Using your fairway woods will give you maximum distance down the fairway. When you are just starting to play golf, fairway woods can be more problematic to control than irons, but you should learn how to use them as soon as possible. The expertise to hit fairway woods, enabling you to hit longer distances, will help you lower your scores. A great wood shot sets you up in the best possible way for the remainder of the hole.

The 1, 3 and 5 woods are the most frequently used. They will enable you to increase your distance and power without any extra effort.

Evan though the size and shape of the club head is vastly different from the irons, the extra distance is achieved through the longer length of the shafts.

Because of the longer shaft the club head has a greater distance to travel and a wider arc. When you swing a wood with the same rhythm and tempo as an iron, the club head travels around the arc in the same time, but has to cover much more distance, and this raises the speed. The increase in club head speed provides you with the additional power to hit the ball longer distances. You don\’t need to speed up your swing to make the club head go faster. Your tempo should be the same for every full shot from driving to pitching.

What does change is your address including stance, posture and ball position because of the longer shaft of the fairway wood. Your swing plane is also affected.

First of all you stand further away from the ball than you would for an iron because of the longer shaft length. Your stance should be wider so you can maintain your balance. You address the ball with your back more upright and the ball position is opposite the inside of your left heel. Take the club away slowly, keeping the club head low to the ground.

Rotate your upper body freely as your left arm swings the club back. Your weight should have transferred from the central positon at address to the inside of the right foot by the time you are at the two-thirds point in your backswing.

At the top of your backswing your shoulders should have rotated 90 degrees and your hips 45 degrees. Be sure to complete the backswing before starting the downswing. It will help if you have a very small hesitation at the top of the backswing before you start the downswing.

When you start the downswing rotate your left hip to the left. This pulls your arms and hands into an ideal striking position.

Your swing plane is flatter so the club head approaches the ball at a shallower angle. You sweep through the ball, which is struck at a later point in your swing. That is why the ball is placed inside your left heel.

Allow your weight to move across to the outside of your left foot after impact. Let the momentum of your club pull your right shoulder and your head to face the target. Your whole body should face the target. When you finish you should be balanced with most of your weight on your left foot.

Practice at the driving range with your fairway woods and you will soon be gaining additional distance down the fairway and your handicap will be dropping.

Author Bio: When you have mastered how to hit fairway woods check out golf tips for better driving to really drop your handicap in no time.

Category: Sports
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