to place the ball on a club head in the heel. This ball position will help you reach the low point of your swing at or in front of the ball, instead of breaking through too early. It can also help you hit the ball lightly, which is key to getting solid contact.
Doniger also recommends putting more pressure in your lead foot at address, a split of about 60/40. If you still have difficulty with control or consistency, she suggests another useful adjustment.
“If it does shift a bit, that should also help lead to more consistency,” says Doniger.
“It (grip on the club) shortens the club, which could help shorten the back swing as well, and gives you a little more control,” he continues.
When your shoulders stop, your arms should too
Which brings us to the backswing. It is common for amateurs to make too long of a backswing, especially when they have a fairway wood in their hands. This just makes it more challenging to reach a consistent low point every time. Doniger’s solution to this is to use a simple control point to make a more controlled backswing.
“”As soon as your shoulders stop turning, your arm stops swinging,” he says.
To apply this to your game, use your lead shoulder as a signal to stop the backswing. Once it’s under your chin, your shoulder turn is complete – and your arms shouldn’t travel with it.
Dial in your low point
Then comes the most important key to eliminating lean contact: controlling where your club is bottoming out.
Doniger recommends taking practice swings and watching where the sole brushes the grass. The dewy turf makes this particularly easy to see. Ideally, your brush point – or divot – should be in front of the ball. This gives you a simple way to practice with a proper low point.
“It’s a great feeling to feel this big sole of the club down, you know, from your front leg, or in front of where the ball would be,” he says.
There is another factor worth considering: equipment. When you’re 200 yards from the green with a fairway wood in hand, confidence can affect the swing as much as mechanics. Using a fairway wood that helps launch the ball can help you build confidence in the swing you’ve been practicing.
The Callaway Quantum Mini Spinner, for example, is built with a higher center of gravity and a deeper face. These design features help produce a higher launch stroke while providing forgiveness for mis-hits.
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This can be particularly useful when you have a long approach and fear a low, thin shot.
Put all the pieces together and it becomes a much less intimidating mess. The goal is not to help the ball in the air or to make a perfect strike. It’s about setting up a sound setup, making a controlled swing and delivering the club to the proper low point. From there, trust the loft and design of your fairway wood to launch high and give you the best chance of staying on the green.
